Gamehelpchallengers

Summary

Players participate in drafting ("Deck Phase") and card reveal ("Match Phase") phases for 7 rounds.

After this, for 3-8 player games, only 2 players qualify for a final match by having the most fans after all 7 rounds.

For 1-2 players, there is no final, and the player with the most fans wins. If a player has an 11-fan advantage after a Match Phase in a 1-2 player game, they win immediately.

Deck Phase

In the Deck Phase, players add 1 or 2 cards to their deck from a random secret display of 5 cards. Players can discard this display and redraw once per Deck Phase. Finally, players can remove one or more cards to trim their deck.

In later rounds, players have the option to choose B or C cards, which are more powerful than the A cards used at the game's start.

Match Phase

Each player shuffles their deck and is paired against a single opponent. Each pair of players compete to capture and hold a flag by revealing cards from their decks. Multiple 2-player matches play out simultaneously, as if each was its own minigame.

Gameplay

Each match consists of players fighting over a flag, which moves back and forth as it is captured. A match starts with the player who has the highest trophy number in flag possession. This player reveals the top card of their deck and places the flag on it. If this card has an effect without a bolded keyword, it happens at this time.

Next, their opponent must attack to capture the flag. They attack by revealing cards from the top of their shuffled deck, one at a time. The base power of each revealed attacking card is added together and compared to the defending card's base power. In addition, some card effects may modify power on the attacking or defending side.

Once the attacker's power is equal to or greater than the defender's power, the defender moves their card to an open slot on their bench -- an area with 6 slots for cards. Each bench slot can hold any number of cards with the same card name, but a single slot cannot hold two cards with different names.

Finally, the attacker slides all of their revealed card(s) together to form a stack with only 1 visible card on top. This card is in flag possession and now defends. Its defense power only considers itself and any "From the bench" card effects, NOT any hidden cards underneath it.

Now, the cycle repeats. The other player attacks by revealing card(s) until their combined power is equal to or greater than the defending power. The defender moves card(s) to the bench, becomes the attacker, and so on.

End of Match

A match ends if a player needs to draw a card from their deck, and cannot.

A match also ends if a player needs to move card(s) to their bench, and does not have enough slots -- either empty or with the same name as the incoming card(s).

In either case, that player loses. Their opponent gains the trophy for the current round. Each trophy has a secret number of fans on the other side, represented by stars. Round 1 trophies only score 2 or 3 fans, but round 7 trophies score 9 or 10 fans!

Fans from trophies are kept secret in 3-8 player games, and public in 1-2 player games.