Chained List
What Is it?
The Chained List is a set of cards that are not allowed to be included in a player's First Five, and cannot be played in the first round even if they come into a player's hand (by card drawing, deck searching by cards like Open Memories, or a card that gets the chained card from the discard pile). In subsequent rounds, they may be played as normal.
This list is intended for Organized Play events, typically tournaments or leagues. That said, it is common practice to use the chained list for all play, even casual games online. Rare exceptions for certain formats, such as pre-constructed only, may exist. Always confirm with your opponent before playing.
The Chained List
As of April 5th, 2023, the list includes:
- Exhortation
- Explosive Growth
- Massive Growth
- Meteor (added April 5th)
- Psychic Vampire
- River Skald
- Summon Shining Hydra
- Summon Sleeping Widows
Reasoning
"There exist certain cards and card combinations that violate one or more of the core gameplay philosophies of Ashes when included in a player’s First Five."
Some of the cards on the list are part of specific combos that are overly oppressive, and some are against the core principle of First Five.
PHG has included reasoning with each update of the chained list. You can read here:
- https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/2021/06/02/ashes-june-update/
- https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/2022/05/16/ashcon2/
- https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/2022/10/03/new-organized-play-rules/
- https://www.plaidhatgames.com/news/2023/04/05/ashes-card-changes-and-organized-play-update/
Previous Cards
This card was chained previously, but is no longer chained.
- Three-Eyed Owl (the conjuration; removed April 5th, 2023)
The reasoning to remove Three-Eyed Owl is included in the April 5th update (linked #4 above).