Card Rules Guide

This guide explains all the optional rules that can be applied to Triple Triad matches. Rules add strategic depth and variety to gameplay.

Basic Capture Rules

Standard Capture

• Compare your card's edge value to the adjacent enemy card's opposing edge
• Higher value wins and captures the enemy card
• Example: Your Right (7) vs Enemy Left (5) = You capture

Special Rules

Same

Trigger: Your card's values match two or more adjacent cards' opposing values exactly.

Example:

Your card: Top=5, Right=3
Adjacent cards: Card above has Bottom=5, Card to right has Left=3
Result: Both adjacent cards are captured

Strategy: Look for opportunities to place cards where multiple edges match.

Plus

Trigger: The sum of touching values equals the same total on multiple sides.

Example:

Your card: Top=4, Right=6
Card above: Bottom=5 (sum: 4+5=9)
Card to right: Left=3 (sum: 6+3=9)
Result: Both cards captured because both sums equal 9

Strategy: Calculate sums mentally to find Plus opportunities.

Combo

Requirement: Same or Plus rule must also be active.

Effect: Cards captured by Same or Plus can trigger chain captures using standard capture rules.

Example:

1. You trigger Same, capturing Card A
2. Card A (now yours) has values higher than adjacent Card B
3. Card B is also captured as part of the combo

Strategy: Position cards to maximize chain reactions.

Elemental

Setup: Certain board spaces have elemental attributes (Fire, Ice, Lightning, etc.)

Effect:

• Card placed on matching element: +1 to all values
• Card placed on opposing element: -1 to all values
• Cards without elements are unaffected by spaces

Strategy: Match your elemental cards to board spaces when possible.

Reverse

Effect: Lower values win instead of higher values.

Example: Your 3 beats enemy's 7 (normally 7 would win)

Strategy: Cards with low values become powerful; high-value cards become liabilities.

Fallen Ace

Requirement: Usually combined with other rules.

Effect: Aces (value 10/A) can be captured by 1s.

Creates a cycle: A beats 9, but 1 beats A

Strategy: Don't rely solely on Aces; watch for 1-value cards.

Ascension

Effect: All card values increase by 1 at the start of each turn.

Progression: Turn 1 = normal, Turn 2 = +1, Turn 3 = +2, etc.

Strategy: Early captures matter more; late-game cards are very powerful.

Descension

Effect: All card values decrease by 1 at the start of each turn.

Progression: Turn 1 = normal, Turn 2 = -1, Turn 3 = -2, etc.

Strategy: Early cards are strongest; timing captures is crucial.

Random

Effect: Your 5-card hand is randomly selected from your deck.

Strategy: Build decks with consistent quality; don't rely on specific cards.

Order

Effect: You must play cards in the exact order they appear in your hand (left to right).

Strategy: Deck building order matters; consider card sequence.

Chaos

Effect: Your opponent chooses which card from your hand you must play.

Strategy: Build hands where every card is useful; avoid situational cards.

Swap

Pre-game: Before the match, each player selects one card to swap with their opponent.

Strategy: Give away your worst card; be prepared to play anything.

Sudden Death

Trigger: The match ends in a tie.

Effect:

1. Each player takes the cards they currently own (their color)
2. A new match begins with those cards
3. Repeats up to 3 times — if still tied after 3 rounds, the game ends as a draw

OTT/TOTT Sudden Death:

• In OTT, cards are redistributed to their original owners
• In TOTT, cards are redistributed by team (split between teammates)
• Discard is disabled during Sudden Death rounds
• Block positions and elemental tiles are preserved across rounds

Strategy: Even if losing, capturing key cards matters for potential Sudden Death.

Immune

Effect: Cards can only be captured via Same, Plus, or Minus rules. Standard brute-force capture (higher value beats lower) does not work.

Strategy: Build decks with values that trigger Same/Plus. Raw power doesn't matter under Immune.

No Duplicates (No Dupes)

Effect: Neither player's hand may contain duplicate cards. If Random hand selection would create duplicates, it re-selects.

Strategy: Build decks with variety rather than stacking multiple copies of the same card.

Min/Max Level

Effect: Restricts which card levels (rarities) can be used in a match. For example, "Level 3-7" means only cards of level 3 through 7 are allowed.

Strategy: Build specialized decks for different level ranges.

Set Wall

Effect: A custom wall value (0-10) is placed on the board. Wall values interact with Same Wall and Plus Wall rules.

Strategy: Factor in the wall value when planning Same/Plus captures near board edges.

Rule Combinations

Many rules can be combined for complex gameplay:

Rule Selection

• AI Matches: You typically choose which rules to play with
• Multiplayer: Rules may be predetermined or voted on
• Ranked: Standard rule sets ensure fair competition