Tag Team rules: how to play and how to win

Tag Team quick rules

The goal

Each player controls two Fighters, each with their own deck of cards and fighting style. To win, you must Knock Out one of your adversary’s two Fighters, by bringing their Health marker down to the KO space of their Health track.

How it works

The game is played over Rounds of two Steps. During the Fight Step, the cards of your Fight Deck are revealed one by one and you can’t change anything. During the Build Step, you add a card to it, without ever changing the order of the cards already there.

Fight turns

Both players simultaneously flip the top card of their Fight Deck. That card’s Fighter is your Active Fighter, the other is their Partner. All Actions on the card are mandatory and simultaneous.

Power and Attack

An Attack makes the opponent lose as many Health Points as your Fighter’s Power, meaning their cubes at the start of the Turn. Cubes gained during the Turn count from the next Turn, and attacking doesn’t spend them. Two Attacks on the same Fighter in the same Turn add up.

Block, Heal, Direct Damage

A Block negates all opposing Attacks this Turn, and gives the card’s Bonus Action if it negates at least one. Direct Damage isn’t an Attack and gets through a Block. In the same Turn, add up the damage, subtract the Health Points healed and apply the difference.

The Health track

When the marker reaches or passes a space with an icon, either way, its effect applies once all markers have moved. A Stop space stops the marker at once, and the rest is lost.

The Build Step

Without shuffling your Fight Deck, draw the top three cards of your Build Deck. Secretly add one anywhere in your Fight Deck, and put the other two at the bottom. Then a new Round begins, with one more card.

End of the game

As soon as a Fighter is Knocked Out at the end of a Turn, their player has lost. Two opposing Fighters Knocked Out in the same Turn: a draw. A player who can’t draw three cards from their Build Deck: also a draw. Some Fighters have their own defeat conditions.

Beginner pitfalls

Your Fight Deck always comes in the same order: place each new card to block an opposing Attack or strike at the right moment, and watch your adversary’s deck. A card or Fighter board always overrules the rulebook.

How to win Tag Team

No points

The player whose Fighter is Knocked Out at the end of a Turn loses immediately.

Draw

Two opposing Fighters Knocked Out in the same Turn, or a Build Deck that can no longer give three cards: the fight is a draw.

Special conditions

Some Fighters have their own defeat condition, given in the Fighters’ Guide: a Fighter with 5 Aflame! tokens is incinerated and loses.

End of the game

For the record, optional: how the game ended doesn’t change the result.

Example ending

Emma’s Active Fighter has 3 Power cubes at the start of the Turn and Attacks. Jake’s Fighter, at 2 Health Points, plays a card that Heals 1 Health Point: he loses 3 − 1 = 2 Health Points and reaches the KO space. He is Knocked Out at the end of the Turn: Emma wins.

Common mistakes

• Counting cubes gained during the Turn in the Attack’s Power: they only count from the next Turn.
• Thinking a Block stops Direct Damage: it only negates Attacks.
• Forgetting the draw when two opposing Fighters are Knocked Out in the same Turn.

How to set up Tag Team

Setup takes about 5 minutes. For your first game, follow the details given.