Mindbug: First Contact

To set up, each player takes two Mindbug cards and a health dial, setting their dial to 3. The remaining creature cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt 10 cards face down to form their personal draw pile. Players then draw 5 cards from their draw pile to form their starting hand, keeping them secret from their opponent. Any remaining creature cards are placed face down in a central unused pile. For the Battlefruit Kingdom set, Octonite tokens are placed within reach of both players.

The primary objective of Mindbug: First Contact is to be the first player to reduce your opponent's life total from 3 to zero. This is achieved by attacking your opponent directly with creatures that are not blocked.

At the start of the game, each player draws and reveals one card from the unused pile. The player with the higher power value on their revealed card takes the first turn. If tied, players repeat this process until a tie is broken. On your turn, you must perform one of two actions: either play a single creature card from your hand to your play area, or attack with one creature you already have in play. When playing a creature, you must show it to your opponent. Your opponent then has the option to use one of their Mindbug cards to take control of your creature, adding it to their play area and resolving any 'Play' effects for themselves. If they do, you get to take another turn immediately. If they don't, you play the creature as normal. You cannot Mindbug a creature already in play or one played through an effect. If you have less than 5 cards in hand at the start of your turn, you immediately draw back up to 5 cards before taking any other action, unless your draw pile is empty.

The game is won by reducing your opponent's life total to zero. Each player starts with 3 life, tracked on their health dial. When an unblocked creature attacks, the opponent loses 1 life. Some creature effects may also cause life loss or gain. There is no upper limit to the amount of life a player can have.

The game ends immediately if a player's life total is reduced to zero, in which case their opponent wins. Additionally, if a player cannot perform a turn action (e.g., they have no creatures to attack with and no cards in hand to play), they lose the game, and their opponent wins. Certain creature effects can also provide unique victory conditions, leading to an immediate win if met.