DC Deck-Building Game: Forever Evil
DC Deck-Building Game: Forever Evil Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 211 Game Cards
- 36 Punch Starting Cards
- 16 Vulnerability Starting Cards
- 111 Main Deck Cards
- 16 Kick Cards
- 12 DC Comics Super Hero Cards
- 20 Weakness Cards
- 7 Oversized DC Comics Super-Villains
- 1 Rulebook
- 6 Frozen Tokens
- Lots of Victory Point Tokens
Types of Cards
Cards show a Card Name, Card Type, Cost, Victory Points, and any Special Rules Text or Abilities. The different card types that you can play are: Starter, Villain, Location, Hero, Super Power, and Equipment. Weakness cards have no card type.
Setup for Your First Game
1. DC Comics Super-Villains and Starting Decks
Each player is dealt a random oversized Super-Villain. Alternately, each player may choose to play as their favorite character.
Each DC Comics Super-Villain begins with a starting deck of seven Punch cards and three Vulnerability cards. You will use your Punch cards to buy more powerful cards to add to your deck, improving it as the game goes on. Vulnerability cards represent the things that occasionally cause a DC Comics Super-Villain to falter. They don't do anything for you when drawn or played, so it's best to get rid of them as soon as possible (more on how to do that later).
2. The Main Deck
Most of the cards that you will add to your deck as the game progresses come from the main deck. Shuffle the main deck and place it in the middle of the table. The main deck is made up of 111 cards total.
3. The Super Hero Stack
There are twelve different Super Heroes available to use each game. Typically, eight Super Heroes are used for a standard game. For a longer game, use more than eight. No matter how many you use, you will always use The Flash. On his card is text that reads, "This card starts the game on top of the Super Hero stack." If you use eight Super Heroes, you will use seven selected at random, plus The Flash.
Set The Flash aside and shuffle the remaining eleven Super Hero cards face down. Then randomly remove the number of cards you aren't going to play with this game from the stack. The Super Hero stack remains face down this entire time, so no one will be able to see which Super Heroes are being used and which ones are not. Set aside the unused Super Heroes (still face down). Finally, place The Flash face up on top of the Super Hero stack.
Example: In a game using the typical eight Super Heroes, set aside The Flash and shuffle the rest. Remove four of them at random, then put The Flash face up on top of the remaining seven face-down Super Heroes.
4. The Line-Up
After shuffling the main deck, place the top five cards from the main deck into the Line-Up. There is no board necessary to play this game; just reserve space for each card.
Next, place the Kick, Super Hero, and Weakness stacks at the end of the Line-Up. You may want to turn these stacks perpendicular to the board so that everyone can reach them. You will always use all 16 Kicks and all 20 Weaknesses each game. The number of Super Heroes you use will vary. Kicks and Super Heros are always available to be bought or defeated during your turn (while cards remain in their stacks). Weaknesses are never bought; they are gained only through unfriendly card effects. The main deck and the three stacks of cards on the end are not part of the Line-Up.
Once you have arranged the main deck, the Line-Up, and the other stacks, it will look something like a row of five face-up cards next to the Kick, Super Hero, and Weakness stacks. Your opening five cards in the Line-Up will vary. At the start of the game, there should be 16 Kicks, 8 Super Heros, and 20 Weaknesses in their respective stacks.
Gameplay
Randomly determine a player to go first. Each player begins by shuffling his or her deck and drawing five cards. Players take turns in clockwise order. You may look at the cards in your hand at any time.
Each turn, you may buy cards from the Line-Up, Kick cards, and/or the top card of the Super Hero stack to improve your deck. Cards you buy or gain are always immediately placed into your discard pile unless you are instructed otherwise. Discard piles are always face up. Soon they'll be shuffled into your deck, and then you'll be drawing these newer, more powerful cards into your hand so you can play them. Buying powerful cards builds up the effectiveness of your deck. That's why it's called a "deck-building game."
You can buy any number of available cards with combined cost less than or equal to the amount of Power you have for the turn. For example, your Punch cards each give you +1 Power. If you draw four of them and no other cards with any Power bonuses, your total Power for the turn is 4. You can buy a single card with cost 2, 3, or 4, or even two cards each with cost 2, assuming these options are available. Kick cards are (usually) available if the cards in the Line-Up are too expensive, and you may buy more than one during your turn if you wish. You may pass if you cannot buy or do not wish to buy any cards.
Vulnerability and Weakness cards provide no Power. Since they weaken your draws and deck, you should try to destroy them as soon as possible. You may play them if you wish, but they have no effect when played. They are not discarded until the end of your turn when you discard all cards you have played and any cards that you have kept in your hand.
Order of Playing Your Cards
On your turn, you get to play the cards in your hand in the order of your choice. When you play a card, its game text resolves immediately. When you have played all the cards you wish to play at that time, total up the Power you have accumulated and buy what you wish to buy from the Line-Up or the face-up stacks. You do not have to play all of the cards in your hand before you start making purchases if you don't wish to. You may play additional cards even after making purchases.
Ending Your Turn
- Announce that you are ending your turn. Your turn is now over.
- Place any cards remaining in your hand into your discard pile.
- Resolve any "at the end of your turn" effects.
- Place all the cards you played into your discard pile. Any unspent Power is lost.
- Fill each empty slot in the Line-Up with a card from the top of the main deck.
- Draw five cards.
- If the top card of the Super Hero stack is face down, flip it face up and read aloud the next Super Hero's First Appearance—Attack.
- The next player starts his turn.
Sample Turn Sequence
After shuffling up your starting cards, you draw a hand of four Punches and one Vulnerability for your first turn. You may play the four Punches for a total of 4 Power, which is enough to buy Giganta from the Line-Up. After buying it, you put it into your discard pile. The Vulnerability provides you with no additional Power.
End of Game
The game ends immediately when either of the following two conditions is met:
- You are unable to flip up a new Super Hero on the stack.
- You are unable to refill all five slots of the Line-Up.
Return all Locations you have in play, all cards in your hand, and all cards in your discard pile to your deck. Then, players total up the Victory Points on cards in their deck. Weakness cards in your deck at the end of the game will subtract Victory Points (VP) from your total.
The player with the highest VP total is crowned the winner! In case of a tie, the tied player with more Super Hero cards wins.
After a winner has been determined, all players will need to take apart their decks, placing all of the cards back into their proper stacks. Be sure to return any Super Heroes that were not used during the game to the Super Hero stack, so they can be used in the next game.
Additional Rules
DC Comics Super-Villains
Your Super-Villain gives you an ability that you may choose to use typically during your turn. If a Super-Villain has two abilities on his card, both of them may trigger on the same turn. At the start of games after your first, each player may choose a Super-Villain to play with, or if you have enough, deal two Super-Villains to each player, and then each player chooses one.
Attacks and Defenses
Some cards allow you to make an Attack against the other players in the game. When you play a card with an Attack ability, each affected player has an opportunity to avoid the Attack with a card that has a Defense ability. A player using a Defense card's ability negates the Attack only for that defending player. A player may only play one Defense card per Attack. If a player doesn't avoid the Attack, he or she is immediately affected by the Attack card's ability. However, if the Attack requires interaction among the players (like passing cards), the Attack won't resolve against any players until each player has had a chance to avoid it. Avoiding an Attack does not negate any other abilities (like +3 Power) of a card, unless an ability specifically counts the players successfully hit by the Attack.
The Super Heroes
When you have accumulated enough Power in a turn, you can choose to defeat a Super Hero. If you do, take the topmost face-up card from the stack and place it into your discard pile, unless instructed otherwise. The next card in the Super Hero stack remains face down until your turn is over, so a player may defeat only one Super Hero per turn. Super Heroes range in cost from 8 to 13, and their stack is randomized at the start of each game, so check the stack for the current Super Hero's cost.
While The Flash runs around in circles on the DC Comics Super Hero stack, the rest of the Super Heroes come out swinging. When a new Super Hero is revealed, this is called his or her "First Appearance." On each Super Hero (other than The Flash's), you will find that Super Hero's First Appearance—Attack.
Super Heroes are Heroes. Super Hero is a title, not a card type, so playing a Super Hero does not count as playing two different card types.
Example: If you have the Location Happy Harbor in play and you play a Super Hero, it counts as a Hero, so you get +1 Power.
Super Hero Cards in Your Deck
Like any other card you acquire, the experience gained defeating a Super Hero will aid you in your future turns. When you play a Super Hero from your hand, the text at the top of the text box is the relevant text. The "First Appearance—Attack" is no longer applicable, as the Super Hero already made that attack when it was first revealed from the Super Hero stack.
Weakness
Some cards force players to gain a Weakness. If this happens, the Weakness cards are usually placed in that player's discard pile, effectively adding them to that player's deck. They have no ability when drawn during the game and can be played or kept in your hand and discarded at the end of your turn. At the end of the game, each Weakness in your deck subtracts 1 Victory Point from your VP total, so you'll need a plan for destroying them at some point! If the Weakness deck runs out, effects that would cause a player to gain a Weakness do not do so, but any other effects those cards have still resolve as usual. A player may still play a Defense to avoid an Attack, even when there are no Weaknesses available to be gained.
Shuffling Your Deck
You don't reshuffle your discard pile into your deck as soon as you run out of cards. However, at any point during the game if there are no cards in your deck and you need to draw, discard, or reveal a card from your deck, immediately reshuffle your discard pile, and it becomes your new deck.
Locations
Location cards go straight to your discard pile when bought or gained, just like any other card. However, when you later draw and play a Location, that card will remain face up and in play in front of you for the rest of the game. Each Location has a unique effect that can trigger during each of your turns for the rest of the game. The word Ongoing is a reminder that this card keeps working for you turn after turn. You can have any number of Locations in play at once.
Destroying Cards
Some cards have an ability that allows you to destroy a card from your hand, your deck, or even the Line-Up. When you destroy a card, place it into a face-up pile of destroyed cards anywhere away from the play area, removing it from your deck and the game. You will often get to choose which of your cards to destroy. Destroying Vulnerability and Weakness cards will improve your deck greatly! If Weaknesses and Kicks are destroyed, they do not go back to their respective stacks.
Some cards can be destroyed while in any zone. Zones are places where cards can end up, be it the Line-Up, your discard pile, a foe's discard pile, etc. If you destroy a card in a foe's discard pile, you get the benefit, not the player who controlled it at the time. If the Broadsword destroys a card, the player who played the Broadsword gets the reward, as they chose the card to destroy.
If a First Appearance — Attack destroys a card with this text, the player whose deck it belongs to gets the benefit, as they chose which card to destroy.
Gaining Cards
When a card tells a player to gain a particular card or a card of your choice, that card is taken and immediately placed in that player's discard pile at no additional cost, unless otherwise directed by the card. If a card tells to you gain a card with a specific name, card type, or cost and there are none available, you simply don't gain the card.
Resolving Card Abilities
If a card's ability affects multiple players, and the order matters (for example, an Attack that has each of three opponents gain a Weakness, with only two Weaknesses remaining on the board), resolve that ability for each affected player in clockwise order, starting from the player who played the ability.
When you play a card that triggers another effect, like on your Super-Villain or a Location you control, fully resolve the card you are playing before resolving any secondary effects triggered by your card play.
New Addition: Victory Point Tokens
You can now earn Victory Point tokens during the game! When a card effect tells a player to gain VPs, put that amount of VP tokens on your oversized Super-Villain. Victory Point tokens come in values of 1, 5, and 10. The amount you have is public knowledge. At the end of the game, add those VP tokens to your total VP.
If you steal 1 VP from another player, they may need to make change in order to give you 1 VP. They don't give you a 5 VP token if that is all they have. You cannot steal VPs from a player who has none. You cannot go into negative VP tokens. If you have none and lose 1, you stay at 0 VP tokens. If a card effect references gaining VP or losing VP it is only referring to the tokens.
Variant Games
"Good Guys" vs "Bad Guys": If there are an even number of players, one side can play as Super Heroes, while the other side plays as Super-Villains. You should either mix Forever Evil with another DC set or custom craft your own main deck just for this variant. We recommend 130+ cards in the main deck for this variant. You should not use Deathstorm, Phantom Stranger, Man-Bat Serum, Power Ring, or Superwoman.
While you should sit next to your teammate, the turn order should not allow for one side to take back to back turns. Additionally, set up a stack of 5 Super-Villains and a stack of 5 Super Heroes to fight. The "Bad Guy" team only defeats Super Heroes. The "Good Guy" team only defeats Super-Villains. When a player on your team defeats a Super Hero/Villain, only your team suffers from the First Appearance — Attack of the next character on the stack. Attacks that players make only hit the other team. You may play Defenses to protect a teammate.
Rule Change for "Good Guys" vs "Bad Guys": If you're on the "Good Guy" team and buy or gain a Villain, gain Victory Point tokens equal to its VP value, and then destroy that card. This includes the Super-Villains/Heroes on the stack. Same goes for the "Bad Guy" team, but with Heroes. If you're a "Bad Guy," you can never have a Hero card in your deck for any reason. Cards with VPs are worth 0 VPs when destroyed this way.
Specific Card Clarifications
- Bizarro Power: The player who plays Bizarro Power gains a Weakness before the Attack happens. If there is only one Weakness left on the stack when Bizarro Power is played, that player is the only one who gains a Weakness.
- Deathstorm: If your deck has 26 cards in it at end of game, this card is worth 4 VPs.
- Element Woman: While this card is in your hand, deck, discard pile, or in play, she counts as each of the card types listed. If an Attack requires you to discard two different card types, she will fulfill each of the types listed, so you may only need to discard this card.
- Firestorm: This card gains the game text of the card you place on your Super-Villain that same turn. So it will have one card's text even on your first play of Firestorm. Cards placed on top of your Super-Villain this way are not in play and cannot be interacted with in any way. If Firestorm has the text of a Royal Flush Gang, he looks for other Royal Flush Gang cards, but does not count as one himself. Example: You play Firestorm who has the RFG text, and two other RFG's. You gain 4 VPs. Each RFG sees one other, and Firestorm sees two. If a Location is placed on your Super-Villain, it is active only while Firestorm is in play. Since Firestorm's ability only lasts until the end of the turn, he cannot get stuck in play by revealing a card that remains in play.
- Firestorm Matrix: You play the top card of your deck no matter what. However, if that card's cost is 5 or less, you may destroy Firestorm Matrix to leave the new card in play for the rest of the game. When you play the card that is permanently in play, it is as if you had played it from your hand. You cannot play it again on the same turn in which it gained the Ongoing text. If a card with a Defense ability gains the Ongoing text, it does not allow you to use the Defense ability. If you can't or don't destroy Firestorm Matrix, discard the card you played and this card at the end of your turn as usual.
- Cold Gun: This card allows you to put a Frozen token on a card in the Line-Up. You cannot put it on a card in The Stacks. Cards with Frozen tokens on them cannot be bought or gained. A Frozen token does not protect a card from being destroyed, should a card cause a card in the Line-Up to be destroyed. A card may have multiple Frozen tokens on it.
- Insanity: If this is the only card in your hand at the start of your turn, you will not pass a card, but you will receive one. Cards passed to players do not trigger "when you buy or gain this card" text. This is not an Attack.
- Invulnerable: If you simply discard this card to avoid an Attack, you get nothing. If you have a Vulnerability in your hand or discard pile, you may destroy it and then reveal this card. You cannot destroy a Vulnerability if this card is not in your hand at the time.
- Man-Bat, Catwoman: If a player has no VPs on his Super-Villain, he has none to steal. A player cannot go into negative VPs.
- Man-Bat Serum: This card only checks your VPs when you play it. If later that same turn you are at 5+ VPs, this card doesn't see that.
- Martian Manhunter: He is a Hero, so at a minimum you will get +2 Power. If this card would be destroyed at the end of the turn, but it is placed on the bottom of the main deck, it remains there instead. If you discard at least one of the card types in his First Appearance — Attack, you gain no Weaknesses. You cannot choose to gain the Weakness if you have some cards to discard. Same goes for the rest of the Super Heroes.
- Pandora's Box: The first card that enters the Line-Up will be the card you revealed. Example: You reveal a 3-cost card. It and two additional cards are then placed into the Line-Up.
- Shazam!, Star Girl, Green Lantern: Super Heroes may end up on the bottom of the main deck.
Oversized Super-Villains
- Bizarro: You may return two Weakness cards from your discard pile multiple times during your turn if you wish. Cards destroyed by Firestorm or Firestorm Matrix at end of game do not give you Weaknesses.
- Harley Quinn: Discarding a Defense card to avoid an Attack counts as discarding a card for Harley's ability. Keep in mind her ability is active during each player's turn, so discarding during a First Appearance — Attack does not activate her ability, as that does not take place during any player's turn.
- Sinestro: Foes who are not targeted by your Attacks are not eligible to avoid or fail to avoid them.
FAQ
Q: What does the term "defeat" or "defeated" mean?
A: That term is only used referring to Super Heroes. You "defeat" a Super Hero when you buy it from the top of the Super Hero stack. That Super Hero has then been "defeated."
Q: Do I "gain" cards that are passed to me, which then trigger "when you buy or gain this card" text?
A: No, "passed" cards do not count as "gained."
Q: What is a "zone?"
A: The zones are: Main deck, Line-Up, destroyed pile, in play, in your hand, in your deck, and in your discard pile.
Turn Sequence (Quick Reference)
Turn Sequence
- Play cards from your hand.
- Total up your Power and purchase cards with combined cost less than or equal to that total. You may play additional cards even after making purchases.
- As soon as you buy or gain a card, place it into your discard pile, unless instructed otherwise.
End of Turn
- Announce that you are ending your turn. Your turn is now over.
- Place any cards remaining in your hand into your discard pile.
- Resolve any "at the end of your turn" effects.
- Place all the cards you played into your discard pile. Any unspent Power is lost.
- Draw five cards.
- Fill each empty slot in the Line-Up with a card from the top of the main deck.
- If the top card of the Super Hero stack is face down, flip it face up and read aloud the next Super Hero's First Appearance—Attack.
- The next player starts his turn.
Do not reshuffle your discard pile just because you have no cards in your deck. Wait until you must draw, discard, or reveal a card from your deck. Then shuffle your discard pile, and it becomes your new deck.
The game ends immediately when either of the following two conditions is met:
- You are unable to flip up a new Super Hero on the stack.
- You are unable to refill all five slots of the Line-Up.
Credits
Game Design: Matt Hyra. Brand Management: Adam Sblendorio. Game Design and Development: Spencer Bateman, Richard Brady, Matt Hyra, Marcos Payan, Nathaniel Yamaguchi. Graphic Design: Larry Renac (Lead), Nancy Valdez, John Vineyard, Daniel Wong.