Kaene and Tanglehold Gate: how the Earth starter deck plays
Earth is the slow deck that wins anyway. Root their stuff so it can’t attack, then destroy the Rooted stuff, and heal a lot. Like, a LOT. Heads up: The Pale Lady, Curse of the Grove, Buried Alive and Gift of the Grove come from booster packs, not the starter box.
What Rooted does
A Rooted entity can’t attack until the start of your next turn. It can still use abilities and still be a Defender. Rooting is the setup; the payoff cards are what win.
Ways to root: Tanglehold Gate on every portal (base health up to the portaled entity’s Gate Power), Stillness (every entity with base health 2 or less), Entangled Fate (health 5 or less), Raze the Uninvited (two small ones), and The Pale Lady, which roots whatever attacks her.
Uproot: punish the Rooted
Curse of the Grove deals 4 to a Rooted entity instead of 2. Buried Alive destroys an attacker costing 3 or less while they have a Rooted entity (a Rooted leader doesn’t count). Wind Drawn Archer and Priestess of Sanzu can attack Rooted entities even when they’re untapped. Silence just destroys one with 5 health or less every turn.
Hart of the Forest gets +1/+1 with two Rooted entities, and Sanzu Courier becomes a Defender with one.
Kaene heals past 20
Kaene the Reclaimer can be healed above base health. So Thornbloom Melon, Gift of the Grove, Barleytail and Wandering Herbalist are never wasted. Being at 26 health against an aggro deck is such a W.
Watch the IKZ
IKZ caps at 10. Root plus Silence from hand is 3 + 8 = 11, too much unless you still have your IKZ token. Put Silence in your Alley and portal it in on the root turn, because portaling costs no IKZ.
Fractured Domains is out November 20, 2026. Card text is Azuki’s; the read is ours, not an official ruling.