How to Win:

To win the game, you must win 2 rounds. You win a round the instant your rival's deck is out of cards. Each player's deck represents their Health Bar.

How the Game Plays:

Both players attack each other's characters. But in this game, you attack with cards. You also defend against attacks with the cards you play. During a battle, relentless combos may linktogether attacks to deal bone-crushing damage depending how smart you build your deck.

How to Set-Up a Round:

1. Each player puts his character next to his deck face-up and shuffles their deck.

2. Both players offer the other a chance to cut their deck.

3. If it's the first round, randomly choose the aggressor with a coin flip or some other method. If it is not the first round, the loser of the previous round becomes the aggressor.

4. Both of your draw 3 cards from the top of their decks.

5. Begin the game.

How a Turn Works:

A turn is 4 steps that both players go through. During a turn, one player is the aggressor. The aggressor for the turn goes first in each step.

Step 1 Draw

Both players draw 3 cards.

Once both players finish drawing, the step ends.

Step 2 Set

Both players may set their events into the arena face-down.

Once both players have a chance to set events, the step ends.

Step 3 Battle

Players alternate taking actions. During an action you do one of 2 things, attack or pass. When both players pass for their action one after another, the step ends.

Step 4 Discard

Players keep up to 3 cards in their hand and discard the rest.

Once both players have a chance to discard down to 3 cards, the step ends. A new turn begins with the role of aggressor moving to the player to the left.

The Energy Pile and Costs

Each card in your deck has a cost in the lower left or right hand corner. During a game, you create a pile of cards called an "energy pile." Each card equals 1 energy. Every time you play or flip a card. you must pay its cost by discarding a number of cards from your energy pile equal to the cost on the card.

How to Build your Energy

Any attack you play goes into your energy pile when it finishes. Events and Blocks do NOT go into your energy pile after they finish, but rather go into the discard pile.

Damage and Chipping

Damage: Each attack states its damage with a number above the skull at the top corner of the card. When a a player takes damage, they put that number of cards from the top of their deck into their discard pile face-up.

Chipping: When you block an attack, you discard a number of cards from the top of your deck equal to the printed cost of that attack. This is called "chipping."

Note: Even though discarding cards from the top of your deck, taking damage, and chipping are the same physical task of moving the top card of your deck to your discard pile, they are 3 separate elements in the game.

How Combos Work

When you finish an attack, you may immediately play another attack during the same action by "linking." Linking is the act of playing an attack by matching a trait on your next attack with the follow up if your previous attack. A combo is 2 or more linked attacks. During your action, you can play as many attacks as you can link and pay for even if they are blocked.

Card Types

Character Cards: Characters represent who you are fighting as in a game. Each deck has one Character Card.

Event Cards: Events represent the crazy things that happen in a fight. You set events face-down into the arena during Step 2: Set. Once it's set, you can later flip it as described by its text.

Flipping event cards: Each even card tells you when you can flip it. To flip an event, you pay its cost and flip it face-up. After you flip it, you can do what it says and then discard the event card. It's your choice on whether you want to flip an even or not. If you choose to flip 2 or more events at once, you must pay the cost of all the events you are flipping and flip them over at the same time.

Attack Cards: You play attacks from your hand to attack your rival's deck. To play an attack card, you first pay the attack's cost by discarding cards from your energy pile. Once you paid the cost, do what the card's text says (except for any text printed after the word "HIT") and wait to see if your rival plays a block. If your rival blocks the attack, they chip cards (discard cards from the top of their deck) equal the printed cost of the attack. If your rival doesn't block, the attack deals its damage and you use the attacks "HIT" text if there is any. After the attack finishes, it goes into your energy pile.

Block Cards: These cards block attacks. To play a block, the block must share the same type as the attacking card. (ie. High blocks only bloc High attacks, low blocks only block low attacks). When you play a block, you must first pay its cost, do what it says, then discard any chipping and put the block card you used into your discard pile.

Deck Construction:

Your deck (main deck) must have exactly 60 cards (1 character card and 59 cards). You can have 4 copies of any card in your deck unless the card restricts itself. Any card in your deck with a character's name in the title must match the name of the character you are playing. Any card that states that it is "only" for a certain game can only appear in a deck that uses a character from that game.

Side Deck Rules:

A Side Deck is an additional 6 card deck that you can bring to the table with your 60 card deck. Each card that goes into your Side Deck is limited to 1 per deck and must be a "Side Deck Only" card. A card with the text that declares the card is "Side Deck Only" cannot appear in your 60 card deck.

Key Words:

Knock Down - When your rival plays a Kick Down against you, you are "knocked down" for the rest of the combo unless you recover. While knocked down, you can still play blocks, play events and use game effects, but you exist in a game state of "knocked down" and any effects that key off of that state effect you. Even if you bloc a Knock Down, you are still knocked down unless you pay the cost to recover. And if you recover, your rival may knock you down again in the same combo.

Launcher - An attack that has the keyword "Launcher" works just like a Knock Down, but your rival launches your character into the air instead of throwing your character to the ground.

How to recover from a Knock down or Launcher:

1. Block the Knock Down and Pay the Cost to Recover. When you block a Knock Down (or Launcher), you may discard a block from your hand, or remove 2 low blocks (or 2 high blocks if the card was a "Launcher" from your discard pile to recover from the attack that knocked you down.

2. Card Effects: Some card effects let you recover.

3. Survive the Combo: When the combo ends, you automatically recover when the combo ends.

Taunt - When you play a card with a Taunt effect your rival reveals the top card of their deck, if it is an attack card they must play the attack against you, paying all costs to play the card. If your rival cannot pay the cost of the card, the attack goes the discard pile, If the card revealed was anything other than an attack it goes to the discard pile.