It’s Been A Shard Days Night 
In which order should you read the lines of Guild Feud’s rules text?
Even hardcore fans of Guild Feud know that jumping into the Feud can be intimidating for newcomers. With its richly rendered world and deep mythos, Guild Feud continues to attract new readers years after its initial release; but its style, which has been called “overwrought,” “needlessly convoluted,” and “like a bad Great Designer Search card,” means that many of these readers give up halfway through.
Here’s how to power through the Feud like a pro—it’s the order I wish I read the lines of Guild Feud‘s rules text in.
1. “At the beginning of your upkeep, target”
There’s no getting around it: Guild Feud is an enchantment with an upkeep trigger. While it flouts a lot of the clichés of an upkeep trigger enchantment, it’s still important that you start at the beginning so that you’re introduced to this context and can fully appreciate the Feud’s sly innovations.
8. “this way, those creature fight each other.”
Woah, skipping to the end right away? The truth is, Guild Feud saves some of its absolute best action for the very end, and that means that many who attempt to read it in the traditional order never end up experiencing this awesome line. Spoil yourself! Plus, after reading this line you’ll no doubt be wondering, “How the hell did we end up here?”
4. “among them onto the battlefield, then puts”
5. “the rest into his or her graveyard. You do the”
6. “same with the top three cards of your library.”
Lines four through six form the narrative core of Guild Feud: they are what most people think of when they think of “Guild Feud.” It makes sense to read these three lines (which many consider as constituting a “mini trilogy” in their own right) in consecutive order.
2. “opponent reveals the top three cards of his”
3. “or her library, may put a creature card from”
Lines two and three provide interesting backstory for the main narrative which unfolds in lines four through six, but they can be slow going unless you’re already committed to the Feud.
7. “If two creatures are put onto the battlefield”
As mentioned, the final act of Guild Feud features some of its most heart-pounding action. Unfortunately, the buildup to this final action is by any account uninspired. Save the seventh line for last: it’s only requisite reading for completionists.
