This is the official rulebook of the Koopa Trading Card Game.  Read it carefully before you start playing, and check back any time you need to refresh your memory.  Turn the page for a fun team variation.

What Do You Need to Play?
First, you will need an opponent.  Both of you must have a deck containing exactly 70 cards, some damage counters, and some counters in your favorite color.  You will also need a coin to flip and a playmat.

How to Win
You can win the game two ways.  If your opponent does not occupy any territories, and cannot claim one by moving into one of the corner lands, then you have won the game.  Also, when one player cannot draw a card at the beginning of his or her turn, the game is over and the player with more points wins.  (See below for information on points and scoring.)
If you want a quick game, you can also set a time limit.  At the end of the allotted time, count up the points to determine a winner.

What Are the Different Kinds of Cards?
Basic Minions are your most important cards.  They hold your territories against the enemy, invade unoccupied lands, and attack areas controlled by your opponent.
Evolved Minions are played on top of your Basic Minion cards, or sometimes on top of other evolutions.  They make your troops stronger.
Energy is attached to your Minions to allow them to use their attacks.
Buildings back up your troops by giving them greater attack and defense power.
Spells do something useful and then are discarded.

Descriptions of the Cards
Minion Cards
~Name: Tells you who the Minion is.
~Hit Points: Also called HP, tells you how much damage your Minion can take before it is Knocked Out.
~Evolution Stage: Tells you what type of Minion it is.  Basic Minions are moved directly into the play area, while Evolved Minions must be placed on top of a matching Minion card, shown here.
~Minion Type: Tells you what element your Minion belongs to.
~Attack Cost and Text: Tells you the requirements and special effects of your Minion's attacks.
~Attack Damage: Tells you the basic amount of damage an attack will do.
~Card Number: For collectors.  3/42 means that the card is the third one out of a set of 42.
~Rarity Symbol: For collectors.  Tells you whether the card is Rare (very difficult to get), Uncommon (fairly easy to get), Common (very easy to get), or Promo (only available through special offers).
Energy
~Energy Symbol: Tells you what element the Energy card belongs to.
~Card Number: For collectors.  3/42 means that the card is the third one out of a set of 42.  All Energy cards are of Common rarity.
Buildings
~Name: Tells you what kind of Building it is.
~Hit Points: Also called HP, tells you how much damage your Building can take before it is Knocked Out.
~Function: Tells you what the Building does.
~Card Number: For collectors.  3/42 means that the card is the third one out of a set of 42.
~Rarity Symbol: For collectors.  Tells you whether the card is Rare (very difficult to get), Uncommon (fairly easy to get), Common (very easy to get), or Promo (only available through special offers).
Spells
~Name: Tells you what the Spell is.
~Location: Tells you where to play the card.  Spells may be moved to the discard pile (discard immediately), your lands (areas you currently control), opponent's lands (areas your opponent currently controls), occupied lands (areas currently controlled by either you or your opponent), unoccupied lands (areas not currently controlled by you or your opponent), or any land (any of the nine areas of the playmat).  Even if Spells are not discarded immediately, they are discarded after their effect is over.
~Function: Tells you what the Spell does.
~Card Number: For collectors.  3/42 means that the card is the third one out of a set of 42.
~Rarity Symbol: For collectors.  Tells you whether the card is Rare (very difficult to get), Uncommon (fairly easy to get), Common (very easy to get), or Promo (only available through special offers).

The Play Area
~In the middle of your play area is the playmat, which is divided into nine lands.  Your goal is to occupy as many of these lands as possible.
~Most cards that you play will be placed on the playmat.  Where you put them is determined by which land you want to use them in.
~Your deck should be face-down next to the playmat.
~Your discard pile should be face-up next to the playmat.

Starting the Game
~Shuffle your deck and draw a starting hand of 7 cards.  Put the rest of your deck face-down in front of you.
~If you don't have a Basic Minion in your hand, show your hand to your opponent, shuffle it back into your deck, and draw 7 new cards.  Repeat this step until you draw a Basic Minion.
~Flip a coin to decide who goes first.
~On your first turn, begin by drawing a card.  Then, place a Basic Minion card from your hand into one of the corner lands on the playmat.  This counts as your invasion for the turn.  After this, perform all the other steps for your turn.  When you are done, it is your opponent's turn.

What Can You Do during Your Turn?
When it's not your turn, gameplay is up to your opponent.  There is nothing for you to do at this time.  On your turn, follow these steps.
~Draw a card.  You must begin with this step.  If you cannot draw a card, the game is over, and you count up the points to determine the winner.  (See below for information on points and scoring.)
~Dispatch a Minion.  On each turn, you may move as many Minions as you want from your hand to your occupied lands. (They do not have to be placed in the same land.)  You cannot move Minions directly to unoccupied territories, unless you do not currently own any lands.  In that case, you can place as many Minions as you want in any one unowned corner land (Grass Land, Water Land, Ice Land, or Underground Land).  If you cannot do this, the game is over and your opponent wins.
~Evolve a Minion in play.  You can place an Evolved Minion card on top of the Basic Minion card it says it evolves from. (For example, if you have a Goomba that says "Evolves from Microgoomba", you can play Goomba on top of your Microgoomba.) When you evolve a Minion, it keeps any cards already attached to it and any damage it has accumulated.  However, you lose all the things about the Minion you had previously - its HP, attacks, and other special traits.  You cannot evolve a Minion that you played or evolved earlier on the same turn.  Also, neither player can evolve a Minion on his or her first turn.
~Attach Energy cards to Minions.  You may take an Energy card from your hand and place it next to any of your Minions that are already in play.  You can play as many Energy cards as you want, and each Minion can receive an unlimited amount of energy.
~Transport a Minion.  You may move your Minions between your occupied territories.  Simply pick up the Minion and all cards attached to it, and move it to a land under your control that borders the land it was previously in.  You cannot move diagonally.  When Minions move, they keep any damage that they had.  Minions cannot move through enemy territories or unoccupied lands.  You can move as many Minions as you want to and from your lands, and Minions may move more than once per turn.  (For example, you can move a Minion in Ice Land to Pipe Land and then Underground Land, providing you occupy all those territories.)  If a Minion leaves a land, it cannot reenter that land on the same turn.
~Use a Spell.  Choose a Spell card from your hand and follow the directions printed on it.
~Begin construction.  You can move a Foundation from your hand to any land that you occupy, as long as that land does not already have a Foundation.
~Upgrade a building.  Place another Building card next to a Foundation in a land you currently control.  You cannot upgrade a Foundation that you played or upgraded earlier on the same turn.  Also, neither player can upgrade a Foundation on his or her first turn.  However, if your opponent upgrades a Foundation, and then you take over that land, you may upgrade the Foundation on that turn.  Each Foundation may only have one component of each type attached to it.  There is no limit to the number of Buildings that can be placed on a Foundation, but, for example, a Foundation can have only one Parapet attached to it.  Unlike evolving a Minion, upgrading a Building does not affect pieces already constructed.  Damage for each component is separate, and the functions of previous Buildings are not lost.  For example, if you build a Gun Tower, and then attach an Underground Tunnel to the same Foundation on your next turn, the Gun Tower is still in effect.
~Invade a land.  If a land has no Minions in it, it is unoccupied and can be invaded from an adjoining land.  You cannot invade diagonally.  For example, Grass Land can only be invaded from Desert Land or Giant Land.  It does not share a border with any other territory.  You may only invade one land per turn.  If a Minion invades a land, it cannot move again that turn.  However, other Minions may move through your newly-claimed territory.
~Attack a land.  Your Minions may attack enemy Minions and Buildings in adjoining lands.  You cannot attack diagonally.  Any Minion in play may attack, provided it can fulfill the requirements stated in the attack text and can reach a target.  You do not need to attack on your turn, however, if you do, your turn ends when the attack is finished.  Decide which Minion will attack, which attack they will use, and what their target is.  (Some attacks may only be used against certain targets.)  As long as a Foundation has any other Buildings attached to it, it is not to be considered a target.   Do whatever the attack says.  For each 10 damage a Minion or Building takes, put one damage counter on it.  If a Minion or Building ever has total damage equal to or greater than its HP, it is immediately Knocked Out.  When a Minion or Building is Knocked Out, move it and any cards attached to it to the discard pile of the player it belongs to.  If the Minion Knocked Out is the last one in a land, the land is now unoccupied.

Occupying Lands
~A land with at least one Minion in it is considered to be occupied.  That area is controlled by the player who owns that Minion.  A land may never have Minions belonging to both players in it.
~A land with no Minions in it is considered to be unoccupied.  That area can be invaded by either player on his or her turn.
~You can never construct Buildings in lands that you do not control.  You can only place Minions in lands you do not control when you are invading the land.  After you invade a land, you can immediately use that land like any other that you control.  You may be able to play Spells in lands you do not control.
~If you wish, you may move all your Minions out of a land you control.  After your last Minion leaves, the area becomes unoccupied.
~If an area becomes unoccupied, either voluntarily or as the result of enemy attacks, any Buildings and Spells in that land remain there.  Any player invading that land can use the Buildings as if they constructed them, and may take advantage of any Spells there.  Buildings that have been overtaken in this way are to be considered the property of the player who controls that land.  This player can take advantage of the Buildings or add on to them, and the other player can attack them.  However, Buildings that are Knocked Out and Spells that are discarded always go back to the discard pile of the player who originally owned them.  Neither player can use Buildings in unoccupied lands.  However, Buildings in unoccupied lands are to be considered enemies by both players, and can be attacked.
~You can use counters in your favorite color to mark lands that you control, Spells you have played, and Buildings that you have abandoned.  Be sure to remove counters from lands that become unoccupied.

Counting Points
If either player begins his or her turn and is unable to draw a card from his or her deck, the game ends immediately. The winner is then determined by the number of points each player has.  Players are awarded points for each land that they control (have at least one Minion in).
~For Grass Land, Water Land, Ice Land, or Underground Land, award one point.
~For Desert Land, Giant Land, Sky Land, or Pipe Land, award two points.
~For Dark Land, award three points.
For example, if you control Grass Land, Underground Land, Sky Land, and Dark Land, and your opponent controls Water Land, Ice Land, Desert Land, and Pipe Land, then you have 7 points and your opponent has 6 points.  You win the game.  No points are awarded for unoccupied lands.

Limitations
~You cannot move Minions directly from your hand to an unoccupied territory.  You must place them in one of your lands first, and then invade new areas.  (If you do not control any lands at the beginning of your turn, then you must move a Minion from your hand to one of the corner lands.  If you cannot, you lose.  Doing this counts as your invasion for the turn.)
~You may only invade one land per turn.  After you invade a land, you may immediately move other Minions into it, construct Buildings, or do any of the other things that you would normally do with one of your lands.  If you invade a land, you may not abandon it on the same turn.
~You cannot move, attack, or invade diagonally.
~Your Minions can only move through territories you currently control.  If a Minion leaves a land, it cannot reenter that land on the same turn.
~You cannot evolve a Minion that you played or evolved earlier on the same turn.  You may not evolve Minions on your first turn.
~There can never be more than one Foundation in a land.  Only Foundations can be played directly into a land.  All other Buildings must be attached to an existing Foundation.  You may add as many components as you wish to a single Foundation, however, you may not construct more than one of the same type of Building on a Foundation.  (For example, a Foundation cannot have more than one Gun Tower.)  You can only construct Buildings in lands you currently control.
~You cannot upgrade a Foundation that you played or upgraded earlier on the same turn.  You may not upgrade Foundations on your first turn.
~Components of Buildings are attacked and Knocked Out separately.  However, you may not attack a Foundation as long as there is any other component attached to it.
~You may only attack once per turn.  After you do so, your turn is over.
~You can never place Minions or construct Buildings in a land your opponent currently controls.  You cannot place or use Buildings in unoccupied territories.
~Your deck must contain exactly 70 cards, and at least one of them must be a Basic Minion.
~If you defeat your opponent's last Minion in a land, he or she cannot reinvade that land on his or her next turn.

Notes
~If any card refers to "this land", it means the land the card is currently in.
~If any card refers to "you", it means the person who played the card.  "Your opponent" is the player who does not own the card.
~Your cards are your cards.  Regardless of where they are played or who they are used by, cards always return to the deck, hand, or discard pile of the player who first put them down.  At the end of the game, you should have exactly the same cards that you started with.
~Moving and invading are not the same.  Invading a new land does not count as a move, and cards that prevent you from moving do not stop you from invading.  However, Buildings can neither move nor invade.
~To make your deck, I recommend copying the cards you want into a table, printing them out, and cutting them apart.  I'll warn you though, they are hard to shuffle.
~To make a playmat, label nine pieces of paper with the names of the lands, and arrange them like this.
 

Rules for Internet Play
~Be fair and honest.  Don't cheat by peeking at cards in your deck, shuffling when you're not supposed to, or lying about the cards in your hand or the outcome of a coin flip.
~Tell your opponent exactly what you're doing.  Let them know when you're shuffling or drawing cards so they know you haven't forgotten, list every card that you play and where you're putting it, tell them about every move and invasion, and explain exactly what kind of attack you're using.
~Whenever you are required to show cards to your opponent, type out the names of the cards.
~To avoid confusion, carefully keep track of what your opponent is doing by representing their cards and colored counters in any way that works for you.

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