Blitz Squad Brawl Rules

Blitz Squad Brawl Rules

Overview

Blitz Squad Brawl is a tavern brawl themed fantasy combat card game. Players take turns attacking and defending each other in order to defeat their opponent.
Building a deck
To play Blitz Squad Brawl, each player will need to assemble a 60-card deck. A “brawler” consists of 15 cards, each sharing a brawler name and icon. To build a deck, choose 4 unique brawlers and shuffle all of their cards together. (You cannot add the same brawler more than once.) This will give you a deck with 60 cards.

Once you have a deck built, you have the option to swap out any number of brawler cards in your deck for special cards. Special cards, such as terrain cards, are played in the special zone on the battlefield and affect all players in the game. There is no limit to the amount of brawler cards you can swap out for special cards, but you must have exactly 60 cards in your deck.

Game Setup

Each player begins by shuffling their deck, then placing it face down onto their respective tavern zone on the battlefield. Once each deck is placed, players flip their decks to reveal the bottom card. This shuffle/flip process is called “The Flip.”

The player who reveals the highest power on their deck chooses which player goes first when play begins (special cards, such as terrain cards, have a power of 0). If there is a tie for the highest power, repeat this process. If a special card is shown during this process and the powers do not match (meaning that a player has won the flip), the special card may be placed onto the battlefield in the special zone before play begins.

Once a player has won the flip, players flip their decks back to a face down position in their tavern zone (do not shuffle), then draw 7 cards from their deck (also known as their tavern) into their hand.

Gameplay

During play, players take turns attacking their opponent(s). Turns contain phases in which cards may be played. These phases determine the order in which attacks, blocks and other abilities take effect during the game.

The turn phases are as follows:

Beginning Phase

During this phase of your turn, return all revealed cards to your hand.

Draw Phase

During this phase of your turn, draw cards from your tavern until you have 7 cards in your hand. (You do not have to draw if you already have 7 cards in your hand.)

Main Phase

During this phase of your turn, you may play actions and/or attack your opponent.
-You may play special cards in the special card zone.
-You may play brawler cards in your energy zone.
-You may play brawler cards in your attack zone.

Blocking Phase

During this phase of your turn, your opponent may play an action or block your attack.
If your attack is not blocked and would deal damage, your opponent discards a number of cards from the top of their tavern equal to the damage dealt.

End Phase

Resolve effects that trigger at the end of your turn.

Beginning Phase

Effects that resolve at the beginning of your turn resolve during this phase, such as returning revealed cards to your hand.

Draw Phase

Draw cards from your tavern until you have 7 cards in your hand. Some cards can change the amount of cards you draw during this phase. If there are no cards remaining in your tavern, you do not have to draw cards during your draw phase.

Main Phase

During this phase, you may play special cards before or after playing actions against your opponent. After special cards are played (if any), you may play actions against your opponent. There are two types of actions:

Attack: Play a stack of brawler cards in your attack zone, then play a stack of brawler cards in your energy zone. The total power of the stack in your energy zone must equal or exceed the base power of your attack stack. Add the powers of all cards in the attack stack to get the base power for your attack. The base power of your attack stack represents the total damage for your attack. Effects may modify this total. Effects printed on the brawler cards on the top of the stacks in your attack and energy zones are triggered and are resolved as soon as the stacks are played.

Action: Play a stack of brawler cards in your energy zone. Effects printed on the brawler card on the top of the stack in your energy zone are triggered and are resolved as soon as the action stack is played. Add the total powers of all cards in the stack in your energy zone to get the total energy for this action. The base damage of an action is 0. Effects may modify these totals.

The Stack

A stack is played by stacking matching brawler cards vertically on top of each other (see image above). A stack may have as few as one card, and there is no hard limit on the maximum number of cards that can be played in a stack. The base power of a stack is equal to the sum of all powers printed on the cards in that stack. This total represents the base damage of your attack. Some cards can modify the total damage of a stack, but this modifier applies after the base damage is calculated.

If you do not play an attack on your turn, discard 2 cards from your hand, then proceed to the Blocking Phase. Actions do not count as attacks.

Blocking Phase

After you play an action or attack, your opponent gets an opportunity to defend. This is known as the Blocking Phase. Opponents may play a stack of brawler cards in their attack zone whose powers are added together to get the base defense of the block. This total represents the total defense of the block. Effects may modify the total defense after the base defense of the block stack is calculated.

If the total defense of your opponent’s block is equal to or greater than the total damage of your action or attack, the damage from your action or attack  is blocked. Blocked attacks deal no damage. Effects that resolve when an attack is blocked resolve at this time.

If your action or attack is not blocked, you deal damage to your opponent. Your opponent discards a number of cards from the top of their tavern equal to the total damage of your action or attack. Effects that resolve when you deal damage to your opponent resolve at this time.

You may choose to attack again, if you are able, by returning to the Attack Phase. (Make sure to keep enough cards in your hand to block if you are planning on defending yourself during your opponent’s turn!)

After your attacks, proceed to the End Phase.

End Phase

Effects that resolve at the end of your turn resolve at this time. Then, your turn ends and your opponent’s turn begins.

Ending the Game

The end of the game is determined when a player can no longer play any cards or must draw when their tavern is empty.

At any time, if you have no cards remaining in your tavern, and AT LEAST ONE of the following is true:

-You must draw a card from your tavern
-You must discard a card from your tavern
-You have no cards in your hand

…you lose the game.

Keywords and Effects

Action
An action is a special attack with a base damage of 0 and is played in your energy zone. Effects resolve normally.

Attack
An attack is the stack of cards played in your attack zone.

Attack Zone
Your attack zone is the zone on your side of the battlefield that indicates the base damage dealt by your attacks.

Base Attack/Block/Energy Power
The base power for an attack, block, or energy stack is the sum of the powers indicated on each card in that stack.

Base Damage
The base damage for an attack is equal to the base power of that attack.

Base Defense
The base defense for a block is equal to the base power of that block.

Block
A block is the stack of cards played in your block zone.

Brawler
A brawler consists of a series of cards that share the same name and brawler icon.

Brawler Card
A brawler card is a single card from the series of cards included with a brawler.

Combo
A combo is all stacks played in your attack and energy zones.

Conceal
When you conceal a card, return a revealed card from the reveal zone on the battlefield to your hand. You cannot conceal a card that is not revealed. If you must conceal a card but no cards are in your reveal zone, do nothing.

Damage
Damage for an attack is calculated by adding all powers printed on the attack stack plus any effects that modify the damage total. When you are dealt damage, discard a number of cards from your tavern into your clinic equal to the amount of damage you were dealt.

Defense
When you block damage with a block stack, add the power of each card in your block stack, plus any effects, to get your total defense. You can only block if your total defense equals or exceeds the amount of damage you are attempting to block. If your defense is less than the amount of damage that would be dealt, the effect of the top card of your block stack takes effect, but no damage is blocked.

Discard
To discard a card, put that card face-up onto the top of your clinic. When discarding a card from your tavern, put the top card from your tavern face-up onto the top of your clinic. When discarding a card from your clinic, put the top card from your clinic face-up onto the top of your tomb.

Draw
To draw a card, put the top card from your tavern into your hand.

Energy
Energy is the stack of cards played in your energy zone. Cards played into your energy zone are used as a resource to pay for your attack by adding the powers indicated on each card in the energy stack plus any effects that modify this total. When you attack, you must play an amount of energy equal to or greater than the sum of the powers of all cards in your attack. If effects modify the total damage of your attack, your energy must only equal or exceed the base power of your attack.

Energy Zone
Your energy zone is the zone on your side of the battlefield that indicates the energy available for your attack.

Reveal
When you reveal a card, put that card face up into your reveal zone on the battlefield. Revealed cards stay on the battlefield until the beginning of your next turn. If you must reveal a card, but have no cards in your hand that are not already revealed, do nothing. You cannot reveal cards that are already revealed.  Revealed cards still count as being in your hand.

Special Card
A special card is played in the special zone in the middle of the battlefield. Cards played in this zone affect all players while they are in play unless indicated otherwise on the card.

Special Zone
The special zone is the zone in the middle of the battlefield where special cards are played.

Stack
A stack is played by arranging brawler cards on top of each other so that the powers are visible on each of them. Only the effects from the card on the top of the stack resolve. The base power of a stack is the sum of each of the powers on the cards in the stack. The total power of a stack is equal to the base power of the stack plus any modifiers from effects.

Target
When a card refers to a target card, stack, player, opponent, or other category, you choose the affected target from that category.

Terrain Card
A terrain card is a type of special card that is played in the special zone in the middle of the battlefield and affects all players while in play.

Total Attack/Block/Energy Power
The total power for an attack, block, or energy stack is the sum of the power indicated on each card in that stack, plus any effects that modify the total.

Total Damage
The total damage for an attack is equal to the base power of that attack, plus any effects that modify this total.

Total Defense
The total defense for a block is equal to the base power of that block, plus any effects that modify this total.