DC Deck-Building Game: Rivals – Shazam! vs Black Adam Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Contents
  • Character Symbols
  • Oversized Character Cards
• Types of Cards
  • Main Deck Cards
• Setup
  • 1. Your Character Stack and Starting Deck
  • 2. The Main Deck
  • 3. The Line-Up
  • 4. The Stacks
  • 5. First Player
• Gameplay
  • Sample Normal Turn Sequence
  • Order of Playing Your Cards
  • Confronting Your Opponent
  • Block
  • Ending Your Turn
• End of Game
• Additional Rules
  • Resolving Card Abilities
  • Shuffling Your Deck
  • Ongoing
  • Controlling Cards
  • Attack and Defense
  • Destroying Cards
  • Discarding Cards
  • Gaining Cards
• New Concepts
  • Weakness
  • When You Gain This
  • Payment Abilities
• Specific Card Clarifications
• Combining Sets
  • Combining with other Rivals games
  • Confrontations
• Turn Sequence (Quick Reference)

Overview

If you are a seasoned expert of the Rivals line, skip to pages 11 and 12 for the exciting new rules found in this game!

Contents

• 98 Game Cards
  • 14 Punch Starter Cards
  • 6 Vulnerability Starter Cards
  • 60 Main Deck Cards
  • 8 Word of Power Cards
  • 10 Weakness Cards
• 6 Oversized DC Character Cards
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Randomizer Card
• 1 Multiverse Divider

Character Symbols

The rulebook shows an emblem for Shazam! and an emblem for Black Adam (a lightning bolt in a circle).

Oversized Character Cards

Each of your oversized Character cards has a different special ability and cost. Be sure to read each of your Character cards at the start of the game, so you can plan your strategy accordingly. At the start of the game, you will only have access to your 9-cost ability. Once your 9-cost version is defeated, you will then be able to use your 12-cost version, but no longer your 9-cost version. Once your 12-cost version is defeated, you will only have your 15-cost version.

Example (Shazam! Level 1, cost 9): Discard a Punch: Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck, draw a revealed Hero or Super Power with cost 4 or less, and put the rest back in any order.

Types of Cards

The different card types are: Starter, Villain, Location, Hero, Super Power, and Equipment. Weakness cards have no card type.

• DC Character (oversized card): shows its Level and its cost.
• Starter: Punch and Vulnerability cards.
• Word of Power: a Super Power card kept in its own stack.
• Weakness: no card type; has a Victory Points value.

Main Deck Cards

Each card shows its card type, cost, Victory Points, and game text.

• Super Power with Attack (example: Power of Zeus, cost 5): +2 Power. Attack: Each foe gains a Weakness.
• Location (example: Kahndaq, cost 5): Ongoing: Each time you destroy a card, you may put a card from your discard pile on top of your deck. (Ongoing Ability)
• Equipment (example: Amulet of Isis, cost 5): +1 Power. Put a Super Power from your discard pile into your hand. (Abilities)
• Hero with Defense (example: Eugene Choi, cost 2): +2 Power. Defense: Discard this card to avoid an Attack. If you do, you may put a Super Power from your discard pile on top of your deck.
• Hero with Confrontation (example: Mary Marvel, cost 4): Draw 2 cards, then discard 2 cards. Confrontation: +1 Power for each different Super Power in your discard pile.
• Super Power with Block (example: Swiftness of Horus, cost 3): +2 Power. Block (3).
• Villain with Confrontation (example: Mister Mind, cost 4): Draw a card. Confrontation: +1 Power for each Super Power you play or have played this turn.
• Villain with When Gained (example: Sloth, cost 3): WHEN YOU GAIN THIS: Gain a Weakness. Reveal the top card of your deck. Draw it or destroy it.

Setup

1. Your Character Stack and Starting Deck

One player plays as Shazam!, while the other one plays as Black Adam. Grab your 3 oversized Character cards and place them in a face-up stack with the 9 on top, 12 in the middle, and 15 on the bottom.

Each player begins with a starting deck of 7 Punch cards and 3 Vulnerability cards with symbols matching their Character.

2. The Main Deck

Most of the cards that you will add to your deck as the game progresses come from the main deck. None of the following cards should be placed into the main deck: Punch, Vulnerability, Word of Power, Weakness, or oversized Characters. The main deck is made up of every other card in the game (60 cards total). Shuffle the main deck and place it in the middle of the table.

3. The Line-Up

Place the top 5 cards from the main deck in a row to form the Line-Up. There is no board necessary to play this game; just reserve space for each card. Your opening 5 cards in the Line-Up will vary.

4. The Stacks

Place the Word of Power and Weakness stacks at the end of the Line-Up. Rotate these stacks to help distinguish them from the Line-Up. The main deck and the 2 stacks of cards on the end are not part of the Line-Up.

Once you have arranged the main deck, Line-Up, and stacks, it will look something like the illustrated layout (main deck, the Line-Up of 5 cards, and the two stacks at the end).

At the start of the game, there should be 8 Word of Power and 10 Weakness cards in their respective stacks.

5. First Player

The player who most recently read a comic book gets to go first. Alternatively, you can determine first player randomly. Each player begins by shuffling their 10-card starting deck and drawing 5 cards. Players will alternate taking turns.

Gameplay

Each turn, you must first decide if you will take a Normal Turn and buy cards to add to your deck or Confront your opponent and try to defeat their current Character. At the beginning of the game, you will not have enough Power in your deck to Confront your opponent, so you should spend your first few turns buying new cards for your deck.

If you take a Normal Turn, you may buy cards from the Line-Up or Word of Power stack to improve your deck. Cards you buy are immediately placed into your discard pile unless you are instructed otherwise. Discard piles are always face up and may be looked through at any time. Soon they'll be shuffled into your deck, and then you'll be drawing these more powerful cards into your hand so you can play them.

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 4 of them and a Vulnerability, your total Power for the turn is 4. You can buy a single card with cost 2, 3, or 4, or even 2 cards each with cost 2, assuming these options are available. Word of Power cards are (usually) available if the cards in the Line-Up are too expensive, and you may buy more than 1 during your turn if you wish.

You may choose to end your turn when you are done playing and buying cards. You do not have to play all the non-Weakness cards in your hand or spend all of your Power before ending your turn. However, you cannot carry over cards you do not play to your next turn and any Power you do not spend is lost. So, it's normally a good idea to play all your cards and spend as much of your Power as you can.

If you decide to Confront your opponent, you will not be able to buy any cards to add to your deck. See the following page for more on Confrontations.

Sample Normal Turn Sequence

After shuffling up your starting cards, you draw a hand of 4 Punch cards and 1 Vulnerability for your first turn. You may play the 4 Punch cards for a total of 4 Power, which is enough to buy Mary Marvel from the Line-Up. After buying that card, you put it into your discard pile. Playing the Vulnerability provides you no additional Power. You have no Power left to buy additional cards and no other cards to play, so you can end your turn. Put all of the cards you have played into your discard pile and then draw a new hand of 5 cards. After refilling the Line-Up, it will be your opponent's turn.

(Illustration: 4 Punch cards [+1 Power each] and a Vulnerability [No effect] = 4 Power, which buys Mary Marvel [Hero, cost 4].)

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 from top to bottom. When you have played all the cards you wish to play at that time, total up the Power you have accumulated and buy cards. You do not have to play all of the cards in your hand before you start making purchases. You may play additional cards even after making purchases.

Confronting Your Opponent

At the start of your turn, you may announce a Confrontation. Only by announcing a Confrontation can you attempt to defeat your opponent. If you can defeat your opponent 3 times, you instantly win the game! However, your opponent is no easy mark. Each Character has 3 versions that are progressively harder to defeat. If you generate Power equal to or exceeding its cost during a Confrontation, that version of your opponent's Character is removed from their Character stack and placed into your score pile. Should the game end due to being unable to refill the Line-Up, these defeated Character cards are worth a lot of Victory Points.

Note that during a Confrontation, you can only beat the top card; even if you have 30 Power, you cannot defeat more than one of your opponent's Characters in the same turn.

If you choose to Confront your opponent, you cannot buy cards from the Line-Up or Word of Power stack. You should only choose to Confront your opponent if there is a chance that you can amass enough Power to beat your opponent's cost. You may not have all of the Power you need to defeat your opponent at the very start of your turn. If you need 9 Power to defeat your opponent, and you start your turn with 6 Power and the ability to draw 2 cards, you might be able to get to 9 or more Power with those extra draws.

Several cards you can acquire during the game work especially well during a Confrontation. These cards have the bold keyword "Confrontation:" in their game text. The text after the "Confrontation:" keyword only resolves while you are Confronting your opponent. That text is ignored if you are taking a normal turn to buy cards from the Line-Up.

(Example card: Mary Marvel, Hero, cost 4: Draw 2 cards, then discard 2 cards. Confrontation: +1 Power for each different Super Power in your discard pile.)

Block

Block cards contain the bold keyword "Block" followed by a number in parentheses in their game text. After a foe Confronting you has played all of their cards, you may discard any number of Block cards from your hand to increase your Character's cost. The value in the parentheses is how much your Character's cost increases by. Any text after the Block keyword is only resolved if you discard the card to increase your cost while you are being Confronted. In order to prevent your foe from defeating your Character, you must discard enough Block cards to increase your cost to a number higher than your opponent's Power total. Raising your cost to match their Power isn't good enough. The increased cost of your Character only lasts until the end of the current turn.

Block cards may be played during your turn just like any other card, but the Block text is not applicable.

(Example card: Dr. Sivana, Villain, cost 4: +2 Power. Block (2): Additional +2 if you reveal a Super Power from your hand.)

Ending Your Turn

1. Announce that you are ending your turn. Your turn is now over.
2. Place any cards remaining in your hand into your discard pile.
3. Resolve any "at end of turn" effects.
4. Place all cards without the Ongoing keyword you control into your discard pile. Any unspent Power is lost.
5. Draw 5 cards.
6. If there are less than 5 cards in the Line-Up, take cards from the top of the main deck and add them to the Line-Up until there are 5 cards. Do not replace empty slots as soon as you gain a card from the Line-Up.
7. Now your opponent starts their turn.

End of Game

The game ends immediately when either of the following 2 conditions is met:

• You defeat your opponent's last Character card. You win instantly!
• You are unable to refill all 5 slots of the Line-Up.

If you are unable to refill the Line-Up, both players return all Ongoing cards they have in play, all cards in their hands, and all cards in their discard piles to their decks. Then, players total up the Victory Points on cards in their decks and on opposing Characters in their score piles. Weakness cards in a player's deck at the end of the game will subtract 1 Victory Point from their total. The player with the highest VP total wins! In case of a tie, the player with more opposing Character cards in their score pile is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with more cards in their deck is the winner.

Additional Rules

Resolving Card Abilities

When an effect tells you to draw a card, that card always comes from your own deck. If you cannot fully resolve the text on a card, resolve as much of it as possible. When you play a card that triggers another ability, like on your Character, fully resolve the card you are playing before resolving any secondary abilities triggered by your card play. Text after "Confrontation:" only resolves if you are currently Confronting an opponent. Text after "Block" only resolves if you discard the card while you are being Confronted. Text after "Defense:" can only be used when your opponent plays an Attack card. When you see the phrase "that foe," it refers to the foe you chose earlier for an Attack card or that you are currently Confronting.

Some cards in this set affect multiple opponents. Even though Rivals — Shazam! vs. Black Adam is a 1v1 experience, it can be combined with other sets to play with more players. These cards are worded that way to integrate more easily with other sets.

Shuffling Your Deck

You don't shuffle your discard pile and make it your new deck as soon as you run out of cards. However, if at any point during the game there are no cards in your deck and you need to draw, discard, or reveal a card from your deck, immediately shuffle your discard pile, and it becomes your new deck.

Ongoing

Some cards have the keyword "Ongoing:" in their game text. This keyword is found on all Locations and Weakness cards in this set. Ongoing cards go straight to your discard pile when gained, just like any other card. However, when you later draw and play an Ongoing card, that card will remain face up and in play in front of you for the rest of the game. Ongoing cards are not put into your discard pile at the end of your turn like all of the other cards you play. The text after the "Ongoing:" keyword is not active while the card is in your hand and is only active for you while the card remains in play. The Ongoing effect may be used every turn. You can have any number of Ongoing cards in play at once.

(Example card: Kahndaq, Location, cost 5: Ongoing: Each time you destroy a card, you may put a card from your discard pile on top of your deck.)

Controlling Cards

You control the cards in your play zone that you played this turn and Ongoing cards you played on a previous turn. You do not control cards in your hand, deck, or discard pile.

Attack and Defense

Attack cards have the bold keyword "Attack:" in their game text and will have some negative effect for your opponent. When you play a card with an Attack ability, it will either affect all of your foes or a foe of your choice, signified by the word "target." Each affected foe has an opportunity to avoid the Attack with a Defense card. If a player doesn't avoid the Attack, they are immediately affected by the text after "Attack:".

Defense cards have the bold keyword "Defense:" in their game text and allow you to avoid the negative effects of an Attack card played by your opponent. In order to use a Defense card, it must be in your hand. A player may only utilize 1 Defense card per Attack. Most Defense cards give you a reward when you use them to avoid an Attack. The reward is listed after "If you do" on your Defense card. Avoiding an Attack does not negate any of the Attack card's text prior to "Attack:" (like +2 Power).

If an Attack looks for a particular card or card type and you do not have one in the place where the Attack looks, you suffer no effects of the Attack, but you may still use a Defense against it to gain the Defense reward.

(Example cards: Power of Zeus, Super Power, cost 5: +2 Power. Attack: Each foe gains a Weakness. Eugene Choi, Hero, cost 2: +2 Power. Defense: Discard this card to avoid an Attack. If you do, you may put a Super Power from your discard pile on top of your deck.)

Destroying Cards

Some cards have the ability to destroy a card in your hand, your discard pile, the Line-Up, etc. When you destroy a card, place it into a face-up pile of destroyed cards anywhere away from the area to show that it is no longer a part of the zone it came from. You will often get to choose which of your cards to destroy. Destroying Starter and Weakness cards will improve your deck greatly! If Weakness or Word of Power cards are destroyed, they go back to their respective stacks.

(Example card: Osiris, Hero, cost 5: +3 Power. Confrontation: You may destroy a card in the Line-Up and/or in your discard pile.)

Discarding Cards

When a card tells you to "discard" a card, it means from your hand as the default. However, a card may tell you to discard a card from another place, such as the top of your deck. Cards that are discarded this way count as being "discarded."

Gaining Cards

Gaining a card is the process of taking ownership of that card. This occurs most often when you purchase a card by paying its cost. When a card tells you to gain a particular card or a card of your choice, that card is taken and immediately placed into your discard pile at no additional cost, unless otherwise directed by the card. If a card tells you to gain a card with a specific name, card type, or cost and there are none available, you don't gain a card.

(Example card: The Wizard, Hero, cost 7: +3 Power. Gain a Word of Power from its stack, the Line-Up, or the destroyed pile and put it into your hand.)

New Concepts

Weakness

Some cards force players to gain a Weakness. If this happens, the affected player takes a Weakness card from the Weakness stack and places it into their discard pile, effectively adding it to their deck. If the Weakness stack 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. If the game ends due to being unable to refill the Line-Up, each Weakness card you have subtracts 1 Victory Point from your VP total.

Weakness cards from this set must be played during your turn before you play any non-Weakness cards. You may not end your turn while you have a Weakness card in your hand. Weakness cards also have the Ongoing keyword, so remember not to put them in your discard pile at the end of your turn. Your Character has -1 cost for each Weakness you have in play. That means when a foe Confronts you, they need 1 less Power to defeat you for each Weakness you control. If a foe successfully defeats you in a Confrontation, return all Weakness cards you control to the Weakness stack. You still keep any Weakness cards in your hand, deck, or discard pile.

(Weakness card text: Play this card before non-Weakness cards or ending your turn. Return this to its stack if destroyed. Ongoing: Subtract 1 from your Character's cost. When your Character is defeated, destroy this card.)

When You Gain This

Harnessing the power of the Seven Deadly Sins in this game, as represented by 7 different cards, can weaken your Character. You will note a yellow banner at the top of the text box on most of these sinful cards. This "WHEN YOU GAIN THIS" text causes you to gain a Weakness when you gain the card from any zone. Ignore this text when you later play the card.

(Example card: Sloth, Villain, cost 3: WHEN YOU GAIN THIS: Gain a Weakness. Reveal the top card of your deck. Draw it or destroy it.)

Payment Abilities

Many of the Character cards have a payment ability as indicated by a bolded action followed by a colon at the start of their text box. For example, Shazam! can discard a Punch to look for a Hero or Super Power from the top 3 cards of his deck. These payment abilities can only be used during your turn. They can be used any number of times unless otherwise stated.

Specific Card Clarifications

Black Adam (9): Defeating your opponent in a Confrontation would trigger Black Adam's ability and allow you to destroy a card. (Text: The first time you gain a card with cost 5 or greater each turn, you may destroy a Vulnerability or Weakness you control.)

Black Adam (12): You may use this Character's ability up to 2 times during each of your turns, once by discarding a Super Power and once by discarding a Villain. (Text: Discard a Villain or Super Power: Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck, draw a revealed card with cost 5 or greater, discard any number of revealed cards, and put the rest back in any order. (max once per card type))

Shazam! (9): Discard a Punch: Reveal the top 3 cards of your deck, draw a revealed Hero or Super Power with cost 4 or less, and put the rest back in any order.

Shazam! (12): Discard a Super Power: Put up to 2 Heroes each with cost 5 or less from your discard pile into your hand. (max only once during each of your turns)

Shazam! (15): Confrontation: Each time you play a Super Power with cost X, you may put a Hero with cost less than X from your discard pile into your hand.

Famine: When you play this card, destroy a card in the Line-Up. If there are still more than 4 cards in the Line-Up, repeat this effect. (Text: +2 Power. Destroy cards in the Line-Up until there are 4 cards. The Line-Up only refills to 4 cards until the end of the player to your right's turn.)

Psycho-Pirate: The attacker chooses what card is passed to the defender. (Text: +1 Power and choose a foe. Attack: You may pass a card from your hand or discard pile to the chosen foe's hand.)

The Wizard: If you are wondering how a Word of Power card could end up in the Line-Up or destroyed pile, check out DC Deck-Building Game: Justice League Dark for some additional fun interactions with this card.

Word of Power: You must decide whether you want the +2 Power or to play the top card of the main deck when you play this card before playing any additional cards. If you choose the return to stack option, you will no longer be considered to control the card. (Text: Super Power, cost 3. Choose 1: +2 Power OR Confrontation: Return this card to its stack. If you do, play the top card of the main deck, then add it to the Line-Up.)

Combining Sets

This set can be combined with other Cryptozoic Cerberus Engine deck-building games. You are free to mix and match cards from any sets to make your own custom game experience. We recommend that when you swap cards, you exchange them for cards of similar type and cost. For additional games in the Confrontations line and the ability to play with up to four players, check out these DC Deck-Building Game titles: Confrontations, Rivals — Batman vs. The Joker, Rivals — Green Lantern vs. Sinestro, and Rivals — The Flash vs. Reverse-Flash. Below are some additional recommendations when combining this game with those sets.

Combining with other Rivals games

If you are playing this as a 1v1 game:

• When forming the main deck, only combine cards associated with the Characters being played. For example, if you are playing as Shazam! against Sinestro, the main deck would contain all cards with an emblem that matches the emblem on Shazam! and Sinestro Characters. Cards from other Characters would not be shuffled into the main deck.
• Batman vs. The Joker: Use the Word of Power stack instead of the Kick stack.
• Green Lantern vs. Sinestro: Use the Hard-Light Construct stack instead of the Word of Power stack.
• The Flash vs. Reverse-Flash: Use the Super-Speed stack instead of the Word of Power stack.

If you are playing this as a 2v2 game:

• Shuffle both main decks together.
• Create a Kick / Hard-Light Construct / Super-Speed stack in addition to the Word of Power stack during setup. Cards can be purchased from either stack.
• You will form 1 team of Super Heroes and 1 of Super-Villains. Have a seat next to your partner. That way, you can compare hands and talk secretly about your plans. Teammates take separate turns and player order will alternate between teams. For example, if Shazam! takes the first turn, Black Adam would take the second turn, The Flash the third, and Reverse-Flash the fourth. The turn order remains the same for the entire game.
• Block cards can be used to increase the cost of your Character or your teammate's Character.
• If both of your foes are at the same Level, you can choose to Confront either of them. If they are not the same Level, you must Confront the foe with the lower Level.
• A team instantly wins if they defeat the Level 3 Character of either foe. If the game ends due to the main deck running out, determine the winner based on each team's combined VP total.

Confrontations

• Follow the suggested guidelines outlined in the combining sets section of the Confrontations rulebook.
• Create both a Word of Power stack and an Enhanced Strength stack during setup. Cards can be purchased from either stack.

Turn Sequence (Quick Reference)

Choose whether you will take a Normal Turn to buy cards or a Confrontation Turn to Confront your opponent directly.

Normal Turn:

• 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 gain a card, place it into your discard pile, unless instructed otherwise.

Confrontation Turn:

• Play cards from your hand. Resolve all "Confrontation:" text on cards you play.
• After you have played all your cards, your opponent may discard Block cards to make their cost greater than your Power.
• If your Power is greater than or equal to the cost of the opposing Character, you have defeated that card. Place it into your score pile.

End of Turn: see Ending Your Turn above.

The game ends immediately when either of the following 2 conditions is met:

• You defeat your opponent's last Character card. You win instantly!
• You are unable to refill all 5 slots of the Line-Up. Most VPs on their cards wins.