I · Game Overview
KNIJIHT is a simultaneous card game for 1–2 players built around the twelve zodiac Draijion — elemental dragon creatures governed by astrology. Players bond with an Anijiel spirit, summon Draijion into battle, and clash in real-time reveals where element, class, and cosmic energy all determine the outcome.
Every clash happens at the same moment. There is no waiting for your opponent’s turn. Both players reveal simultaneously — and the cosmos decides who wins.
The foundation of KNIJIHT combat is the interaction between Element (which energy dominates) and Class (how that energy is expressed). Master both to master the game.
II · The Four Card Types
Draijion — Creature cards. The 12 zodiac dragons. Each has an element and a class. These are your fighters.
Anijiel — Player cards. Your spirit bond. Determines your health and which class stats you boost.
ioi Tools — Tactical cards. Cancel the element in a clash, reducing combat to class only.
iji Gems — Planetary bonus cards. Grant +1 to specific Draijion based on their ruling planet.
Starting Hand — All players begin with only the Revive card in hand and their Anijiel on the board. The Revive card returns one Draijion from the destroy pile back to your hand.
III · Elements & Classes
Elements follow a four-way cycle. Each element defeats the next and loses to the one before it.
FIRE → AIR → WATER → EARTH → FIRE
Classes follow the three astrological modalities — Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable — represented as Triangle, Square, and Circle.
△ CARDINAL → ○ MUTABLE → □ FIXED → △ CARDINAL
Each class has a unique relationship with elements — same element vs. opposite element:
△ Triangle (Cardinal): Weak −1 vs same element, Strong +1 vs opposite
□ Square (Fixed): Strong +1 vs same element, Weak −1 vs opposite
○ Circle (Mutable): Neutral 0 either way
Opposite Elements: Fire ↔ Water · Earth ↔ Air. These are the polar pairs. Cardinal Draijion thrive in cross-element clashes; Fixed Draijion dominate mirror matchups.
IV · The 12 Draijion
Each Draijion is a zodiac dragon with a fixed class, element, and stat priority order (left = primary, right = tertiary).
Aries — △ Cardinal · Fire · E·F / W·A — □△○
Taurus — □ Fixed · Earth · W·A / E·F — ○□△
Gemini — ○ Mutable · Air · F / E·A / W — △○□
Cancer — △ Cardinal · Water · A·W / F·E — □△○
Leo — □ Fixed · Fire · E·W / F·A — ○□△
Virgo — ○ Mutable · Earth · W / E·A / F — △○□
Libra — △ Cardinal · Air · F·A / E·W — □△○
Scorpio — □ Fixed · Water · A·F / W·E — ○□△
Sagittarius — ○ Mutable · Fire · E / F·W / A — △○□
Capricorn — △ Cardinal · Earth · W·E / A·F — □△○
Aquarius — □ Fixed · Air · F·E / A·W — ○□△
Pisces — ○ Mutable · Water · A / F·W / E — △○□
Draijion Health — Each Draijion has 1 Heart base. PvE = 1hp · Simple PvP = 2hp · Full PvP = 3hp.
V · Anijiel — Player Cards
Your Anijiel is your spirit bond and your life force. It begins on the board and cannot be revived if defeated. Anijiel are divided into two factions: Elf (higher health, one class boost) and Oni (lower health, two class boosts).
Seal — Elf · 5hp · △ Triangle
Deer — Elf · 5hp · □ Square
Bat — Elf · 5hp · ○ Circle
Cat — Oni · 4hp · △ + ○
Dog — Oni · 4hp · △ + □
Buni — Oni · 4hp · ○ + □
Anijiel Bonus — During a clash, if your active Draijion’s class matches one of your Anijiel’s boosted classes, add +1 to your clash score.
VI · ioi Tools
ioi Tools are tactical cards that strip element from a clash entirely. When played, both Draijion fight using class only. The playing Draijion’s element is also negated — it cannot win or lose on element during this clash.
Sabre — class order (weak → strong): □ → △ → ○
Parasol — class order: ○ → □ → △
Bandalore — class order: △ → ○ → □
Important — ioi Tools only affect the element layer of combat. Class matchups still apply normally. A stronger class can still win the clash even with an ioi Tool in play.
VII · iji Gems
iji Gems channel planetary energy. Each gem grants +1 to the clash score of specific Draijion whose zodiac is ruled by that planet.
Mercury Gem — boosts ○ Air · ○ Earth Draijion
Venus Gem — boosts □ Earth · △ Air Draijion
Mars Gem — boosts △ Fire · □ Water Draijion
Jupiter Gem — boosts ○ Fire · ○ Water Draijion
Saturn Gem — boosts △ Earth · □ Air Draijion
Luminary Gem — Sun/Moon · boosts △ Water · □ Fire Draijion
VIII · The Board
Each player’s board has five zones. Three card slots across the top, your Anijiel in the center, and Destroy and Deck flanking the bottom.
Left / Right Active Slots — hold Draijion, ioi Tool, or iji Gem. One card clashes per turn.
Mid Support Slot — Draijion only (iji Gem may stack). Cannot clash. Passively boosts the clashing Draijion by +0 to +2 based on overlapping class and/or element.
Anijiel Slot (Center) — permanently on board. Provides class boost. Takes damage when active Draijion is defeated.
Mid Slot Support Boost — If the Draijion in the mid slot shares its class with the clashing Draijion: +1. If it shares its element: +1. Maximum mid slot boost: +2.
iji Gem Tradeoff — Placing an iji Gem in an active slot gives a +1 damage boost but removes that slot’s ability to hold a Draijion. Stack it in the mid slot to combine boosts — but the mid slot Draijion cannot attack.
Board by Mode:
PvE — Center only (1 Draijion)
Simple PvP — Left + Right (Draijion only) · Mid: Draijion · Anijiel active
Full PvP — Left + Right (Draijion / Tool / Gem) · Mid: Draijion + Gem · Anijiel active
IX · Turn Structure
Every turn has three simultaneous phases. Both players act at the same time in each phase.
1 · Pick — Draw one card from your deck into your hand.
2 · Place — Play, swap, or move one card on your board. You may also hold.
3 · Clash — Both players reveal active Draijion simultaneously. Resolve combat.
Revive Card — The Revive card returns one Draijion from your destroy pile to your hand. It cannot revive your Anijiel. All players start with Revive as their only hand card.
X · Scoring & Combat
Each clash produces a score for both players. Scores are calculated independently then compared. The difference is dealt as damage to the loser.
Element wins matchup: +1
Class wins matchup: +1
Element loses matchup: −1
Class loses matchup: −1
Element or Class ties: 0
Anijiel class boost matches clashing Draijion class: +1
Mid slot Draijion shares class with clashing Draijion: +1
Mid slot Draijion shares element with clashing Draijion: +1
iji Gem (active or mid stack) matches clashing Draijion zodiac: +1
Score range: −2 to +2 base · Up to +6 with all bonuses active.
Damage Calculation — Damage = Winner’s score − Loser’s score. Example: Player A scores +4, Player B scores −1 → Player B takes 5 damage. A tie deals 0 damage. Damage is first applied to the active Draijion; when its hearts are depleted, remaining damage carries over to the Anijiel.
XI · Game Modes
PvE · Learn Mode
Cards: Anijiel + ioi Tools + Draijions · Heart Value: 1hp · Solo survival — master class matchups
Simple PvP · Play Mode
Cards: Anijiel + Draijion · Heart Value: 2hp · Pure element and faction combat
Full PvP · Master Mode
Cards: All four types · Heart Value: 3hp · Complete strategic depth
XII · Winning the Game
The game ends when a player’s Anijiel is defeated — all of its health points are reduced to zero. That player loses.
Your Anijiel cannot be revived. Protect it at all cost. Your Draijion stand between your Anijiel and defeat — but once the destroy pile claims them all and Revive is spent, your Anijiel faces the next clash alone.
Victory Condition — Reduce your opponent’s Anijiel to 0hp. The last Anijiel standing wins.
