Targeting and Taunting explained
Players do not choose a target during battle. Reliability comes from understanding two separate rules before combat: the deck fixes who attacks next, while the defending side and card bonuses determine which living card can be hit.
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Deck order decides the attack sequence
The six positions define the order in which living cards attack. If a card is gone before its turn, the engine continues with the remaining deck; moving a card earlier can therefore change whether its attack or pre-attack ability happens at all.
Order does not directly force that attacker to hit the same opposing position. Attacker sequencing and defender selection are different systems, so copying the enemy layout does not create fixed lane combat.
- Use slot order to prioritize actions, not to select a mirrored enemy slot.
- A slow plan needs enough survival for its later cards to act.
- Watch the whole sequence before concluding that a card has a targeting problem.
Standard targets are random among eligible cards
Without a priority-changing effect, the engine chooses randomly among living enemy cards. Dead or currently dying cards are excluded. This randomness creates different battle lines even when the two decks are unchanged.
Some named bonuses define their own targeting or interception behavior and can override the standard flow. The bonus reference is authoritative for those exceptions; the general random rule should not be used to predict a special ability.
- Do not build a normal attack around hitting one exact unprotected enemy.
- Spread essential functions when one random early loss would collapse the deck.
- Compare repeated matches to distinguish variance from a structural weakness.
Taunting creates a priority target pool
Under standard targeting, if at least one living enemy has Taunting, attacks choose from the living Taunting cards instead of the rest of the deck. With several taunters alive, the engine randomly selects among them.
The priority ends as soon as no living Taunting card remains. Taunting does not make a card immortal and does not guarantee a particular attacker survives; it redirects eligible attacks while the condition is present.
- Use one taunter to shield cards whose later turns or persistent effects matter.
- Multiple taunters distribute standard attacks but make the exact recipient random.
- Pair target priority with enough defense or protection to buy meaningful time.
Read targeting from battle evidence
When a deck fails, separate three questions: did the right card attack early enough, was the defender chosen by the standard rule or a bonus exception, and did Taunting remain alive at that moment? This avoids fixing the wrong layer.
A sound deck reduces the cost of unfavorable random targets rather than expecting randomness to disappear. Reordering, adding a durable priority target, or duplicating an essential role can each address a different failure.
- Test the same six cards in a new order before replacing all of them.
- Check bonus names on both sides when a target looks exceptional.
- Judge consistency across several battles with comparable opponents.