Frequently Asked Questions

"The path to mastery begins with understanding."

New to Taktix? These answers to common questions will help clarify the relationship between Essences, Factions, and the strategic choices you'll make as a Tactician.

Essences vs Factions

What's the difference between an Essence and a Faction?

Essences are the five primal forces of magic that power all cards in Taktix:

Essence	Color	Philosophy
Radiance	White	Order, protection, unity
Tide	Blue	Knowledge, control, patience
Void	Black	Ambition, death, sacrifice
Fury	Red	Passion, chaos, destruction
Growth	Green	Nature, strength, adaptation

Factions are the political and military powers of Aethoria. Each faction combines two Essences to create their unique identity and playstyle:

Faction	Essences	Philosophy Blend
Eternal Concordat	Radiance + Tide	Order through wisdom
Crimson Pact	Void + Fury	Power through sacrifice
Verdant Host	Growth + Radiance	Nature's law
Abyssal Court	Tide + Void	Knowledge as currency
Wild Horde	Fury + Growth	Primal passion

Think of it this way: Essences are the raw magical building blocks. Factions are the civilizations that have learned to combine them.

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Why do multiple factions share the same colors?

Each Essence appears in exactly two factions, creating a web of relationships:

          Radiance
         /        \
    Concordat    Verdant Host
        |             |
      Tide         Growth
        |             |
   Abyssal Court  Wild Horde
         \        /
           Void ← Crimson Pact → Fury

This overlap is intentional:

1. Strategic depth: Cards of a single Essence can appear in multiple faction-themed decks
2. Lore connections: Factions that share an Essence have historical or philosophical ties
3. Deck flexibility: You're not locked into one faction—you build around your Commander's colors

For example, a Radiance card could fit in both an Eternal Concordat deck (Radiance/Tide) and a Verdant Host deck (Radiance/Growth).

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If I pick a Radiance/Tide Commander, am I playing Eternal Concordat?

Not necessarily. Your Commander's colors determine which cards you can include in your deck, not which faction you "belong to."

With a Radiance/Tide Commander, you can include:

• Pure Radiance cards
• Pure Tide cards
• Radiance/Tide dual-color cards
• Cards that share at least one color (like Radiance/Growth or Tide/Void)

You might build a deck that:

• Focuses on Concordat themes (control and protection)
• Leans heavily into pure Radiance cards
• Mixes strategies from multiple factions
• Ignores faction identity entirely and builds around mechanics

Factions are lore and theme. Essences are gameplay mechanics.

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Color Identity & Deck Building

How do I know which cards I can put in my deck?

Your Commander has one or two Essence colors. A card is legal in your deck if it shares at least one color with your Commander.

Dual-Color Commander Example (Radiance/Tide):

Card Colors	Legal?	Reason
Radiance only	Yes	Shares Radiance
Tide only	Yes	Shares Tide
Radiance/Tide	Yes	Shares both
Radiance/Growth	Yes	Shares Radiance
Tide/Void	Yes	Shares Tide
Void/Fury	No	Shares neither
Growth only	No	Shares neither

Mono-Color Commander Example (Radiance only):

Card Colors	Legal?	Reason
Radiance only	Yes	Exact match
Radiance/Tide	Yes	Shares Radiance
Radiance/Void	Yes	Shares Radiance
Tide only	No	Shares nothing
Void/Fury	No	Shares nothing

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What's the advantage of mono-color vs dual-color Commanders?

Aspect	Mono-Color	Dual-Color
Starting Essence	4	3
Essence per turn	+2 of that color	+1 of each color
Card pool	Narrower	Wider
Consistency	Higher	Lower
Flexibility	Lower	Higher

Mono-color rewards focus. You generate Essence faster and can include cards with the "Pure" keyword that gain bonuses. But your options are limited.

Dual-color rewards versatility. You have access to more strategies and can adapt to different situations. But your Essence is split and dual-color cards may be harder to cast early.

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Can I use cards from "enemy" factions?

Absolutely. There are no restrictions based on faction lore—only on Essence colors.

If your Commander is Radiance/Tide (Concordat colors), you could still include:

• Tide/Void cards (Abyssal Court themes)
• Radiance/Growth cards (Verdant Host themes)

You're a Tactician first. Use whatever tools help you win.

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Common Confusions

Why is Void purple and not black?

Void is mechanically "black" in the card game sense (death, sacrifice, ambition), but we use purple for visual distinction. The color on cards and the color name follow this mapping:

Essence	Game Color	Visual Color
Radiance	White	Gold/Cream
Tide	Blue	Blue
Void	Black	Purple
Fury	Red	Red/Orange
Growth	Green	Green

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What's the difference between a card's color and its faction?

Color = Which Essences power the card (affects deck building, Essence costs)

Faction = The lore/theme the card belongs to (affects flavor, some keywords)

A card can be:

• Mono-color: One Essence (e.g., pure Radiance)
• Dual-color: Two Essences (e.g., Radiance/Tide)

A dual-color card usually belongs to one faction thematically, but can be included in any deck that shares at least one of its colors.

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Do I need to understand factions to play?

No. You can play Taktix purely based on mechanics:

1. Pick a Commander whose colors appeal to you
2. Include cards that share those colors
3. Build around synergies and strategies

Factions add flavor and lore for players who enjoy world-building. They're optional context, not required knowledge.

However, understanding factions helps you:

• Predict what strategies opponents might use
• Find cards that synergize thematically
• Appreciate the story behind Aethoria

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Quick Reference

The Essence-Faction Matrix

This table shows which factions use which Essences:

	Radiance	Tide	Void	Fury	Growth
Eternal Concordat	✓	✓
Crimson Pact			✓	✓
Verdant Host	✓				✓
Abyssal Court		✓	✓
Wild Horde				✓	✓

Finding Cards by Color

• Radiance appears in: Concordat, Verdant Host
• Tide appears in: Concordat, Abyssal Court
• Void appears in: Crimson Pact, Abyssal Court
• Fury appears in: Crimson Pact, Wild Horde
• Growth appears in: Verdant Host, Wild Horde

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Still Confused?

The best way to understand is to play. Pick a Commander, build a deck with cards you like, and the relationships will become clear through experience.