Digimon Alysion How to Play - Complete Beginner's Guide

Digimon Alysion is a free-to-play online card game based on the Digimon Card Game, accessible through mobile platforms. The game brings the physical TCG experience to a digital format where players battle using Digimon cards in the metaverse space called Lacuna. If you’re wondering how to play Digimon Alysion, this guide breaks down the core mechanics step by step using the in-game tutorial.

Understanding the Win Condition

The primary objective in Digimon Alysion is to reduce your opponent’s security stack to zero and then land a direct attack. The security stack consists of cards placed face-down at the start of the game. Each successful attack on your opponent reduces their security by one card. Once the security stack reaches zero, your next successful attack wins the game.

Your security stack total is displayed on screen during matches. You can monitor both your own security and your opponent’s throughout the battle. This creates a race where both players attempt to break through defenses while maintaining their own security cards.

Card States: Suspended and Unsuspended

Digimon Alysion uses a suspension system to track which cards can take actions. Cards placed upright on the field are unsuspended, while cards turned sideways are suspended.

Unsuspended Digimon can:

Attack opponent Digimon
Attack the opponent player directly
Cannot be attacked by opponent Digimon

Suspended Digimon:

Cannot attack
Can be attacked by opponent Digimon

After a Digimon attacks, it automatically becomes suspended by turning sideways. During the unsuspended phase at the start of your turn, all your suspended cards return to the upright unsuspended position.

The Memory Gauge System

The memory gauge is the resource system that determines turn flow in Digimon Alysion. Numbers run from one side to the other, with zero in the middle. When the memory is on your side of zero, it’s your turn. When it crosses past zero to your opponent’s side, the turn ends.

Every action you take costs memory, moving the gauge toward your opponent. Playing a Digimon moves the gauge by the play cost shown in the card’s top left corner. For example, playing a card with cost 3 moves the memory gauge three spaces toward your opponent.

Strategic memory management is crucial. Try to end your turn with the memory gauge at one before crossing zero. This limits your opponent’s available memory for their turn, giving you a competitive advantage.

Turn Structure and Four Phases

Each turn in Digimon Alysion consists of four distinct phases that occur in order:

Unsuspended Phase

All your suspended cards become unsuspended, returning to the upright position. If you have no cards on the field, this phase is skipped automatically.

Draw Phase

You draw one card from your deck. If your deck runs out and you cannot draw, you lose the game immediately. When playing first in a match, you cannot draw on the first turn.

Breeding Phase

During this phase, you can take one of three actions:

Hatch - Flip one card face-up from the top of your Digi-Egg deck into the breeding area
Move - Transfer a Digimon with DP from the breeding area to the battle area
Skip - Take no action and proceed to the main phase

You cannot hatch if a Digi-Egg or Digimon already occupies your breeding area. Only Digimon that have DP values can move from the breeding area to the battle area, and moving can only occur during the breeding phase.

Main Phase

The main phase is where most actions occur. You can:

Play Digimon or Tamer cards from your hand
Digivolve Digimon on the field
Attack with unsuspended Digimon
Use Option cards
Activate main effects

When you finish all desired actions, you pass priority and the turn ends if the memory gauge has crossed to your opponent’s side.

Digivolution Mechanics

Digivolution is the process of placing a Digimon on top of another to level it up. The bottom card becomes a digivolution card, and some Digimon have inherited effects that activate when they become digivolution cards.

To digivolve, the Digimon must meet specific conditions shown on the card:

Color requirement - Indicated by a colored circle
Level requirement - The smaller number shows which level can digivolve
Cost - The larger number is the memory cost to digivolve

When you digivolve a Digimon, you draw one card from your deck as a bonus. This makes digivolution valuable for both powering up your Digimon and maintaining card advantage.

Digimon in the breeding area can be digvolved, but their effects cannot be activated while they remain in that area. Only after moving to the battle area can their effects trigger.

Battle Mechanics and DP Comparison

When a Digimon attacks, battles are resolved by comparing DP (Digimon Power) values. The Digimon with higher DP wins the battle.

When attacking security:

The top card of the security stack is revealed
If it’s a Digimon, battle occurs by comparing DP
Higher DP wins; equal DP is a tie
If your Digimon loses or ties, it’s deleted and sent to trash
If your Digimon wins, it remains on the field and the security Digimon goes to trash
After attacking, your Digimon becomes suspended

When attacking opponent Digimon: The same DP comparison occurs. The loser is deleted and sent to the trash area, which holds all used and deleted cards.

Card Types and Their Functions

Digimon Cards

Digimon cards form the core of your strategy. They have play costs, digivolution costs, levels, and DP values. Many Digimon have special effects that activate at different times:

On Play - Triggers when the card is played from hand
When Digivolving - Activates during digivolution
When Attacking - Triggers during attack declaration
Inherited Effects - Active when the card is a digivolution card underneath another Digimon

Tamer Cards

Tamer cards support your strategy but cannot attack or block. They typically provide ongoing effects or activated abilities that require suspending the Tamer. Like Digimon, Tamers have play costs shown in the top left corner.

Some Tamers have effects that trigger at the start of your turn, such as setting memory to a specific value if you have limited memory available. Others provide power boosts or additional effects to Digimon with specific traits.

Option Cards

Option cards are single-use effects played from your hand. Unlike Digimon, Option cards have a color requirement - you must control a card of the same color in your play area to use them.

After an Option card resolves its effect, it goes directly to the trash. Option cards can provide immediate advantages like drawing cards, powering up Digimon, or returning cards to hand.

Special Mechanics and Keywords

Security Effects

Some cards have security effects marked with a special icon. When these cards are revealed during a security check, their effects activate immediately. This can include bringing Tamer cards into play, deleting attacking Digimon, or other disruptive effects.

Blocker

Digimon with the Blocker keyword can intercept attacks aimed at your security. When your opponent declares an attack on your security and you control an unsuspended Digimon with Blocker, that Digimon must be battled instead.

Piercing

A Digimon with Piercing performs security checks even when it defeats an opponent’s Digimon in battle. Normally, attacking and defeating an opponent’s Digimon doesn’t check security, but Piercing changes this rule.

Reboot

Digimon with Reboot unsuspend during your opponent’s unsuspended phase. This allows them to potentially block or take actions more frequently than normal Digimon.

Strategic Tips from the Tutorial

The tutorial provides several strategic insights for how to play Digimon Alysion effectively:

Memory management matters - Always consider ending your turn at memory gauge one to limit opponent options
Use the breeding area - Building Digimon in the breeding area before moving them to the battle area provides safer development
Timing attacks - Balance between applying pressure and developing your field
Read all effects - Card effects can completely change battle outcomes, so review them before committing to actions
DP comparison is key - Always compare DP values before declaring attacks to avoid unnecessary losses

Getting Started in Story Mode

Digimon Alysion introduces new players through story mode chapters. The tutorial system gradually introduces mechanics through the narrative featuring protagonist Kanata and her friend Futre in the Lacuna metaverse.

Chapter 1 takes place in the Emerald Coast area, described as an urban area overtaken by trees with low-level NPCs perfect for beginners. After completing the tutorial battles and learning the fundamentals, players can explore additional areas and progress through the story while improving their skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I run out of cards in my deck? If you cannot draw a card during your draw phase because your deck is empty, you lose the game immediately.

Can I attack the same turn I play a Digimon? No. Digimon that have just been played cannot attack until the following turn. However, Digimon that digivolve or move from the breeding area during the same turn can attack.

How many security cards does each player start with? The standard starting security stack size is not explicitly stated in the tutorial, but matches show both players beginning with multiple security cards that must be depleted before winning.

Can I activate effects while Digimon are in the breeding area? No. Although you can digivolve Digimon in the breeding area, their effects cannot be activated until they move to the battle area.

What happens when DP values are equal in battle? When attacking and battling a security Digimon with equal DP, it counts as a tie. Your attacking Digimon is deleted just as if it lost the battle.

Do I need cards of specific colors to play Option cards? Yes. Option cards have a color requirement. You must control at least one card of the same color in your play area to play an Option card.

Digimon Alysion combines strategic deck building with tactical gameplay across its four-phase turn structure. By mastering the memory gauge system, understanding digivolution timing, and learning to read card effects, new players can quickly progress from basic tutorials to competitive matches. The game is currently in pre-registration with planned mobile release, offering both story mode progression and player-versus-player battles.