Rivales: Capítulo 1 – Justicia Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• How to Play
• Clashes
  • Speed
  • Equal Speed and Card Type
  • Attack
  • Defense
  • Damage
• End of Round / Game
• Energy
  • Boost Speed / Damage
  • Boost Guard
• Combos
• Chained Combos
  • Maximum Combo
• Appendix: 2vs2 Mode (official companion, "Reglamento Modo 2vs2")
  • Objective
  • Setup
  • The clash is divided into game phases
  • Combined Combos
  • 5) End of Clash

Components

Each fighter has a deck of 11 cards:

• 1 fighter card: contains a life bar, victory symbol, special ability and maximum combo with its bonuses.
• 10 movement cards: divided into 3 types:
  • x4 basic (light-blue diamond): the same for all fighters, representing the basic movements.
  • x5 unique (orange circle): special movements and techniques of each fighter.
  • x1 ultra (pink hexagon): the fighter's most powerful technique. This card starts on the table face up.

Setup

Each player:

1. Selects a fighter, takes their deck and places the character card on their side of the table, with the victory symbol in grey face up.
2. Separates the fighter's ultra (pink hexagon) card and places it face up. It can only be picked up when the ultra icon is uncovered on the life bar.
3. Shuffles the remaining 9 cards and forms their deck, left face down.
4. Draws 5 cards from the deck and chooses one of them to use as a life marker (heart), which is placed fully covering the life bar.
5. The 4 remaining cards are their starting hand.

How to Play

The goal is to win the fight by defeating the rival in 2 out of 3 rounds. Each round lasts a maximum of 7 clashes, and may end earlier if a K.O. occurs.

Clashes

Each clash begins with both players simultaneously playing 1 card from their hand, face down, adjacent to their last played card and facing each other. Players decide whether or not to boost speed / damage (see the Energy section), both cards are revealed at the same time and the immediate effects (stopwatch/lightning icon) are resolved.

If both have immediate effects, they are resolved respecting the priority order by type: ultra (pink hexagon), then basic (light-blue diamond), then unique (orange circle). If they are of the same type, whoever has more Speed resolves first.

NOTE: Some effects have a requirement (text in red) that must be met in order to execute them. Once the immediate effects are resolved, the Speed values of the cards are compared.

Speed

Calculated by adding the base value (printed on the card) + bonuses (from effects or combo). In case of a tie, the priority order by type is applied: ultra, then basic, then unique.

Equal Speed and Card Type

If both values are equal there is an exchange: both fighters flip their active card, each receives 1 Damage ignoring guard (Guard), and the clash is over.

Whoever has the higher Speed is the attacker, and their rival is the defender. LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!

Attack

The attacker's Damage equals its base value (printed on the card) + bonuses (from effects or combos).

Defense

If the defender's card has Guard points, they are subtracted from the attacker's Damage: if the result is 1 or more, Damage is dealt. If no Damage is dealt the clash ends immediately, leaving both cards face up.

Damage

If the defender receives 1 or more points of Damage, they must flip their card, cancelling its effect. They must also move their life marker to the right as many spaces as Damage received.

End of Round / Game

If a fighter uncovers K.O. with their life marker, they lose immediately, ending the round. If nobody is K.O. and 7 clashes have not been played, a new one begins, each player drawing 1 card from their deck as long as it is not exhausted, or otherwise playing with what is left in hand. If during the clash the ultra icon (pink hexagon) was uncovered on their life bar, they will also take their ultra card.

At the end of the seventh clash the round ends, and whoever has more life wins. In case of a tie the round is considered won by both fighters. The game ends when a player wins 2 out of 3 rounds. If after 3 rounds there is a tie, a final round is played and the first to cause 1 or more Damage is the winner.

Energy

Each flipped card is 1 energy, which can be used to boost Speed / Damage / Guard.

Illustration: x3 energy (turn 5).

Boost Speed / Damage

Before revealing the played card, if someone has energy they may decide to use it to boost that card. For each energy used, they must move one of their flipped cards down. They cannot reuse it unless some effect indicates so.

• x1 energy = +1 Damage
• x2 energies (*) = +1 Speed
• x3 energies (*) = +1 Speed and +1 Damage
• (*) The energies do not need to be adjacent.

NOTE: If both players have energy available, whoever has won a clash most recently decides whether to boost Speed / Damage or to pass. Then their rival does the same and the cards are revealed.

Boost Guard

Only the defender:

During the defense, the defender can increase their Guard by as many points as they wish to exhaust as energy.

Combos

Cards with links (chain link icon) are considered in combo if at least 2 of them are face up and adjacent. When the cards in a clash enter a combo, the bonus described on the fighter card is obtained.

Illustration: (A) a card with a link starts a combo; (B) the next card with a link in the clash receives the bonus (+1 Speed in the example).

Chained Combos

Some fighters can chain more than one link. When the cards in the clash enter a combo forming 2 or more links, the player adds the bonuses described on the fighter card.

Illustration: (A) + (B): the first combo gives +2 Damage and the second +1 Damage in the example; the third card gives +3 Damage.

Maximum Combo

When a player executes their maximum combo (indicated on their fighter card), the last card of that combo is moved face down, cutting it and indicating that the next card will start a new combo.

Illustration (C): the last card of the maximum combo is moved down.

Appendix: 2vs2 Mode (official companion, "Reglamento Modo 2vs2")

DOMINATE THE ARENA IN TEAM DUELS!

If you have already played the 1vs1 mode, now it is time to take strategy to the next level. The new 2vs2 mode challenges you to coordinate attacks, chain combos as a team and cover your partner's weaknesses to overcome the rival duo.

Objective

Win the fight by defeating the rival team in 2 out of 3 rounds. Each round lasts a maximum of 7 clashes. If at the end of a clash one of the teams has a K.O., it loses the round. If both have a K.O., the team whose surviving fighter has more life wins. If the tie persists, both teams win the round.

Setup

A. 2 teams of 2 fighters are formed. Each team sits on one side of the table. B. The players of each team must each select a different fighter. C. The initial setup of each fighter is the same as in 1vs1 mode. D. The play area is divided into Zone 1 and Zone 2. At the start of each clash the team members must agree on which zone each will play in, since only one may play per zone.

Layout: Team A (Player 1, Player 2) on one side; Team B (Player 1, Player 2) on the other; Zone 1 and Zone 2 in the middle area.

The clash is divided into game phases

1) Limited communication between players of the same team:

• Communication may be private (whispering, signs, etc.) but without using a cell phone or getting up from the table to discuss matters of the rival team.
• They may discuss game strategies about the information visible on the table or possible actions the rival team might perform.
• Cards of the other team may not be counted or enumerated.
• Cards in hand may not be shown or named between players of the same team.
• Lastly, and in private, they must choose which zone each will play in during the active clash, bearing in mind that both cannot go to the same zone.

2) Preparation: All players place a card from their hand face down in the selected zone. If a dodge ("esquiva") was left face up in play in the previous clash, its effect is respected by playing the face-up card first in the corresponding zone.

3) Boosting: Players may use the energy cards of both fighters on their team to boost Speed / Damage / Guard, but only those corresponding to the zone where the clash is being played. Each zone is resolved separately and in the order the players decide; both zones must be resolved before moving to the next phase.

4) Resolution: ALL EFFECTS ARE RESOLVED ONLY IN THE ZONE WHERE THE FIGHTER IS (CARDS IN THE OTHER ZONE ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT).

Players decide whether to resolve both zones at the same time or one zone at a time. This phase follows the rules of the vs game but taking into account the following adjustments for some effects:

Zorro

• Passive (ability on the fighter card): refers to all exhausted cards, counting their own and those of their partner.
• La Marca (ultra): Counts face-down cards of their own and their partner's.
• Latigazo: Refers to the card in the previous clash, regardless of whose card it is.
• Presión: May flip a card of their own or of their partner.
• Amague: May only be exchanged with their own blue cards.

Curie

• Passive (ability on the fighter card): If there are 3 or more energy cards of their own or their partner's, one must be flipped.
• Onda Radiactiva (ultra): Counts face-up cards of their own and their partner's.
• Isótopos Cargados: Counts face-up cards of the rival and their partner.
• Física Imposible: Wins Speed ties regardless of card types.
• Salto Analítico: Counts face-down cards of their own and their partner's.

Mulan

• Pinzas de Mantis: The rival who plays the next clash may not play basic (light-blue diamond) cards, regardless of who plays the clash.

Darwin

• Evolución Definitiva (ultra): The links in combo are counted regardless of who is forming the chain.

Hansel & Gretel

• Passive (ability on the fighter card): When both players in your play zone have played their card: Choose out loud whether you are going to be HANSEL (candy cane) or GRETEL (cookie).
• Carga Crocante - Gretel: Its effect only applies to your own cards.
• Guardia Galleta - Hansel: You may flip energies of your own or your partner's, but only in the zone where you play this card.

Sombrerero

• Passive (ability on the fighter card): Your face-up basic (light-blue diamond) cards in the active zone generate permanent boosters for the unique (orange) cards of yours and of your partner: +1 Damage (teapot) and +1 Guard (hat).
• Lluvia de Sombreros: Show your cards only to the player you are facing. That player may not tell their partner which cards you have.

Combined Combos

Combo chains are shared. That is, while links are being formed, the active fighter benefits from the combo bonuses. To resolve this, only the combo chain belonging to the fighter who starts the combo is taken into account. For example: on the team formed by Mulan and Curie, Mulan plays the first card with links, starting a combo (A); that is, her combo chain is the one used to resolve the bonuses regardless of whether the next card is Mulan's or Curie's; both may receive Mulan's +1 Speed (B) and therefore also reach the maximum combo, cutting it (C).

5) End of Clash

Effects that trigger in this phase are resolved. Everyone draws a card from their deck and a new clash begins.