How to Play Aeon’s End: Breaches, Spells, Deck Building & Nemesis Turns
Aeon’s End is a cooperative deck builder with two defining twists: turn order is random and player discard piles are never shuffled when decks recycle.
Scope: base Aeon’s End represented by the current publisher edition; expansion mechanisms excluded.
Turn-order deck determines who acts next
Draw a Turn Order card. It may activate a player or the Nemesis. When the Turn Order deck empties, reshuffle only those Turn Order cards—not player decks—to create the next sequence.
Player turn: Cast phase first
Cast any spells you choose from open breaches. Spells deal damage or produce their printed effect, then enter your discard pile.
Main phase
Play Gems and Relics, buy cards from the shared supply, gain charges, focus/open breaches and prep Spells into breaches. Cards can usually be played in the order that best supports your plan.
Discard order matters because you never shuffle
At the end of your turn, place played cards into your discard pile in an order you choose. When your deck empties, flip the discard pile over without shuffling it. This preserves the sequence you built.
Nemesis turns
Resolve persistent Minion and Power effects, then draw a Nemesis card. Attacks resolve immediately; Minions remain in play with life; Powers enter with countdown tokens.
Protect Gravehold and the mages
Damage can target the city or players depending on effects. Mages at 0 life become exhausted and suffer additional consequences, while Gravehold at 0 life causes immediate defeat.
Defeat the Nemesis or survive its deck
The team wins if the Nemesis reaches 0 life, or if its deck is empty and no Minions or Powers remain in play at the end of a turn. Nemesis-specific rules can modify the battle.
Publisher reference: Indie Boards & Cards. Checked September 21, 2026.