Setting up

Before turn 1, both players do the same steps.

• Each player puts out 1 of their 3 Battlefields — in a Duel, the one you play here, it's picked at random. Those two are the Battlefields in play.
• A random player goes first. Your Legend is on the table, and your Chosen Champion starts in the Champion Zone: it's one of your 40 cards, but it isn't shuffled into the deck.
• Shuffle your Main Deck. Draw 4 cards.
• Then the Mulligan.

Mulligan: you may send back up to 2 cards from your hand: set them aside, draw that many new cards, then put the set-aside cards on the bottom of your Main Deck, so you won't draw them again soon.

The player who goes second channels 3 runes on their first turn, not 2. That makes up for going second. The first player draws a card on turn 1 too, like every turn.

What to keep? Look at your costs. Going first you have 2 runes on turn 1 and 4 on turn 2, so you want cards you can play early.

• 
  Stalwart Poro costs 2. A keep: you can play it on turn 1.
• 
  Mountain Drake costs 9. Send it back: you won't have 9 runes for a long time.

• Keep cheap units (2 to 4). A couple of 2s and 3s is better than one of each.
• Send back cards that cost 5 or more when your hand has no early play.
• Your Chosen Champion is always there in the Champion Zone: it's your big play for later, so your hand needs the early ones.

From the Core Rules (2026-10-09): ~110-118 — the Setup Process · 119 — Mulligan · 417 — set-aside cards go to the bottom of the deck · 487.4 — Duel: each player selects 1 of their 3 Battlefields at random; the second player's extra rune