Reveal cards: Now, reveal your cards at the same time and compare their influence. The card that has the higher influence wins the encounter. Take 1 signet from the supply and place it onto the winning card.

Tie: If both cards have the same influence, the encounter is a tie and no card wins or loses the encounter. Thus, you do not place a signet on one of the cards. Skip phase 2 (Activate ability) and continue with phase 3 (End of the round).

2. ACTIVATE ABILITY

Only the player whose card loses the current encounter immediately activates the ability of the losing card. Note: It can be to your advantage to lose an encounter to activate an ability. You must resolve the activated ability to the fullest extent possible and including any consequences for other cards. To resolve an ability, do what the text on the card says. Note: You are allowed to play cards whose ability you cannot resolve completely or at all.

Important: Only the ability of the card losing the current encounter in phase 1 is activated. If this ability causes a card played in a past encounter to lose, that card's ability is not activated.

Important: Some abilities contradict the general rules of the game. In such cases, the abilities always take precedence over the general rules. There are two types of abilities, each with their distinct icon: (1) Instant abilities and ongoing abilities.

Some abilities can change the influence of a card (see pp. 10-11).