Table of Contents Show
If you are a new or returning player to Genshin Impact, you may have heard about the new trading card game (TCG) in Genshin Impact.
Genius Invokation TCG is its name, and it is a new permanent feature in Genshin Impact that gives players the chance to play a fun digital card game.
Released in version 3.3 of Genshin Impact, you’ll be able to earn cards through in-game content and use those cards to build decks.
How do you unlock Genius Invokation?
To unlock Genshin’s card game, you’ll need to complete a specific quest chain. It starts at Mondstadt’s alchemy store.
“Come Try Genius Invokation TCG!” is the name of the mission and it is located in your Quests menu.
You’ll join Sucrose on a handful of missions where you will learn the basic mechanics of the game, which we’ll detail below.
Genshin TCG basic mechanics
If you’ve played other two-person trading card games like Pokemon and Magic: the Gathering, you’ll find some similarities with the Genshin card game, but there are enough twists to keep things interesting.
Players build decks out of different kinds of cards. These include three Character cards and 30 Action cards. Your goal is to defeat the other player’s character cards by draining their hit points.
Each player draws five Action cards at the beginning of each match. After that, the rounds start.
Starting each round
Games go through multiple rounds. At the beginning of each, players roll eight Elemental Dice. You’ll use the rolled elements for actions during rounds.
Then, after the roll phase, players enter the first action phase. This is where you’ll spend the elemental dice you rolled. But, pay attention, you’ll want to spend that energy on the right character skills.
Understand character attacks and skills in Genius Invokation TCG
During the action phase, players get to select Character card attacks and skills to use. These costs vary, and some skills have additional bonuses or affect the target card with an element.
You’ll pay for attacks and skills using elemental dice that match your card’s skill. But, on top of matching elements, you can also use Omni Element dice that work for any element type.
Both players will get a chance to use skills during a round and rounds last for as long as players have energy they can (or want) to spend. Attacks and skills cause damage to the opposing card, taking away from their stated health.
Once both players decide to end the round, dice are rolled again and you’ll repeat the process.
NOTE: Most skills can only target active characters and you’ll spend elemental dice to switch between different characters.
Elemental reactions in the card game
Just like the main game, Genshin’s TCG also uses elemental reactions. That means you’ll want to build decks that synergize through different reactions.
For example, running Pyro and Hydro together or Anemo and literally anything. Doing so will allow you to use your character cards together to inflict additional damage and make you elemental busts even better.
What is energy and how do you use it for elemental bursts?
When you use a character’s attack or elemental skill, you also build energy for that character. Filling up the energy bar on the card (shown above) will let you use the character’s powerful burst.
These bursts vary in cost based on the character, but generally speaking, they are very powerful and can change the tide of a game.
Action cards and what they mean for the game
In addition to Character cards, players also draw Action cards at the beginning of the match. Action cards can be played with Elemental Dice.
These cards typically act as support cards. They can provide damage buffs, heals, and more.
As an added bonus, Action cards are considered “fast” actions. This means that they don’t cause you to pass the turn to your opponent.
The last note here is that at the end of each round, you draw two more Action cards from your deck.
Genshin’s deck-building card game has potential
We’ve loved our time with Genius Invokation TCG and can’t wait to explore the mechanics even deeper.
And, even better, it doesn’t seem like the card game will be pay-to-win. That means it joins Marvel Snap as great, new card games that are extremely free-to-play friendly.
If you want to learn more about Marvel Snap and have been looking for another digital trading card, check out our beginners’ guide.
