Dive beneath the waves of the Crucible’s oceans with Dark Tidings, the fifth set of Archon Decks for Keyforge, the world’s only Unique Deck Game! Dark Tidings introduces a brand-new House to the game: the Unfathamable. Replacing Dis in the current cardpool, the Unfathomable specialize in controlling their opponents by exhausting enemy creatures. What’s more, every House gains the power to call upon the tides of the Crucible, gaining advantages from high tide and avoiding the punishments of low tide. Finally, Dark Tidings also brings the possibility of evil twin decks in existence, except with many of its cards exchanged for their “evil twin” versions, featuring alternative abilities, graphic design & art.
Bursting onto the scene with the addition over 250 brand-new cards into the remixed cardpool, Dark Tidings pushes the possibilities to their breaking point and brings billions more unique decks to the forefront. Each of these decks is completely unlike any that have come before, and with the addition of a brand-new faction, the shifting tides of the Crucible, and the concept of evil twin decks, Dark Tidings offers its own twist on what you have come to expect from KeyForge.
1–4 Players / 45–90 Min Playing Time / Age: 14+
English version
For Chinese version please visit –
另有中文版《KeyForge 鍛鑰者：潛潮闇湧 補充包》
About KeyForge
Don’t try to change the Crucible to fit your needs.
Let it change you.
Enter a world where anything is possible in KeyForge! In the center of the universe hangs the Crucible, an artificial world built from the pieces of countless planets. Here, in the world’s first Unique Deck Game, created by legendary designer Richard Garfield, two players step into the roles of mighty Archons, racing to forge keys that unlock the Crucible’s hidden Vaults.
Leading their diverse teams, filled with followers from three of the Crucible’s great Houses, the Archons must gather Æmber, stave off their opponent’s progress, and ultimately be the first to open a Vault and gain its incredible knowledge. With a vast array of creatures, artifacts, and abilities and over 104 quadrillion possible decks, every deck is completely one-of-a-kind, and no two battles will ever be the same!
Beyond its groundbreaking mechanics as the world’s first Unique Deck Game, KeyForge also offers an incredible array of options for players with equally-matched standalone sets. Every set of KeyForge, whether it be Call of the Archons, Age of Ascension, or any other, is a companion to each other set, not a replacement or a sequel. You do not need to start with one set in order to reach another, and you do not need to switch to the latest Archon Decks in order to remain competitive. Rather, you are invited to continue your exploration of the Crucible with new cardpools that feature incredible new creatures, artifacts, keywords, and sometimes even new Houses! It’s your game, and you can play it your way.
A World of Infinite Possibilities
In KeyForge, you become an Archon, one of the only native inhabitants of the Crucible. This world was built for your kind by the mischievous and enigmatic Architects, who cobbled together pieces of every planet in the galaxy, bringing with them an eclectic variety of creatures, vegetation, cultures, and technology from across the stars!
Hailed by some as a god, you now seek to understand the secrets of the planet on which you live. This knowledge is held in countless hidden Vaults, which you must find and unlock using keys forged of Æmber, a precious substance that runs throughout the Crucible. To this end, you have gathered a team drawn from three of the Crucible’s seven great Houses. But you are not the only one seeking this knowledge and the power that comes with it—rival Archons across the planet all seek the same goal, and when two Archons meet at a Vault, conflict is inevitable.
Chaotic Clashes
When two Archons meet in combat, you must be ready to react and learn on the fly, using every tool at your disposal to counter the tricks your rival has up their sleeves. Within each House, you will find four types of cards: actions, artifacts, creatures, and upgrades, based on what these Houses brought from their homeworld or created after arriving on the Crucible. Over a series of turns, you will use these creatures and cards to collect precious Æmber, battle your opponent, and ultimately forge enough keys to unlock the Architects’ Vault!
At the start of your turn, you will choose one of the three Houses within your deck and activate it. Once you have declared your active House, you may only play and use cards from that House, so be sure to choose wisely. Though you only can activate one House per turn, you’re free to use those cards as you please: no cards have a cost in KeyForge, so you can use your active House to run wild, playing and using cards without limit. At the end of your turn, you will draw back up to a full hand of six cards, so it may be best to play as many cards from your hand as possible. Then again, you may want to hold your best tricks back so you can get their full impact at the opportune moment! And that’s just the start of the tactical choices to make in every turn of KeyForge.
When you play creatures from your hand, you must build your team outward from the center, playing cards to the left and right of your creatures already on the field. But when you strike, you may attack with any of your creatures, regardless of their placement in your ranks. Once creatures are locked in combat, they match strength against strength, with each side dealing and taking damage.
For example, the Staunch Knight, aligned with Radiant Argus the Supreme, attacks Valdr, who follows Miss “Onyx” Censorius, while both are on a flank. The Staunch Knight’s power of four, combined with his bonus two power for being on a flank would make him strong enough to end Valdr! Still, Valdr’s six power would also be enough to destroy the Staunch Knight in return. Cards enter and leave play quickly in a game of KeyForge, with your allies entering and leaving play at a moment’s notice. You must choose carefully how and when to use your cards—you never know when your opponent will wipe your creatures away, and you must be ready to come back with a new plan, lest you suffer the agony of defeat.
But beyond battle, the heart of KeyForge, the purpose for your Archon’s presence, is the Æmber itself. While you must keep your enemy from gaining the advantage, you must take care to never lose sight of your goal: reaping and gathering as much Æmber as you can. While the act of reaping exhausts a creature and prevents it from battling for the turn, it also earns Æmber for your pool.
If you have six Æmber collected at the end of your turn, you must declare “Check!” as a warning to your opponent. Then, if your opponent fails to foil your plans and you still have six Æmber at the start of your next turn, you immediately forge a key, moving one step closer to opening the Vault and the knowledge within. The first Archon to forge three keys is the winner!
