What can I say? You were promised a cutthroat game!Īlso, shout out to Exploding Kittens who has launched its Youth Program outreach in celebration of this new game. Either way, the short nature of each round really adds to the fun, because hard feelings between players are going to be carried over into each game. Or maybe that is just specific to my friend group and we need to chill. Some people might need a couple of minutes to cool off after intense betrayal. Mantis is the Mario Kart of card games: a potential friendship ruiner. It’s easy to forget this step in a fast-paced game, but this is the strategy that will lead you to victory! Three or more of one color can go into your score pile, and the first player to get 10 or more points wins! Players should remember that they have a secret superpower in being able to have a successful third of a chance knowing what card is up next in the draw pile. During each turn, players look at the top card of the draw pile and decide whether to steal matching cards from an opponent or score all of the matching cards in their hand. So, if the back of the card is pink, purple, and orange, then the card will either be pink, purple, or orange.

Each player starts with four cards face up so every player can see what cards each other has.Įven though the cards in the draw pile are faced down, the back of the cards have colorful clues as to what is on the other side. The front of the cards each show a character in one of seven colors, featuring The Oatmeal’s quirky designs. Another major win for this game is that it’s easy to lean and quick to play with only two rules: steal or score. Inman describes Mantis as having the simplicity of UNO and the depth of Gin Rummy, and he’s not wrong. (For legal reasons, that is a joke.) Mantis | Source: Exploding Kittens The comic says that “aquariums don’t typically house mantis shrimps because they tend to slaughter every other creature they share a tank with,” and that is the energy I needed to take with me to play this game. Readers will be taken on a journey to learn about how these rainbow-colored creatures are more than meets the eye. One of the funniest parts about Mantis is that it’s based on the viral comic from The Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman called “ Why the Mantis Shrimp is my new favorite animal.” A print out of the comic is included with each game, and while it’s not required reading for the game, you must read it simply for the laughs.

Related: It’s Back! Exploding Kittens Relaunches Happy Salmon Game

Exploding kittens card game rules