DabCraft TCG — Game Manual and Player Codex

This is the full rulebook for DabCraft TCG. Use it however works for you:

• Learning the game? Read sections 1–8 in order for a guided tutorial.
• Looking up a specific rule? Jump to sections 9–15 for the reference codex.

1) What This Game Is

DabCraft TCG is a two-player lane-based card game played at the Battle Table in Minecraft.

The loop is simple:

1. Collect cards
2. Build a deck
3. Sit at a Battle Table with another player
4. Play through turn phases
5. First to knock the opponent from 30 HP to 0 wins

2) Starting Your First Match

You need three things:

• Two players
• A placed Battle Table
• One deck per player

Here's how it goes:

1. Both players right-click the Battle Table to sit
2. Both sides confirm they're ready
3. Game starts, decks shuffle, 5-card opening hands are dealt

3) Core Match Stats

You gain 1 max Emerald Energy each Upkeep, up to a cap of 10. Your current energy refills to your current max at the start of each Upkeep. Energy does not carry over between turns.

4) Board Layout

Each player controls:

• 4 mob lanes
• 4 block lanes (one under each mob lane)
• 2 structure slots
• 1 biome slot

Here's a rough visual:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Structure 1           Structure 2             │
│                                               │
│ [Mob 0] [Mob 1] [Mob 2] [Mob 3]    [Biome]   │
│ [Block] [Block] [Block] [Block]              │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

5) Turn Structure (Full Breakdown)

Every turn walks through six phases.

Important turn 1 rule:

The first player still gets Upkeep and Draw on turn 1. But since the game starts at 0/0 energy, after their first Upkeep they'll be at 1/1 energy for Main Phase 1. Never 2/2 on turn 1.

6) Card Types Explained

MOB

Mobs are your fighters. They have power and toughness and they attack in lane combat.

When a mob enters the field, it has summoning sickness and can't attack until your next Upkeep clears it.

BLOCK

Blocks are support cards that sit under the mob lanes. They're not mobs, they're lane modifiers.

Key rules:

• Each lane holds one block.
• You can place a block in an empty lane before putting a mob there.
• Playing a new block over an old one replaces it.
• Replaced blocks follow "moving-sickness" timing, so the new passive doesn't kick in until your next Upkeep.
• Blocks stick around even after the mob in that lane dies.

EQUIPMENT

Equipment attaches to a mob's gear slots.

Each mob has equipment slots like HELM, CHEST, PANTS, BOOTS, WEAPON, OFFHAND. One item per slot type.

BIOME

You can have one biome active at a time. It gives you a side-wide passive or on-play effect.

Playing a new biome replaces your old one.

STRUCTURE

Structures go in your 2 structure slots. They're persistent support cards that can have ON_PLAY and ON_UPKEEP effects.

POTION

Potions are spell-like effects:

• INSTANT and SPLASH resolve immediately and go to discard.
• LINGERING stays attached to a lane target as long as it's valid.

7) How Combat Works

Combat is automatic. It happens during the Battle phase.

Here's the sequence:

1. Every ready attacking mob attacks in its own lane.
2. If the enemy lane has a mob, they exchange combat damage.
3. If the enemy lane is empty, damage goes straight to the enemy player.

Effect timing during combat:

1. ON_ATTACK effects
2. ON_DEFEND effects
3. Damage application and lethal checks
4. ON_DEATH effects and cleanup

Combat damage is simultaneous, so both mobs can die in the same exchange.

8) Winning, Losing, and Forfeiting

You win by reducing your opponent's HP to 0.

You lose or forfeit if:

• You leave an active match
• You disconnect during an active match
• You die in-world during an active match
• You attempt to draw a card from an empty deck

9) Economy and Card Acquisition

Where cards come from

You've got four sources:

1. Card Vendor trades — buy sealed product from vendors
2. Natural drops — 15% drop chance from active full sets
3. Crafting pipeline machines — Shredder, Press, Printer
4. Admin commands — /dabtcg pack set_id for testing

The currently active full sets are: classic, infdav_expansion, pretty_scary, redstone, horse, create. Legacy test sets and creative-only items exist but are not included in natural drop pools or normal pack generation.

Product tiers

• Pack — 8 cards
• Booster Box — 16 packs
• Booster Case — 4 boxes (64 packs total)

Crafting pipeline

Three machines turn materials and unwanted cards into packs:

1. Shredder — cards into card pulp
2. Press — card pulp into blank sheets
3. Printer — blank sheets plus ink into packs

Printer targeting:

• No catalyst? Random pack from the non-legacy set pool.
• Catalyst inserted? Targeted set pack. The catalyst doesn't get consumed.

Collection tools

• Deck Box — deck validation and storage
• Card Binder — general collection storage
• Master Set Binder — numbered set completion tracking

10) Deckbuilding Rules

Current deck requirements:

• Minimum deck size: 30
• Max copies of any single card: 3

A solid deck usually has:

1. Early plays for turns 1–3
2. A mix of threats and interaction
3. Some card advantage or selection effects
4. A clear plan for closing out the game

11) Triggers and Effects Reference

Trigger types

Effect categories

Full effect type breakdown

12) Targeting Reference

Common target keys

• FRIENDLY_MOB
• ENEMY_MOB
• ALL_FRIENDLY_MOBS
• ALL_ENEMY_MOBS
• ENEMY_PLAYER
• LANE_MOB
• EQUIPPED_MOB

Lane-relative keys

• FRIENDLY_MOB_LEFT
• FRIENDLY_MOB_RIGHT
• ENEMY_MOB_LEFT
• ENEMY_MOB_RIGHT

Area modifiers

• radius: 1, 2, 3, ALL
• direction: LEFT or RIGHT

13) Card Taxonomy

Rarity tiers

Subtype groups

• Mob subtypes: UNDEAD, VILLAGER, BEAST, BOSS, PLAYER, PASSIVE
• Region and world subtypes: PLAINS, DESERT, FOREST, SWAMP, OVERWORLD, NETHER, END
• Equipment and utility subtypes: TOOL, ARTIFACT, WEAPON, OFFHAND
• Potion subtypes: INSTANT, SPLASH, LINGERING

14) Quick Rules FAQ

Q: Can I place a block before I have a mob in that lane?

Yes. Blocks can be set up in empty lanes.

Q: Does a lane lose its block when the mob dies?

No. Blocks persist until replaced or removed by an effect.

Q: Can both mobs die in one combat exchange?

Yes. Combat damage is simultaneous.

Q: Can I play cards after Battle phase?

Yes, that's what Main Phase 2 is for.

Q: What happens if I leave the battle screen mid-match?

Leaving an active match counts as a forfeit.

15) Fast Reference Checklist

Turn flow:

[ ] Upkeep (auto)
[ ] Draw (auto)
[ ] Main Phase 1
[ ] Battle (auto)
[ ] Main Phase 2
[ ] End turn

Before you play a card:

1. Is it your turn?
2. Are you in MP1 or MP2?
3. Do you have enough energy?
4. Is the target slot valid?

Manual status: full tutorial and codex edition, June 2026.