The Celestial Omen Board

Before a Duel begins, each player must assemble a Hand of five Omens, with their combined Levels not exceeding 17.

Once both Hands are prepared, players are assigned their seats: Kenza on the left, and Kyoza on the right. A coin is then tossed. If it lands on, Heads, Kyoza takes the first turn. If it lands on Tails, Kenza moves first.

Each player begins with 5 Ryo (territory), representing ownership of the five Omens in their Hand. Whenever an opponent's Omen is Overturned, its Ryo is transferred to the attacking player.

When all tiles on the Tenmonban are occupied, the Duel ends. The player with the most Ryo is declared the winner. If both players finish with 5 Ryo each, the Duel ends in a draw.

Starting with the player who won the coin toss, each player takes turns placing an Omen onto a vacant tile.

If an Omen is placed adjacent to an occupied tile controlled by the opponent, a Clash occurs. During a Clash, the two Omens compare the Ranks facing one another.

Example: The Blue Omen is played from the Hand on the centre tileThe East Rank of Red (5) clashes with the West Rank of Blue (6)
If the newly placed Omen wins the Clash, the defending Omen is Overturned, and 1 Ryo is transferred to the attacking player.

Once an Omen has been placed on the Tenmonban, it can no longer initiate Clashes — it may only defend against incoming clashes.

Careless placement can leave an Omen's weaker Ranks exposed. In many cases, it is strategically wiser to position Omens along the edges or in the corners, shielding vulnerable sides while exposing only stronger Ranks. This reduces the chance of being Overturned.

When the Open rule is active, both players must reveal the Omens in their Hand.

With both Hands visible, players can anticipate upcoming plays and plan accordingly, gaining insight beyond what is currently on the Tenmonban.

When the Elemental rule is active, several tiles on the Tenmonban will be randomly marked with random Elements.

When an Omen is placed on an Elemental Tile, its Ranks are affected by Elemental Tuning:
If the Omen's Elemental Attribute matches the tile, all of its Ranks are increased by +1.If the elements do not match, all of its Ranks are reduced by -1.

When the Effect rule is active, Omens with special abilities may trigger their unique powers during play. Each Effect is exclusive to its Omen, so be sure to read individual Omen descriptions for full details.

When the Same rule is active, it may trigger when an attacking Omen is placed onto a vacant tile adjacent to two or more Omens. At least one of the adjacent Omens must be controlled by your opponent.

If the newly placed Omen matches the opposing Ranks on two or more Clashing sides, Same activates. All opposing Omens involved in the matching Clashes are immediately Overturned.

Example:
The placed Omen clashes with the left Omen as 6 vs 6, and with the top Omen as 5 vs 5
When Same is triggered, the Combo rule activates in response.

(See the Combo section for details.)

When the Plus rule is active, it may trigger when an attacking Omen is placed onto a vacant tile adjacent to two or more Omens. At least one of the adjacent Omens must be controlled by your opponent.

If the combined total of the two opposing Ranks in a Clash results in the same sum on two or more sides, Plus activates. All opposing Omens involved in the matching Clashes are immediately Overturned.

Example:
The placed Omen clashes with the left Omen as 2 + 6 = 8, and with the top Omen as 3 + 5 = 8
When Plus is triggered, the Combo rule activates in response.

(See the Combo section for details.)

A Combo can only be triggered as a result of the Same or Plus rule.

Any Omen Overturned by the effect Same or Plus is immediately treated as if it were it was played from the Hand.. It will re-evaluate all adjacent tiles and resolve any new Clashes that result.

This chain reaction continues, with each newly Overturned Omen also triggering further Clash evaluations, until no further Clashes occur.

A careful Combo setup can drastically turn the tides of war in the last moment where it becomes impossible to defend against, be sure to learn this manoeuvre to use in your favour or prevent it from being used on yourself.