Forged on the Grid
Five ancient dwarven houses. One battlefield. Corner-forged combat where placement is everything and every card bears the mark of its clan. Master tactical positioning, exploit house advantages, and hammer your way to victory.
Strategy · Cards · ConquestWhat is Gridhammer?
Gridhammer is a strategic digital card game where five dwarven houses clash on grid-based battlefields. Players place cards with unique corner values to flip and seize control of their opponent's cards through clever positioning and house-specific abilities. Every card is unique, every placement matters, and every match tells a different story.
Corner-Based Combat — Each card has 4 corner values that determine attack and defense on every side. No random dice, no luck — pure tactical calculation.
Clockwise Flip Resolution — Flips resolve in clockwise order starting from the top, enabling multi-card chain reactions from a single placement.
Five Dwarven Houses — Each house has its own playstyle, exclusive mechanics, and 51 uniquely named cards with fixed abilities.
Dynamic Card Generation — Every card instance has a unique UUID. Corner values are generated within rarity ranges, so no two copies play exactly the same.
No Energy, No Mana — Place one card per turn, no resource management. Every turn is a meaningful decision, not a waiting game.
Two Game Modes — Accord Format 4x4 battles test all-around strategy, while War Format 4x4 raises the stakes with a 150-point victory condition.
The game is built in Godot 4.3 with a Node.js backend and MySQL database. All card generation is server-authoritative to prevent cheating, with real-time WebSocket synchronization for multiplayer battles.
How a turn flows
Gridhammer uses a streamlined turn structure with no resource management. Each turn is one decisive action — draw a card, place it, resolve the consequences.
Foundation of all combat
Every card in Gridhammer has four corner values arranged in a 2x2 grid. These corners are the heart of combat — when two cards are adjacent on the battlefield, the touching corners are summed to determine which card flips.
When comparing two adjacent cards, the touching side is calculated by summing the two corners on that edge:
| Side | Your Corners | Their Corners | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOP (you attack upward) | TL + TR | BL + BR | Your [0]+[1] vs Their [2]+[3] |
| RIGHT (you attack rightward) | TR + BR | TL + BL | Your [1]+[3] vs Their [0]+[2] |
| BOTTOM (you attack downward) | BL + BR | TL + TR | Your [2]+[3] vs Their [0]+[1] |
| LEFT (you attack leftward) | TL + BL | TR + BR | Your [0]+[2] vs Their [1]+[3] |
Since each side is the sum of two corners, side values range from 0 (two 0-corners) to 20 (two 10-corners on a Legendary card). Most Common cards will have side values between 2–10, while Legendaries can push 14–20.
How cards change control
When you place a card adjacent to one or more enemy cards, flip checks occur. Flips are resolved in clockwise order starting from the top: Top → Right → Bottom → Left.
For each adjacent enemy card on a given side:
Attacker Sum = Your two corner values on the touching side + Active Aura/Ability modifiers
Defender Sum = Their two corner values on the touching side + Active Aura/Ability modifiers
If Attacker Sum > Defender Sum → Card Flips!
Ties do NOT flip. The defender holds on a tie.
Chain Flips: When a card flips to your control, it does not automatically re-check its own neighbors. However, certain house abilities (particularly Embercrest) can trigger chain flips — causing a flipped card to immediately check its adjacent enemies as if it were just placed.
Capture Abilities: When your placed card successfully flips an enemy card, any Capture ability on your placed card triggers. Capture abilities activate once per flip event, and if you flip multiple cards in one placement, the Capture ability triggers for each flip.
You place an Stillforge card with corners [6, 4, 3, 7]. An enemy card sits to the right with corners [2, 5, 1, 4].
Your RIGHT side: TR + BR = 4 + 7 = 11
Their LEFT side: TL + BL = 2 + 1 = 3
Result: 11 > 3 → Card flips to your control!
If your card has a Capture ability like "Bolster +1 to an adjacent friendly card's corners," it triggers now.
How points are tracked
Every card on the battlefield contributes to a player's score. Understanding how points work is essential, especially in War Format where reaching a point threshold wins the game.
A card's Corner Total is the sum of all 4 of its corner values. For example, a card with corners [6, 4, 3, 7] has a Corner Total of 20. This total represents the card's point value on the battlefield.
Flip Points: When you flip an enemy card to your control, you gain points equal to that card's Corner Total. Flipping high-value cards is worth significantly more than flipping weak ones, making target selection a key part of strategy.
War Format (150 Points): In War Format 4x4, the first player to accumulate 150 points wins the match. Points are earned by flipping enemy cards and placing your own cards on the board. The game continues beyond board fill — when the board is full, all cards are cleared and play resumes until the point threshold is reached or a player decks out.
Accord Format: In Accord Format 4x4, points are tracked but the primary win condition is board control — the player controlling the most cards when the board fills wins. If the board is full and both players control equal cards, Sudden Death resolves the tie.
What makes up a Gridhammer card
Every card in Gridhammer is a Shard — a battlefield unit with corner values, a house allegiance, and (depending on rarity) one or more abilities. There are no separate spell or trap cards. All special abilities are built directly into cards across four display categories: Aura, Placement, Defend, and Capture.
Abilities are shown on cards using 4 display categories, each with a distinct badge color:
AURA (Cyan #00D4FF) — Continuously active while the card is on the field. Covers ALWAYS_ACTIVE, TURN_START, and ADJACENT_PLAY triggers. Examples include "cannot be moved," "adjacent friendly cards gain +1 to a corner," or "enemy cards adjacent to this cannot activate abilities."
PLACEMENT (Gold #FFD700) — Fires when the card is placed on the field. Covers ON_PLAY and ON_TARGET_FLIPPED triggers. Examples include "boost a corner," "draw a card from your deck," or "select a target for a hidden trap." Trap abilities receive an additional purple TRAP sub-badge, marking them as hidden triggered abilities exclusive to Shadowmine.
DEFEND (Orange #FF6B35) — Fires when this card would be flipped by an opponent. Covers the ON_FLIPPED trigger. These abilities can prevent or modify the incoming flip, enabling defensive reactions and counter-play.
CAPTURE (Gold #c8922a) — Fires after this card successfully flips an enemy card. Covers the ON_FLIP trigger. Abilities activate once per flip event; if you flip multiple cards in one placement, the ability triggers for each flip.
A card may have abilities from one or more categories, or none (vanilla Commons).
Five tiers of power
Card rarity determines corner value ranges, ability complexity, and copy limits in a deck. Higher rarity cards are more powerful but harder to obtain and limited in copies.
| Rarity | Corner Total | Max Single Corner | Max Copies in Deck | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 4-10 | 3 | 2 | None — pure corner combat (vanilla) |
| Uncommon | 7-14 | 4 | 2 | 1 ability (Aura, Placement, Defend, or Capture — Tier 1 of escalation chains) |
| Rare | 10-17 | 5 | 2 | 1–2 abilities across categories, or 1 strong ability (Tier 2 of escalation chains) |
| Legendary | 14-19 | 6 | 2 | Powerful multi-category abilities (Tier 3 of escalation chains, or unique) |
| Heroic | 17-20 | 7 | 1 | Heroic multi-category abilities. Multiple powerful abilities attached to each card. |
Each house has 51 cards: 18 Common, 15 Uncommon, 10 Rare, 5 Legendary, 3 Heroic.
Corner Total is the sum of all four corners. A Common with corners [3, 2, 1, 4] has a total of 10. A Legendary with [5, 5, 4, 5] has a total of 19. Corner values are randomly generated within the rarity's range when a card instance is created — so two copies of "Anvil Sentinel" will have different corner values.
12 abilities per house — Chains and standalone
Each house has 12 unique abilities, organized into two categories: 3 escalation chains (3 tiers each, for 9 chain abilities) and 3 standalone abilities that exist outside the chain structure.
Each chain represents a core mechanic that grows in power across three rarity tiers: Uncommon (Tier 1), Rare (Tier 2), and Legendary (Tier 3). The same keyword escalates — modest at Uncommon, strong at Rare, devastating at Legendary.
The example above shows Stillforge's Bolster chain. The Uncommon version is modest, the Rare version is strong, and the Legendary version is devastating. Each card in the chain has a unique name and fixed ability text, but they all belong to the same keyword family.
In addition to the 3 chains, each house has 3 standalone abilities that appear on various Uncommon and Rare cards outside the escalation structure. These provide utility, flexibility, and secondary strategies that complement the chain mechanics.
9 Chain Abilities: 3 chains × 3 tiers (Uncommon, Rare, Legendary). These are the house's signature mechanics at escalating power levels.
3 Standalone Abilities: Additional abilities (Aura, Placement, Defend, or Capture) that appear on various Uncommon and Rare cards outside the escalation chains. These provide utility, flexibility, and secondary strategies.
For complete ability details, see the Abilities Reference.
Choose your allegiance
Each house represents a distinct philosophy of warfare, reflected in unique mechanics, visual identity, and playstyle. There are no hard elemental counters — matchups are soft (~55/45) based on how each house's mechanics interact with the others.
Playstyle: Raw Power & Immovable Defense
Stillforge cards hit hard and stay put. Their abilities boost corner values, anchor cards against displacement,
and create resonance fields that strengthen nearby allies. They win through overwhelming stats and unshakeable board presence.
Core Mechanics: Temper, Bolster, Crush (chains) — Forge Seal, Rivet, War Tempo (standalone)
Playstyle: Control & Debilitation
Runeweaver doesn't fight fair — they weaken, silence, drain, and seal. Their cards strip enemy abilities,
reduce corner values, and lock down the opponent's strategy. They win by making the enemy's cards worthless.
Core Mechanics: Mark, Suppress, Siphon (chains) — Calibrate, Dispel, Backlash (standalone)
Playstyle: Aggressive Combos & Chain Flips
Embercrest fights like wildfire — one flip ignites the next. Their cards trigger chain reactions, force flips
regardless of corner values, and echo abilities across the battlefield. High risk, massive reward.
Core Mechanics: Spark, Ignite, Static (chains) — Stoke, Kindle, Firestorm (standalone)
Playstyle: Endurance & Protection
Stoneheart outlasts everything. Their cards resist flips, shield neighbors, reclaim lost cards, and control
zones of the battlefield. They don't need to attack — they just need to survive until the grid fills.
Core Mechanics: Fortify, Endure, Roots (chains) — Ward, Reclaim, Mountain's Ward (standalone)
Playstyle: Deception & Displacement
Shadowmine fights from the dark. They push, pull, and swap cards across the grid, set hidden traps on targets,
and discard from enemy hands. Their mechanics create uncertainty and punish predictable play.
Core Mechanics: Push, Snare, Counter (chains) — Mirage, Pilfer, Shadow Swap (standalone)
No hard counters — every matchup is winnable
Gridhammer uses a house bonus system where each card's house determines a +1 or -1 modifier applied to the attacker's side sum during flip comparison. This bonus is calculated only at the moment of comparison — it is never stored on the card or accumulated. No matchup is worse than ~55/45 — skill always matters more than house selection.
| vs. | ⚔️ Stillforge | 🔮 Runeweaver | 🔥 Embercrest | 🛡️ Stoneheart | 🗡️ Shadowmine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⚔️ Stillforge | Mirror | Unfavored (-1) | Slight Edge (+1) | Favored (+1) | Even |
| 🔮 Runeweaver | Favored (+1) | Mirror | Unfavored (-1) | Even | Favored (+1) |
| 🔥 Embercrest | Slight Edge (+1) | Unfavored (-1) | Mirror | Unfavored (-1) | Even |
| 🛡️ Stoneheart | Unfavored (-1) | Even | Favored (+1) | Mirror | Unfavored (-1) |
| 🗡️ Shadowmine | Even | Favored (+1) | Even | Unfavored (-1) | Mirror |
When your card attacks an adjacent enemy card, a +1 or -1 bonus is added to your attacking side's sum based on your card's house vs the defender's house. This bonus is applied only at the moment of comparison — it is never stored on the card, never accumulated, and never modifies corner values. It simply tips the scale during the flip check.
Example: Your Stillforge card (side sum = 8) attacks an adjacent Stoneheart card (defending side = 8). Stillforge gets +1 vs Stoneheart, so the comparison is 9 vs 8 — your card wins the flip.
Runeweaver beats Stillforge (+1 vs -1) — Mark and Suppress neutralize Stillforge's stat advantages. Siphon drains boosted corners.
Stillforge beats Stoneheart (+1 vs -1) — Raw power breaks through shields. Bolster overcomes Fortify. Temper resists Endure.
Stoneheart beats Embercrest (+1 vs -1) — Fortify prevents chain flips from cascading. Ward blocks Spark damage. Roots anchor against displacement.
Stillforge & Embercrest clash aggressively (both +1) — Raw power meets explosive tempo. Both houses get a bonus when attacking the other, leading to high-flip volatile games.
Runeweaver & Shadowmine clash aggressively (both +1) — Disruption meets deception. Both get a bonus, making these matchups fast and deadly.
Embercrest & Runeweaver grind (both -1) — Suppress dampens chain flips while Ignite punishes disruption. Both sides are penalized, leading to slower, more tactical games.
Stoneheart & Shadowmine grind (both -1) — Immovable defense meets displacement. Neither gains an edge, making these matchups attrition-heavy.
Two battlefields, two strategies
Gridhammer offers two distinct modes on the same 4x4 grid, each with different victory conditions and pacing. The core mechanics remain identical — what changes is how you win.
All abilities across all four display categories (Aura, Placement, Defend, Capture) are active in every mode. This keeps house identity consistent regardless of mode. The difference is purely in victory conditions and pacing.
How to win a match
| Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Board Control (Primary) | When the battlefield is full, the player controlling the most cards wins. Cards in your hand also count as cards you control. |
| Deck Out | If a player must draw but has no cards remaining in their deck, that player loses immediately unless in 'War', then the discard pile is reshuffled and put back in their hand. |
| Sudden Death | If both players control equal cards when the board is full, each draws 3 cards. The player with the highest total corner values across those 3 cards wins. |
| Concession | A player may concede at any time, forfeiting the match. |
Forge your arsenal
Players build decks from their card collection to compete in each mode. Deck building is house-locked — each deck must belong to no more than 2 houses. You cannot mix cards from more than 2 different houses.
| Mode | Deck Size | Max Legendary | Max Heroes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (4×4) | 40 | 2 | 2 |
| War (4×4) | 40 | 2 | 2 |
Single House or Dual House Only: All cards in a deck must belong to no more than 2 houses. No cross-house mixing beyond 2 houses.
Copy Limits: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary cards allow up to 2 copies each. Heroic cards are limited to 1 per deck.
Card Pool: Each house has 51 unique card templates. You select a subset to fill your 40-card deck.
No Duplicate Instances: Even if you have 2 copies of "Anvil Sentinel" in your deck, each instance has different corner values generated within the Rare range.
Deck Strategy: Since every card in a house has fixed abilities, deck building is about choosing which combination of abilities best suits your strategy and the mode you're playing. A Standard deck might favor high-corner vanilla cards for raw flipping power, while a War deck can afford to include more specialized combo pieces since the game extends beyond a single board fill.