Tetris: The Card Game is loads of fun. Just make sure you know all the rules before you start playing!
In the official Tetris Shop, there are several fun games that put a new spin on the Tetris we all know and love. One of these games is Tetris: The Card Game. Upon first glance, you might think that Tetris: The Card Game plays out a bit like Uno thanks to the colorful Tetrimino cards.
However, Tetris: The Card Game is a bit more complex than Uno. Whether you’re on the fence about purchasing Tetris: The Card Game, or simply lost the instruction manual, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ll go over everything you need to know when it comes to playing Tetris: The Card Game!
Tetris: The Card Game can be played with 1-4 players ages 8 and up. The object of the game is to be the first person to complete 10 lines. To do this, you’ll need to fill a horizontal row of the Matrix with a specific Tetrimino. To set your game up, you’ll want to shuffle your deck of 110 cards, then deal 10 cards randomly to each player. In the center, be sure to create a draw pile and a discard pile in order to keep things organized.
With the cards dealt, players will need to place them into 2 rows of 5 with the Tetrimino side facing up. In doing so, each player will form their Score Row. Essentially, Score Row cards are used to keep score (as the name suggests). This helps demonstrate the number of lines each player has completed. As mentioned above, the goal is to complete 10 lines in total.
With their Score Row, players will flip a card over to show its Matrix side for every completed line. To make things a bit more intense, the game includes Power Cards. These cards let players steal cards away from other players’ Score Rows during the game. Power Cards can be utilized from a player’s hand (Queue) and can be used during a turn in place of a Tetrimino. Once the Power Card has been used, place it in the discard pile.
To start things off, the player to the left of the dealer will begin by drawing a card from the draw pile. Now, their Queue holds two cards. After this, the player will look at their Matrix to see if either of the 2 Tetrimino cards in their hand can be placed in order to complete a line. Next, the player discards 1 card that completes a line in the shown Matrix.
While discarding a card, the player can show the other players how the Tetrimino fits into their Matrix by rotating it over the top of the Matrix (if needed). Note that the player doesn’t discard the card on top of the Matrix but rather beside it on the discard pile. Meanwhile, the second card remains in the player’s Queue for the next round. Keep in mind, a player cannot hold more than 2 cards in their Queue at a given time.
If a player is unable to clear a line during their turn, they must announce they are “Dropping” before discarding a card. Players who Drop a card are penalized and are required to flip a card in their Score Row from the Matrix side back over to the Tetrimino side. If there are no Score Row cards to flip, no penalty is applied. The player then passes the turn to the player on their left, who draws a card from the draw pile and continues the game.
Again, the object of the game is to complete 10 lines before everyone else. In order to determine the winner, players will need to keep score. Cards played have the potential to complete one, two, three, or even four lines of the player’s Matrix.
To keep track, the player will flip over a set number of cards in their Score Row to the Matrix side based on how many lines they’ve completed. As mentioned above, if a player cannot complete a line, they’re stuck Dropping a card and taking the penalty of flipping a card in their Score Row back over.
The first player to complete 10 lines will have all of their cards flipped over from the Tetrimino side to the Matrix side. This makes it easy to keep track of how well you’re doing in Tetris: The Card Game.
In Tetris: The Card Game, there are Power Cards that boast a special move. We briefly mentioned Power Cards, but let’s go into a bit more depth about what each one does.
Now that you have a better idea of how Power Cards work, it’s time to take a look at the last component of Tetris: The Card Game… special rules.
There are a variety of special rules in Tetris: The Card Game, and they’re valuable to know as they can often help you reach the goal of 10 lines completed. Below, we detailed each of the game’s special rules and how they work in Tetris: The Card Game.
There you have it, a look at how to play Tetris: The Card Game! Looking to purchase Tetris: The Card Game? Head over to the official Tetris Shop to order yourself a pack! If you’d rather play Tetris online, we’ve got you covered there as well. Click here to play Tetris right here on our website!
