Neopets Trading Card Game facts for kids
Card back of Neopets TCG
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| Designer(s) | Mike Elliott |
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| Publisher(s) | Wizards of the Coast |
| Players | 2 |
| Playing time | Approx 20 min |
| Random chance | Some |
| Skill(s) required | Card playing Arithmetic Basic Reading Ability |
The Neopets Trading Card Game (TCG) is a fun collectible card game. It's based on the super popular Neopets website, where you can have your own virtual pets. This game came out in 2003. It was made by Wizards of the Coast, a big company known for many card games. The Neopets TCG was made for a slightly younger audience. Like most card games, you can collect the cards or use them to play exciting games. The game stopped being made in 2006.
Contents
How to Play the Neopets TCG
The Neopets TCG is a game for two players. Each player needs two decks of cards. One deck is your main play deck, with at least 40 cards. The other deck holds at least 10 Basic Neopet cards.
Players start the game with one Neopet. By your third turn, you can have up to three Neopets in play. Your Neopets compete against your opponent's Neopets. They battle in four different areas: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Magic.
When you win a competition on your turn, you can either "bank" a card or draw a new one. To win the game, you need to bank enough cards that add up to a certain value.
Different Types of Cards
The Neopets TCG has many different kinds of cards. Each type helps you play the game in a special way. Here are the main card types:
- Basic Neopet
- Experienced Neopet
- Item
- Equipment
- Hero
- Villain
- Something Has Happened!
- Location
- Fate (Curse and Quest)
- Constellation
Basic Neopet Cards (Yellow)
Basic Neopet cards are the most important cards in the game. They are based on the cute creatures from the Neopets website. Each Basic Neopet card shows four skills: strength, agility, intelligence, and magic. These skills have a number value. A higher number means your Neopet is stronger or better in that skill. Basic Neopets usually have skill values between 1 and 10.
Experienced Neopet Cards (Grey)
Experienced Neopet cards are like evolved versions of your Basic Neopets. Think of them like Pokémon evolving in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Experienced Neopets have higher skill numbers. They also often have cool special abilities that help you during the game.
An Experienced Neopet card shows both a Neopet species and a job. For example, you might see a "Jubjub Engineer." Only a Basic Neopet of the same species can become an Experienced Neopet. So, a Jubjub can become a Jubjub Engineer, but a Mynci cannot.
Item and Equipment Cards (Red and Blue)
Item and Equipment cards make your Neopet's skills better. They add points to your Neopet's base skill numbers. These cards often have special abilities that change how the game plays.
The main difference between them is how long they last:
- Items can only be used once. After you use them, you discard them. The good thing about Items is that you can use them to surprise your opponent!
- Equipment stays attached to your Neopet. It stays there until another card removes it.
Item and Equipment cards are also the only cards that are worth points. They can be worth between 0 and 8 points. To win the game, you need to "bank" 21 points worth of Item and Equipment cards.
Hero and Villain Cards (White and Black)
Hero cards and Villain cards have very high skill numbers. They are designed to fight each other. If a Villain card is played, the area where it is located becomes "sealed off." This means players cannot start new competitions there until the Villain is defeated.
A Hero card can help you win a tough battle, especially against a Villain. But like Items, Hero cards can only be used once before they are discarded.
Something Has Happened! Cards (Purple)
"Something Has Happened!" cards cause a quick, one-time event or effect. These cards are often used to change the outcome of a battle. After they are used, they are discarded. Since you can play these cards at almost any time, they can add a lot of surprise to the game!
Location Cards (Green)
Location cards can be played in one of the game's areas. They affect all future battles that happen in that area. A Location card might give an advantage to certain types of Neopets. Or it might cause other effects during battles there. Location cards are usually based on places from the Neopets website.
Fate Cards (Orange)
Fate cards come in two types: Curse and Quest.
- Curses are usually played on an opponent's Neopet. They have a negative effect on that Neopet. Curse cards often stay in play, which can make it hard for that Neopet to do well.
- Quest cards affect all parts of the game. They are usually neutral, meaning they don't help or hurt one player more than the other.
Constellation Cards
Constellation cards represent stars in the sky. They change the game in some way. For example, a Constellation might give extra power to Neopets in play. The company that made the game, Wizards of the Coast, didn't give official rules for these cards. However, players often treat them like "enchantments" from other card games. This means they stay in play once they are used.
Game Expansions
The Neopets Trading Card Game had several expansion sets. Each new set added more cards and sometimes new types of cards. Only three Neopets species were never made into cards by Wizards of the Coast: Gnorbu, Ogrin, and Xweetok.
Base Set
The very first Neopets card set was a basic introduction. It had 234 cards and no special theme. This set brought in the first card types: Basic Neopet, Experienced Neopet, Hero, Villain, Item, Equipment, and "Something Has Happened!". Some of the first Basic Neopets included Aishas, Korbats, Myncis, Scorchios, Shoyrus, Kacheeks, Acaras, Lupes, and Wockies.
Battle For Meridell
This expansion came out at the same time as an online story and war on the Neopets website. That story was set in the medieval land of Meridell. So, the 140 cards in this set had a Middle Ages-like style. This expansion added ten new Neopet species, like Blumaroo, Draik, Gelert, and Ixi. It also introduced the Location card type.
The Return of Sloth
This set was released in 2004. It was meant to be part of an online story, but that story was delayed until 2008. This expansion had 100 cards. Its theme was space, so it included futuristic and robotic items and equipment. Six new Neopet species appeared in this set, including Cybunny, Grundo, Jetsam, and Jubjub.
Mystery Island
This 100-card expansion was based on a tropical island. It didn't add any new card types. But it did introduce four new Neopet species, such as the Pteri and Techo. An online mystery story called "Secret of the Volcano" was related to this set.
Hannah and the Ice Caves
This expansion focused on a popular game character named Hannah the Usul. A big story was released on the Neopets website along with this 150-card set. This was also the first set to have "secret" cards, which were 5 special Jelly cards. The theme for this set, released in October 2004, was a cold, icy environment. This expansion introduced Basic Neopets like the Bori and the Bruce. It also added one new card type: Fates.
Curse of Maraqua
This 120-card expansion was all about the underwater city of Maraqua. This city was rebuilt during an online story on the Neopets website. Four new Neopet species came out with this set, including the Yurble, Chomby, Lenny, and Tuskaninny.
Lost Desert
This 100-card expansion took players to the sandy Lost Desert. Basic Neopets released in this set included the Ruki, the Kau, and the Tonu. There was also an online story and war related to this expansion.
The Darkest Faerie
This 150-card expansion (with 5 secret cards) had cards related to the PlayStation 2 game, The Darkest Faerie. It featured characters like the Darkest Faerie and the Werelupe King. This expansion also added a new card type called Constellation. New Basic Neopets included Buzz, Koi, and Nimmo.
Travels in Neopia
This Neopets card set was actually a collection of 200 cards from older sets. It included popular cards and Neopets from almost every species. Only three species (Gnorbu, Ogrin, and Xweetok) were still missing. The main idea of this set was to help fans remember old stories or catch up on the series.
The Haunted Woods
This was the newest and last expansion made by Wizards of the Coast. It had 100 cards with a spooky theme. The cards were about ghosts, werewolves, and zombies. This deck was connected to an online story called "Tale of Woe." In that story, a village falls under a curse, and Neopets must find out what happened. There were no brand new Basic Neopet types in this set.
Hubrid's Hero Heist Game
A video game was made to go along with the TCG, called Hubrid's Hero Heist. In this game, several Neopian heroes are captured by a villain named Hubrid Nox. You play as the Poogle Apprentice, and your job is to save these heroes. The heroes you rescue include Magnus the Torch, Jeran, Master Vex, Illusen, Jerdana, and finally, Fyora the Faerie Queen.
