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How long does a typical game last? How does a player know which card is the best one to play this turn? Does a certain effect, attack, or passive take priority over another? These are some of the questions that new players will begin asking themselves after they grasp the game’s order of operations. Making strategic decisions when asking these questions can be the difference between a win or a loss.
There are a few factors that affect the length of a card game. The first are the rules of the game. Those rules, which moderate the order of operations, are the foundation for the amount of time that the game takes. In Parallel, players have 1 minute and 30 seconds each turn to execute their strategy. This includes but is not limited to: banking, playing a card onto the play field, attacking, or some other action.
Another factor that affects the length of a game is the respective strategies that either player uses. If one or both are playing a more aggressive strategy, then the game will likely be shorter. If one or both are playing a more control-based strategy, then the game will likely be extended.
Lastly, the skill of each player will determine the length of each game. Less experienced players are likely to make more mistakes, so when they’re paired against a superior player, the game is likely to end quickly. If they’re paired with another player without experience, the game could drag on. The same could be true for more experienced players because they will be able to perceive more outcomes, and persist longer. Right now, the average Parallel game takes anywhere from ~15-45 minutes.
We just discussed Time as a measurement of the length of a game. But what about Timing within a game? Timing is the idea of when and in what order various effects or abilities will take place. A good example of how Timing works in Parallel is Lemieux, Master Commando. His card reads:
Passive:
At the start of your first turn, Create a 1/1 Unit named “Vanguard Infiltrator”.
Unit:
6 Energy 2/5
Muster: Choose one of the following: “Destroy a Unit of your choice”, “Return a Unit of your choice from your Waste to your Hand”, or “Friendly Units gain +1/+1 this turn”.
Assault: Do all three instead of choosing.
Lemieux’s Passive ability – an ability that occurs without needing input from the player – gives the player an early advantage in the game. At the start of the player’s first turn, Vanguard Infiltrator is created. This means that in your first turn, you get a unit on the board without having to bank a card or expend any energy.
In summary, the Timing of this Passive ability is this:
Your first turn is initiated > Vanguard Infiltrator is created on the playing field for you.
This is a very simple example of Timing. There are much more complex versions of Timing in Parallel, so check out some of the card functions on Parallel.life/cards to learn more.
Priority is an important concept to understand in Parallel. Priority is the right to use an ability or perform a special action. To understand Priority, let’s bring back Lemieux, Master Commando as an example. As a refresher here is what his card says:
Passive:
At the start of your first turn, Create a 1/1 Unit named “Vanguard Infiltrator”.
Unit:
6 Energy 2/5
Muster: Choose one of the following: “Destroy a Unit of your choice”, “Return a Unit of your choice from your Waste to your Hand”, or “Friendly Units gain +1/+1 this turn”.
Assault: Do all three instead of choosing.
The concept of Priority comes into play with Lemieux specifically for Assault. In Parallel, Assault means: If Damage was dealt to the Enemy this turn then playing a Unit with this keyword triggers that Unit’s associated ability. This ability does not trigger if no Damage was dealt to the Enemy this turn.
So prior to spending six energy to play Lemiuxon to the field, the optimal thing to do is to first deal damage to the Enemy. If a player were to order their play in this fashion, they would get to do all three actions listed in the Muster section of Lemieux’s card.
As you can see Priority is an important concept to understand, and can compound the effectiveness of your units or strategy.
Recap
In this article, we talked about Game Length, Timing, and Priority. These concepts are another set of basics that every TCG player should learn. They are foundational concepts that govern every game and can be the difference between a win or a loss.