Mindbug: First Contact

Players summon bizarre hybrid creatures and send them into combat to reduce the opponent’s life total to zero. Each player starts with ten creature cards and two Mindbug cards; when a creature is played, the opponent may spend a Mindbug to immediately take control of it, creating tactical tension around timing and sequencing. Cards have unique abilities and there are no resource costs or deck-building: plays happen from a shared deck and every card is playable when drawn, so decisions about when to play and when to seize control drive the match rather than mana or setup.

Players: 2
Playing time: 15–25 min
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.9 / 5

6.9 on Ludoya from $19.99Card GameFantasyHand ManagementTake That

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About the game

Design: Christian Kudahl
Skaff Elias
Marvin Hegen
Richard Garfield
Art: Denis Martynets
Publisher: Nerdlab Games

Where to buy it

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya

1,784
Plays logged: 536
Players: 17m 56s
Average play: 311
In collections: 18
On wishlists: 1
Pre-ordered

6.9/10

from 105 Ludoya reviews

Garfield2.0
Very, very light Magic-like game. But it's so simple and you can't do much, the cards play you. I didn't enjoy my first play because my opponent had too much cards with the skill 'finesse' that only can be blocked by 'finesse' card. If you never draw one it's almost a certain death. It's a very take-thatish game. I would only play it as a filler, because it's just random who will win. [c] Theme: :star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:  Gameplay: :star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:  Interaction: :star::star::star::star::star:  Artwork: :star::star::star::star::nostar:  Luck: :star::star::star::star::star:  Strategy: :star::nostar::nostar::nostar::nostar:  Components: :star::star::star::nostar::nostar:  Play duration: :star::star::star::star::star:  Easy to teach: :star::star::star::star::star:  Rules quality:  Setup time: :star::star::star::star::star:  No downtime: :star::star::star::star::star:  Replay value: :star::star::nostar::nostar::nostar:  [/c]
Jan Solo7.0
Impro-Reseña⇒ https://youtu.be/Y7oRDRWGAeQ

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can my opponent spend a Mindbug to steal a creature I just played, and whose Play effects happen?

Yes — when you play a creature the opponent may spend a Mindbug to take control of it instead of letting it enter under your control, and the Play effect happens for whoever ends up controlling the card (the taker) (pages 9, 17).

When do I draw up to five cards?

You draw up to five cards whenever you play a card or discard a card (page 8).

What exactly happens in combat — who is defeated on ties or when one creature is weaker, and when does a player lose life?

In combat the weaker creature is defeated; if both creatures have equal power both are defeated; if an attacker is unblocked the defending player loses 1 life (page 10).

What does Frenzy do — can a creature attack twice, and when do Attack triggers happen?

Frenzy lets a creature that survives its first attack this turn attack a second time, and Attack triggers occur when the creature attacks but before the opponent decides whether to block (pages 12, 17).

If a creature is Poisonous, does it still get defeated or does it automatically kill the blocker?

Poisonous causes the enemy creature to be defeated in addition to normal combat resolution, and if the poisonous creature’s power is equal or lower both creatures can be defeated (page 14).

How does Tough work — is the creature exhausted instead of being defeated, and can exhausted creatures still act?

If a Tough creature would be defeated and it is not already exhausted, exhaust it instead of defeating it; exhausted creatures can still attack, block, and use abilities (page 16).