Drawing Cards in Dino Citadel – But Not Like You’re Used To

[p][/p][p]Hey everyone![/p][p]Today I want to talk about one of the core systems in Dino Citadel — something that defines the entire flow of combat and decision-making: how you draw cards.[/p][p]In most deckbuilders, it’s simple. At the start of your turn, you automatically draw a hand of cards — maybe five. You play some, ignore others, and at the end of the turn, they all slide into your discard pile.[/p][p]But in Dino Citadel, there’s no auto-draw. At least, not the way you’re used to.[/p][p]Instead, you spend Coin to add cards to your hand, one by one. Every card is a decision. Every Coin is a choice. And your hand? You build it — you don’t just receive it.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p]The Order Pile is Dino Citadel’s version of the draw pile, but with a twist.[/p][p]At the start of each Shard (closed-off regions with specific objectives), your deck is shuffled into the Order Pile. Then, at the start of each turn, you draw 3 cards from it — but they don’t go to your hand yet.[/p][p]To actually play one, you must spend Coin to buy it and add it to your hand. The rest go to the discard pile… unless you intervene.[/p][p]You have a few tools:[/p]

[p]Freeze: You can freeze 1 card each turn. Frozen cards stay as an option for the next turn, giving you another chance to buy them.[/p]
[p]Reroll: If you don’t like your 3 options, you can spend Coin to reroll. All unfrozen cards are discarded, and you draw new ones — letting you buy another card if you want.[/p]
[p]Free cards: Some cards, especially Bounty cards, cost 0 Coin and go straight to your hand when drawn.[/p]

[p]Even once a card is in your hand, it still costs Energy to play it. So each turn becomes a three-part decision tree:[/p]

[p]What can I afford to buy?[/p]
[p]What can I afford to play?[/p]
[p]What should I save for next turn?[/p]

[p]This system turns every turn into a small, evolving puzzle — where you’re not just reacting to what’s drawn, but shaping what your future turns can become.[/p][p]You’re not handed a hand. You build it — one decision at a time.[/p][p]And Yes — It All Loops Back. Like most deckbuilders, once your Order Pile is empty, your discard pile is reshuffled and recycled.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]Why This System Exists[/h3][p]Dino Citadel isn’t just a deckbuilder. It’s also a game about resource management.[/p][p]Here’s the core loop: [/p]

[p]Use free Bounty cards to interact with the map and earn Coin[/p]
[p]Spend that Coin to buy tactical cards from the Order Pile[/p]
[p]Spend Energy to play those cards and survive[/p]

[p]Your economy is your draw engine.[/p][p]So you’ll need to:[/p]

[p]Use Bounty cards to gather resources[/p]
[p]Use purchased cards to protect them, attack, or reposition[/p]
[p]Carefully manage your Coin between buying, rerolling, and long-term planning[/p]

[p]Take the card Harvester, for example. It’s a free card that places a unit on a productive land tile. That Harvester will passively generate Coin or Food every turn — but only if it survives.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p]That’s it for drawing cards in Dino Citadel![/p][p]If you enjoyed this peek behind the curtain, please consider wishlisting and following Dino Citadel on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][p]Thanks for reading![/p][p]Halit [/p][p][/p]