MapleStory iTrading Card Game
MapleStory iTrading Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set-Up
You and your opponent each need your own deck and character card. You can use the HP Counter to track your hit points.
- Your character starts the game in play. Put it on the table face up in front of you.
- Shuffle your deck.
- Flip a coin. The winner chooses to play first or second.
- If you're playing first, draw 5 cards. If you're playing second, draw 6.
Using the Starter Deck
Pick a character to play and use all the non-character cards as your deck. If you only have one Starter for 2 players, each player takes a character card and then makes a deck from all the cards that are the same color as that character.
Card Types
The MapleStory iTCG features four types of cards: Character, Monster, Item, and Tactic.
Characters are different than the other cards. You don't include them in your deck. Instead, your character starts the game in play on your side of the battle.
All cards come in one of four colors: green for Bowman, red for Magician, gray for Thief, and blue for Warrior.
Card Anatomy
The card diagrams label these parts: Starting HP, Name, Action Cost, Character Actions, Rarity Symbol & Collector Number (character card); Online Code, Card Level, Card Type, Attack, HP, Type / Subtype / Location, Rules Text, Flavor Text, Action Cost, Card Color, and Character Action (monster card).
Each monster, tactic, or item card has two different parts, which allows you to use it in one of two ways:
- The top part of the card shows what you get if you play it as its card type (monster, tactic, or item).
- The bottom part of the card shows what you get if you level up your character with it.
Ready to Play? Follow These Steps
Step 1: Level Up
You may level up once at the start of your turn.
To level up, pick any one card in your hand and slide it under your character so that the level-up part of the card sticks out from the bottom of the character card.
On future turns, slide each new card underneath the previous one so that it sticks out from the bottom.
Benefits of Leveling Up
- First, each card under your character raises your character's level by 10.
- Then add +20 to your HP total.
- Finally, some actions are "one-shot" abilities. If you level up with one, do what it says to do, but only once on the turn you level up with it.
The lightning-bolt icon means your action is a "one-shot" ability.
Example: The Nixie diagram shows the character's level rising by +10 for each card placed under it, up to level 40.
Step 2: Do Character Actions
A character action looks like this: a level number (30), an action (Spawn 40 — Play a monster of level 40 or less), and an action cost icon (10).
Example: To do the action shown above, you need to be at least level 30 and have 2 or more blue Warrior cards under your character.
The number shows the minimum level you need to be to do that action, and the icons show how many cards of a particular color you need to do the action.
To do your actions, start at the top action on your character card and work your way down, in order. You may do each action once per turn as long as you're the minimum level and meet its requirements. To do a character action, follow its instructions.
After you've done the actions on your character card, you may then do the actions on the cards under your character in the same way. Start with your topmost card and work your way down the column, in order. You don't have to do an action if you don't want to.
Party Leader
Your character is a party leader. Cards under your character show what level your character is, but they also show whether you have other characters in your party.
If you're a Magician for example, and you have a green Bowman card under your character, there's a Bowman in your party. Having a variety of colors gives you access to a wider range of abilities.
How to Play Monsters, Tactics, and Items
Many actions let you play your cards as monsters, items, and tactics instead of using them to level up your character. When you play a card this way, ignore the action on the bottom part of the card.
Each monster, tactic, and item has a color: green for Bowman, red for Magician, gray for Thief, and blue for Warrior. To play a card of that color, you need at least one card under your character of same color.
When you play a monster or item card, put it face up on the table next to your character card. It stays there until a game effect removes it from play, such as being destroyed or returned to hand.
Unlike monsters and items, tactics are "one-shot" cards that have an immediate effect, but then they're used up. After playing a tactic, follow its instructions and then put it into your discard pile (face up next to your deck).
Example: To play a monster that appears on a Magician card, you need at least one red Magician card under your character.
Step 3: Attack with Your Monsters
One at a time, each of your monsters in play may attack once per turn.
A monster can attack your opponent's characters or monsters and does damage equal to its attack number to whatever it attacks.
A defending monster doesn't damage the attacking monster.
After you attack with your monsters, your turn ends.
How Damage Works
The way damage works depends on whether you're damaging a monster or a character.
Damaging a Monster
Whenever a monster takes damage, that damage stays on the monster until the end of the turn. Once a monster has taken a total amount of damage equal to or more than its HP, the monster is destroyed.
Example: Alan has a Fire Boar in play with 50 HP. Jill does 20 damage to it with Nixie's Tricky Shot. Alan marks the Fire Boar to show that it has taken 20 damage so far this turn. Later in the same turn, Jill attacks it with a Stirge for 30 damage. The Fire Boar is now destroyed because it had already taken 20 damage from Jill's character action.
Damaging a Character
Whenever a character takes damage, subtract that amount of damage from the character's HP.
However, each monster that you have in play prevents 10 damage each time your character would be damaged. (The monster doesn't take any damage itself.)
Example: Jill has two monsters in play when Alan hits her with an action for 20 damage. Each of Jill's monsters prevents 10 of that damage, so she takes no damage from Alan's action. Later, Alan uses a tactic card that would do 50 damage to Jill. Her monsters each prevent 10 of that damage, so Jill only takes 30 damage from Alan's tactic.
Building Your Own Deck
You can build your deck however you like, as long as you follow these simple rules:
- Your deck must have at least 40 cards in it.
- Your deck can't have more than four copies of any card.
It's tricky to build a good deck, but a good way to start is to pick a character first and then choose cards that go well with that character. Put in lots of cards of that character's color, and try not to put in cards of more than two other colors. Use mostly monsters, since it's hard to win without them.
You should probably include a mixture of low-level cards and high-level cards. Be sure you have enough character actions that will let you play the cards you're including in the deck.
After you build a deck, play it a lot. Replace cards that don't help you or that you can rarely play. Keep working on your deck and soon you'll be able to defeat all your opponents!
Redeeming Online Codes
Every time you open a MapleStory booster pack, you'll find at least one card with an online code. When you see a yellow bar on a card, you've found a code!
Here's what to do when you find a code:
- Log on to your character in the MapleStory online game.
- Enter your code at the Cash Shop. A virtual card will appear in your inventory that matches the real card.
- If you have questions about code redemption, go to: www.maplestorycardgame.com
A player must have the MapleStory online game to redeem code cards.
HP Counter
The rulebook's HP Counter page (printed sheet, page 4 of the booklet) carries these instructions:
Use two markers to track your HP. For example, if you have 260 life, put one marker on the 200 and one marker on the 60.
"Don't Forget!" — Each time you level up, add +20 to your HP total!