Glossary of Game Terms



There are many words used in Teamfight! that may be unfamiliar to newer players. For that, here is a Glossary of Game Terms.

Action Points (AP): The price required to play an ability card.

Action Surge: An owner-less, colorless card that costs 1 AP and enacts any character's on-card ability.

Assault: A major type, beaten by Initiation, beats Support.

Attachment: Any card placed on a character card that boosts or hinders them.

Battleplan: All cards in all three Major Phases.

Behold [X]: Look at the top X cards of your deck, and then put them in any order on top or bottom of your deck.

Clash: The reveal of both stacks of cards in a give phase.

Cleanup: The final Phase. Cards are removed from the Battleplan to the graveyard during this phase unless otherwise stated.

Copy: This card has all the same text as the card it copies without any of the text restrictions.

Destroy: Remove card from the Battleplan and move it to the graveyard.

Empower: Discard an action surge to gain the following effect.

Engagement: The first Phase.

Flank: One of the Formations. Two nonconsecutive cards of a row or column of a battleplan are of the same Major Type, you can draw 1 card or 1 action surge. This Action Surge should be taken from the graveyard before the deck, if possible.

Finisher: The third Phase.

Follow-Through: The second Phase.

Formation: The order of cards played in a phase. Also referred to as a Stack.

Graveyard: Non-sustain cards go in this pile during cleanup unless otherwise stated. Destroyed and discarded cards are also sent here.

Immediate: Cards with this keyword will be resolved first regardless of whether they win priority. If they lose priority, priority is passed to the player who won after the Immediate effect resolves.

Initiation: A major type, beaten by Support, beats Assault.

Lead:The first card in your Battleplan in a given phase. Cards with this tagline must be played first in a Stack.

Magic: A minor type, beaten by Ranged, beats Melee.

Melee: A minor type, beaten by Magic, beats Ranged.

Minion: Cards with this tagline can only be removed by damage, not by cards with Destroy.

Nullify: Until the Nullify effect is removed, the target card is treated as blank (no text body). It still has a Major and Minor type and an AP cost, and counts toward any card effects or Formations that take these features into account.

Ongoing: Cards with this keyword continue applying their effect for the full duration of the Teamfight.

Persist: This card remains in the Battleplan after its owner dies instead of being destroyed, but does not resolve its effect while its owner is dead.

Phase: A turn in Teamfight! The three phases are the Engagement, the Follow Through, and the Finisher.

Priority: Cards that have won Priority go first, along with their stack, in the phase

Ranged: A minor type, beaten by Melee, beats Magic.

Recursion: Returns cards you have already played to your hand.

Repeatable: Cards with this keyword or Repeat can be played multiple times in a phase.

Resolution: When a card activates and does its effect.

Return: Search the graveyard for the cards indicated and put them into hand.

Reveal: Show indicated card to the opponent.

Seek[X]: Search the deck for X cards and put them into hand. Shuffle deck after search.

Special: This tagline indicates further rules.

Stack: See Formation.

Straight: One of the Formations. Three consecutive cards of the same Major Type will grant you a draw of 2 cards or Action Surges. These Action Surges should be taken from the graveyard before the deck, if possible. Support: A major type, beaten by Assault, beats Initiation.
 * Tri-Color Straight: A Straight made up of one of each Major Type. Grants you a draw of 1 card and 1 action surge.

Sustain: A card with this keyword will remain in the phase it was played into after cleanup. It cannot be a part of Formations after the turn on which it is played. It will resolve its effect at the end of it's player's stack in the phase it was played in until it is removed.

Token: A card with printed health and/or attack that does not go into a player's deck

Tutoring: Allows you to search your deck for one or more cards and move them into your hand.

Unique: Only one of this card can exist in your Battleplan at a time.