Mindbug: King of Tokyo
Mindbug: King of Tokyo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Through a mysterious portal, the Mindbugs have crossed over into Tokyo, encountering the legendary kaiju and monsters—but this time, you're the one in control!
In Mindbug x King of Tokyo you will summon the iconic creatures from the King of Tokyo universe and send them to battle against those of your opponent. But be careful when you summon a creature: the opponent may use one of their own Mindbugs to take control of it. Will you outsmart your opponent and dominate Tokyo, or will your opponent use your own creatures against you?
Components
Mindbug x King of Tokyo consists of the following components:
- 32 Creature Cards
- 16 Power Cards
- 2 Dice
- 20 Energy Cubes
- 2 Life Trackers
- 1 Rulebook
- 4 Player Aid Cards
- 4 Mindbug Cards
Key Concepts
Resolving Effects: While resolving an effect, always resolve as much of the effect as you can, and ignore any part of the ability that cannot be resolved.
Example: If an effect asks you to discard two cards, but you only have one card in hand, you discard that card and ignore the second one.
While resolving an effect, the player who is performing the action makes any choices related to that effect unless something else is specified.
Example: If one of your cards has the effect "Defeat an enemy creature", you choose which enemy creature to defeat since you are performing the action. If another one of your cards has the effect "An opponent discards a card", they choose which card to discard since they are performing the action.
Simultaneous Effects: If more than one effect happens at the same time (e.g. when two creatures are defeated simultaneously), the active player decides the order of resolving them. Always finish resolving one effect before resolving another.
Game Setup
Step 1: Deal Mindbugs and Dice
Deal each player 2 Mindbugs and place them face up in front of them. Each player takes a die corresponding to the color of their Mindbugs.
Step 2: Prepare Power Cards and Energy Cubes
Shuffle the Power cards to form a face-down deck to the side of the table. Leave a bit of room next to it for a discard pile. Deal the first 3 Power cards face up on the table next to the Power card deck.
Form a pool with all the Energy cubes. Each player starts the game with zero Energy cubes in front of them.
If you choose to combine other Mindbug sets together with Mindbug x King of Tokyo (or parts of it), perform this entire step as described above.
Step 3: Shuffle and Deal Decks
Shuffle the creature cards and deal each player 10 cards face down as their draw pile. Leave a bit of room next to your draw pile for a discard pile. Put aside all remaining creature cards (called the "unused pile").
Step 4: Draw Hands
Each player draws 5 cards from their personal draw pile as their starting hand.
Step 5: Set Starting Life
Each player starts the game with 3 life. To track life, each player takes a life tracker and sets it to 3.
Note: You can also use dice, tokens or 3 face-down cards from the unused pile to track your life.
Play Area Layout
The Power card deck and the 3 face-up Power cards sit to the side of the table. Each player has their Mindbugs and their life tracker in front of them, a play area for their creatures, a draw pile with a discard pile next to it, and their hand cards.
Playing the Game
Goal of the Game
You immediately win the game when the opponent's life is reduced to zero.
Life
You start the game with 3 life. Whenever you lose life, you reduce your life tracker by the corresponding number. Whenever you gain life, you increase your life tracker by the corresponding number. There is no limit to the number of life you can have.
Creature Cards
Each card represents a creature with a name and a power value. Creatures can have one or more KEYWORDS (the first line below the name) and an ABILITY (the text below the keywords). In addition, they can have one or two DIE ROLL ICONS.
A creature card shows its power value, its name, its die roll icon (if any), its keywords, and its ability.
Note: Creatures can never have a power value lower than 1, even if other effects modify their power value.
Drawing Cards
Whenever you have less than 5 cards in hand, you immediately draw cards from your draw pile until you have 5 cards in hand. Do this before any other effects occur (e.g. before a card is mindbugged or its Play effect is triggered). If your draw pile runs out of cards, you don't draw additional cards. There is no limit to the number of cards you can have in hand.
Taking Turns
To determine the starting player, each player reveals a card from the unused pile (the remaining creature cards that are put aside). Compare the power value on those cards. The player with the higher number is the starting player. On a tie repeat the process. The revealed cards are not part of the game. They remain face up and all players may always look at them during the game.
Players alternate taking turns. During each of your turns, you must take one single action. It is called the turn action. You may choose your turn action among the following options:
-
Play a single card
or
-
Attack with a single creature
If you are unable to take a turn action, you immediately lose the game.
Play a Card
Choose any card from your hand and place it face up on the table. Show it clearly to your opponent by turning it temporarily towards them so that they can read it. Now they have two options:
Option 1: Your opponent refuses to use a Mindbug. Whenever you play a card from your hand, your opponent may use one of their Mindbugs to take control of that card. If they have no Mindbugs left or refuse to use one, proceed by placing the played creature card into your play area and resolve its Play effects if it has any. Then end your turn. Your opponent goes next.
Option 2: Your opponent decides to use a Mindbug. If your opponent decides to use a Mindbug, they immediately get to play that card instead of you and they lose one Mindbug. Turn that Mindbug face down to show that it has been used and put the creature card into their play area. Your opponent resolves any Play effects of the creature as if they had played it from their hand. Then you must take another turn action during this same turn (allowing you to either play a card or attack with a creature).
Note: If a creature comes into play in some other way than a play-from-hand turn action (e.g. by using a card effect), there is no option of using a Mindbug to take control of it.
Note: You cannot use a Mindbug to take control of a creature that is already in play. You also cannot use a Mindbug on a creature that has already been mindbugged by your opponent.
Note: If a creature that was mindbugged is defeated, it goes to the discard pile of the player who currently controls the creature. That player also resolves any Defeated effects of that creature.
Example: Alice plays the card Space Penguin from her hand and draws back to 5 cards. Bob has two Mindbugs left. He decides to use one and puts Space Penguin into his play area, thus activating its Play effect (to gain 1 life). Alice must now take another turn action during this same turn. She uses that extra turn action to play Gigazaur and draws back to 5 cards. Bob has one Mindbug left and he could use it to take Gigazaur. However, he chooses to keep his Mindbug and Alice puts Gigazaur into her play area.
Attack with a Creature
Choose a single creature in your play area (an allied creature) to attack. Your opponent may now choose a single creature from their own play area (an enemy creature) to block the attack. If they decide not to block, they lose 1 life. If they block the attack, the creature with the lower power is defeated and sent to its controller's discard pile. If they have the same power, both creatures are defeated. Any player may look at the cards in any discard pile during the game.
Example: Alice attacks with Gigazaur which has power 9. Bob has Meka Dragon with power 7 in play. He can block with Meka Dragon. In that case, he loses no life but his Meka Dragon is defeated and sent to his discard pile. He instead chooses not to block the attack. This causes him to lose 1 life.
Keywords
Creature cards can have one or more keywords, acting as substitutes for rules texts that explain what the card does.
FRENZY
This creature may attack twice each turn, if it is still in play.
Example: (1) Player 1 attacks with Cyber Bunny. (2) Player 2 chooses Pandakaï as blocker. (3) Pandakaï is defeated and put to the discard pile as it has a lower power value. (4) Cyber Bunny can attack a second time, as it has FRENZY and is still in play. (5) Player 2 loses 1 life as they don't have any creature to block.
HUNTER
When attacking with this creature, you may choose an enemy creature, which must block it.
Note: You are allowed to force any enemy creature to block, even one that normally cannot block your creature (due to keywords or other effects). Using the HUNTER keyword is optional, but if you do, you cannot use it to attack the opponent directly.
Example: (1) Player 1 attacks with Cyber Kitty. (2) Player 1 forces Space Penguin to block. (3) Space Penguin is defeated as it has a lower power value. (4) Player 2 cannot choose another blocker.
POISONOUS
During combat resolution with this creature, the enemy creature is always defeated.
Note: If the enemy creature's power value is equal or higher, the creature with POISONOUS is also defeated.
Example: (1) Player 1 attacks with Gigazaur. (2) Player 2 chooses Rex Florae as blocker. (3) Gigazaur defeats Rex Florae as it has a higher power value, but is also defeated since Rex Florae has POISONOUS.
SNEAKY
This creature can only be blocked by creatures with SNEAKY.
Note: It still can block enemy creatures like a normal creature.
Example: (1) Player 1 attacks with Space Penguin (a creature with SNEAKY). (2) Player 2 has two creatures in play, but only Pandakaï can be chosen as a blocker (as it requires SNEAKY).
TOUGH
If this creature would be defeated and is not exhausted, exhaust it instead of defeating it. It doesn't matter whether it would be defeated through combat or by a card effect. Exhausting means rotating the card by 90 degrees to highlight that its TOUGH keyword has been triggered already. Being exhausted doesn't affect what a creature can do (it can still attack, block and use its abilities).
Note: If a creature with POISONOUS has a power higher than or equal to the power of an enemy creature with TOUGH that it fights, that enemy creature becomes exhausted, but not defeated.
Example: (1) Player 1 attacks with Rex Florae. (2) Player 2 chooses to block with Alienoid. (3) Both creatures would be defeated since they have the same power value. (4) Rex Florae is defeated and put into the discard pile. (5) Since Alienoid has TOUGH (and is not yet exhausted), it is exhausted and not defeated.
Triggers
Most creatures have a special ability that triggers at a specific moment during the game. The corresponding effect happens for the creature's controller. The following triggers can be found on cards:
Play: This effect triggers when the creature with this effect comes into play. It happens no matter how the creature comes into play, for example if another effect allows you to play that card from your discard pile. If the opponent uses a Mindbug to take control of a card you play, the Play effect happens for them and not for you.
Defeated: This effect triggers when the creature with this effect is defeated, that is immediately after it is moved from the play area to its controller's discard pile. A creature can be defeated as a result of combat or a card effect. Note that it does not trigger if the opponent takes control of the creature, sends it back to your hand, if you discard it from your hand to the discard pile or if it becomes exhausted instead of being defeated.
Other Abilities
Constant Abilities: If a card has an ability text without a trigger word (Play or Defeated), it is referred to as a constant ability that is always active as long as the card is in play and meets all conditions specified by the ability.
Die Roll Icon
Some creature cards have one or two Die Roll icons, located in the top left corner of their text box. They make you roll the special die to trigger crazy attack effects.
One die icon: When you attack your opponent with a creature that has one Die Roll icon, you must roll one die immediately. Do this before the opponent decides whether they want to block your attack (and before any other effects, such as Attack effects if you combine this with other Mindbug sets). If you don't like your die result, you may reroll the die once to try again for a better result. Then you must keep that new die result as final.
Two dice icon: When you attack with a creature that has two Die Roll icons, you must roll two dice instead of one. To do this, use your die and your opponent's die. Your die result is the combined result of both dice. If you choose to reroll, you may reroll either both dice or only one die while keeping the other.
Once you keep your final die result, you must then resolve it immediately, before the opponent decides whether they want to block. If your die result contains two dice, you may resolve them in any order, but you must resolve all of them. The corresponding effect happens for you as you are the attacking creature's controller.
The different results and their effects are described below:
GROW (die faces 1, 2 and 3): This creature has +1 or +2 or +3 power this turn, depending on the indicated result.
ENERGY (die faces showing one lightning bolt or two lightning bolts): You gain 1 or 2 Energy cubes from the pool, depending on the indicated result. Place them in your reserve in front of yourself. Keep these Energy cubes until you spend them. They are not considered limited components, so if you run out, use a suitable replacement.
DISCARD (die face showing a claw): An opponent discards a card from their hand.
Buying Power Cards
Power cards offer you special effects to swing the game in your favor. Each Power card has a name, a cost to pay in Energy cubes, and an immediate effect.
At the start of each of your turns (before any other action or effect take place), you may buy one or more of the 3 face-up Power cards that are available on the side of the table.
To buy a Power card, spend as many Energy cubes as the cost indicated in the top left corner of the card.
Replace the card you bought immediately from the top of the Power card deck. The new card that replaces it is now available for purchase as well, so there are always 3 face-up cards available. If the Power card deck runs out, you cannot replace bought cards and players have therefore less options to buy from. If there are no Power cards available anymore, players cannot buy anything.
After you have replaced the card you bought, resolve its immediate effect as written on it. Then put it face up in its discard pile, next to the Power card deck. Any player may look at the cards in that discard pile during the game.
As long as you have enough Energy cubes, you can continue to buy as many cards as you want each turn, but only at the start of your turn. You cannot buy cards later during your turn or while it is not your turn.
Note: Buying Power cards does not use your turn action. If you buy Power cards, you do this in addition to your regular turn action (i.e. playing a single card from your hand or attacking your opponent with a single creature).
Game Terms
The Game Terms include a number of terms that players may encounter while playing the game.
Allied Creature / Enemy Creature: When cards are in your play area, they are called allied creatures. When they are in the opponent's play area, they are called enemy creatures. If an effect affects both allied creatures and enemy creatures, it simply refers to creatures. In your hand and your discard pile, they are simply called cards.
Discard: Discarding a card means that you put it from your hand to your discard pile. If an effect forces you to discard more cards than you have in hand, discard as many cards as possible and ignore the remaining effect.
Opponent: The card abilities use a specific wording, such as "an opponent" or "opponents", for the 2 vs 2 mode (check out the Tag Team 2 vs 2 expansion). If you play with the 1 vs 1 mode, it is all the same as "the opponent".
Take control of a creature: If a card effect lets you take control of a creature, you put it into your play area. If you take control of a creature, it remains in its current state (e.g. exhausted) and doesn't trigger Play effects.
Unused pile: The remaining creature cards that have not been dealt to players form the unused pile. It remains face down. If an effect lets you draw a card from the unused pile, you take the top card from it and put it into your hand.
Essential Tips for Beginners
- Before playing a card from your hand, make sure that you will be able to protect yourself against it if your opponent decides to use a Mindbug on that card.
- When you play a card from your hand, show it clearly to your opponent by turning it temporarily towards them so that they can read it and they don't forget to decide whether to use a Mindbug or not.
- If your opponent uses a Mindbug, don't forget that you must take another turn action during this same turn.
- You have only 2 Mindbugs at the beginning of the game, so make sure to use them at the right time. Try not to fall for your opponent's trap or bluff as you will be more vulnerable when both your Mindbugs have been used.
- Enemy creatures with SNEAKY are not difficult to beat. You can block them by using your own creature with SNEAKY. You can defeat them by using a creature with HUNTER or with a special ability. You can also use a creature with FRENZY to win the race by attacking twice each turn.
Rules Reference
Keywords
FRENZY: This creature may attack twice each turn, if it is still in play.
HUNTER: When attacking with this creature, you may choose an enemy creature, which must block it.
POISONOUS: During combat resolution with this creature, the enemy creature is always defeated.
SNEAKY: This creature can only be blocked by creatures with SNEAKY.
TOUGH: If this creature would be defeated and is not exhausted, exhaust it instead of defeating it (rotating 90 degrees).
Triggers & Abilities
Play: Triggers when this creature comes into play. If the opponent uses a Mindbug, the Play effect happens for them and not for you.
Defeated: Triggers when this creature is defeated, usually as a result of combat or a card effect.
One die icon: When this creature attacks, you must roll one die and resolve the result, before the opponent decides whether they want to block. If you don't like it, you may reroll the die once.
Two dice icon: Same as above but you roll two dice instead of one and resolve the combined result. If you don't like it, you may reroll either both dice or only one die.
Die faces 1 / 2 / 3: This creature has +1 or +2 or +3 power this turn.
Die faces one lightning bolt / two lightning bolts: You gain 1 or 2 Energy cubes.
Die face claw: An opponent discards a card from their hand.
Power card cost (a number next to a lightning bolt): At the start of your turn, you may buy one or more of the 3 face-up Power cards by spending Energy cubes to pay their costs. Resolve their immediate effects.