The Genius Invokation TCG is a recently added game mode that was a pleasant surprise to the Genshin Impact community. It’s a fun side activity that you can participate in as a collector or compete with your friends.
If you’re a beginner and want to get started, don’t worry, our Invokation TCG guide will equip you with all the information you need to get started!
Unlocking Genius Invokation TCG
There are a couple of requirements you need to meet before you can start the quest that unlocks the TCG:
- Be AR 32 and above
- Complete the Prologue Archon Quest from Mondstadt
- Complete the Genius Invokation tutorial mission.
You can do this last step only when you meet the first 2 criteria and then go talk to Timeus in Mondstadt.
You can then go to the Cat’s Tail and learn everything you need to know about the TCG.
Genius Invokation TCG Cards
Your deck will comprise of a total of 33 cards. You will have to choose 3 character cards and 30 action cards, which can be broken down into further categories.
- Character Cards: These are the 3 characters you will be using.
- Equipment Cards: These are either Weapons or Artifacts you can equip your characters with.
- Event Cards: Provide an effect immediately after use.
- Support Cards: These cards are summoned to the support zone and provide some effect for a period of time.
Genius Invokation TCG Rules
Now, let’s go over the basic rules you must remember to play Genshin Impact’s Invokation TCG.
Die Roll And Starting Hand
Before the start of every round, you will roll 8 Dice, which will each land on a specific element or omni-element. You will have a choice to reroll any of these once before your turn starts.
You will also draw 5 cards initially and be able to redraw any of them once.
Picking An Active Card
Once you’re done with the roll, you must use the moves available to your active card. Only the active character can use their skills or take damage.
Switching a character costs 1 Dice and will pass the turn to the other player. However, the timing for this is important to master and makes the difference between a good and a great player.
Resource Management
All moves require a specific amount of dice of the same element as the character in play. Some abilities, however, allow the use of dice of other elements. You must also consume Dice to use the 30 action cards in your deck, each with its own cost.
There is also an important feature called Elemental Tuning, where you can discard one card to change a dice type to one of your selected characters.
This makes resource management and planning your turn an important part of mastering the Invokation TCG.
Ending Round
Once both players have spent their resources, they can click on the End Round button to proceed to the next round, where the Dice will be rolled again, and each player draws 2 more cards. The player who ends their turn first gets the first turn in the next round.
Win Condition
The win condition is surprisingly simple, as all you have to do is to defeat the 3 character cards your opponent has.
Leveling Up for Invokation TCG
Once you’ve covered the basics, you must go around Teyvatt dueling NPCs and collect their respective cards, kind of like Gwent from the Witcher 3. If you enjoy that sort of collecting, you’ll enjoy this process, as it can feel quite rewarding.
Just use the Casket of Tomes to look for fellow TCG players.
You can also challenge specific characters from the board in the Cat’s Tail to acquire their specific cards.
Note that you unlock multiplayer once you hit level 4 as a Genius Invokation TCG player.
Useful Tips
Here are some things to keep in mind when starting out in the Genius Invokation TCG:
- Make sure to challenge all the NPCs available to grow your Deck.
- Build a deck specializing in one Elemental Reaction rather than one that tries to be all over the place.
- Be sure to buy all available invitations and collect powerful characters early on.
- Character Switching is essential to producing powerful Elemental Reactions, and support cards that aid this are very valuable.
- Make sure to do the weekly challenges in the Cat’s Tail, as they are a good source of resources.
- Do not hesitate to buy powerful cards from Prince in the Cat’s Tail and duplicate the good support cards.
- Last but not least, be sure to have fun!
That covers all the basics you need to know to start your journey to become a Genius Invokation TCG master. While the number of cards is currently limited, we are very excited to see how Hoyoverse will expand on this game mode.
Do check out the Gamesoft blog for the latest sneak peeks, tips and tricks and game reviews. For a start, here’s one on Genshin Impact: Across the Wilderness Event Guide.