Virus! Marvel
Virus! Marvel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
The box contains 81 cards divided into the following types:
- Heroes: 1 multicolored, 1 intangible, 5 of each of the four colors
- Villains: 1 multicolored, 4 of each of the four colors
- Powers: 5 of each of the four colors
- Allies: 6, one of each kind
- Actions: 13, across five kinds (Recruit, Warp Reality, Snap, Spy, Counter)
Setup
Shuffle the deck of cards and deal 3 to each person.
Place the deck face down on the table within everyone's reach. Next to it, the discard pile will form, face up. When the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new deck by flipping the cards over.
Objective
Gather four ready Heroes of different colors on the table in front of you to win the game.
Ready Heroes: We consider Heroes ready when they are not blocked by a Villain, are protected, or are shielded. Later we'll explain how to use each card.
Game Mechanics
Each person may only perform one action per turn with the cards in their hand, unless a game effect states otherwise. After playing, they draw as many cards as needed until they have 3 cards in hand, then pass the turn to the person on their right.
Play the different types of cards, placing them on the table in front of you to assemble your team of Heroes, or on your rivals' cards to prevent them from succeeding before you do.
Pay attention to the other players' moves to prevent them from assembling their team of four Heroes before you do.
(Your hand → Discard / Draw; Your team ↔ Discard pile / Deck; You ↔ Other players)
Game Phases
Choose between playing a card or discarding as many as you want. Then draw as many cards as you need before passing the turn to the next person. You cannot pass your turn without having played it.
Phase 1: Choose one of these two actions
- PLAY: Play a single card from your hand per turn.
- DISCARD: Discard as many cards as you wish.
If at the start of your turn you have no cards in hand, you only carry out Phases 2 and 3.
Phase 2: Draw — Draw as many cards as necessary to have 3 in your hand.
Phase 3: Pass — Pass the turn to the person on your right.
Types of Cards
Hero Cards
Play Hero cards on the table in front of you to form your team. Gather four ready Heroes of different colors to win the game.
A Hero is considered ready when it:
- Is free (no card is on it)
- Is protected
- Is shielded
You can never have two Heroes of the same color on your team at the same time.
Important! Your team can be made up of up to six different Heroes if one of them is multicolor and another is intangible, and you can win the game if four of them are ready (see the special cards section at the end of the rulebook).
Villain Cards
Play Villain cards on Hero cards to confront them. Villains can only be played on cards of their own color.
Block — Place a Villain card on a free Hero of its color to block it. Blocked Heroes are not considered ready and therefore cannot help you complete your team.
Weaken — Remove a Power card. Play a Villain to remove a Power card of its own color that is on a Hero. Send the Power and the Villain to the discard pile.
Capture — Defeat a blocked Hero. Place a second Villain on a blocked Hero. This Hero and the two Villains go to the discard pile.
Power Cards
Power cards are used to protect your Heroes from Villains or to fight Villains that are blocking your Heroes. Use Power cards only on cards (Heroes or Villains) of their own color.
Protect — Protect a Hero. Place a Power card on a free Hero of its own color. Now, to block it, the Power card must be removed first.
Fight — Defeat a Villain. Use a Power card to discard a Villain of its own color that is on a Hero. Send both cards to the discard pile.
Shield — Place a second Power card on a Hero. A shielded Hero is protected forever against any Villain and cannot be defeated or affected by most Action cards. Turn the two Power cards over on the Hero to show that it is shielded.
Ally Cards
Allies are used to shield your Heroes or fight Villains; they count as 2 Power cards.
Attack — Defeat a Villain. Use an Ally card to discard a Villain that matches one of its colors and is on a Hero. Send both cards to the discard pile.
Shield — Place an Ally card turned face down on a free or protected Hero whose color matches one of its two colors to automatically shield it. Villains can no longer confront this Hero. In addition, this Hero will not be affected by most Action cards. If the Hero has a Power card on it, that card is not discarded.
Important! An Ally cannot be played on a Hero that does not match one of its colors, nor on an intangible Hero. Any Ally can be played on a multicolor Hero or Villain.
Action Cards
Action cards can alter the game to help you win. Use them to your advantage or to prevent your rivals from completing their team before you do. These cards are played onto the discard pile and have an immediate effect.
Recruit — Take a Hero from another person's team and add it to yours. You can take free, protected, or blocked Heroes, but not shielded ones. Remember you cannot have two Heroes of the same color.
Warp Reality — Swap your entire team with another person's, including Heroes, Villains, and Power cards. It doesn't matter how many cards each of you has on the table. When you use this card, shielded Heroes are also swapped.
Snap — Everyone must eliminate half the Heroes on their team, of their choosing, rounding down. When someone plays this card, all Heroes can be destroyed, no matter whether they are blocked, free, protected, or shielded. Each person chooses which Heroes to eliminate from their own team.
Example: Toni plays "Snap." Carolina, who has 3 Heroes on her team, must eliminate 1. Nicolás, who only has one Hero, eliminates nothing. Natalia, who looked like a winner with 2 shielded Heroes on her team, also chooses 1 of her Heroes to destroy. Finally, Toni, who played "Snap," decides to eliminate, between his 2 Heroes, the one that was blocked by a villain.
Spy — Look at another person's hand. If you can, you must play one of their cards. That person does not draw a new card and will begin their turn with one less card.
Counter — Play this card during another person's turn. It negates the effect of a card of any type played against you. Your rival must find a new valid target among the remaining people, including themself. If they cannot find one, their card has no effect and is discarded. You cannot respond to a Counter with another Counter.
Example: Toni tries to play a Villain against Carolina and she responds with "Counter," forcing Toni to find a new target. Since he is the only one with a Hero of that color, he must play it against his own team and cannot avoid it by using another "Counter."
After playing this card you cannot draw, so you will begin your next turn with one less card in your hand. If the card affects everyone, it will take effect on the others, but not on you.
Example: Toni uses "Counter" to escape Natalia's "Snap," avoiding having to discard any Hero like everyone else. When his turn comes, he can play one of his two remaining cards and, at the end of his turn, draw up to 3 cards in hand.
Special Cards
There are three types of special cards: the multicolor Hero, the multicolor Villain, and the intangible Hero.
Multicolor Hero and Villain
A multicolor card is always of all colors at once and does not replace any other card. This makes them very powerful, since they can affect cards of any color, but also very fragile because they can be affected by any card.
The multicolor Hero can be shielded with two different Power cards or an Ally of any color, although it can also be defeated by two different Villains. After playing a multicolor Hero, you automatically start a new turn.
The multicolor Villain can block any Hero or Power card, but it can also be fought with a Power card or an Ally of any color. After playing a multicolor Villain, you automatically start a new turn.
Intangible Hero
It cannot be blocked by any Villain. Nor can any Power or Ally card be played on this Hero. However, it can be the target of Action cards.
This Hero counts as an extra Hero of a new color (gray) to complete your team.
Note: You can have up to 6 different Heroes on your team and achieve victory if 4 of them are ready.