The Soul-Burn: At the start of your turn (before you draw your card), you take 1 damage for every three cards in your graveyard (rounded down).

• Example: If you have 8 cards in your graveyard, you take 2 damage. If you have 11 cards, you take 3 damage.,

Fuel for the Flame: Until the end of that turn, the very next card you play has its Lifeforce cost reduced by an amount equal to the damage you took from the Soul-Burn this turn.

• Example: If you took 3 damage, the next card you play costs 3 less Lifeforce.,

Purge the Ashes: At any time during your turn, you may pay 1 Lifeforce to banish (remove from the game) 3 cards of your choice from your own graveyard. This ability can be used multiple times per turn if you have the Lifeforce to spare. 

Strategic Implications 

The Graveyard as a Managed Resource: Your graveyard is now a fuel gauge. You want it high enough to get a significant discount, but not so high that the self-damage becomes unsustainable. This creates a constant, tense balancing act. High-Risk, High-Reward Tempo: A large graveyard allows for explosive tempo plays. Taking 4 damage to play a 7-cost minion for only 3 Lifeforce can be a game-winning move. This ruleset heavily favors decks that can “go big.” Health is a Resource: Your life total is now directly tied to your resource engine. You will be intentionally taking damage to make powerful plays. Healing is no longer just for survival; it’s for sustaining your furnace. Calculated Purging: The “Purge the Ashes” ability is your safety valve. Do you spend Lifeforce to lower the damage you’ll take next turn? Or do you save that Lifeforce and endure the pain to set up an even bigger discount? Every purge is a critical decision, as it also removes potential resurrection targets forever.

Adaptation & Strategy Tips

Self-Mill is Your Friend: Heroes like Anubis (Keeper of the Dead) and Osiris (Path to the Afterlife) are masters of this ruleset, as they can precisely control the number of cards in their graveyard to set up the perfect discount.

Pack Your Bombs: This is the week for your most expensive, high-impact cards. Minions like Molten Terror (10 cost), Blazing Cerberus (10 cost), or spells like Hellfire (7 cost) are much easier to cast.

Sustain is Key: Include healing to offset the constant Soul-Burn. Healing Potion, Vampires with their life-draining traits, or cards like Grove Hag become essential for staying in the game long enough for your strategy to pay off.

Plan Your Purge: Don’t just purge randomly. Banish cards that you don’t need for recursion. Be very careful not to banish the key minions or spells you might want to bring back later. Sometimes it’s right to purge before your turn starts to minimize the damage, other times you’ll want to take the full hit for the discount.

The Clock is Ticking: This ruleset creates a natural clock. Games will be faster and more volatile. You need a plan to capitalize on your power turns before the constant damage grinds you down.