Welcome to the world of Mattis!

In this exciting card game, you can play with 3 to 8 players. The objective is simple: collect cards in phase one and get rid of them as fast as you can in phase two. But be careful, because the player who ends up with cards in hand is the loser!

Mattis is divided into two phases, and there is no winner, only a loser.

Let’s Get Started: Setting Up

To begin the game, we first need to choose a dealer randomly. Once selected, the dealer will shuffle the deck and distribute three cards to each player. The remaining cards will be placed face-down, creating the stockpile.

Card Ranking

The cards follow a traditional ranking. Ace is the highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, and so on, with 2 being the lowest.

Into the Gameplay We Go!

Let me explain how the game works. There are two phases that you’ll go through. The first phase is all about collecting cards for your hand, while the second phase is about getting rid of your cards as fast as you can.

Phase One: Collecting Cards

Let’s talk about the first phase of playing tricks. It’s a fun and exciting part of the game where the suit of the card doesn’t matter, and you don’t have to follow suit or try to win tricks. The player who sits to the left of the dealer gets to start the first trick by playing any card they want. After that, all the other players take turns playing a card from their hand to the trick.

Now, here’s the interesting part: the player who has the highest-ranked card, no matter what suit it is, wins the trick! But what happens if multiple players have the same highest card? Well, in that case, everyone with the tied highest card has to play an additional card to the trick until a winner is determined. Exciting, isn’t it?

After the trick is over, it’s time for everyone to draw cards from the stockpile. This ensures that you always have three cards in your hand to play with. And what happens to the cards from the trick? Well, they are collected into a pile next to the player who won the trick, but they remain face-down, adding to the suspense of the game. Oh, and one more thing – the winner of the trick gets to start the next trick! That’s a cool advantage.

If I don’t want to play a card from my hand, I have another option. I can reveal the top card from the discard pile and use that for my turn. However, I can only do this if there are still more than 1 card left in the stock. Once I reveal a card this way, I have to play it and I can’t keep it in my hand.

Now, let’s talk about what happens when the stock is about to run out. The player who would normally draw the last card from the stock instead reveals it to everyone. This card is theirs to play, but it has to stay revealed until the end of the first phase. The suit of this card determines the trump suit for the second phase.

Once the stock is completely emptied, the game continues until the player who has to play for their turn has no cards left in hand. If any players still have cards in their hand, they have to reveal them and keep them for the second phase. Also, if the final trick couldn’t be completed, the players who played cards to it have to take back all of their cards.

Phase Two

Now that we’ve dealt the cards, each player has their own hand. The number of cards in each hand may vary, depending on how many cards each player won in phase one. If a player didn’t win any cards in phase one, they’re called Blue Mattis, but they still have to play in phase two.

During this phase, the main goal is to get rid of all the cards in your hand as quickly as possible. You do this by playing tricks.

The first trick is started by the player who won the last trick in phase one. To play in the trick, the following players need to either play a higher-ranked card of the same suit or a trump card. Remember, any trump card beats a regular card.

Hey there! Let me walk you through an interesting variation in card games. It’s called sequences. Basically, when playing a sequence, you have to lay down 2 or more cards that are in consecutive order and belong to the same suit. Pretty cool, right?

Now, here’s the exciting part. To beat a sequence, you either need a higher card or another sequence that belongs to the same suit. Alternatively, any card or sequence that belongs to the trump suit can also beat it. It’s like a strategic battle of cards!

But wait, what happens if I can’t or don’t want to play a card? Well, in that case, I have to draw the lowest-ranked card from the current trick. And just like that, my turn is over and it’s the next player’s chance to play. Simple, right?

A trick is completed when each player has played a number of cards equal to the number of players when the trick started. Or, if all the cards from the trick have been drawn by players. Ah, but there’s a twist! Since Blue Mattis doesn’t have a card to play for the first trick, they always have to draw the lowest-ranked card from that trick. It’s a rule they gotta follow!

So, now you know all about sequences in card games. Start thinking tactically and go have some fun with your friends!

When it comes to completing a trick using a certain number of cards, the player who makes the final move in that trick wins. They will gather up all the cards used in that trick and start the next one. If all the cards have been played, then the player to the left of the one who drew the last card begins the next trick.

To end their turn, a player must play their very last card. Once they do so, they are out of the game and cannot lose anymore.

THE GAME ENDS

The game continues until only one player is left standing. That player is the loser.

The game continues until only one player is left standing. That player is the loser.