How to Play Stack Attack

The Goal

Be the first to win by EITHER:

• Scoring 3 stacks (the main way), OR
• Playing all 7 of your cards out of your hand (the fast way)

The Basics

The deck: 57 cards total — 36 number cards (4 colors × 1-9) plus 21 action cards (the chaos cards).

Each player starts with 7 cards in hand. The other 43 stay face-down as the draw pile.

Your hand: Cards you hold. Only you can see your hand. Your opponent only sees how many cards you have, not what they are.

Stacks: Piles of same-color cards in front of you. Stacks are how you score points to win. You can have as many stacks as you want, of any size.

Your Turn

On your turn, in this order:

1. Draw a card from the deck — OPTIONAL, once per turn (tap "Draw Card" only if you want one)
2. Play a card from your hand onto a stack — REQUIRED, one play per turn

You must play a card each turn — that's how the game moves toward an ending (you can't just sit and pass). Drawing first is optional. Then click "End Turn." Stuck with nothing to play? Draw a card.

How Stacks Work

Building a stack: When you play a number card, it goes onto a stack of the SAME COLOR in front of you.

• If you already have a stack of that color, the card adds to the top
• If you don't, the card starts a new stack
• The game enforces this — you can't accidentally mix colors

Stack rules:

• All cards in a stack must be the SAME COLOR (red, blue, green, or yellow)
• Card NUMBERS don't matter — values 1-9 are interchangeable for stacking
• ORDER in the stack doesn't matter for scoring (but matters for STEAL/REVERSE — top card is exposed)
• No max stack size
• Stacks belong to YOU — opponent can't add to them, but they CAN attack them

Valid stack examples:

• ✓ RED 1 + RED 5 + RED 9 = scoreable (3 reds)
• ✓ BLUE 3 + BLUE 3 + BLUE 8 = scoreable (duplicates fine)
• ✓ GREEN 9 + GREEN 2 + GREEN 4 + GREEN 7 = scoreable (4 cards counts)

Scoring Stacks (the main way to win)

When one of your stacks has 3 or more cards, you can SCORE it on your turn (after playing). Click the SCORE button next to that stack. The whole stack discards and you get 1 stack point on the scoreboard.

Get 3 stack points = win.

Important rules:

• Each scored stack = 1 point, regardless of size. A 3-card stack = 1 point. A 10-card stack = STILL 1 point. Size does NOT change the score.
• Only ONE stack can be scored per turn. If two of your stacks are both 3+, you pick one and save the other for next turn.
• Scoring is OPTIONAL — you can keep building a stack instead of cashing it in.

Why score at 3 cards (not later)? Tall stacks aren't worth more — they're just bigger targets. Scoring at exactly 3 cards locks the point in before opponent attacks.

Action Cards (the chaos cards)

8 different action card types. When you play one, it does something to your opponent or the game.

Card	What it does
STEAL	Pick ONE of opponent's stacks. Take the TOP card and put it in one of your same-color stacks (or start new). They lose 1 card, you gain 1.
SWAP	Trade your ENTIRE hand with opponent's. Both hands switch.
FREEZE	Opponent skips their next turn completely — can't play, can't draw, can't score.
WILD	Played as any color you choose. Once placed in a stack, counts as that color from then on.
SHUFFLE	All OPPONENT'S stacks torn apart. Their cards regroup by color into new stacks with randomized order. Wrecks careful builds.
DRAW 3	Opponent must draw 3 cards at the start of their next turn before they can play.
REVERSE	Pick any stack (yours or theirs). Flip it upside down — top becomes bottom. Mostly affects STEAL targets.
DOUBLE	Get an EXTRA play this turn. Play DOUBLE, then play another card. Can chain.

All 8 action cards are fully playable.

What "Attacking Your Stacks" Means

When opponent plays STEAL, SHUFFLE, or REVERSE — they're attacking your stacks.

• STEAL takes 1 card off the top of ONE of your stacks
• SHUFFLE reorganizes ALL your stacks at once by color
• REVERSE flips one stack upside down (changes which card is on top, exposing a different card to the next STEAL)

Defense: A SCORED stack is SAFE — locked in, can't be touched. An UNSCORED 3-card stack is VULNERABLE. So when you can score, you usually should.

How to Win

You win the MOMENT any of these happens:

1. You score your 3rd stack (main path)
2. You play your last card so your hand reaches 0
3. Opponent is forced to draw (DRAW 3) but the deck is empty (deck exhaustion = they lose)

You LOSE if:

• Opponent hits any win condition first
• You're forced to draw (from a DRAW 3) and the deck is empty

A normal optional draw on an empty deck just doesn't draw — it's not a loss. Only a forced DRAW 3 can cost you the game that way.

Strategy Tips for New Players

• Don't hoard. If you can play, play. Sitting on cards doesn't help you win.
• Score when you can. A scored stack is locked in. An unscored stack is at risk.
• Save STEAL for late. Worth way more when opponent has tall stacks to raid.
• Watch out for SWAP when your hand is small — opponent can erase your lead instantly.
• DOUBLE + action card = brutal combo. Save them for game-swing moments.

Got it!