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In Play And Out Of Play

A card is considered to either be in play or out of play depending on its state within the game.

If a card is in play, its text is active and it can affect the game.

  • For player cards, the faceup side of a player’s identity card is in play. The faceup ally cards, support cards, and upgrade cards that have entered play (played, put into play, etc.) are in play.

  • For encounter cards, the faceup side of the top card of the villain deck and the faceup side of the top card of the main scheme deck are in play. The faceup attachment cards, environment cards, minion cards, obligation cards, and side scheme cards that have entered play (revealed, put into play, etc.) are in play.

  • A card enters play when it moves from an out-of-play area to a play area.

  • Card abilities only interact with, and can only target, cards that are in play (unless the ability text specifically refers to an out-of-play area).

  • Card abilities on all card types, except event cards and treachery cards, can only be initiated or affect the game while they are in play unless they specifically refer to being used from an out-of-play area.

  • If a card is double-sided (having game text on each side of the card), the faceup side of the card is in play.

If a card is out of play, its text is inactive and cannot affect the game.

  • Event cards and treachery cards implicitly resolve from an out-of-play area, by virtue of the rules pertaining to those card types.

  • Cards in a player’s hand, deck, and discard pile are out of play.

  • Cards in the encounter deck, encounter discard pile, unrevealed cards in the villain deck, unrevealed cards in the main scheme deck, and facedown encounter cards dealt to a player are out of play.

  • Facedown cards attached to in-play cards are out of play.

  • Any cards that have been removed from the game or that have been set aside are out of play.

  • A card leaves play when it moves from a play area to an out-of-play area.

  • If a card is double-sided (having game text on each side of the card), the facedown side is out of play.

See also