Skylanders Battlecast is releasing here in the states on May 24th to much anticipation and confusion. So to help both new players and diehards, I want to help clear up some confusion and explain a product I am super excited for… Skylanders Battlecast.

I’ve been able to play the Battlecast game for the past couple of months, but there are some things new to me. So this guide is still a work in progress. Below you will find a series of questions and answers to hopefully answer as many questions regarding Skylanders Battlecast as possible. Much of the information is my own writing, done in a way I think will explain everything the best. There are many parts that are either adapted or even straight copied from the official Skylanders Battlecast FAQ page(s). So be sure to head over and check out that resource as well. I wanted to give you the most complete guide as possible to Skylanders Battlecast, so I hope this is a help to you!

Be sure to stay tuned to SkylandersInquirer.com as well as following me on social media @SkylandersInq and Facebook.com/SkylandersInquirer for all the latest Battlecast information!

PHYSICAL CARD INFORMATION

What is Skylanders Battlecast?

Skylanders Battlecast is Skylanders version of a CCG (or Collectible Card Game) such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Hearthstone, or Magic The Gathering. The game is played via a free app on a digital platform (iOS, Android, or Amazon App Store devices). There are over 300 physical cards available that help you unlock content in the game quicker, but they are not required to play or collect everything in the game.

There is both a single player and multiplayer mode, including online play!

The single player allows you to visit all the elemental islands and take on villains representing those elements.

NOTE: Internet connection is required, even for playing the single player content (this is to help any kind of cheating), so you may want to check that you have the best spectrum internet, or internet from another provider in your area, possible so that you, or the gamer in your house, will be able to game confident that the internet won’t let them down at a crucial moment.

What is the goal of Skylanders Battlecast (aka: how do I win)?

Each player has 3 Skylanders on their team, and the object of Skylanders Battlecast is to knock out all three Skylanders on your opponents side.

You can knock out your opponents Skylanders via a combination of attacks, spells, gears, relics, and more.

Do I have to purchase the app/cards/digital cards?

Absolutely not!

Skylanders Battlecast can technically be completed 100% free, without having to purchase a single card.

Can I use my physical cards in the game?

Absolutely! That’s actually one of the benefits of Skylanders Battlecast.

Simply launch the “cards-to-life” section of the app, and you can scan in each of your cards.

Each card has a series of unique symbols around the edge/border. The game can read these unique symbols and allow you to scan that card into the game.

Once a card has been scanned into the game, it cannot be scanned into the game again.

So that being said, do not post pictures of your card on the internet before you scan it!

If you do need to post a picture of the card, you can use the trading shield which is included in every Battle Pack (see below).

What are the benefits of getting the physical cards?

Although you don’t have to get the physical cards, there are some benefits to obtaining them.

• Cards can be upgraded when you scan in a duplicate version of that card. Any card upgraded to level 10 unlocks a silver version of that card. A gold foil card will automatically unlock the level 20 version of that card.
• For every Epic or Ultimate card that you scan you can fill part of the Magic Meter (only other way to get more Magic Ticket points is by purchasing coins).
• Physical cards are collectible, meaning that some will be more common while others will be very rare. Physical cards packs may include special rare “foil cards” that are not only valuable; they have special benefits when scanned into the game. (See the Rarity section for more)
• Skylanders Battlecast uses Augmented Reality technology to bring physical cards to life when they’re scanned into the game. In addition, that same technology allows you to have two cards duel in AR when you scan in two physical cards together.

How do I obtain Skylanders Battlecast cards?

Before we get any further, let’s talk about how you can obtain physical cards. Right now there are two ways to obtain physical cards, as well as two unique bundles to get you deeper into the game.

The two ways to obtain new Skylanders cards are:

• Booster Pack
• Battle Pack

BOOSTER PACK — $4.99 (MSRP)

Booster Packs are you standard Skylanders Battlecast pack. They include 8 random cards with chance of containing a Rare or better card inside.

There are currently three different designs, but it does not impact what cards are inside.

These packs will be available at all retailers, but are currently available online at Toys”R”Us.

BATTLE PACK — $9.99 (MSRP)

Battle Packs are almost like a beginners deck.

Inside the Battle Packs you get the following:

• 22 Cards (Guaranteed 3 Skylanders and 3 Character Specific cards)
• 1 Deck Box
• 1 Trading Shield
• 1 Collection / Beginner’s Guide

There are two Battle Packs available. They guarantee the three Skylanders on the packaging

• Battle Pack #1 includes Spyro, Snap Shot, and Stormblade
• Battle Pack #2 includes Trigger Happy, Hex, and Smash Hit

These packs are available at all retailers but are currently available online at Toys”R”Us.

ULTIMATE STARTER PACK — $59.99

The Ultimate Starter Pack is a great way to get started in Skylanders Battlecast, while saving some money as well.

In the Ultimate Starter Pack you get the following

• 9 Skylanders Battlecast Booster Packs
• 2 Skylanders Battlecast Battle Packs (one of each kind)
• 1 Skylanders Battlecast Carrying Case

Adding each item up separately takes you well over the $59.99 price point, so it’s a great value.

While not marked as an exclusive, it looks to be available only at Amazon.

BOOSTER MASTER BOX — $169.99

If you are looking to get a lot of Skylanders Battlecast packs, the Booster Master Box is the way to go.

In the Booster Master Box you get 36 packs for $169.99,

Buying this Booster Master Box nets you a total of 288 Skylanders Battlecast cards.

While not an exclusive at Amazon, the easiest option to buy a box looks to be straight from Amazon.

What types of cards are there?

Now that we know how to obtain the physical cards, what kind of cards are there. They are broken down into 4 main categories, but there are many sub categories as well.

The four main card types are:

• Character
• Spell
• Gear
• Relic

Character

Character cards represent the Skylanders you’ll take with you into battle. Character cards have some important information displayed on them:

• Basic Attack: This is the number in the upper-left and represents the card’s basic attack value. A character can use their basic attack on an opponent once per turn.
• Life: This is the number in the upper-right and represents how much damage a Skylander can take before being knocked out.
• Unique Ability: This is the text directly below the character’s name. Each character has a special ability that gets dealt as a card during the game.

Spell

Spell cards take immediate effect once you play them. These effects can vary wildly and range from spells that do damage to healing spells that restore a Skylander’s Life to spells that impact an opponent’s ability to play their own Spell cards.

There are three kinds of Spell cards:

• Elemental Spell cards: These Spell cards are linked with one of the ten Skylanders elements and can only be used by a Skylander of that element.
  • 
• Character-specific Spell cards: These are special Spell cards that can only be used by a specific Skylander. They can be identified by an image of the Skylander in the top center of the card. Always make sure you are using the correct character when you have these cards in your deck.
  • 
• Non-elemental Spell cards: Any Skylander can play Non-elemental Spell cards. In general, Non-elemental Spells are not as strong as Elemental Spells.
  • 

Gear

Gear Cards apply effects to the Skylander on the frontline. A Skylander can only wear one piece of Gear at a time, and active Gear will be destroyed if a new piece of Gear is put on the Skylander. There are even pieces of Gear with negative effects that can be put on enemy Skylanders.

Just as with the spell cards, there are three types of Gear cards as well: Character-specific, elemental, and non-elemental.

Relic

Relics are powerful objects that have a global effect when placed on the battlefield. Each player can have only one Relic active at a time. Relics have their own Life and can be targeted by Spell cards or Skylander attacks just like enemy Skylanders. When a Relic’s Life counter reaches zero, it is destroyed.

Just as with the spell cards, there are three types of Relic cards as well: Character-specific, elemental, and non-elemental.

If I have duplicates of the same card, are there any benefits?

Thankfully there are!

Each time another copy of the same card is scanned, the card’s level will jump by one up to level 20.

Are there different card rarities or types of rarity?

Absolutely. It wouldn’t be a successful CCG game without rarity, right?

The rarity level can be determined by the color of the triangle symbol located on the bottom of the card

There are four types of card rarity in Skylanders Battlecast (from least to most):

• Common (grey)
• Rare (blue)
• Epic (purple)
• Ultimate (gold)

In addition there are some minor rarity differences by the means of gold and silver borders around the cards.

Scanning in these cards will automatically increase that card to a set level.

If the card has a silver border, the card’s level will be raised to 10.

If the card has a gold border, the card’s level will raised to the max level of 20.

GAMEPLAY INFORMATION

What are coins?

Coins are the digital currency in Skylanders Battlecast.

They are used to do two things:

• Purchase new card packs
• Level up cards in a player’s Collection

You can obtain coins both by winning games, completing quests, or by purchasing them with your real money.

What are all the modes on the main screen?

When you open up your Battlecast app, you’ll be greeted by the game’s main screen. This is where you’ll select which function you want to use:

• Cards to Life: This activates the game’s card scanning function. Use this to scan a physical Battlecast card and add it to your app’s Collection. Each physical card can only be scanned once. Physical Battle Packs come with a plastic “scan shield” to help prevent accidental scanning by others, allowing you to post pictures of the card online.
  • To scan a card into your Collection:
    • Start your Battlecast app.
    • Tap Cards to Life
    • Place your card in a clean, flat, well-lit area and hold your device so the card is between the crosshairs.
    • Once your card is scanned in, tap Add to Collection when asked if you would like to add this card to your Collection.
• Play: This takes into a sub-menu where you can play a Battlecast match. There are two different ways to play Battlecast:
  • Story: A single-player adventure where you’ll play against Eon, Chompies, Trolls, and other minions.
    • Tutorial: The Story section of the game has a Basic and Advanced Training tutorial that will teach you the basics of the game. To reach the Training missions:
      • Start your Battlecast App.
      • Tap Play.
      • Tap Story.
      • The Tutorial is found on the rocky island on the right hand side of the screen.
      • Tap Basic Training or Advanced Training to begin.
  • Vs.: The game’s matchmaking system where you can go head-to-head against a human opponent.
• Collection: This will take you to your card collection. From here you can see what cards you have as well as what cards you need, level up your existing cards, and build decks.
• Store: You can purchase digital card packs using Coins from the in-app Store. The Store also allows you to purchase Coins using real-world money.
• Quests: These are daily goals that award Coins when achieved.

How do you build a deck and what are the requirements?

Skylanders Battlecast decks consists of 30 cards (excluding the three Skylanders you choose for that deck).

You may only use element cards in your deck that match the elements of the Skylanders you selected for the deck. Non-element cards can also be used with any Skylander.

If you select less than 30 cards for your deck, the difference will be made up of randomly selected cards from your Collection.

What is the general outline of playing a game?

Players choose three Skylanders to bring into a battle. Each Skylander can have up to three decks saved, and the deck that will be carried into battle is marked with a green check in your Collection.

Each Skylander you select gives you access to a unique ability that can only be used by that Skylander. Once you’ve selected your Skylanders, you’ll enter the game with your three Skylanders, their unique abilities, and the cards you’ve pre-selected in your Skylanders’ decks.

Once you start the game, take a moment to look at the layout of the battlefield. Your three Skylanders appear on the left-hand side of the field, and your opponent’s Skylanders will be on the right. Also note the positions of your Skylanders. One will be in the center of the battlefield. This is called the frontline. Your other two Skylanders begin the battle on the sideline.

Crystals

Battlecast is turn-based, which means that you and your opponent each take turns playing cards. While it’s your opponent’s turn, you can look at your cards to plan your next move, and you can also look at the last 9 cards that have been played. The player that goes first is selected by the app with a coin toss.

When it’s your turn, you will be able to play your cards. The ability to play your cards is based on the number of Crystals you have. Your Crystals can be seen on the lower left side of your screen.

Each Crystal represents one unit of energy and is the resource that determines how and whether you can play a card on your turn. The number on the upper left of a card is how many Crystals it costs to play that card. As you play cards, the game will automatically subtract Crystals from your total. You can play as many cards per turn as you wish until you run out of Crystals.

At the beginning of each turn, your Crystals will be recharged and you will receive a random number of new Crystals (0, 1, or 2) to add to your Crystal total. The maximum number of Crystals a player may have during a match is 10.

At the beginning of your turn, two things will always happen:

1. Your Crystals will refill.
2. You will receive cards from your deck into your hand.

After that, you have the option of performing three different types of actions:

• Playing cards from your hand.
• Using your frontline Skylander’s attack against your opponent’s frontline Skylander.
• Swapping a frontline Skylander with a Skylander on the sideline

Note that you do not have to perform the actions in the order listed above. In fact, figuring out when to perform them – or which ones not to perform –is one of main strategies of the game.

The first action you can perform is to play cards from your hand. As mentioned under Crystals, you can play as many cards as you wish until you run out of Crystals. Cards are played one at a time and their effects are immediately displayed on the battlefield.

Note that cards will affect your opponent’s frontline Skylander unless specified in the card’s description.

Each time a character casts two spells or uses it’s basic attack twice, it goes up a level. Once a character reaches level 3, its basic attack increases.

Every Skylander has a basic attack that is separate from any of its special Spell Cards. This is represented on the battlefield as a number with a red circle around it.

You can use this basic attack at any time during each turn, but only the frontline Skylander can use their basic attack during a turn.

Once per turn, you can swap your frontline Skylander with a sideline Skylander. This can be done at any point during your turn, and you can only swap in sidelined Skylanders who haven’t been knocked out. Also, if a Skylander is knocked out at any point during a turn, it will be automatically swapped out for a sidelined Skylander who hasn’t been knocked out.

Once you have finished all your possible actions on your turn, hit the End Turn button.

Both players continue to take turns until a player has had all of their Skylanders knocked out. The player who knocks out all three of their opponent’s Skylanders first is the winner!

How does the Magic Ticket system work?

The Magic Ticket system was developed to give Battlecast players an extra way to benefit from buying the physical Battlecast cards.

Your Magic Ticket Meter fills up after every time you scan an Epic or Ultimate Card, or when you purchase coins in the game.

When your Magic Meter fills up to the top, you get the Magic Ticket that is at the top of the meter. After you claim the ticket, the Meter empties and you get to fill it again.

The Magic Ticket at the top of the Magic Meter will be a certain color, which matches the card rarity colors we talked about before.

White = Common

Blue = Rare

Purple = Epic

Gold = Ultimate

As you go through the cycle of filling and emptying the Magic Meter, you will continue to receive tickets in the following pattern:

1. Common
2. Rare
3. Epic
4. Common
5. Rare
6. Epic
7. Ultimate

To use your tickets, go to your Collection and choose one of the following actions:

• Unlock a card you don’t own.
• Level up a card you own.

Unlocking or leveling up a card can only be done with a ticket that matches or exceeds that card’s rarity. For example, a Rare ticket can only be used to unlock or level up a Common or Rare card.

Is there something I should do everyday? AKA: What is the Daily Spin?

Even if you don’t have time to play a game each day, it is still worth your time and effort to open the app and take a go on the Daily Spin mini-game.

Each day you can spin the wheel for free. If you wish, you can then spend 50 coins to spin it again (and again, etc.)

The wheel gives you prizzes ranging from free coins, cards and other prizes.

If you spin the wheel four days in a row, you will get a Super Spin to use on the 5th day.

The Super Spin gives you chances at even better prizes.

GENERAL SKYLANDERS BATTLECAST TERMS

Here are the general terms / glossary to help you understand verbage that is used in Skylanders Battlecast

In-game Terms

Area of Effect (AoE) – a type of spell that affects all of your opponent’s Skylanders.

Basic Attack: This is the amount of damage a Skylander can do to an enemy each turn. A Skylander’s basic attack is shown inside a red crosshair symbol in the upper left hand of the Skylander’s card. Using a basic attack does not cost Crystals.

Buff: A buff is a card effect that makes some element of a Skylander stronger. A card that buffs a Basic Attack, for example, will make that attack do more damage.

Combo: Two or more cards that, when played together, either cause a new effect to occur or enhance the primary effects of one another.

Crystals: The resource used to cast Spell cards, put Relic cards down on the battlefield, or equip a Skylander with Gear cards. The amount of Crystals a card costs to play is shown within a blue crystal in the upper-left hand corner of a card. The amount of Crystals a player currently has available to use is shown in the lower-left hand corner of the screen. At the beginning of each turn, your Crystals will be recharged and you will receive a random number of new Crystals (0, 1, or 2) to add to your Crystal total. The maximum number of Crystals a player may have during a match is 10.

Debuff: A debuff is a card that makes some element of a Skylander weaker. A card that debuffs a Basic Attack, for example, will make that attack do less damage.

Element/Elemental: Many cards are aligned with one of the game’s ten elements. This affiliation is displayed by the symbol at the top of the card.

A card might also have a symbol that looks like the letter B. This is a Non-Elemental card. It’s usable by any Skylander and can never be affected by elemental effects.

Frontline: The Skylander that stands on the center of the battlefield is considered to be on the frontline. The frontline Skylander is the first affected by spells.

Gear: Gear is an object that can be placed on a frontline Skylander to create some type of effect. Skylanders can only wear one piece of Gear at a time, and if a new piece of Gear is placed on them, the old piece is destroyed. There are even pieces of Gear with negative effects that can be put on enemy Skylanders.

Life: Life measures how much damage a Skylander or Relic can take before it gets knocked out or destroyed. Life is represented by a number in a green heart found on the upper right hand corner.

Player: The person who is actually playing Battlecast, represented in game by three Skylanders.

Rank: Each of your Skylanders starts the game at rank 1. Each time they cast three Spells or use their basic attack three times, their rank increases by one. When a Skylander reaches rank 3, it’s basic attack increases.

Relic: A powerful artifact that can be placed on the battlefield to create some type of global effect. Relics have their own Life totals and can be targeted and destroyed separately from Skylanders.

Sideline: Where the two Skylanders not on the frontline stand on the battlefield. Sidelined characters cannot attack enemies, and can only be attacked by AoE attacks or cards that specifically target sidelined Skylanders. Once per turn, a player can swap a sidelined Skylander and move it to the frontline.

Spell: A Spell is an instant effect initiated by a player. Spells have a wide variety of effects that range from simple attacks against an enemy Skylander to healing spells that can be cast on a player’s own Skylanders to effects that can shift the game wildly.

Certain character-specific Spell Cards can only be cast by a specific Skylander. These cards are referred to as Character-specific Spell cards and can be identified by an image of that character at the top-center of the card.

Swapping: Swapping refers to a player replacing their Skylander on the frontline with one of the two sidelined Skylanders. Swapping can be done once during each player’s turn.

Target: The Skylander or Relic that is selected to receive a particular effect. Note that AoE Spells are not targeted, as they affect more than one Skylander.

Turn: The time during which an individual player can cast spells, swap Skylanders, and perform actions. Once the player has done all that he or she can, their turn ends and the next player’s turn begins.

Victory: When one player knocks out all of his or her opponent’s Skylanders.

Out-of-game Terms

Battle Pack: A Battle Pack is a larger pack of randomized cards that players can purchase to build up their Collection of Battlecast cards. Each Battle Pack is guaranteed to come with three Character Cards and three Character-specific Spell Cards.

Booster Pack: Booster Packs are smaller packs that consist of eight randomized cards with a chance to have a Rare or better card inside.

Coins: Coins are in-game currency that is used to:

• Purchase new card packs
• Level up cards in a player’s Collection

Coins are rewarded for winning games and completing Quests, and can also be purchased using real money.

Collection: A player’s Collection is made up of all of the physical cards he or she has scanned into their Battlecast app, as well as digital cards they have purchased.

Daily Spin: The Daily Spin is a mini-game available in Battlecast. For 50 Coins, you can spin a wheel that offers a variety of prizes ranging from Coins to cards to other special prizes. You also get one free spin each day. Spin for four days in a row and you’ll get a special Super Spin on the fifth day!

Deck: The cards a player has chosen to play with in an individual match. The deck is where the player will draw from during the game, and typically includes a variety of cards with powers and effects that work well together. Building a good deck is a key element of game strategy.

Level: The numerical measurement of a card’s power in your Collection. Cards will be level 1 when scanned. When another copy of the same card is scanned or a certain number of Coins are spent, the card’s level will increase by one. A card’s maximum level is 20.

Pack: A package of randomized cards that can be purchased to build up a player’s Collection of cards and offer more strategic options. There are two types of Packs: Battle Packs and Booster Packs.

Battle Packs are guaranteed to have three Character cards, three Character-specific Spell cards, and 16 random cards.

Booster Packs contain eight random cards with a chance at a Rare or better card.

Quests: The daily challenges offered in the Battlecast app. Quests challenge the player to complete certain in-game tasks such as winning games while using certain characters or a specific type of card. Completing Quests rewards the player with Coins.

Rarity: Some cards are less common than others. That’s because Rare cards are more powerful than Common cards. There are four levels of rarity for Battlecast cards.

• Common: Common cards are found most frequently in Booster Packs or Battle Packs. They can be identified by a grey symbol on the bottom middle of the card.
• Rare: Rare cards tend to be more powerful than Common cards. They can be identified by a blue symbol on the bottom middle of the card.
• Epic: These cards are significantly more powerful than Rare or Common cards and can be identified by a purple symbol on the bottom middle of the card.
• Ultimate: Congratulations if you find an Ultimate card! These are the most powerful cards in the game. They can be identified by a gold symbol on the bottom middle of the card.