Ninja strike from the shadows and steal victories from under enemies. - AEG
If you can see a ninja, chances are you're already dead (and if you can see them while dead, skip ahead to the zombie section). I don't want to give away the secrets or anything, but most of what this faction does is sneaky, happens fast, and at the last second. So look out for that.
- - Core Set rulebook
The Ninjas are one of the 8 factions from the Core Set.
You never quite know where the Ninjas is at - until you're dead.
Other factions from the same set: Aliens, Dinosaurs, Pirates, Robots, Tricksters, Wizards, Zombies.
Name[]
The original Core Set rule book named this faction the "Ninja". However, The Big Geeky Box named this faction the "Ninjas". Both words are considered correct plurals in the English language.
Cards[]
The Ninjas have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is the usual 30 or an average of 3 per minion.
Among their actions, there are:
- 3 play-on-minion actions: Assassination, Poison, Smoke Bomb,
- 2 play-on-base actions: Infiltrate (2x),
- 5 standard actions (4 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Disguise, Hidden Ninja, Seeing Stars (2x), Way of Deception,
- 0 actions that directly increase a minion's power.
Minions[]
1x Ninja Master - power 5 - You may destroy a minion on this base. FAQ
2x Tiger Assassin - power 4 - You may destroy a minion of power 3 or less on this base. FAQ
3x Shinobi - power 3 - Special: Before a base scores, you may play this minion there. You can only use one Shinobi’s ability per base. FAQ
4x Ninja Acolyte - power 2 - Special: On your turn, if you have not yet played a minion, you may return this minion to your hand and play an extra minion on this base. FAQ
Actions[]
1x Assassination - Play on a minion. Ongoing: Destroy this minion at the end of the turn. FAQ
1x Disguise - Choose one or two of your minions on one base. Play an equal number of extra minions there, and return the chosen minions to your hand. FAQ
1x Hidden Ninja - Special: Before a base scores, play a minion there. FAQ
2x Infiltrate - Play on a base. Destroy an another action that has been played here. Ongoing: You may ignore this base’s ability until the start of your next turn. Destroy this card at the start of your turn. (errata'd by The Bigger Geekier Box) FAQ
1x Poison - Play on a minion. Destroy any number of actions on it. Ongoing: This minion has -4 power. (Minions have minimum power of 0.) FAQ
2x Seeing Stars - Destroy a minion of power 3 or less. FAQ
1x Smoke Bomb - Play on one of your minions. Ongoing: This minion is not affected by other players’ actions. Destroy this card at the start of your turn. FAQ
1x Way of Deception - Move one of your minions to another base. FAQ
Titan[]
- (available in the 10th Anniversary set)
1x Invisible Ninja - Special: On your turn, if this titan was not in play at the start of your turn, you may discard a card to play this titan at a base where you have a minion. Ongoing: Once per turn, after you destroy another player's card or return one of your minions to your hand, you may look at the top two cards of your deck, draw one, and shuffle the other into your deck. Special: At the start of your turn, you may destroy this titan to play an extra minion of power 3 or less. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook:
Disguise: You must both return the minion and play the extra minion; you cannot choose to do just one. You must play the extra minion immediately.
Infiltrate: Even though you ignore the base’s ability, other players do not.
Ninja Acolyte: “If you have not yet played a minion” only refers to your Play Cards phase; cards played at the start of your turn do not disqualify this ability. You must both return the minion and play the extra minion; you cannot choose to do just one. You must play the extra minion immediately.
Mechanics[]
Ninjas' main mechanic is being sneaky, and they kill stuff. They hide agents everywhere, walk in shadow, move in silence, leap into action for thievery and violence. Ninjas swap with teammates and wear disguises. You've got to be patient, deceptive, and opportunistic for any change you can make to swing a base your way.
Strategy[]
Smash Up maintains a measure of mystery by holding everyone's hands hidden from one another. Ninjas hide themselves in your hand and bust out suddenly at unusual times to help you win. Like other card games, players might watch each other for cues hinting what their opponents have at hand. Try not to give away your plans, and maybe if you're good you can give away false plans. Experienced opponents will be wise to Ninjas' tricks, and can mitigate them by protecting their minions and over-breaking bases.
Ninja minions have the basic standard spread of power, and no boosts to push that higher. They aren't good at overwhelming bases, but they can secure the bases with surprise additions if they break with everyone at roughly the same contribution. Make that happen with subterfuge and destruction at the last moment with great on-play abilities, so your enemies can't do anything about it. The fewer players in the game, the greater control Ninjas have.
Killing Stuff[]
Ninja are adept at destroying high value minions and actions at the moment you need them gone. Use Poison to support your assassination of high-powered targets: not only do you pick which actions the target keeps or loses (except Incorporeal), the target almost always gets within power 3 or less. Destroy pesky play-on-base actions with Infiltrate.
A note on Assassination, while it can destroy a minion of any power, the destruction only occurs at the end of each turn, meaning the minion will still be present if you score its base on the same turn. So, it's not useful to play it on a minion if you intend to break the base, unless the minion stays in play after the base scores, e.g. First Mate.
Novice players might destroy enemy minions and actions every time they can willy-nilly (refer to the Strategy page for further insights on this matter). Ninjas aren't good enough at it to demolish all of your opponents' minions. This is okay, because you don't want to destroy all your opponents minions, you just want to thin them out enough so you win bases.
You Little Sneak[]
Ninjas have two ways to play an extra minion from your hand right after a base breaks, before it scores, during any player's turn including your own. They often slip in for third or second place this way, but if you've successfully manipulated the base, they can steal first. If you think a base's ability will harm you, play Infiltrate to ignore it even if the base scores.
Shinobi can be played as a normal power-3 minion, or saved as an extra minion to bump up your power when you or someone else breaks a base. Limit one surprise Shinobi per base scoring.
Hidden Ninja is a much more versatile card than Shinobi. You can play a minion with more power than a Shinobi, and/or a minion with an on-play ability, which immediately takes effect. You can even play both Shinobi and Hidden Ninja together for two surprise minions. Since the base has already broken, it is still scored even if the power totals less than the breakpoint, and scores based on any changes made by the extra cards.
Switcheroo[]
Ninjas can return some of your minions and play extras from your hand to replace them. You get extra use of on-play abilities without changing the total minion count. You may play your returned minion(s) to a different base later on, "moving" it, but each switch is confined to a single base. Discard actions attached to your returned minions.
Ninja Acolyte must be played as a setup for the switch on a later turn, and only one Ninja Acolyte's ability can be used each turn, as playing minions negates the conditions for its use. It plants a subtle flag for your enemies to watch what you'll switch it with, and saves your stronger minions in reserve until you really need them. Being a power-2 minion, most minions you replace it with will have higher power, potentially contributing to a Big Drop, but the Acolyte is easily destroyed, unless you can protect it with Smoke Bomb.
Disguise is a much more versatile card than Ninja Acolyte. You can return two minions with useful on-play abilities and play one with your free minion play. You can use Ninja Acolyte's ability first, then replace the replacement with the same Ninja Acolyte. You can return a Shinobi if you previously played it as a normal minion, to save it for its Special ability. On and on.
Bases[]
Ninja Dojo and Temple of Goju are both good bases for Ninja for the same reasons: playing Infiltrate on the round they break protects you from their abilities, and you don't have to work too hard to get second or third place. Infiltrate is only good in niche situations like this, so you will probably have one ready. The weird thing is no wants to win these bases, but if they break everyone wants a minion there to share the balanced reward. They are good places to put minions you want to stick around long-term.
Synergy[]
Ninjas provide support to any other faction whose minions have useful on-play abilities. They lose a bit of utility alongside predictable factions, or if other players are able to see your hand. Pairing with a powerhouse faction affords them the groundwork to bump themselves to the top when bases score. Ninjas also pair well with factions that like to destroy minions and actions.
- Aliens: The Aliens' Invader minions score you 1 free VP when you play them, making them great candidates for bouncing with Disguise. Scout places itself back into your hand after the base scores, making it a good candidate for Hidden Ninja. Master Ninja and Tiger Assassin are brutal to bounce with Abduction and Beam Up.
- Dinosaurs: The two factions have a high amount of power and destruction that opponents will have a difficult time resisting. Dinosaurs provide immediate bursts of power, supporting Ninja's fast-acting nature.
- Robots: Hidden Ninja is great for a surprise swarm on a base about to score. Master Ninja is one of the few cards able to actually destroy Nukebot and thus trigger its ability, allowing for a devious combo where you play a Nukebot on a base, let another player go through the trouble of breaking it, then Hidden Ninja Master Ninja onto that base to destroy Nukebot and sweep the base of all other players' minions.
- Bear Cavalry: Together these factions are a machine of death, sweeping aside those of all shapes, sizes, and numbers.
- Vampires: Vampires have a few cards that benefit from your destroying minions, The Coutnt and Opportunist in particular.
- Thieves: Bouncing Pickpockets and Fences lets you re-use their abilities, and Ninjas offer plenty of minion destruction to destroy monsters and earn more treasure for Thieves.
- Werewolves: Werewolves provide power at exactly the times when Ninjas provide utility. While Ninjas don't add power to any minions, reducing your opponents' power helps put you on top.
- Mythic Horses: Starlyte and Encouragement Power provide more raw power, and Seastar is a great minion to bounce with Disguise or to sneak out with Hidden Ninja.
- Sharks: Sharks love to destroy minions, and Ninjas have plenty of minion destruction to offer.
- Mega Troopers: Mega Troopers' special abilities trigger before the base scores, exactly when Ninjas like to play Shinobi and Hidden Ninja.
- Samurai: The Samurai have abilites that trigger when your minions go to the discard pile from play, which Ninjas can help facilitate with their minion destruction. Final Haiku followed by Master Ninja or a Tiger Assassin can be a great way to burst a base.
- Teens: The ability to fetch power-3 minions with Prep and New Kid, power them up with Prep, draw cards with Brain and Booty Trap, move them with Rebel, and recycle cards with Slacker makes Shinobi exceptionally useful here. (Now where are the Mutants and the Turtles...?)
External Strategy Guides[]
- The Geek Profs: Smash Up Strategy - Ninjas
- Action Awareness #4: Infiltrate
- KOTH #5: Supreme Overlord vs Ninja Master
- Smash Up: Ninja Spotlight
- Smash Up Ninjas Faction Review!
- Smash Up Tier List - Core Set: Ninjas
FAQ[]
Questions on Ninja Master[]
Q: I play it on a base, which brings the total power there above the breakpoint, but I use its ability to destroy a minion there, bringing the total power below the breakpoint. Does the base still score?
A: No. You only check if a base scores during phase 3 of a player's turn.
Q: There"s a Leprechaun that's somehow at power 6. I play a Ninja Master there and destroy the Leprechaun. Is my Ninja Master still destroyed?
A: No. While not providing an erratum for the card text, The Bigger Geekier Box clarifies how Leprechaun is intended to work despite its wording. Now, if Leprechaun is no longer in play, its ability doesn't fire.
Questions on Tiger Assassin[]
Q: Can it destroy a minion whose power has been reduced? For example, a minion with printed power-4 on a base with Sleep Spores or a minion under the effect of Glymmer so that its power is reduced to 3 or lower.
A: Yes, what matters for Tiger Assassin is the minion's modified power. If its modified power is 3 or less, it can be destroyed.
Questions on Shinobi[]
Q: Does playing a Shinobi before a base scores change anything at all? Don't we only get VPs based on the power we had at the start of scoring?
A: Actually, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.
Rule: VPs are awarded according to the current power totals.
Q: I don't get its ability. Can I only play this minion before a base scores?
A: No. Minions with a Special ability can be played as a normal minion without invoking their Special ability.
Rule: N/A
Q: Does the its ability play itself as an extra minion or a normal minion? Can we use the abilities during our turn even if we already played a minion?
A: The text should say "as an extra minion", but that would only clarify, not change the meaning. "Before a base scores" is after the time for playing normal minions. The ability to play a minion before a base scores necessarily makes it an extra minion. Whether or not you played a normal minion that turn does not matter.
Rule: Cards played outside the Play Cards phase of your turns are counted as extra cards.
Q: I have a Shinobi on a base. Another base scores, can I use Shinobi's Special ability to move it to that base?
A: No. You can only play a card from your hand (unless otherwise stated). A Shinobi's Special ability only works if it's in your hand.
Q: Before a base scores, I manage to play a Shinobi there through another card's ability. E.g., Hidden Ninja. Can I play another Shinobi there with its Special ability?
A: Yes. The first Shinobi was played without invoking its own Special ability, so it doesn't count into your one-Shinobi-per-base limit.
Q: On my turn, I play a Shinobi on a base normally (i.e. without using its Special ability). Then I manage to break that base on that same turn, so before it scores, can I play another Shinobi there with its Special ability or did I already missed that chance with the previous Shinobi?
A: You can play your second Shinobi. The first Shinobi was played without invoking its own Special ability, so it doesn't count into your one-Shinobi-per-base limit.
Q: Before The Homeworld scores, I play a Shinobi as a Special there. Do I get an extra minion to play?
A: Yes. And because it's outside of your Play Cards phase, you have to play it immediately or not at all.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: Before a base scores, I play a Shinobi as a Special there. Another player manages to take control of it (i.e. Control Minion, Can Has Cheeseburger?) Since I lost that Shinobi, I can then play a second Shinobi as a Special on that base, right?
A: No, you've already used a Shinobi's Special ability (that's what allowed you to play one in the first place). So even though you don't control it anymore, you've already invoked a Shinobi's Special for that base.
Q: So the rulebook says Copycat can copy any type of abilities, including Special. So before a base scores, if another plays a Shinobi as a Special, I can copy the Shinobi's ability and play Copycat, right? Same question about Wil Wheaton, Snuggly Bear, Argonaut, Fan, Deputy, etc.
A: No, Copycat's ability is an on-play ability, which means you only resolve it if you play Copycat first. In your scenario, you invoke Copycat's ability while it's out of play and then use it to play Copycat, which isn't possible because you can only copy an ability by first playing Copycat. A Copycat's ability cannot be used to play the Copycat itself because playing it is required to invoke its copy ability in the first place.
Q: Before a base scores, I play a Shinobi there. Before the VPs are awarded, another player manages to stop the base from scoring (e.g. with Stasis Field played with Lightning Rescue!). When that base scores on a later turn, can I play another Shinobi there? I suppose not since Shinobi says "one Shinobi’s ability per base" and I already used a Shinobi's ability on that base on a previous turn.
A: Yes, you can play it. Shinobi's ability is limited to once per base scoring. Even though it's the same base, it's the second time that base is scored, so you can play another Shinobi there.
Q: Can I play it from stasis before a base scores?
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Questions on Ninja Acolyte[]
Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right? So why does it say "on your turn"?
A: "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 Ninja Acolyte, the condition is "on your turn", which means that you can only activate it during your Play Cards phase, not at any other times. Furthermore, it mentions "this base", which means the base Ninja Acolyte is currently on. Obviously, if Ninja Acolyte isn't in play, there's no "this base" that the card can refer to. So Ninja Acolyte is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play
Q: How does its ability work?
A: First of all, Ninja Acolyte needs to already be in play. Supposing you're its controller, on your turn, i.e. during your Play Cards phase (phase 2), you can activate Ninja Acolyte's ability at any moment of that phase. When you activate it, check if you have already played a minion or not during that Play Cards phase (minions played during the Start Turn phase don't count against Ninja Acolyte's ability):
- If you have, then nothing happens.
- If you haven't, then you can decide if you want to use its ability or not. If you do, then you must return Ninja Acolyte into its owner's hand. After doing that, whether Ninja Acolyte was actually returned or not, you get an extra minion play that you must play immediately or not at all.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Rule: "On your turn" means "during the Play Cards (phase 2) of each of your turns".
Rule: Extra cards gained by a Special ability must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: Can I choose to play the extra minion and not return Ninja Acolyte? It says "you may" after all.
A: No. It doesn't say "you may return this minion to your hand and you may play an extra minion on this base." So, if you choose to do the "you may", you then have to do all of it. The extra minion is actually optional though, but you do have to return Ninja Acolyte.
Rule: "You may do X and Y" means you either do both X and Y, or neither X nor Y.
Q: If I have two Ninja Acolytes in play, can I return both and play two extra minions?
A: No. Firstly, you can only activate one Ninja Acolyte at a time. Secondly, when you return the first Ninja Acolyte, you must play the extra minion you gained immediately or not at all. If you do, the second Ninja Acolyte can no longer be activated because you have already played a minion.
Rule: Extra cards gained by a Special ability must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: I already have ten cards in hand. If I decide to return Ninja Acolyte to my hand, is it immediately discarded instead? Or do I return it and immediately decide which card to discard before I play an extra minion?
A: 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.
Q: Since Ninja Acolyte is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer +1 power counters and actions played on Ninja Acolyte onto the new minion?
A: No, as soon as Ninja Acolyte is returned, the counters and actions played on it are discarded.
Q: At the start of my turn, a Sprout made me play an extra minion. Since it wasn't played during phase 2 of my turn, I haven't played a minion "on my turn" yet, so can I use Ninja Acolyte's ability?
A: Indeed, when you check whether you have already played any minions or not, you only count those you played on your Play Cards phase. Minions played during the Start Turn phase don't count.
Q: If I have a Ship’s Engineer in play, I can have Ninja Acolyte be moved instead of being returned to my hand. Do I still get an extra minion to play?
A: Yes, returning Ninja Acolyte and playing the extra minion are independent, so you get the extra minion play whether or not Ninja Acolyte has been returned.
Questions on Assassination[]
Q: When does it destroy the minion it's attached to?
A: At the end of each turn (phase 5), starting with the turn the card is played, it tries to destroy the minion.
Q: What happens if the minion cannot be destroyed?
A: Assassination remains attached to it and the destruction fails at the end of the turn. But, at the end of each following turn, Assassination tries to destroy the minion again. Who knows? Maybe the minion won't be immune anymore.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
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: It says "Ongoing", so after it destroys the minion, I can reattach it on another minion, right?
A: No. If the minion it's attached to is destroyed, Assassination is immediately discarded.
Q: Why can't it destroy the minion immediately?
A: The minion could still contribute power toward breaking a base if you still want to score a base, then Assassination would ensure that the minion is destroyed at the end of the turn in case it was supposed to survive. (e.g. First Mate) Or it can be played on a lone Polar Commando to dissuade its controller from playing another minion there.
Q: Does "at the end of the turn" mean at the end of any turn of any player (thus making a Buccaneer move each time any player´s turn ends)?
A: For an Ongoing ability, it means at the end of each turn, i.e. any player's turn.
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 Disguise[]
Q: How does its ability work?
A: When you play Disguise, you must choose either one or two of the minions in play that you control. If you choose two, they must be on the same base. After choosing your minion(s), you get that many extra minion plays that you must play immediately or not at all before doing the rest of Disguise's ability (even if Disguise is played on your Play Cards phase). After doing that, whatever happened with your extra minion plays, you must do the following to the minion(s) that you chose at the beginning:
- If it's a minion you own, it's returned to your hand.
- If it's a minion owned by another player, it's returned to that player's hand.
- If it's a minion that no one owns (e.g. a treasure, a monster), it's discarded into the appropriate discard pile.
Rule: Monsters and treasures go to their own discard pile when they leave play.
Q: It tells me to choose "one or two of my minions". Can I choose a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, 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: Can you choose two minions, then choose to play one or no extra minions, and still take both of the chosen minions back to hand?
A: Yes, extra card plays are optional, and in the case of Disguise, if you don't play them immediately, they are lost, but that doesn't change how many minions you chose at the beginning. Since you chose two, those two are returned to your hand no matter how many minions you played.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is returned to its owner's hand, regardless of whoever owns the minion(s) that was(were) directly affected by the action. Note that you won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the returned Diva, because you've already chosen one or two minions and got exactly that many extra minion plays before you're able to copy the return effect. Also, note that merely choosing minions doesn't count as affecting them, so you can't copy that part.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is returned to its owner's hand, regardless of whoever owns the minion(s) that was(were) directly affected by the action. Note that if the minion is a monster or a treasure, it is discarded instead. This is a different answer compared to cards that refer to a minion's owner; this card never refers to the card's owner ("you" means "the controller", who may not be the owner) and so the rule is that the treasure/monster is discarded. Also note that you won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the returned extra minion, because you've already chosen one or two minions and got exactly that many extra minion plays before you're able to copy the return effect. And note that merely choosing minions doesn't count as affecting them, so you can't copy that part. Finally, note that if you return two minions, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to return only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is returned to its owner's hand, regardless of whoever owns the minion(s) that was(were) directly affected by the action. Note that if the minion is a monster or a treasure, it is discarded instead. This is a different answer compared to cards that refer to a minion's owner; this card never refers to the card's owner ("you" means "the controller", who may not be the owner) and so the rule is that the treasure/monster is discarded. Also note that you won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the returned extra minion, because you've already chosen one or two minions and got exactly that many extra minion plays before you're able to copy the return effect. And note that merely choosing minions doesn't count as affecting them, so you can't copy that part.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is returned to its owner's hand, regardless of whoever owns the minion(s) that was(were) directly affected by the action. Note that you won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the returned extra minion, because you've already chosen one or two minions and got exactly that many extra minion plays before you're able to copy the return effect. Also, note that merely choosing minions doesn't count as affecting them, so you can't copy that part. And note that if you return two minions, Funky Town only triggers once and allows you to return only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
Rule: Monsters and treasures go to their own discard pile when they leave play.
Questions on Hidden Ninja[]
Q: When can I play Hidden Ninja?
A: On any player's turn, when a base has been chosen to score and before its victory points are awarded. To be more precise, it can only be played during phase 3 and only during the "before scoring" step.
Q: Does playing a minion before a base scores change anything at all? Don't we only get VPs based on the power we had at the start of scoring?
A: Actually, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.
Rule: VPs are awarded according to the current power totals.
Q: Does its ability play the minion as an extra minion or a normal minion? Can we use the abilities during our turn even if we already played a minion?
A: The text should say "as an extra minion", but that would only clarify, not change the meaning. "Before a base scores" is after the time for playing normal minions. The ability to play a minion before a base scores necessarily makes it an extra minion. Whether or not you played a normal minion that turn does not matter.
Rule: Cards played outside the Play Cards phase of your turns are counted as extra cards.
Q: Can I use it to play a minion that gives me an extra card to play? (e.g. Zapbot, Chronomage)
A: Absolutely. And you do gain an extra card to play, but you must play it immediately or not all.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: I used it to play a minion that destroys another one there, bringing the total power below the breakpoint. Does the base stop scoring?
A: No. Once a base has been chosen to score, even if the total power there changes during the before-scoring step, the base keeps scoring.
Q: I play a minion with Hidden Ninja but the minion also has a mandatory ability that works during the before-scoring step when it's in play (e.g. Pack Alpha). Can I activate its ability or is it too late?
A: Yes, you can and must activate the minion's ability immediately before moving on to the next player.
Q: I play a Repeater Perfect with Hidden Ninja. Can I use Repeater Perfect's ability to put Hidden Ninja on the top of my deck?
A: No. Since Hidden Ninja is obviously played outside your Play Cards phase, the minion must be played immediately, that is before you discard Hidden Ninja. So, Repeater Perfect's ability is resolved before Hidden Ninja is discarded.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: Can I play it from stasis before a base scores?
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
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 Infiltrate[]
Q: Can it destroy an action played on a minion, or just an action played on a base?
A: It can only destroy an action played on the base.
Q: If there's no other action played on the base, do I have to destroy Infiltrate?
A: No, The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook gave this an erratum. You now only destroy "another action" on the base. If there are no other actions on the base, you don't destroy Infiltrate.
Q: How does its "Ongoing" ability work?
A: The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook gave this an erratum. You can now ignore the base's ability and at the start of your next turn, Infiltrate is destroyed. To ignore a base's ability means you do not follow its instructions, you are not subject to its restrictions, and your cards are neither affected nor protected by its ability.
Q: Who ignores the base's ability, all the players or just the one who played Infiltrate?
A: The player who played Infiltrate is the only one who can ignore the base's ability.
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 base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Poison[]
Q: Can I use Poison to destroy Incorporeal?
A: No. Attaching an action to a minion counts as affecting the minion, so you cannot play Poison on an Incorporeal minion and if you try to Poison will be discarded without effect.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: Can I destroy Poison among the destroyed actions?
A: Yes, Poison can be among the actions you choose to destroy.
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: I have minion of printed power 2 and someone played a Poison on it so it's power 0. If I play Howl (or Swashbuckling or any +1 power boost card), is my minion's power 0 or 1? Poison has a limit of 0 power, so doesn't it just give -2 power and so Howl can raise the power above that?
A: It has 0. Poison doesn't have a limit. The part in parenthesis is just a reminder of a general rule. So you must apply all modifiers and if that brings the total power of the minion below 0, raise that power to 0. In your case, 2 - 4 + 1 = -1 and so it's raised to 0.
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 Seeing Stars[]
Q: Can you destroy a minion of power 3 or less in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it (and it can copy it even if its power is more than 3), Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 3), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.
- If We are Family copies it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion it is on is more than 3), the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it destroys one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 3), the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed.
Questions on Smoke Bomb[]
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: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: Why is it Ongoing if it eventually destroys itself?
A: It's an Ongoing, so its protection lasts for as long as the card is in play. But the protection only lasts until your next turn, so it needs to destroy itself to make itself stop.
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: It tells me to play it on "one of my minions". Can I play it on a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, 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: Does Shielding or Steam Queen protect Smoke Bomb or Infiltrate from their own destruction?
A: No. Steam Queen and Shielding protect against other players' abilities or actions, not your own. Neither can prevent a self-destructing action. (See also the question above about whether or not Infiltrate self-destructs at all.)
Rule: "Other players" on a minion, action or titan means everyone except the controller of the card.
Q: An opponent plays Bear Hug (or Unfathomable Goals, Griefer, Out of Sight), forcing me to affect one of my minions. Can I choose my minion with Smoke Bomb on it? If so, does Smoke Bomb 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 action", then yes, Smoke Bomb protects it, even if the card makes you do the affect.
Q: An opponent plays this card on one of their minions. If I transfer it to one of my minions, e.g. with Tinx or Rules Lawyer (possible here, because transferring the action affects the action, not the minion!), I have control of it, so my minion is therefore protected until the start of my next turn, right? Or does the "Play on one of your minions" prevent me from transferring it to my minions?
A: No, transferring an action doesn't make you its controller and transferring it to a different player's minion doesn't grant that player control of the action. The action's controller simply doesn't change. Also, you can transfer it to your minions; "Play on one of your minions" is simply a restriction for when the action is played, and is no longer relevant once the action is in play and doesn't further restricts how the action can be transferred (because transferring is different than playing!) So, the player who played it still controls 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" and "other players" means "their opponents". In summary, what you just did by transferring the action to your minion is make it unaffectable by any player that isn't the action's controller (so you included!) and the action will be destroyed at the start of the action's controller's next turn anyway.
Rule: When you transfer an action, it doesn't change controller.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If you're asking about when Smoke Bomb is played, it doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on one of your minions", 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 Smoke Bomb protecting it, then the minion isn't affected. Note that Smoke Bomb only protects against other player's actions, so if Smoke Bomb's controller plays a standard action, you can copy it with Dancing King and have it affect the minion with Smoke Bomb, bypassing its protection because the minion is considered as being affected by its own controller's action.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Smoke Bomb 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 Smoke Bomb 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 Way of Deception[]
Q: It tells me to move "one of my minions". Can I move a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, 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: Can I use it to move one of my minions from stasis to a base?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
Questions on Invisible Ninja[]
- 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 Invisible Ninja, 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.
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 Invisible Ninja 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. Invisible Ninja 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 Invisible Ninja 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: After using its Ongoing ability, 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 discard a card to play the titan. Can I immediately destroy it to play an extra minion? I haven't played any minion or action, so it is still the start of my turn after all.
A: No, because it actually is no longer the start of your turn. Since you're actually using its first Special ability to it, that means you are on the Play Cards phase of your turn, i.e. phase 2 where "On your turn" abilities can be used. So, it is no longer your Start Turn phase (phase 1) and so you cannot use the titan's second Special ability.
Rule: "On your turn" means "during the Play Cards (phase 2) of each of your turns".
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: I suppose I must play the extra minion of power 3 or less on the same base Invisible Ninja was at. Right?
A: No, the extra minion can be played on any base.
Trivia[]
- The artists are Isuardi Therianto (most cards and the bases) and Crut.
- Their divider (available in The Big Geeky Box and The Bigger Geekier Box) features Seeing Stars.
- The Ninjas are heavily based on Ninja Gaiden and Legend of the Five Rings, another game from AEG.
- An actual Ninja is hidden in Invisible Ninja.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 忍者 |
| Czech | Ninjové |
| French | Ninjas |
| German | Ninjas |
| Greek | Νίντζα |
| Hebrew | נינג’ות |
| Italian | Ninja |
| Japanese | 忍者 |
| Polish | Ninja |
| Portuguese | Ninjas |
| Russian | Ниндзя |
| Spanish | Ninjas |
| Turkish | Ninjalar |
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