Challengers! rules: how to play and how to win
Reviewed on 20 October 2026 against the publisher’s rulebook. How we check
Challengers! plays 1 to 8 players: a seven-round capture the flag tournament, where each player improves their deck before every match. Here are the essential rules, setup and how to win, based on Z-Man Games’ official rules, which also apply to Beach Cup.
- Players
- 1 to 8
- Play time
- About 45 minutes
- Winner
- The winner of the Final; with two players, the most Fans
Challengers! quick rules
- The goal
- Seven rounds: in each, you improve your deck then face an opponent. Each win earns a Trophy, worth Fans. After round seven, the two players with the most Fans play the Final, and its winner wins.
- The Tournament Plan
- One row per round: the park and side where you play, the card levels you draw from, A, B or C, and how many cards you pick. Move to another park if the Plan says so, with your deck, Fans and Trophies.
- Deck phase
- At your own pace: draw five cards from an allowed level, pick the number shown, discard the rest. One redraw per Deck phase. Then remove as many cards from your deck as you like.
- The match
- Deck shuffled and never looked at. The starting player places their first card with the flag. The opponent reveals cards one by one until they equal or beat its power, takes the flag, and the roles switch.
- The bench and winning a match
- Defeated cards go to the bench, six seats, one seat per name. You win if your opponent can no longer take the flag back or has no free bench seat, and you take the round’s Trophy, face down.
- Who starts and card effects
- A flag toss in the first round, then the player with the Trophy from the highest round. A card without a keyword acts as soon as it is revealed; keywords say when: during the attack, from the bench, in flag possession, on flag loss.
- The Final
- Everyone counts their Fan tokens and the Fans on the back of their Trophies. The top two play the Final; tie: most Trophies, then the highest Trophy. No more drawing, but you may remove cards. The winner of the Final wins, whatever their Fans.
- The Robot, two players and solo
- With an odd number of players, the Robot fills in; its Trophies go back to the box. With two players, no Final: most Fans wins, and 11 Fans ahead at the end of a match wins at once. In solo, you face the Robot with these rules.
- Beginner pitfalls
- A big deck dilutes your good cards, remember to remove your starter cards, watch your six bench seats, and remember that Fans qualify but the Final decides.
How to win Challengers!
- Fans after round 7
- Fan tokens plus the Fans on the back of your Trophies. With three or more players, they don’t decide the winner: the top two play the Final.
- Trophies won
- To break ties for the Final: most Trophies, then the Trophy from the highest round.
- The winner
- With three or more players, the winner of the Final. With two players and in solo, the most Fans after round 7, or the first to be 11 Fans ahead at the end of a match.
- How it ended
- For the record, optional: Final won, most Fans, or 11 Fans ahead.
Example ending
After round 7, Emma has 9 Fans in tokens and 16 on the back of her Trophies, 25 Fans in all. Jake has 10 and 12, 22 in all; Leo 14 and 8, 22 as well. For second place, Jake has 4 Trophies and Leo 3: Jake faces Emma in the Final. Jake wins the Final, and so the game, with fewer Fans than Emma.
Common mistakes
- Naming the player with the most Fans as winner with three or more players: the winner of the Final wins.
- Forgetting the Fans on the back of the Trophies.
- Playing a Final with two players: there is none, most Fans wins.
How to set up Challengers!
Follow the three parts in order; with an odd number of players and in solo, the Robot fills in. A flag toss decides who starts the first match.
Parks
- Take as many parks as your player count requires and place them on the table.Two players per park, with a gap of three cards between parks.
- Place the flag of the matching color in the middle of each park.
- Sort the Trophy tokens by round and shuffle each group face down.Front: the round, from 1 to 7; back: the Fans.
- For each park, stack one Trophy from each round, face down, 7 at the bottom and 1 on top.
- Form a general supply with the Fan tokens.
Cards
- Take all the cards of the Basic City Set: it is used in every game.In Challengers! Beach Cup, take the required set named in its rulebook; parks are beaches there.
- Choose 5 of the 6 additional Sets and put the last one away.For a first game, leave out the Outer Space Set.
- Sort all these cards by level, A, B and C, shuffle each level and place it face down in its tray.
Each player
- Each player takes a Tournament Plan matching the number of players.The number is printed in white in the top right corner of the Plan.
- Read the first row of your Plan and sit at the park it shows, on the right side.
- Take the 6 cards of the Starter Deck matching the icon on your Plan.
- With 3, 5 or 7 players, place a Plan and the Robot’s Starter Deck at the remaining seat.The Robot draws no cards.
- In solo, your opponent is the Robot, with two-player Plans.The two-player rules apply.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win Challengers!?
Finish among the two players with the most Fans after seven rounds, then win the Final. With two players, most Fans wins.
How many cards do you draw in Challengers!?
Five per Deck phase, from a level your Plan allows; you pick the number shown.
How do you win a match in Challengers!?
When your opponent can no longer take the flag back, for lack of cards, or has no free seat on their bench.
Ludingo’s Challengers! sheet was last reviewed on 20 October 2026, based on: rulebook (PDF), BoardGameGeek.