Azul Pattern Line Rules: Placement, Colors & Overflow
Azul’s pattern lines are the five rows on the left side of your player board. They hold 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 tiles respectively.
One color per pattern line
A pattern line can contain tiles of only one color during a round. If a row already contains blue tiles, you cannot add red tiles to that row.
Take all tiles of the chosen color
When you choose a color from a Factory display or the center, you must take all available tiles of that chosen color from that location.
Can you split one take between pattern lines?
No. All tiles taken in that action must be assigned to one pattern line. Any tiles that do not fit go to the floor line.
Wall restriction
You cannot place a color into a pattern line if that row’s corresponding wall row already contains a tile of that color.
What happens when a pattern line is complete?
It stays complete until the Wall-Tiling phase. Then exactly one tile from that completed pattern line moves to the matching color space on the wall. The remaining tiles from that line are discarded to the box lid.
What happens to incomplete lines?
Incomplete pattern lines remain on your board between rounds. You continue filling them in a later round.
Can you choose a line that is too small?
Yes, but every excess tile goes to your floor line and creates potential penalties.
Related Azul guides
Official source
Rules checked September 2026.