Master the Master of Cards at Dueling Decks!

     How To Play:

     Dueling Decks is very similar to the card game War. But instead of card numbers, you are fighting the different attribute levels of each character! The attributes include Courage, Charisma, and Intelligence. When it is your turn, you will be given the option of what attribute you want to compare with Zenco's card. If your card has a higher scoring number, you win that round and collect both cards. Then you get to choose the attribute for the next round! If Zenco's is higher, he will win that round. He will collect both cards and choose the attribute for the next round! The goal is to collect all of Zenco the Magnificent's cards! He is the Master of Cards, so keep reading for some tips to master the master!

     The Cards:

     There are 41 cards that make up the deck and each of them features a beloved (or feared) Neopian. From Fyora to Dr. Sloth, you never know who will pop up! Each character has their own set of attributes.

     Courage ranges from 1 - 16

     Charisma ranges from 1 - 15

     Intelligence ranges from 5 - 162

     The ranges are important to remember so you can decide if the card you draw is towards the top or bottom of the range.

     Winning a Hand:

     If it's your turn to choose an attribute, the best choice isn't always the highest number! For example, the Ixi Raider card has a 12 Courage, 9 Charisma, and 80 Intelligence. A score of 80 for Intelligence is fairly low compared to the other cards. But 12 for Courage isn't too bad! I would choose Courage as the best attribute.

     Now if Zenco is choosing the attribute, all you can really do is hope he chooses poorly and fingers crossed!

     Tie- Breaker:

     Sometimes the attributes of the cards played are the same value and will tie! When that happens, the cards are set in the middle of the table and another round is played. This continues until a round is won and the winner collects the entire pot! This can be a great opportunity if you are running low on cards in your hand to build your deck back up. This way if you win you won't be so close to losing everything! On the flip side, if Zenco wins you need to focus and make sure he doesn't take your whole deck!

     Scoring:

     If you are going for a trophy score, I recommend playing on Hard. Technically you could play on Easy or Medium, but it will take more than a few hours to earn enough points for a trophy. *sigh*

     On any level, every hand you win will earn you points. Every consecutive win up to 5 wins will double in points! For example, win #1 on Easy difficulty will earn you 25 points and win #2 will earn you 50 points and so on. Once you successfully win 5 consecutive wins, the bonus will reset. In addition, you earn more points depending on what difficulty you choose. For example, win #1 on Easy will earn you 25 points, while win #1 on Hard will earn you 100! If you play on Hard, you can rack up a lot of points significantly faster!

     Strategy:

     The goal is to earn a shiny new trophy, right? If you take a look at the high score table, you can see some crazy high scores! How do people score that many points with only 10 cards in their hand?!

     Remember how you can earn a bonus for every hand won? Play that to your advantage.

     Ideally you want to win 5 hands in a row to collect the max bonus. However you start off with 10 cards, so winning the bonus twice will finish the game and won't get you close to the score you need. The best way to continue playing for that high score is to 'accidentally' lose a turn or two. But be careful! If you're playing on hard, Zenco gets to choose the attribute every time you lose and you could get caught with him taking all your cards! The best way to avoid Zenco getting carried away with taking your whole pile is to win 5 hands, then start trying to lose a round. That way you have a bit of a buffer in case he continues to win rounds. Let Zenco get back to 10 cards in his deck, then actively try to win again. By keeping each of your decks around 10 cards each, you have enough of a buffer should you start losing and enough to collect the 5 win bonus!

     If you run into a tight spot and only have a few cards left, don't forget about your wild card! The wild card is the Nightsteed with a 14 Courage, 14 Charisma, and 140 Intelligence! Pretty sweet card, right? However, you can only play it once! So hold onto it until you're 1 card away from losing and it's looking grim! While the Nightsteed can not beat every card in the deck, it gives you a great chance of winning that round!

     Bonus Tips:

     You are shown your full hand at the beginning of the game! Write down your cards and their corresponding attributes so you can keep track!

     Try to remember or write down the highest numbers for each attribute. In addition, keep track of what cards you've played & gained as well as played & lost!

     Do your best to keep at least 1 of the strongest cards in your hand as a safety net.

     Set up with a snack, some water, and get ready for the longest card game of your life!