Better deal with these guy fast, leave them alone and they’ll grow all over the place… like weeds! *rimshot* - AEG
Feed them, Seymour! (Don’t do it Seymour!) Because these guys grow all on their own. They become stronger the longer they remain in play, so plants can be a major problem for anyone who came to the table without garden shears.
- - Awesome Level 9000 rulebook
The Killer Plants are one of the 4 factions from the Awesome Level 9000 set.
Killer Plants steadily grow into major threats over time.
Other factions from the same set: Bear Cavalry, Ghosts, Steampunks.
Cards[]
The Killer Plants have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually high at 32 or an average of 3.2 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3. Note, however, that Weed Eater takes a turn to reach its base power.
Among their actions, there are:
- 1 play-on-minion action: Choking Vines,
- 5 play-on-base actions: Deep Roots, Entangled, Overgrowth, Sleep Spores (2x),
- 4 standard actions (none of them affect minions): Blossom, Budding, Insta-Grow (2x),
- 0 actions that directly increase a minion's power.
Minions[]
1x Venus Man Trap - power 5 - Talent: Search your deck for a minion of power 2 or less and play it here as an extra minion. Shuffle your deck. FAQ
2x Weed Eater - power 5 - This minion has -2 power on the turn you play it. FAQ
3x Water Lily - power 3 - Ongoing: Draw a card at the start of each of your turns. Only use one Water Lily’s ability each turn. FAQ
4x Sprout - power 2 - Ongoing: Destroy this card at the start of your next turn. You may search your deck for a minion of power 3 or less, play it here as an extra minion, and shuffle your deck. (errata'd by The Bigger Geekier Box) FAQ
Actions[]
1x Blossom - Play up to three extra minions that all have the same name. FAQ
1x Budding - Choose a minion in play. Search your deck for a copy of that card and place it into your hand. Shuffle your deck. FAQ
1x Choking Vines - Play on a minion. Ongoing: At the start of your turn, destroy this minion. FAQ
1x Deep Roots - Play on a base. Ongoing: Your minions here cannot be moved or returned to your hand by other players' abilities. FAQ
1x Entangled - Play on a base. Ongoing: Minions may not be moved or returned to hands from any base where you have a minion. Destroy this card at the start of your turn. FAQ
2x Insta-Grow - Play an extra minion. FAQ
1x Overgrowth - Play on a base. Ongoing: At the start of your turn, reduce the breakpoint of this base to 0. FAQ
2x Sleep Spores - Play on a base. Ongoing: Other players’ minions have -1 power here (minimum power 0). FAQ
Titan[]
- (available in the 10th Anniversary set)
1x Killer Kudzu - Special: At the start of your turn, if this titan is not in play, place a +1 power counter on it. On your turn, if this titan has three or more counters on it, you may play it, keeping up to six counters on it. Ongoing: After this titan leaves play, shuffle up to two minions from your discard pile into your deck OR draw two cards. Talent: Destroy this titan to play an extra minion from your discard pile with power equal to or less than the number of +1 power counters on this titan. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook:
Deep Roots, Entangled: This does not prevent minions from being placed, shuffled or destroyed. Deep Roots does not prevent movement caused by bases (e.g., Mushroom Kingdom) or your own abilities.
Overgrowth: If Overgrowth is destroyed during your turn, the breakpoint change still lasts until the end of the turn.
Sprout: A Sprout may not destroy itself the same turn it is played.
Water Lily: If you get this using Sprout’s ability, you can use Water Lily’s ability immediately since it is still the Start Turn phase.
Weed Eater: This cannot be played to replace a Sprout, since it does not lower its power until it is in play. Its power goes back up to 5 after the end of the turn in which it is played.
Mechanics[]
Killer Plants take a steady and rooted approach to the game. Most of their abilities are delayed and/or multi-turn, having the least impact the turn they are played. Killer Plants root through your deck drawing and searching for new minions, overwhelming bases with more and more power if left unchecked. Their actions generally either play extra minions or help maintain presence on the bases.
It is unfortunate this faction was published before the advent of power counters. Counters would have been an effective means to quantify expansions of power over time. Despite their flaws and quirks, Killer Plants are a powerful faction.
Strategy[]
Killer Plants are a "slow" faction, in the sense that they have horrendous on-play capabilities. Weed Eater actually nerfs itself with its ability, but no sooner, meaning that officially, Sprouts aren't allowed to search your deck for them.
Water Lilies and Venus Man Trap are the flowers of this faction, endlessly generating extra cards and minions for you as long as they remain on the field. By the official rules, when a Sprout "grows" into a Water Lily using its ability, it is still the start of your turn so you get to draw a card (weird I know). Your opponents will want to remove them. Killer Plants have means to prevent their minions from getting moved or returned to your hand, but unfortunately not from getting destroyed. If your opponents are able to stay one step ahead of you, you will have a tough time. The Plants spread their runners and seeds far and wide, though, so if you manage to establish on a base you tend to stick. Use Sleep Spores to delay bases from breaking, so you have a chance to gain footholds and snowball into wins.
Synergy[]
Factions whose low-power minions have good abilities or that can protect from destruction are great partners for Killer Plants. Sometimes factions with good on-play abilities make up for the Plants' lack of them, since Sprouts trigger the abilities when they grow into their replacement.
Ghosts - Several points of synergy with Plants that add up to a strong combination. Haunting offers two more minions for Sprouts to grow into, and Incorporeal protects vulnerable minions. The extra cards and minions help out Ghosts.
Steampunks - With their numerous play-on-base actions, Killer Plants fit right into Steampunks' primary game plan. You even get to transplant around the board with Zeppelins and Captain Ahab.
Zombies - They want their Tenacious Zs and Walkers on the field as soon as possible, and Plants help that happen. Sprouts offer bonus fodder since they have such short lives.
Pirates - First Mates are potent base-breakers, and the mobility helps you stay ahead of your opponents.
External Strategy Guides[]
- Killer Plants - Tactical Quickie - Smash Up: Awesome Level 9000
- Action Awareness #7: Blossom
- KOTH #15: Venus Man Trap
- Action Awareness #16: Base Breakers
FAQ[]
Questions on Venus Man Trap[]
Q: The Venus Man Trap card specifies that a player goes through "your deck." What happens if there's only 2 or 3 cards left in their "deck"? Do they go through their discards as well?
A: They still have a deck, even if it has only a few cards, so they only search through these cards. Their discard pile isn't their deck. The only time you are allowed to "go through the discard pile" is when your deck was empty to begin with. In which case, you shuffle your discard pile to make a new deck.
Q: I use Venus Man Trap's ability and search my deck. What happens if I have no eligible minion of power 2 or less there? Am I then allowed to search my hand or discard pile?
A: Then its ability fails, you won't get a minion and will still have to shuffle your deck. You do not go through your discard pile or hand as a compensation, otherwise the card would have said so.
Q: Is it right that I can use a talent at any time during my turn? So I could use the Venus Man Trap during phase 1 to get a Sprout, and then destroy that same Sprout to get a 3-power minion straight away?
A: No. Unless stated otherwise (e.g. Happy Zapper), a talent can only be used during the Play Cards phase (phase 2) of any of your turns.
Rule: A talent can only be used during your Play Cards phase.
Q: Can I use Venus Man Trap's talent on the same turn that I play it?
A: Yes. You can use it, but only during your Play Cards phase.
Rule: A talent can be used on the same turn the card is played.
Rule: A talent can only be used during your Play Cards phase.
Q: If I play Venus Man Trap before a base scores (e.g. Hidden Ninja), can I immediately use its talent?
A: No. A talent is not resolved when a minion is played and can only be used during your Play Cards phase.
Rule: When you play a card, an ability that starts with "Talent:" is never resolved immediately.
Rule: A talent can only be used during your Play Cards phase.
Questions on Weed Eater[]
Q: What is Weed Eater's power? When does it lose the -2 penalty?
A: In your hand, deck, and discard pile, it has 5 power. On the turn you play it, it is played as a 3-power minion. Once that turn ends, it goes back to being a 5-power minion.
Rule: If it's not in play, a minion's power is equal to its printed power.
Q: What is a "turn"? Does the -2 power disappear at the end of your turn, or at the end of all players' turn (that is, Weed Eater becomes 5 power when it is your turn again).
A: A turn is an individual player's turn, from the beginning of their Start Turn phase to the end of their End Turn phase. So Weed Eater gets -2 power as soon as you play it, then as soon as the current turn ends and the next player's turn starts, the -2 power expires.
Q: It doesn't say that minions have a minimum power of 0 like other cards (e.g. Glymmer, Poison, Sleep Spores). So if this minion already has its power reduced by other cards, does it go negative?
A: No. Those other cards only reminded you of the general rule that "minion power is never reduced below zero". Even if the card doesn't remind you of it, it's still one of the rules of Smash Up that you must keep in mind.
Q: I play a Weed Eater on a base with an enemy Leprechaun. Weed Eater starts at power 5, so is it destroyed or not?
A: Yes. You resolve the minion's ability first, so its power drops to 3. And unless something can boost your Weed Eater's power or lower the Leprechaun's power, Weed Eater's (modified) power is less the Leprechaun's.
Q: We decided that Sprout cannot search for Weed Eater because even though its power on the turn you play it is 3, its printed power is 5. Is this correct?
A: Yes.
Rule: If it's not in play, a minion's power is equal to its printed power.
Q: Can I play a Weed Eater on a base that needs 5 power to break and break it immediately before its power is reduced?
A: No. You don't score a base as soon as the power is enough to break it, you have to wait until phase 3 to check if there's enough power.
Q: I play a Weed Eater on a base that needs 5 power to break, so I get it that that Weed Eater only adds 3 and the base doesn't score. But at the end of the turn, Weed Eater goes up to 5 power, so does the base break immediately before the next player can play any cards?
A: No. The base doesn't score until it's the Score Bases phase (phase 3). So the next player still has to go through phase 1 and 2 before scoring the base.
Questions on Water Lily[]
Q: What does Water Lily's "Only use one Water Lily's ability each turn" mean?
A: It means you will only draw one card at the start of your turn, even if you have two or three Water Lilies in play.
Q: When the start of my turn comes around, and I destroy a Sprout to its ability, if I choose to get Water Lily, do I get to use its draw-a-card ability right then and there?
A: Yes. It is still the start of your turn, so Water Lily's ability is triggered.
Rule: If you do something during your Start Turn phase, it is still the start of your turn.
Q: At the start of my turn, I have a Water Lily in play and already ten cards in hand. Do I have to draw an eleventh card? If so, is it immediately discarded? Or do I draw it and immediately choose which card to discard?
A: You must draw it and you don't discard any card until your upcoming Draw 2 Cards phase. At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Questions on Sprout[]
Q: So I "play" Sprout, only to discard it? Then replace it with another power 3 card? Why does it have a power of 2 if it is "destroyed" at the end of the turn? The current turn it's played on? or the next ?
A: Actually, Sprout sticks around until your next turn. At the start of your next turn, that's when it's destroyed and replaced by another minion.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: When do you play the extra minion of power 3 or less? When you play Sprout or at the start of your turn?
A: At the start of your turn. The way it is worded is confusing, especially compared to Überserum, but it is commonly agreed that's how Sprout works.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: When I play Sprout, do I get to destroy it and find a 3-power minion this turn?
A: No. Sprout's ability only works during the Start Turn phase of one of your turns. If you play Sprout at any time other than that phase, you cannot use its ability.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: When the start of my turn comes around, can I choose not to destroy a Sprout for its ability?
A: No, it doesn't say "you may destroy", so you must do it at the start of your turn.
Q: When the start of my turn comes around, and I destroy a Sprout to use its ability, if I choose to get a minion with another ability that triggers at the start of my turn (e.g. Water Lily, Mild Mannered Citizen), do I get to use its ability right then and there?
A: Yes. It is still the start of your turn, so its ability is triggered.
Rule: If you do something during your Start Turn phase, it is still the start of your turn.
Q: When the start of my turn comes around, and I destroy a Sprout to its ability, if I choose to get another Sprout, can I already destroy it to use its ability again?
A: No, The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook gave Sprout an erratum that prevents this.
Rule: Check Sprout's erratum.
Q: Since Sprout is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer actions played on Sprout onto the new minion?
A: No, as soon as Sprout is destroyed, the actions played on it are discarded.
Q: If Sprout can't be destroyed due to an effect, like General Ivan's ability, and the start of my turn comes around, do I still get to search for a minion through Sprout's ability? How about the following turns?
A: Yes. Sprout's destruction is independent from the extra minion. So, even if Sprout is not destroyed, you still resolve the rest of its ability. And you will be able to do that at the start of each of your turns, as long as Sprout is indestructible.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: When I use the ability of Sprout, do I have to play the extra minion immediately, or can it be saved like an extra minion play?
A: You must play it immediately because the extra minion was gained outside of your Play Cards phase.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: The Sprout card specifies that a player goes through "your deck." What happens if there's only 2 or 3 cards left in their "deck"? Do they go through their discards as well?
A: They still have a deck, even if it has only a few cards, so they only search through these cards. Their discard pile isn't their deck. The only time you are allowed to "go through the discard pile" is when your deck was empty to begin with. In which case, you shuffle your discard pile to make a new deck.
Q: I use Sprout's ability and search my deck. What happens if I have no eligible minion of power 3 or less there? Am I then allowed to search my hand or discard pile?
A: Then its ability fails, you won't get a replacement minion, Sprout is still destroyed and you shuffle your deck. You do not go through your discard pile or hand as a compensation, otherwise the card would have said so.
Q: We decided that Sprout cannot search for Weed Eater because even though its power on the turn you play it is 3, its printed power is 5. Is this correct?
A: Yes.
Rule: If it's not in play, a minion's power is equal to its printed power.
Q: If I have a Sprout in play and an opponent plays Overrun on its base, does it cancel Sprout's ability? Or since Sprout's ability replaces it with another minion, I can still replace it, right? That's not playing a minion.
A: At the start of your turn, you have to activate Sprout's ability and do as much as you can, while resolving it completely, even if some part of it can't be done. Firstly, you destroy it (no problem here). Secondly, you search your deck for a minion of power 3 or less (no problem here). Thirdly, you play it on Sprout's former base (problem: Overrun forbids it, so you can't play it and it is discarded without effect.) Fourthly, you shuffle your deck (no problem here).
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: When playing Sprout on the R’lyeh base, both cards say to destroy a minion at the start of your turn. If I destroy Sprout, do I get the benefit from both cards?
A: No. Either you destroy Sprout using its own ability and you only get its benefit, or you destroy Sprout using R’lyeh's ability and you only get R’lyeh's benefit, not both. The reason is Sprout and R’lyeh are two cards that trigger at the start of your turn. In such a situation, Sprout, being a mandatory ability while R’lyeh isn't, must be resolved first and so it's not around anymore for you to destroy it with R’lyeh. That said, you can use Sprout's ability to play a new minion and destroy that minion with R’lyeh's ability.
Q: If I have a Sprout on Field of Honor or Cave of Shinies. At the start of my turn, it destroys itself. Do I gain 1 VP?
A: Yes. When Sprout's ability is activated, it tells you to destroy it, so you're the one who did the destruction, you would then get 1 VP from Field of Honor. For Cave of Shinies, Sprout's owner gains 1 VP.
Q: If you destroy your Sprout to find and play a Puck (or Chronomage), that would give you an extra action during the "start of your turn", since that's when the minion was played. Does it mean you could then play Overgrowth as that extra action which would immediately reduce the base breakpoint to 0, since it is still the start of your turn?
A: Yes.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Rule: If you do something during your Start Turn phase, it is still the start of your turn.
Q: At the start of my turn, I destroy my Sprout and replace it with a Microbot Fixer. Do I gain an extra minion play from it? On that same turn, I play another Microbot Fixer during my Play Cards phase this time. Do I gain an extra minion as well?
A: Yes for the first Microbot Fixer, but no to the second. When you play a Microbot Fixer, you only gain an extra minion play if it is your first played minion of the whole turn, all phases combined. In your situation, the first minion you play is indeed the very first minion you played this turn, so its ability activates as normal and you gain an extra minion, even though it's outside your Play Cards phase. Although, remember that because it is out side your Play Cards phase, you have to play the extra minion immediately or not at all.
For the second Microbot Fixer, this is not your first minion of the turn since you already played at least one other minion before that. It wasn't during the same phase, but it's still the same turn. So you don't gain an extra minion play from your second Microbot Fixer.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Questions on Blossom[]
Q: Must the minions already be in my hand to play them? Or, for example, if I play an Enchantress with Blossom and draw another Enchantress, can I play also it?
A: You can play the Enchantress you just drew as another extra minion. When you play Blossom, the three minions aren't played at the same time, but one at a time, each time resolving the ability of the played Enchantress. Also, you don't have to play the extra minions immediately and can actually "bank" the three minion plays with the restriction that they must all have the same name, so if you play one and later draw a minion with the same name either through the minion's ability, a triggered card's ability, or an action you play, you can use one of your banked extra minion plays to play the minion you just drew.
Rule: During your Play Cards phase, you can play extra minions and actions at any time or not at all.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Note that merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it.
Questions on Budding[]
Q: Is your "deck", your draw pile only or does it also include your discard pile?
A: It's only your draw pile.
Rule: N/A
Q: Can I choose a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be chosen by cards that do not explicitly state cards in stasis can be chosen.
Q: The card doesn't tell me to reveal the card I took, so how do I prove that I actually placed a copy of the minion in my hand?
A: You have to reveal it. Since Big in Japan, it is now part of the rules that if you search your deck for a card, you must reveal it, even if the card doesn't specifically tell you to.
Rule: If you “search” a deck or discard pile for a card you must reveal the card chosen.
Q: If I search for (and then reveal) a card I don't own, what happens?
A: It goes to its owner's hand. That's because the other players can see who owns the card and the card changes location.
Q: After playing this card, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: I play Budding and search my deck. What happens if I have no eligible duplicate minion there? Am I then allowed to search my hand or discard pile?
A: Then its ability fails, you won't get a minion and will still have to shuffle your deck. You do not go through your discard pile or hand as a compensation, otherwise the card would have said so.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Note that merely choosing a minion doesn't count as affecting it.
Questions on Choking Vines[]
Q: How does Choking Vines interact with an ability that prevents the minion's destruction?
A: Choking Vines remains attached to the minion and at the start of each of the Choking Vines' player's turns, Choking Vines will try to destroy the minion. Who knows? Maybe it will succeed eventually.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: Can you play it on a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: An opponent played Choking Vines on one of my minions. If I play Ornate Dome on its base, can I destroy Choking Vines?
A: No, Ornate Dome only destroys actions played "here", that is to say actions played on the same base as Ornate Dome. Choking Vines isn't played on that base, but on a minion on that base, so it doesn't count.
Q: What happens with the choking vines after the destruction? Does it stay on the table and can you use it again on another minion?
A: After a minion is destroyed, all its power counters and actions played on it are discarded. So, after the minion is destroyed, Choking Vines must be discarded.
Q: "At the start of your turn", does it mean at the start of the minion controller's turn or the one who owns the choking vines card?
A: It means at the start of Choking Vines' controller's turn, i.e. at the start of the turn of whoever played Choking Vines.
Rule: If you play an action on another player's minion, you're still the action's controller.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: A player played Choking Vines on one of my minions. If I transfer Choking Vines to another player's minions (for example, one of that player's minions) with Rules Lawyer, when is the minion destroyed? At the start of that player's turn or my next turn?
A: Even if you transfer it, Choking Vines's controller remains the same. So it will be at the start of the turn of the player who played Choking Vines in the first place, independently from whoever transferred Choking Vines and independently from whoever controls the minion it is transferred to.
Rule: When you transfer an action, it doesn't change controller.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a minion", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Deep Roots[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I have a minion there, it can no longer be moved or returned, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So this ability must be interpreted as "Their minions here cannot be moved or returned to their hand by their opponents' abilities."
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: What kind of "abilities" does Deep Roots protect from?
A: Deep Roots protects against other players' cards, which doesn't include the bases.
Rule: A player's abilities are the abilities on the cards the player controls.
Q: It protects "my minions". Does it also protect minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: An opponent plays Out of Sight (or Mass Teleport), forcing me to return one of my minions. Can I choose one of my minions on the same base as Deep Roots? If so, does Deep Roots protect it?
A: First of all, you can indeed choose any of your minions, but you must choose one if you have any in play. Secondly, since the cause of the affect is "another player's ability", then yes, Deep Roots protects it, even if the card makes you do the affect.
Q: I have Deep Rooted a minion, can the Aliens move that minion with Disintegrator? We interpreted the "Place" as a "Move" and therefore would not work against Deep Roots. It that correct or incorrect?
A: Incorrect. "Place" is a specific term that's entirely distinct from "move". Deep Root protects against abilities that "move" or "return" your minions, but not against abilities that "place" your minions.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: I'm controlling another player's minion on the base with Deep Roots. Is it also protected by Deep Roots's ability?
A: Sort of. If another player plays a card that moves that minion, then Deep Root definitely prevents it. However, if another player plays a card that returns it to its owner's hand, then no. The reason is Deep Roots specifically prevents your minions there from being returned, but only if it's to be returned "to your hand". Since you don't own that minion, it will be returned to its owner's hand, not yours, so Deep Roots doesn't prevent that. (This has been clarified for Ship’s Engineer and Whiplash Maneuver.)
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: Check Ship’s Engineer, Whiplash Maneuver's clarification.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If you're asking about when Deep Roots is played, it doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
- If you're asking about when you copy an effect onto an opponent's minion with Deep Roots protecting it, then the minion isn't affected. Note that Deep Roots only protects against other player's cards, so if Deep Roots's controller plays a standard action, you can copy it with Dancing King or We are Family and have it affect one of that player's minion, bypassing Deep Roots's protection because the minion is considered as being affected by its own controller's action and what Dancing King and We are Family do is copy the effect onto it, which itself doesn't count as affecting the minion.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Deep Roots protecting it is directly affected by your standard action and you want to copy that, then it's not possible because the minion isn't affected by your action and because no minion was affected, you can't copy the effect.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Deep Roots protecting it is directly affected by that player's standard action and you want to copy that, then you can indeed copy it the same way.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Questions on Entangled[]
Q: When do you actually destroy this card? Does it remain until the player who played it chooses to destroy it or is it destroyed at the start of that person's next turn?
A: It's destroyed during the Start Turn phase of that player, and it is a mandatory destruction, so as soon as it's their Start Turn phase, they must destroy it. Even if it is played during their Start Turn phase, they must destroy it during that same phase.
Rule: If you do something during your Start Turn phase, it is still the start of your turn.
Q: Why is it Ongoing if it eventually destroys itself?
A: It's an Ongoing, so its restriction lasts for as long as the card is in play. But the restriction only lasts until your next turn, so it needs to destroy itself to make itself stop.
Q: Is it limited to the base where Entangled is played or any base?
A: It applies to any base where the player who played Entangled has a minion, not just the base where Entangled is. Besides, if that player has no minion on Entangled, it doesn't apply Entangled's base, but it still applies to the other bases if they have a minion there.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so now basically no minions anywhere can be moved or returned, right? Because it says on any base where any player has a minion.
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "where you have a minion" means "where they have a minion".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: It applies to any base "where I have a minion". Does it also apply to bases where there are only minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so I "have" them, right?
A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: An opponent plays Out of Sight (or Mass Teleport), forcing me to return one of my minions. Can I choose one of my minions on a base where Entangled is active (i.e. where Entangled's controller has a minion)? If so, does Entangled protect it?
A: You can indeed choose any of your minions, but you must choose one if you have any in play. And yes, Entangled protects it, even if the card makes you do the affect.
Q: What happens when you try to destroy an Entangled Buccaneer?
A: You resolve each card in order. When you attempt to destroy the Buccaneer, its ability is triggered and it changes it into a move effect. Then, when Buccaneer tries to move, Entangled prevents it. So Buccaneer survives but can't move.[1]
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: What happens when you use an Entangled Ninja Acolyte's ability?
A: You resolve its ability in order. First, you return it to your hand, but Entangle prevents it, so Ninja Acolyte remains in play. Next, you gain an extra minion play that can only be played on Ninja Acolyte's base and must be played immediately or not at all.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: Extra cards gained by a Special ability must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: Does Entangled work with Scout or Return to the Sea?
A: No. These cards "put" or "place" cards in play into their owner's hand. Entangled only works with cards that "return" cards in play into their owner's hand.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: What happens when you destroy a minion on a base with both Entangled and Escape Hatch (which belongs to the minion's player)?
A: The minion is placed in its owner's hand. Entangled only prevents actions from being moved or returned. Escape Hatch does none of that, instead it "places" the destroyed minion into its owner's hand.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: What happens after a base scores where there is a First Mate, with Entangled in play?
A: First Mate can't move because all cards go to their respective discard piles simultaneously and at the start of that event, when First Mate's ability is resolved, Entangled is still considered to not be discarded yet.[2][3]
Q: What happens after The Grey Opal scores while Entangled is in effect? Whether Entangled is on the base or another, and whether the player who played Entangled is the winner or not.
A: The Grey Opal's ability can't happen because all cards go to their respective discard piles simultaneously and at the start of that event, when The Grey Opal's ability is resolved, Entangled is still considered to not be discarded yet.[2][3]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: On bases where Entangled is relevant, those are bases where Entangled's controller has minions, then all minions there can neither be moved, nor returned, so it's blocking the Disco Dancers' mechanic altogether.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Questions on Insta-Grow[]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Note that merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Questions on Overgrowth[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base. My turn is next, so at the start of my turn the base's breakpoint is reduced to 0, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "your turn" means "their turn".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: When I play the Overgrowth action card on a base, does it break this turn?
A: Unless you manage to play Overgrowth during your Start Turn phase, which is pretty uncommon, you must have played it during your Play Cards phase (phase 2), in which case Overgrowth's ability isn't triggered because it is not the start of your turn anymore.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: I already have Overgrowth in play and it's the start of my turn, so do we score the base immediately or am I allowed to play cards there before it happens?
A: The base doesn't score until it's the Score Bases phase (phase 3). So you still have to go through phase 1 and 2 before scoring the base.
Q: Overgrowth was triggered at the start of my turn. If Overgrowth is destroyed or returned before we score the base, is its breakpoint still 0?
A: Yes. Overgrowth was triggered, so even if it's no longer in play, the base's breakpoint is still 0.[4]
Q: Overgrowth was triggered at the start of my turn. If Overgrowth is transferred to another base, is its former base's breakpoint still 0? Is its new base's breakpoint now 0?
A: Yes and no. Overgrowth was triggered, so even if it's no longer on it, the former base's breakpoint is still 0.[4] As for the base where you transferred it to, Overgrowth wasn't on it when Overgrowth triggered, so its breakpoint is unaffected.
Q: Overgrowth was triggered at the start of my turn. When it's finally the Score Bases phase of my turn, if there are no minions on Overgrowth's base, do we still score it?
A: Yes. The requirement for scoring a base is if the total power on the base (here 0) meets or exceeds its breakpoint (here 0 too), then the base must be scored. So the base is scored and since no one has any minion or any power there, no one gets any VP.
Q: If you destroy your Sprout to find and play a Puck (or Chronomage), that would give you an extra action during the "start of your turn", since that's when the minion was played. Does it mean you could then play Overgrowth as that extra action which would immediately reduce the base breakpoint to 0, since it is still the start of your turn?
A: Yes.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Rule: If you do something during your Start Turn phase, it is still the start of your turn.
Q: How does Overgrowth interact with monsters on its base?
A: Overgrowth actually reduces the base's starting breakpoint (this is mentioned in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook). Monsters then add their power to that new breakpoint.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Sleep Spores[]
Q: There are 2 Sleep Spores cards in the deck. If both of these are placed on the same base, do the other players' minions have -2 to their power at that base?
A: That's correct. Both Sleep Spores are active and will therefore reduce minions' power by 2 there.
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if they have a minion there, since they're "another player" from my point of view, their minion also gets -1 power, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "other players" means "their opponents".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "Other players" on a minion, action or titan means everyone except the controller of the card.
Q: When a base scores, if a player has minions there but a total of 0 power (e.g. because of Sleep Spores), can they still get VP?
A: If 0 is among the top three total power there, then as long as a player has a minion there, they can get VP.
Q: Sleep Spores is on Tsar’s Palace. Does that mean that minions of power 3 or less can't be played there anymore?
A: No. Tsar’s Palace only forbids minions of power 2 or less from being played there, so power-3 minions are fine. Sleep Spores only affects minions once they are in play, not in hand. So, when a minion of power 3 is played there, Tsar’s Palace authorizes it, then Sleep Spores reduces its power to 2, but Tsar’s Palace doesn't retroactively kick the minion out.
Rule: If it's not in play, a minion's power is equal to its printed power.
Q: If I move my minion with Incorporeal to a base with Sleep Spores on it, the Incorporeal would also not protect it from Sleep Spores because it is not affecting it by the definition of affect. Again is that fair to say?
A: The definition of "affect" has been updated to include "change of power". So, Incorporeal would now protect your minion from Sleep Spores.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Q: My opponent plays Sleep Spores on a base with my Ghost. My Ghost now has -1 power. On my turn, I play Incorporeal on it. Under my understanding of what affect means, the Incorporeal will not retroactively prevent the -1 power from the Sleep Spores. It already happened. Incorporeal will block further changes in power. Is that correct?
A: No. Before you play Incorporeal, Sleep Spores is considered as already "affecting" your minion (its power is being changed), so once you play Incorporeal, it can block it and restore your minion's power.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Q: An ability is already affecting my minion (e.g. Sleep Spores). What happens if I play Tooth and Claw... and Guns on it?
A: Tooth and Claw... and Guns is destroyed and Sleep Spores stops affecting the minion for the rest of the turn.
Q: I have a power-3 minion and In Plain Sight on the same base (In Plain Sight doesn't protect my minion yet). Another player plays Sleep Spores on that base and chooses to give -1 power to all minions, so my power-3 minion becomes power 2 and is now in the range of protection of In Plain Sight and so Sleep Spores doesn't affect it anymore. But then it loses the -1 power and becomes power-3, out of range of In Plain Sight, so Sleep Spores can affect it again. And so on, and so on... How do we settle this loop?
A: The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook settled it: Because Sleep Spores is what allows your minion to be protected by In Plain Sight, In Plain Sight "accepts" it.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Killer Kudzu[]
- Main article: Titans
Q: The card says "Special" so I can use it at any time, even outside of my turn, right?
A: Be careful, "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Killer Kudzu, the condition is "On your turn", which already restricts its usage during your Play Cards phase, not at any other times. Note that it's restricted to your Play Cards phase only, not any other phases of your turn either.
Also, note that there's another condition that says "at the start of your turn", but that ability doesn't allow you to play Killer Kudzu.
Rule: "On your turn" means "during the Play Cards (phase 2) of each of your turns".
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but I have Killer Kudzu there. It is similar to a minion, right? So I can still get VPs from the base if 0 is among the top three total power, right?
A: No and no. Killer Kudzu is a titan, not a minion. To be eligible to receive VPs, you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power on the base. If you have no minions and your total power there is 0, then you can't receive any VPs from the base. Now, if Killer Kudzu had any +1 power counters on it or gave you any total power (e.g. on Kaiju Island), then you would have at least 1 total power and be eligible. Otherwise, no.
Q: If it has more than six +1 power counters on it when I play it, what do I do?
A: You remove the counters until you only have six of them.
Rule: N/A
Q: If its base scores, are the minions I shuffle into my deck ones that were already in my discard pile before the base scores or can it be minions that were also on its base?
A: It can be minions you own that were on its base and go to the discard pile along with it. The reason is that you only resolve Killer Kudzu's Ongoing ability after it leaves play. At this point, all cards that were on the base already left play since all cards on a scoring base are discarded simultaneously.
Trivia[]
- The artist is Dinobot Illustrations.
- The artist for the titan (which was released after Awesome Level 9000) is Francisco Rico Torres, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- Their divider (available in The Big Geeky Box and The Bigger Geekier Box) features Venus Man Trap.
- The rulebook's flavor text refers to the musical Little Shop of Horrors, where a man-eating plant repeatedly begs the protagonist to "Feed me, Seymour!".
- Another reference leads to the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978). Tomatoes are seen in the shape of the Weed Eater and as fertiliser in Insta-Grow.
- The Choking Vines are attacking an Archmage.
- Entangled is the first non-standard action that can have an effect on any bases, not just the one it's attached to.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Translation (if different) |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 殺人植物 | |
| French | Plantes Carnivores | Carnivorous Plants |
| German | Mörderpflanzen | |
| Greek | Σαρκοφάγα Φυτά | Carnivorous Plants |
| Italian | Piante Assassine | |
| Polish | Zabójcze Rośliny | |
| Portuguese | Plantas Assassinas | |
| Russian | Растения-убийцы | |
| Spanish | Plantas Asesinas |
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