RULES SHEET
You can also find rules,
multiplayer modes and
up to date FAQ online at:
e/rules
[Link]
Mindbug Rules
Overview
In MINDBUG you will summon hybrid creatures and
send them to battle against the creatures of your oppo-
nent. But be careful when you summon a creature:
the opponent may use one of their own Mindbugs to take
control of it. Outwit your opponent in a fascinating tacti-
cal duel, where having the best cards and playing them at
the wrong time can be deadly for oneself.
Components
MINDBUG consists of the following components:
48 Creature Cards
Rules Sheet 4 Mindbug Cards
3 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.
Simultaneous Effects:
If more than one effect happens at the same time (e.g.
when two creatures are defeated simultaneously), the ac-
tive player decides the order of resolving them.
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Game Setup
Step 1: Deal Mindbugs
Deal each player 2 Mindbugs and place them face up in
front of them.
Step 2: Shuffle and Deal Decks
Then shuffle the 48 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.
Step 3: Draw Hands
Then each player draws 5 cards from their personal draw
pile you created in step 2 as their starting hand.
Step 4: Set Starting Life Points
Each player starts the game with 3 life points. To track
life points, take 3 cards from the remaining pile of unused
cards (the pile of 28 cards that have not been dealt to
players) and place them face down in front of the player.
It is recommended to turn the life point cards sideways.
Note: You can also use dice or tokens you have at hand to
track your life points.
SETUP
Playing the Game
Goal of the Game
You immediately win the game when the opponent’s life
total is reduced to zero.
Life Points
You start the game with 3 life points. Whenever you lose
a life point, remove one of your life tracking cards from
the game. Whenever you gain a life point, take a card from
the pile of unused cards and add it to your life tracking pile.
Creature Cards
Each card represents a creature with a name and a power
value. Cards can have one or more KEYWORDS (the
first line below the name) and an ABILITY (the text be-
low the keywords).
Power Value
Name
Keywords
Ability
Drawing cards
Whenever you remove a card from your hand (e.g. by
playing or discarding a card), 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.
Taking Turns
To determine the starting player, each player reveals a
random card from the pile of unused cards (The remaining
28 creature cards that have not been dealt to players).
Compare the power value on those cards. The player with
the higher number is the starting player. (On a tie repeat
the process).
Players alternate taking turns.
During each of your turns you must
take one of the following actions:
1. Play a card
2. Attack with a single creature
Play a card
Pick any card from your hand and place it face up on the
table. Now your opponent has two options:
Option 1: Your opponent refuses to spend a Mindbug
Whenever you play a card from your hand, your opponent
may spend 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 spends a Mindbug
If your opponent decides to use a Mindbug, they imme-
diately get to play that card instead of you and lose one
Mindbug. Turn that Mindbug face down to show it has
been used and put the creature card into their play area .
The opponent resolves any play effects of the creature
just if they had played it from their hand.
Then end your turn and immediately get another turn
afterwards (allowing you to either play a card or attack
with a creature).
Note: If a card comes into play in some other way than a
play from hand action (for example using a card effect), the-
re is no option of spending a Mindbug to take control of it.
Note: You cannot spend a Mindbug to take control of
a card that is already in play. And you can also not use
a Mindbug on a creature that has been Mindbugged by
your opponent.
Example: Alice plays the card Axolotl Healer from her hand
and draws a card. Bob has two Mindbugs left. He chooses
to spend one and puts Axolotl Healer into his play area and
activates its play ability (to gain 2 life). Alice now ends her
turn and then starts a new turn. She uses that to play Strange
Barrel and draws back to 5. Bob has one Mindbug left and he
could spend it to take Strange Barrel. However, he chooses
to keep his Mindbug and Alice puts Strange Barrel into her
play area.
Attack with a creature
Pick a single creature in your play area (an allied creature)
to attack. Your opponent may now pick a creature from
their play area (an enemy creature) to block the attack. If
they decide not to block, they lose a life. If they block the
attack, the unit with the lower power is defeated and sent
to that player’s discard pile.
If they have the same power both cards are defeated.
Example: Alice attacks with Gorillion which has power 10.
Bob has Bee Bear with power 8 in play. He can block with
Bee Bear. In that case, he loses no life but his Bee Bear is
defeated and sent to his discard pile. He chooses instead not
to block the attack. This causes him to lose a life.
Keywords
Creature cards can have one or more keywords. A key-
word is a word or set of words that acts as a substitute for
rules text that explains what the card does.
Frenzy: If this card survives its first attack during a turn, it
can attack a second time this turn.
Luchataur can attack
a second time, as it is
Player 1 attacks Frenzy and survived
with Luchataur the first attack
Extorter is defeated and
put to the discard pile as it
has a lower power value
Player 2 chooses Player 2 loses a life as
Tusked Extorter as they don't have any
blocker creature to block
Hunter: When you attack with a Hunter instead of the
opponent, you may choose an enemy creature who has
to block it.
Note: Using the Hunter ability is voluntary, but if you do,
you cannot use it to attack the opponent directly.
Player 1 attacks
with Killer Bee
Player 1 forces
Compost Dragon Compost Dragon is
to block defeated as it has a
lower power value
Player 2 does not
have a block decision
Poisonous: In addition to normal combat resolution, this
creature always defeats the enemy creature, even if its
power value is less than the enemy's power value.
Note: If the enemy creature's power value is equal or
higher it also is defeated.
Player 1 attacks
with Tusked Extorter Extorter defeats
Spider Owl as it
has a higher power
value, but is also
defeated since
Spider Owl is
poisonous
Player 2 discards
a card
Player 2 chooses
Spider Owl as blocker
Sneaky: This creature can only be blocked by sneaky
creatures.
Note: It still can block enemy creatures like a normal
creature).
Player 1 attacks with
a Sneaky creature
(Spider Owl)
Player 2 has two
creatures in play,
but only Tiger Squirrel
can be chosen
as a blocker (as it
requires Sneaky)
Tough: If this card would be defeated and isn't exhausted,
exhaust it instead of defeating it.
(Exhausting means rotating the card by 90 degrees to
highlight that it has used its tough trigger already. Being
exhausted doesn't affect what a creature can do (it can
still attack, block and use its abilities).)
Kangasaurus Rex is
Player 1 attacks defeated and put
with Kangasaurus Rex into the discard pile
Both creatures
would be defeated
since they have the
Player 2 chooses same power value
to block with
Elephantopus
Since Elephan-
topus is Tough
(and not yet
exhausted) it is
exhausted and
not defeated
Abilities & Triggers
Most creatures have a special ability that triggers at a spe-
cific moment during the game. The following triggers can
be found on cards:
Play: This effect happens when the card comes into play.
It happens no matter how the card comes into play, also
for example if another effect allows you to play a card
from your discard pile. If your opponent spends a Mind-
bug to take control of a card you played, the play effect
happens for them and not for you.
Attack: This effect happens when the creature with this
effect attacks, but before the opponent decides if they
want to block it.
Defeated: This effect happens when the creature with
this effect is defeated. It means the creature is moved
from the play area to the discard pile. A creature can be
defeated in combat or from another card effect. Notice
that it does not trigger if the opponent takes control of
the creature, sends it back to your hand or when you di-
scard it from your hand to the discard pile.
Constant Abilities:
If a card has an ability text without a trigger word (Play,
Attack, or Defeated), that 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.
6 Game terms
The Game Terms include a number of terms players may
encounter while playing the game, in alphabetical order.
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 ene-
my 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 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.
Steal: If an effect let’s you steal a card, you take the card
from your opponent’s hand and put it into your hand.
Take control of a creature: If a card effect lets you take
control of a card, you put it into your play area. If you
take control of a card it remains in its current state (e.g.
exhausted) and doesn't trigger play effects.
You can also find rules,
multiplayer modes and
up to date FAQ online at:
e/rules
[Link]
7 credits
Game Design: Christian Kudahl, Marvin Hegen,
Richard Garfield, Skaff Elias
Illustrations: Graphic Design:
Denis Martynets Maximilian Gotthold
([Link]) ([Link]
Playtesting:
Anders Knudsen, Andreas Skjellerup Iversen, Bo Sten-
tebjerg-Hansen, Daniela Hegen, Daniel Herbet, Emil
Grubak Schmalfeldt, Garrot Kole, Jared Patterson, Jens
Balcerek, Jeppe Due Hunsdahl, Joshua Raynack, Kasper
Meyer, Koni Garfield, Kristoffer Dyrgaard Sørensen,
Laura Kudahl, Linus Hegen, Manuel Smak, Markus
Peschina, Pascal Bogensperger, Phu Vinh Nguyen,
Schuyler Garfield, Sebastian Nickel, Søren Juul Larsen ,
Steffen Klein, Stephan Heim
