Attributes
Aether: Trading Card Game feature a range of attributes which define the cost and survivability of a card. All cards, including Adventurers, feature an Aether Cost attribute, which determines how much Aether is required to play the card. Creatures and Relics also feature Attack and Health (or Durability for Relics) attributes, which are commonly referred to as stats and are presented numerically in the form Attack/Health (or Durability). For example, a "2/3" is a creature with 2 Attack and 3 Health, while a "5/2 Relic" has 5 Attack and 2 Durability. These attributes are integral to the game, and players must take them into account when constructing their decks.
Attack
The Attack value of a creature or Relic is a measure of its capacity to deal damage, and is found on all creature and Relic cards. The Attack value is shown in the bottom left, set against a single sword for Adventurers and creatures or a pair of crossed swords for Relics. When cards battle, they deal damage to each other equal to their Attack values. Adventurers have a default Attack value of zero, but can equip Relics or use abilities to gain an Attack value. The Attack value can be increased or decreased with various effects, and if a creature's Attack value would be reduced below 0, 0 is displayed and used instead.
Health
Creatures and Adventurers have a Health attribute, which can be thought of colloquially as life, hit points, or HP. It is displayed in the bottom right corner of the creature's card or portrait, set against a red drop of blood.
Health is the remaining survivability of the creature, and if it is reduced to 0 or lower, the creature is destroyed. Health is divided into two separate stats: current and maximum Health. Creatures enter play at maximum Health, and the value is displayed in white. When a creature takes damage, its current Health is reduced, and its maximum Health can be reduced through other means. If a creature's current Health is reduced below its maximum, it is considered damaged, and its Health value will be displayed in red.
Effects can heal a creature to increase its current Health up to its maximum, or can increase its maximum Health, which will also increase its current Health. Transform effects can set all attributes to predetermined values, potentially altering the creature's current and/or maximum Health. Health can be reduced to below 0, which can enable other effects to increase it back to a positive number and prevent the creature from being destroyed. Damaged status is used in numerous card mechanics, and healing a creature back to full Health will cancel any Enrage effects.
Durability
Relics have an attribute called Durability, which is shown in the bottom right corner of the Relic display with an icon. Durability reflects the number of times the Relic can be used to attack before it is used up and destroyed. Each time a Relic is used to attack, it will lose one point of Durability. Durability is not reduced if the Adventurer possessing the Relic is attacked during the opponent's turn, or when the Relic is Immune. Certain cards and effects can directly affect a Relic's Durability, and some Relics have built-in effects which prevent Durability loss.
Aether Cost
The cost of a card, displayed as a crystal in the upper left corner of the card, determines how much Aether is required to play the card from the hand. All cards have Aether costs, even those not usually played from the hand, which is important for effects that affect creatures based on their cost or return them to the hand. Most Aether costs are in the 0-10 range, but some effects can modify the cost, either as an ongoing effect or by creating cost-modification enchantments. The Aether cost of a card affects its playability, as it is usually an indicator of its overall power, and the distribution of Aether costs in a deck is an important factor in its strategic construction.