Genshin Impact has surpassed $4 billion in global revenue, earning widespread acclaim from players both in China and around the world. Among its many features, the Genius Invokation TCG card game mode has especially ignited players’ enthusiasm. To truly grasp the essence of Genius Invokation, it’s essential to first understand the core gameplay rules. These not only govern how matches unfold but also integrate Genshin’s signature Elemental Reaction mechanics, bringing the world of Teyvat to life on the tabletop. By breaking down these key rules, you’ll be better equipped to handle the challenges of each duel and fully appreciate the strategic depth the mode has to offer. In addition, this article offers carefully curated Genshin Impact TCG cards recommendations to help you experience the excitement of tactical duels throughout Teyvat.

Preparation Phase

At the start of the game, you’ll need to choose three characters to form your active team. The default starter characters include Kaeya, Diluc, and Sucrose. Today, we’ll focus primarily on team compositions that revolve around Pyro-based Elemental Reactions. You begin the match with a 30-card deck, drawing 5 cards initially. Each round, you’ll draw 2 additional cards, with a maximum hand size of 10.

Your 3 characters serve as your main combat force. On the field, you can have up to 4 summons and 4 support cards at any given time. To enhance your characters’ performance, you can equip them with Artifacts, Weapons, and Talents.

Turn Sequence

Now, let’s take a look at how each turn is structured. A match consists of multiple turns, and each turn is typically divided into three key phases: Card Draw, Action Phase, and End Phase. At the beginning of the turn, you’ll draw cards, then select an active character to enter Combat Status, and roll 8 Elemental Dice, which serve as your action points for the turn. These dice correspond to Elemental types, and one of them will always be an Omni Element (Universal) die that can substitute for any element.

During the turn, you’ll use these 8 dice to play character skills or action cards. Note that dice do not carry over to the next round—if unused, they’ll be discarded at the end of the turn.

Next comes the Action Phase. Once you decide to play a skill, it is executed immediately, and doing so will trigger your opponent’s turn. Before taking action, be sure to double-check your selected cards. If you’re missing the necessary elemental dice, you can discard the rightmost card in your hand to convert it into a die matching your active character’s element—but make sure you’ve selected the correct character before doing this to avoid mistakes.

After both players have taken their actions, you’ll enter the End Phase.

Click the End Turn button on the far left. Once both players confirm the end of their turn, the game will resolve effects from all active Summons, Support Cards, and any ongoing character abilities on the field. After that, a new turn begins, and this cycle continues until one side’s characters are all defeated.

Elemental Reaction Basics

In Genius Invokation TCG, Elemental Reactions are a core gameplay mechanic that adds a layer of strategic depth to every match. By cleverly combining different elements, players can trigger powerful effects that shift the tide of battle. However, for new players, understanding and mastering Elemental Reactions can be a bit challenging at first.

Types of Damage

There are several types of damage in the game: Physical, Elemental, and Piercing. Among elemental types, Cryo, Pyro, Hydro, Electro, and Dendro can apply elemental auras, allowing reactions to occur. In contrast, Geo and Anemo don’t apply auras directly, but can still trigger secondary reactions. Piercing damage is unique in that it ignores shields but cannot benefit from damage bonuses—it always deals a fixed amount.

Recommended Deck

Raiden Shogun + Keqing + Fischl

This deck centers around Raiden Shogun’s high Energy Recharge and explosive burst potential, with a strategy built on Electro reactions, Willpower accumulation, and team skill rotation. As the main DPS, Raiden Shogun should be equipped with her signature Talent Card, “The Thousand Wishes”, which significantly boosts her Elemental Burst. Not only does her Burst recharge the team rapidly, but it also scales with Willpower stacks to greatly enhance her damage. Keqing provides consistent Electro application and powerful single-target burst. Her Elemental Burst efficiently builds Willpower stacks, enabling a tight synergy with Raiden Shogun’s rotation for a seamless loop of skills. Fischl brings stability to the deck with her summon, Oz, who continuously applies Electro and helps trigger Overloaded Reactions. Oz also ensures a steady Electro presence on the field, reinforcing the deck’s overall reaction chain.

And let’s be honest—Raiden Shogun’s Burst animation alone is reason enough to play her. Remember that limited-time Raiden Shogun statue figure from the special event? Kujou Sara fans lining up to get the exclusive merch? Even now, that mini-figure still sits proudly in the Serenitea Pot display—small in size, but packed with intricate detail. Truly worthy of the Shogun herself.

Xingqiu + Kamisato Ayaka

This “Xingqiu & Ayaka” Freeze deck focuses on creating a consistent Freeze loop through Xingqiu’s rapid Energy Recharge and Burst uptime. Once Xingqiu activates his Elemental Burst, his normal attacks apply Hydro to enemies. You can then quickly switch to Kamisato Ayaka, whose first normal attack applies Cryo, instantly triggering the Frozen status and forcing your opponent to switch characters.

Xingqiu and Ayaka form the core of the Freeze strategy, while the third slot is flexible based on your preferences and tactics. Ganyu or Mona are strong choices—Ganyu strengthens the deck with AoE piercing damage, while Mona offers fast-swap utility and additional Hydro application. Whether you go with a double Cryo or double Hydro lineup depends on your playstyle.

This deck doesn’t rely heavily on dice, but it demands high Energy Recharge, so it’s important to include cards that support energy generation and to make full use of your early-game card draws to find key setup pieces.

Keqing + Fischl + Collei

Keqing gets a fresh spotlight in Genius Invokation TCG, stepping far beyond her “tickle damage” reputation in the Abyss. This deck revolves around Catalyze Reactions to deal sustained, amplified damage. Collei provides consistent Dendro application, while Fischl and Keqing trigger Catalyze through Electro, creating a loop of enhanced attacks.

Both Collei and Fischl summon companions that generate Catalyze fields at the end of each round, giving Keqing more opportunities to react and deal bonus damage. Keqing’s unique mechanic allows her to generate a Quick Swap skill card after using her Elemental Skill, enabling surprise plays and efficient elemental reactions.

This deck excels in single-target burst, while AoE damage mainly comes from Keqing’s Elemental Burst. In matches, it’s best to focus down the opponent’s core character early. Since this deck isn’t too reliant on specific cards, you can safely add Food Cards to boost survivability or overall damage.

Sucrose + Jean

The core strategy of this deck revolves around Sucrose and Jean’s forced character swaps. When the opponent is about to use their key abilities, Sucrose or Jean can force them to switch characters, effectively disrupting their damage output.

The rest of the team should focus on triggering other elemental Swirl reactions, with characters like Mona, Xiangling, Hydro Slime, or the Puppet Swordsman being good options.

This deck is not heavily dependent on specific cards, so even beginners using starter decks can make it work. The main focus is on boosting damage and survivability, while the primary goal is to trap opponents in a frustrating forced-swap cycle, creating significant psychological pressure—what we call the “Ultimate Torture” playstyle.

Bennett + Chongyun + Diluc

The core strategy of this deck is for Bennett to quickly build up Energy and unleash his Elemental Burst, while Chongyun and Diluc provide heavy single-target damage to swiftly eliminate the opponent’s key character. This lineup demands very high Energy Recharge, so it’s essential to include plenty of energy-generating cards, especially in the early game to quickly set up your combos.

Additionally, you can include Food Cards to boost damage output and aim for one-shot kills. This deck performs exceptionally well against high-HP single-target bosses, but in PvP, damage often exceeds what’s needed, so managing the pace of the match is important.

May every traveler unleash the full potential of Diluc’s cards with this extreme burst damage deck!