In Kiri-ai: The Duel, each player has a hand of cards that represent movements, attacks, or special attacks on the battlefield. At the beginning of each round, each player places two cards from their hand face down next to the battlefield, after which they resolve the actions one card at a time.

With the cards, players advance or retreat in relation to the opponent or strike high or low, attempting to cause damage. Strike your opponent twice in order to win.