Freak War Rules

Freak War uses 2 types of cards: Creatures and Modifiers.

CREATURES

Each Creature has an attack level of 0-9, and a unique Effect that you may use at any point once it is in play. Creature cards also have additional information around the card, such as the Creature’s name, element and species type, bio, and effect icon. This additional information is for more seasoned players, and beginners only need to look at the Attack Level and Effect text for now.

Effect Text

Effects are special skills your Creature can use to change the tide of battle. Effects are optional, unless they are worded otherwise (eg: this Creature can not be switched). The Effect on a Creature’s card can be used only once per round, unless otherwise noted. If a Creature is switched to another Player’s team, but has already used their Effect, it may not use it’s Effect again.

Effect Type Icon

The Effect type icon is there to assist more serious players in developing strategies and building decks around specific play styles. Effect types are broken up into 6 styles:

Creature Type Icons/text

This information defines a Creature’s energy and species. Some Effects will reference a Creature's type (eg: if your Opponent’s Creature is a Critter type, move it to your team).

Transform

Some Creatures are able to Transform, allowing them to turn into stronger Creatures, and giving you additional benefits shown in the transform bar. To do this, simply play the Creature’s first form, then play the stronger Creature at any time. Transforming is not necessary to put these Creatures in play.

MODIFIERS

These purple cards are used to change up gameplay by adding or subtracting from Creature’s Attack Level, swapping Creatures, cancelling other Modifiers, and more. Rules about how and when modifiers can be used in each play style are gone into in more detail below, but simply put - if you have access to a modifier from your deck or hand, you may use it.

YOUR DECK

A Standard Freak War deck has 54 cards. 40 of the cards must be 4 Creatures at each attack level from 0-9. The remaining 14 cards can be Modifiers, up to 5 Special Creatures (with the Inerrobang ‽ symbol) and/or one additional Creature at each Attack Level. Official matches must adhere to these rules, but you may modify these numbers as you please for casual play, as long as all Players agree upon them. For games with 5+ players, it’s best to double the cards used.

BASIC RULES

DEAL

Shuffle the deck and evenly distribute the cards to all players (extra cards are placed in the middle to be won in the first round) Alternatively, each player may use their own deck.

PLAY

On the count of 3 each Player plays a Creature card. The Creature with the highest Attack Level, after Creature Effects and Modifiers have been taken into account, wins.

If 2 or more Players have a matching Attack Level they go to WAR by sacrificing a card and putting another Creature in play (all cards played before the WAR are not involved, but stay on the play field to be won.)

The round’s winner puts all of the cards currently in play into their Win Pile, face up.

WIN

When all Players have finished their decks, the Player with the most cards in their Win Pile wins. Play can continue on with each Player shuffling their Win Pile to use it as their deck until one Player wins all of the cards, or the game soft-locks.

2.5 WAYS TO PLAY!

Freak War was designed to allow for multiple play styles, giving players the freedom to play quick random matches, or deeply involved games of strategy. The most standard ways to play Freak War are called War and Battle, but there are specialized rules you may use to add different layers of strategy to the gameplay.

War (beginner)

With their full deck face down, Players flip the top card of their deck until they play a Creature.

Players can use any Modifiers put into play before their Creature.

The Player with the highest Attack Level wins and puts all of the cards in play face up into their Win Pile.

Battle (advanced)

Each Player picks up 5 cards from their deck. At the Beginning of every round (including the first), Players draw 2 cards.

On the Count of 3, each Player puts a Creature into play, and then any Modifiers they’d like.

The Player with the highest Attack Level puts all of the cards in play face up into their Win Pile.

Specialized Rules

King of the Hill (hardcore)

Play a game War or Battle.

When a Player wins a round, all in-play cards including all Modifiers go face up into their Win Pile, BUT that Player may Sacrifice a card from their hand to keep their Creature in play for an additional round.

Team Battle/War/King of the Hill (hardcore)

Play in teams of 2 or solo with multiple Creatures. Teammates share a combined Attack Level, Deck, and Win Pile. Each turn, all players must put out the same number of Creatures.

In Team Battles teammates may show each other their cards, and strategically play Creatures and Modifiers to help each other.

In Team King of the Hill Battles, when a team wins a round, either player may sacrifice cards to keep their, and their teammate’s Creatures in play.

Play for Keeps (epic)

Play any style of game, with each player using their own deck. When a card goes in a Player’s Win Pile, it now belongs to them.

Additional Rules

If there is a WAR and all involved Players are out of cards, a game of rock, paper, scissors will decide the winner.
If a coin flip is required but a coin is not available, you may flip a card, or play rock paper scissors, if applicable.
If a player has no Creature cards at the start of a round, all Players draw a card from their deck, and will continue to do so until all Players have at least one Creature card.
Any leftover cards in a Player's hand/deck when all other Players have run out of cards will go into that player's Win Pile.
If a Player can’t sacrifice a card for a WAR, they forfeit. If they can sacrifice but have no Creature to play, they may enter the WAR themselves as a Creature who’s Attack Level is their age divided by 5, and apply any modifiers they have to themselves. If that player loses, they may not do this again during this game.
A Player may opt out of a WAR. if this happens, they forfeit their in-play cards. If neither player wants to go to WAR, they put the cards they played into their own Win Piles
Unless otherwise noted, SWAP cards affect only the chosen Creature, not any Modifiers attached to it.
If a Creature’s Effect is related to a visual on an Opponent’s card, and it is unclear if it’s applicable, it is up to the Players involved to determine if it is or not.
(with 3+ players) If a player is not involved with a WAR and their Attack Level is higher than that of the involved Creatures, they may put their own active cards into their Win Pile. Anything lower goes to the winner of the WAR.
Black Hole - once per day a player can put the card box in play, putting all in-play cards into it and then inciting a war, requiring all Players to sacrifice a Creature and put another in play. The winner of the War wins all of the cards in the box. No involved Players may do this again for 24 hours.
Rules are optional