The card you play goes to them
Master and Students online
A card duel on a 5×5 board for two players. Where you may move is decided by a card, not by the piece — and the card you play goes to your opponent. Free, in your browser.
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Lethal Card · Every game against a person counts toward your Lethal Card — one ELO for every game.
That is the whole game in one sentence: it is not only what the move gains you, but what you lend them. The card that wins you a square now can win them one next turn.
Players2 players
Game length10 minutes
How to play
- Each side has four students and a master on its home row. The master starts in the middle, on its own arch.
- Five cards are in play: two in each hand and one set aside.
- On your turn you pick one of your cards, move any one of your pieces by its pattern, and set that card aside. The card that was lying there comes into your hand.
- A player with no legal move does not skip the turn — they must still hand over a card.
- You win by capturing the opposing master, or by walking your own master onto their arch.
Strategy
- Before every move, look at what the card does in their hand. Lending them a leap onto your master is the fastest way to lose.
- Two ways to win means two things to defend. A master hiding at the back leaves its own arch unguarded.
- Students near the centre threaten more squares than those on the rim. An edge student is almost out of the game.
- A card with two steps forward is worth more in the endgame than three cards that step sideways.
Frequently asked
Why is the game not named after the boxed one?
Rules cannot be protected, trademarks can. So we run the same rules under our own name.
How many cards are there?
Sixteen. The seed picks five for each game, so every match starts from a different set — openings cannot be memorised.
What if I really have no move?
You hand over a card and take the one set aside. Without that rule the game would jam on a blocked player.
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