Cuttle is a combat card game of mysterious origins dating back to the 1970's. It feels like playing Magic or Yugioh!, but it's played with a standard 52-card deck.

https://cuttle.cards is an open source (code: https://github.com/cuttle-cards/cuttle) project that lets people play Cuttle online, for free.

The project is under active development and has a competitive format with 4 seasonal championships each year, followed by a world championship tournament. The Cuttle World Championship is tomorrow, April 11th, at 1pm ET. You can watch it live on Twitch (https://twitch.tv/cuttle_cards) or Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/live/mBj04alF1Z8?si=amIR5flmW7zewmL9) and chat with the players on the Cuttle discord (https://discord.gg/46RTv7S4Hg).

*RULES* ### Goal

The goal is to be the first player to have 21 or more points worth of point cards on your field. The first player to reach the goal wins immediately. One player (traditionally the dealer) is dealt 6 cards, and their opponent is dealt 5. The player with 5 cards goes first.

### Play

On your turn you must perform exactly one of the following actions:

- *Draw:* Take one card from the Deck. You may not draw past the 8-card hand limit - *Points:* Play a number card from your hand. Worth its rank in points, lasts until scrapped - *Scuttle:* Scrap an opponent’s point card with a bigger one from your hand - If two number cards have the same rank, the suit breaks the tie - Suit order is (high) Spades ♠ > Hearts ♥ > Diamonds ♦> Clubs ♣ (low) - *Royal:* Play a face card for a persistent benefit based on rank (lasts until scrapped) - *Glasses:* Play an Eight to reveal your opponent’s hand (lasts until scrapped) - *One-Off:* Scrap a number card for an effect based on the rank of the card.

## Royals

Royals (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) may be played to the field for a persistent benefit that remains in effect until the card is scrapped. Each Royal gives a different effect.

*King:* Reduce the number of points you need to win (21, 14, 10, 5, 0 points with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 kings)

*Queen:* Protects your other cards from being targeted by the effects of other cards. This protects your cards against 2’s (both effects), 9’s, and Jacks, but not scuttling.

*Jack:* Play on an opponent’s point card to steal it. Point card returns to opponent if the jack is scrapped or if another jack is used to steal it back.

### One-Offs

Number cards (except 8’s and 10’s) can be played for a One-Off effect, which scraps the card for an effect based on the rank of the card played. Whenever a one-off is played, the other player may counter it using a two to cancel the effect.

- *Ace:* Scrap all point cards on the field - *Two:* Twos have two alternative one-off effects: - Counter target One-Off Effect (Played immediately in response to a one-off) - Scrap target Royal - *Three:* Choose a card in the scrap pile and put it in your hand - *Four:* Your opponent discards two cards of their choice - *Five:* Discard one card and then draw three cards - *Six:* Scrap all Royals and Glasses Eights on the field - *Seven:* Choose one of the top two cards from the deck and play it however you choose. - *Nine:* Return a card from your opponent’s field to their hand. They cannot play it next turn.