There is a lot of content out there on how to play an archetype or a particular deck. But much like you can't write an essay without knowing how to write a paragraph, it is quite difficult to play a game without knowing how to play a turn. When does your turn start? When your turn ends!
Most of my early gaming experience is from playing Chess. Chess is a game of perfect information; both players have access to the same information and there is nothing hidden. This means you have all the knowledge you need to plan your next move. For each move your opponent could make, all you have to do is identify a response. With time control this becomes even more important; the goal is always to think on the opponent's time.
Planning ahead tends to be much more difficult in card games as they rely on imperfect information (Perfect Information Poker anyone?). Dominion, a deck building game, and Duelyst, another digital CCG, both have you draw cards at the end of your turn. This gives you a lot more time to plan. Duelyst also has a few similarities to Mythgard, the two biggest: positioning matters, and complicated, often missed, lethals.
I played a lot of Duelyst, but it wasn't until I started playing the intricate, combo-heavy faction that I really starting looking at my approach to playing. I found that despite the complicated turns and imperfect information available I could offload a lot of my thinking onto my opponents turn. Unsurprisingly, my approach translated quite well to Mythgard. So here it is, the Mythgard edition:
Steps to a turn
Check for lethal
Identify your role
Plan your turn
Draw cards
Re-evaluate
Revise the plan / Look for better lines
Execute your plan
Bonus points if you realized that steps 1-3 & 5-6 should be done on your opponents turn.
1. Check for lethal
What is the number one reason people miss lethal? They don't look. It also should be noted that this isn't a yes/no question. You should always have an idea of how much damage you are from lethal, or what cards or changes in board state could give you lethal. Do you just need an ignition? Removal? A specific card?
Don't forget to double check! Sometimes we get so excited about the prospect of lethal we forget that a minion has lifetap, or armor, or warded.
2. Identify your role
Are you attacking, defending, or both? This step is important as it dictates all the decisions on how you play the rest of your turn. This can change several times throughout a game, or even within a turn!
3. Plan your turn
Identify the actions you intend to take assuming no new relevant information. This becomes your "default" actions for the turn. My goal is to always have a "good" turn planned, and then use my remaining time to find a better turn.
4. Draw card(s)
We will normally be in Step 4 at the start of our actual turn. However, there might be other times during our turn when we draw cards. The goal is always to do this as early as possible as it gives you the most information and options for completing the turn. When possible you should draw cards before making any other decisions such as burning cards or attacking.
5. Re-evaluate
This step should be done after any change in information, but it occurs most commonly on your opponents turn (after every unexpected action), or after you draw cards. Did you draw the card you need for lethal? Has your role changed? Did something positively or negatively affect your plan for the turn?
6. Revise the plan / Look for better lines
This step is often time dependent, or skipped on very simple board states. The goal here is to use your remaining thinking time to find an improved line of play.
7. Execute your plan
Take your remaining planned actions and end your turn. And start checking for lethal, because it is now your opponents turn and you are back to step 1!
Tips & Tricks
Do puzzles and/or review games where you might have had lethal. Being able to identify lethals, or the lack thereof, quickly is very important.
Watch each action your opponent takes and try to identify if it affects your plan. With practice you can determine how. The more analysis you can do on your opponents turn, the more time you have on yours. Try to predict your opponents plays, the better you get at doing this, the more accurate your turn planning will be.
Don't take any actions until you have to. The most common mistakes people make are attacking or burning cards before drawing.
Don't combine Step 6 and Step 7. We've all done this, and more often than not it ends poorly.
Mistakes will be made, but what's done is done. Re-evaluate.
Use the time you have available. Before you execute your plan, did you...check for activated abilities on your artifacts and minions, considered your Power, account for your, or your opponent's Path?
Leave yourself enough time to execute your actions. Timing out sucks.
Practice makes perfect. I often test new decks against the AI. The quicker you can execute the steps, the more time you have to look for better lines of play.
Check for lethal!
End of Turn
The steps may seem excessive, but they eventually become second nature. Give it a try, with practice turns feel much less rushed. And for me, the steps become a good litmus test of whether or not I am too tired or unfocused to be playing. When I start skipping steps, I know it's time to quit playing. Thanks to Kylemenos for suggesting the topic. Feel free to send me suggestions on Discord; I'll tackle what I can. And don't forget to check for lethal!