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Evons Rules

Game Start

The complete sequence of steps before the first turn begins.

01
Shuffle
Both players shuffle their own deck
02
Cut
Opponent cuts your deck — you cut theirs
03
Draw starting hand
Each player draws 6 cards
04
Mulligan
Optional — return unwanted cards, redraw
05
Determine first player
Random — winner chooses who goes first

Step 1 — Shuffle

Both players shuffle their own deck thoroughly. There is no limit on how many times you may shuffle. Your opponent may request a reshuffle if they believe the deck is not sufficiently randomized.

Step 2 — Cut

After shuffling, your opponent cuts your deck. You cut your opponent's deck. The cut is made by splitting the deck into two portions and placing the bottom portion on top.

Step 3 — Draw Starting Hand

Each player draws 6 cards from the top of their deck. Look at your hand privately. Do not reveal it to your opponent.

Step 4 — Mulligan

After drawing your starting hand, each player may perform a mulligan. A mulligan is optional — skip it entirely if you are happy with your hand. Both players decide simultaneously.

Testing
Active rule — Selective Mulligan: Choose any number of cards from your hand that you do not want. Return those cards to your deck. Shuffle your deck. Draw cards equal to the number you returned, restoring your hand to 6. You may do this once per game start.
Testing
Alternative variant — Full Reset Mulligan: Return all cards in your hand to the deck. Shuffle. Draw one fewer card than before. You may repeat as many times as you want — but each mulligan reduces your hand by 1 (6 → 5 → 4 → …).

See Rules in Testing for the full discussion on both variants.

Step 5 — Determine First Player

Use any random method both players agree on — a die roll, coin flip, or any other fair randomizer. The winner of the random determination chooses who goes first. They may choose themselves or give the first turn to their opponent.

First turn note: Neither player gains +5 credits on their own first turn — Player 1 skips the gain on turn 1, Player 2 skips it on turn 2 (their first turn). Both players start the game with 50 credits. See Credits and Turn Structure.