Contents:
  1. How to Play
    1. Basics
    2. Card Anatomy
    3. Turn Order
    4. Beginner Mistakes

How to Play

MetaZoo is a collectible card game based on cryptids, e.g. Mothman, Jersey Devil, Bigfoot. It is easiest to learn if you have previous experience with another TCG like magic the gathering or pokemon.

Basics

Casters (Players) build a spellbook (deck) of no less than 40 pages (cards), and while there is no maximum all pages must be shuffled in both hands within 2 minutes. Each caster starts with 1000 life points and one wins by reducing their opponent's life points to 0.

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Card Anatomy

Here is a breakdown of the quintessential cryptid bigfoot.

In metazoo some cards are limited in deckbuilding similar to Yu-Gi-Oh! e.g. only 1 copy of this bigfoot card is allowed per deck.

Caveat: A deck contain multiple "bigfoots" if they are not actually the same card i.e. the same name but different abilities, card text.

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Turn Order

On your turn you will follow this sequence:

Start of Your Turn:

  1. "Start of your turn" effects trigger.
  2. The active caster gains priority, followed by the opposing caster.
  3. Book mark a page from the top of the spellbook and add to your chapter.
  4. Awaken any fatigued pages under your control in the arena.
  5. Draw a card.

Take Actions (in any order)

  1. Contract an aura page into the arena.
  2. Contract a terra page into the arena.
  3. Contract a beastie, artifact, spell, or potion page.
  4. Place a trap face down into the arena.
  5. Move a face down trap page.
  6. Use Powers.
  7. Declare an attack and resolve combat.

End of Turn:

  1. The active caster gains priority, followed by the opposing caster.
  2. "End of your turn" effects trigger.
  3. Unspent aura dissolves.
  4. Play passes to opposing caster.
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Common Beginner Mistakes

Some caltrops if you are coming from an alternate game or are a new player.

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