As promised, this is the second part of my Kaijudo review. Today I will talk about how to play the game, and discuss the different aspects of the cards themselves. As before, please feel free to ask questions or make comments!
Card Analysis
Card Level - The basic Mana cost of the card.
Card Civilization - This designates the particular "society" the card belongs to.
Creature Name - The unique name of the current "Creature".
Power Level - The basic strength of a "Creature".
Card Rarity - Shown by the number of stars on the right side of the card (see more below).
Spell Name - The unique name of the current "Spell".
Story/Flavor Text - This section contains the card's "Abilities", and a bit of fun "Flavor Text".
Card Type - Details whether the card is a "Creature" or a "Spell".
Rarity
Despite the fact I've not seen every rarity, the Kaijudo website does state that there are numerous types of cards. Unlike other CCGs that use color differences to designate the collectibility of a card, Kaijudo employs stars located on the bottom right hand side of each card. The current rarities are as follows;
One Star = Common
Two Stars = Uncommon
Three Stars = Rare
Four Stars = Very Rare
Five Stars = Super Rare (seems to always be foil/holographic)
Using the above cards as an example, my Roaming Bloodmane is Very Rare card but my Comet Missile is a Common. This is a very easy rarity system, and should help with future pricing too.
How To Play
Luckily for new players, Kaijudo is very easy to learn. Equally lucky for those who have a more competitive streak, it takes time to fully master the system. Personally, I love these types of CCGs because it is open to so many varieties of gamer and can be played at any learning curve.
First off, you want to create the proper playing field. The easiest way would obviously be to use the playmats that come with the decks/starters, but you can also just place them on the table in the designated pattern. I've detailed everything below for easy reference.
ZONES
Remember that there are 3 main Zones in Kaijudo. The first zone is the Mana Zone, which is closest to you. It is green on the playmat, and this is where you will place your extra and/or less powerful Creatures/Spells that you'll use as Mana to power your chosen Creatures/Spells. Next is your Shield Zone, which contains 5 face-down cards that protect you from attacks. When your opponent breaks through all of your Shield Zone, they win the game. Last is the red Battle Zone where you summon your creatures. As in other games, you'll have to tap them to attack your opponent or any of their tapped creatures.
SETUP
Upon opening your deck/starter, you'll need to complete some steps before playing.
First, shuffle your deck and place it on the right side of your playmat. You can allow your opponent to cut your deck if you wish, but it's not required in Kaijudo.
Second, pull 5 cards from the top of your deck and place them face-down on your Shield Zone. Remember, you are NOT allowed to look at these cards!
Third, pull another 5 cards from the top of your deck. This will be your starting hand, and you can look at it immediately.
Lastly, you should decide who is going first. To make it fair, you may want to roll a die or flip a coin.
PLAYING THE GAME
As I've mentioned before, Kaijudo is a very easy to learn game. There are only 6 steps in a turn order, and each one is printed on the convenient playmats that come with each deck. If you've played similar games like Magic, Yugioh or Vanguard you'll probably be able to guess what each step entails. However, I will detail them below for newer players...or for those who just want to make sure they have it right.
1. Untap. If you have any tapped Creatures, untap them now. In the very first round no one will have anything to untap.
2. Draw. You draw a single card from the top of your deck. In the very first turn of the game, the first player will skip this turn since they've just gotten their starting hand.
3. Charge. Put a single card from your hand into your Mana Zone. Unlike games such as Magic or Pokemon, there are no actual "Mana" cards to worry about. Instead, Kaijudo lets you use whatever Creatures or Spells are in your hand. Of course, this also means that you'll have to determine early on exactly which cards you can afford to use as Mana, and which you want to use as Creatures/Spells.
4. Summon and Cast. You may only summon Creatures or cast Spells that are currently in your hand. You will need to have a Mana card that is the same Civilization as the card you wish to use, and you have to tap the number of Mana that equals that card's Level. For example, if I wanted to summon the Roaring Bloodmane pictured above, I'd need at least 1 green (Nature) Mana and 6 other Mana.
Spells go into your discard pile after being used, and Creatures are placed into the Battle Zone. While you can use Spells right away, Creatures cannot be used til your next turn.
5. Attack. Creatures are the only cards that can attack, and only when they are untapped. You can attack with as many Creatures in the Battle Zone as you wish, so long as you can fuel their Mana needs. When you've decided if you're going to attack your opponent or one of their Creatures, declare your action and tap your Creature.
-Opponent Attack = Choose a card in their Shield Zone to "break". This card goes directly into their current hand.
-Creature Attack = The highest Level Creature wins the fight. If both Creatures have the same Level, then both are "banished" to the Discard Pile. Otherwise, only the lower one is "banished" and the winner can be returned to the Battle Zone.
6. End. Finish up any actions, and declare your turn as over. It's now your opponent's turn.
I hope you've enjoyed reading the two parts of my Kaijudo review. If you still have questions about any aspect of this game, you can leave a comment for me or go to www.kaijudo.com/tcgfaq. Either way, you'll be sure to get an answer.
For those readers who live in/near Poughkeepsie, New York...the Dragon's Den will be starting our first official Kaijudo tournaments on Saturdays in September. Remember to look at our calendar on www.gamersgambit.com for more details.
Thanks for reading!
-Stasi "Dengirl" King
Card Analysis
Card Level - The basic Mana cost of the card.
Card Civilization - This designates the particular "society" the card belongs to.
Creature Name - The unique name of the current "Creature".
Power Level - The basic strength of a "Creature".
Card Rarity - Shown by the number of stars on the right side of the card (see more below).
Spell Name - The unique name of the current "Spell".
Story/Flavor Text - This section contains the card's "Abilities", and a bit of fun "Flavor Text".
Card Type - Details whether the card is a "Creature" or a "Spell".
Rarity
Despite the fact I've not seen every rarity, the Kaijudo website does state that there are numerous types of cards. Unlike other CCGs that use color differences to designate the collectibility of a card, Kaijudo employs stars located on the bottom right hand side of each card. The current rarities are as follows;
One Star = Common
Two Stars = Uncommon
Three Stars = Rare
Four Stars = Very Rare
Five Stars = Super Rare (seems to always be foil/holographic)
Using the above cards as an example, my Roaming Bloodmane is Very Rare card but my Comet Missile is a Common. This is a very easy rarity system, and should help with future pricing too.
How To Play
Luckily for new players, Kaijudo is very easy to learn. Equally lucky for those who have a more competitive streak, it takes time to fully master the system. Personally, I love these types of CCGs because it is open to so many varieties of gamer and can be played at any learning curve.
First off, you want to create the proper playing field. The easiest way would obviously be to use the playmats that come with the decks/starters, but you can also just place them on the table in the designated pattern. I've detailed everything below for easy reference.
ZONES
Remember that there are 3 main Zones in Kaijudo. The first zone is the Mana Zone, which is closest to you. It is green on the playmat, and this is where you will place your extra and/or less powerful Creatures/Spells that you'll use as Mana to power your chosen Creatures/Spells. Next is your Shield Zone, which contains 5 face-down cards that protect you from attacks. When your opponent breaks through all of your Shield Zone, they win the game. Last is the red Battle Zone where you summon your creatures. As in other games, you'll have to tap them to attack your opponent or any of their tapped creatures.
SETUP
Upon opening your deck/starter, you'll need to complete some steps before playing.
First, shuffle your deck and place it on the right side of your playmat. You can allow your opponent to cut your deck if you wish, but it's not required in Kaijudo.
Second, pull 5 cards from the top of your deck and place them face-down on your Shield Zone. Remember, you are NOT allowed to look at these cards!
Third, pull another 5 cards from the top of your deck. This will be your starting hand, and you can look at it immediately.
Lastly, you should decide who is going first. To make it fair, you may want to roll a die or flip a coin.
PLAYING THE GAME
As I've mentioned before, Kaijudo is a very easy to learn game. There are only 6 steps in a turn order, and each one is printed on the convenient playmats that come with each deck. If you've played similar games like Magic, Yugioh or Vanguard you'll probably be able to guess what each step entails. However, I will detail them below for newer players...or for those who just want to make sure they have it right.
1. Untap. If you have any tapped Creatures, untap them now. In the very first round no one will have anything to untap.
2. Draw. You draw a single card from the top of your deck. In the very first turn of the game, the first player will skip this turn since they've just gotten their starting hand.
3. Charge. Put a single card from your hand into your Mana Zone. Unlike games such as Magic or Pokemon, there are no actual "Mana" cards to worry about. Instead, Kaijudo lets you use whatever Creatures or Spells are in your hand. Of course, this also means that you'll have to determine early on exactly which cards you can afford to use as Mana, and which you want to use as Creatures/Spells.
4. Summon and Cast. You may only summon Creatures or cast Spells that are currently in your hand. You will need to have a Mana card that is the same Civilization as the card you wish to use, and you have to tap the number of Mana that equals that card's Level. For example, if I wanted to summon the Roaring Bloodmane pictured above, I'd need at least 1 green (Nature) Mana and 6 other Mana.
Spells go into your discard pile after being used, and Creatures are placed into the Battle Zone. While you can use Spells right away, Creatures cannot be used til your next turn.
5. Attack. Creatures are the only cards that can attack, and only when they are untapped. You can attack with as many Creatures in the Battle Zone as you wish, so long as you can fuel their Mana needs. When you've decided if you're going to attack your opponent or one of their Creatures, declare your action and tap your Creature.
-Opponent Attack = Choose a card in their Shield Zone to "break". This card goes directly into their current hand.
-Creature Attack = The highest Level Creature wins the fight. If both Creatures have the same Level, then both are "banished" to the Discard Pile. Otherwise, only the lower one is "banished" and the winner can be returned to the Battle Zone.
6. End. Finish up any actions, and declare your turn as over. It's now your opponent's turn.
I hope you've enjoyed reading the two parts of my Kaijudo review. If you still have questions about any aspect of this game, you can leave a comment for me or go to www.kaijudo.com/tcgfaq. Either way, you'll be sure to get an answer.
For those readers who live in/near Poughkeepsie, New York...the Dragon's Den will be starting our first official Kaijudo tournaments on Saturdays in September. Remember to look at our calendar on www.gamersgambit.com for more details.
Thanks for reading!
-Stasi "Dengirl" King
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