This is the FAQ page for each individual base in Pretty Pretty Smash Up.
Questions on Beautiful Castle[]
Q: An opponent plays Bear Hug (or Unfathomable Goals, Griefer, Out of Sight), forcing me to affect one of my minions. Can I choose one of my minions of power 5 or more on Beautiful Castle? If so, does Beautiful Castle protect it?
A: First of all, you can indeed choose any of your minions, but you must choose one if you have any in play. Secondly, since the cause of the affect is "another player's card", then yes, Beautiful Castle protects your minions of power 5 or more.
Q: Another players has an action on Beautiful Castle that gives other players' characters -1 power (e.g. Incite Panic). I play a power-5 character there. Does it become a power-4 character and therefore isn't protected by Beautiful Castle? Or is it protected by Beautiful Castle and therefore doesn't get -1 power from the action?
A: It gets the protection from Beautiful Castle. When two abilities conflict, the one that says you can't do something beats the one that says you can.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: I have a power-4 minion on Beautiful Castle. An opponent plays Enchantment there and chooses the +1 power to all minions option. What happens? If my minion gains the +1 power, it becomes power-5 and is protected by Beautiful Castle, and so goes back to power-4 and becomes affectable again,...
A: The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook settled it: Because Enchantment is what allows your minion to be protected by Beautiful Castle, Beautiful Castle "accepts" it.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: Your minions of power 5 or more there (and only your minions , not all minions) won't be protected by Beautiful Castle's ability anymore.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Cool Cats’ Alley[]
Q: It tells me to destroy "one of my minions". Can I destroy a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: I use this base's ability and end with more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: How does Cool Cats’ Alley work with The House of Nine Lives? Can I draw a card and have my minion saved from destruction?
A: No. If you choose to destroy your minion with Cool Cats’ Alley, you must have the destruction succeed to draw a card. If you use The House of Nine Lives to save your minion, then the destruction failed and you can't draw a card.
Q: How does this base work with the minion Servitor of Cthulhu? Can I destroy this minion and BOTH use the base ability (draw a card) and the minion's talent (put an action from the discard pile on the top of my deck)?
A: No. The Servitor of Cthulhu and Cool Cats’ Alley both have an ability that you can activate on your turn. As with various talents and "on your turn" abilities, if you want to use one, you must declare it and completely resolve it, before being able to use another one. So, if you activate Servitor of Cthulhu's talent first, you destroy it and place an action from your discard pile on top of your deck. Next, if you want to activate Cool Cats’ Alley's ability, there's a problem: Servitor of Cthulhu is no longer in play for you to destroy and so, you can't draw a card because you didn't destroy it with Cool Cats’ Alley. Likewise, if you activate Cool Cats’ Alley's ability first, you destroy Servitor of Cthulhu and (if the destruction succeeds) draw a card. After that, since you've finished resolving that ability, you're free to activate talents or other "on your turn" abilities. Unfortunately, you cannot invoke Servitor of Cthulhu because it is no longer in play and you don't place an action from your discard pile on top of your deck because you must activate Servitor of Cthulhu's talent to do that, which you didn't.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't be able to use this base's ability on your turn.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Enchanted Glen[]
Q: It doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so I suppose I only get to draw one card after playing my first action there, right?
A: No, you draw a card after each time you play an action on a minion there. For it to only work once, it has to explicitly state it for example by saying "once per turn", "the first time" or "the first action". Enchanted Glen's ability is a triggerable one, and unless otherwise stated it must be resolved each time it is triggered. If it said "each time", it would just be redundant.
Q: After playing an action on a minion there, I (somehow) have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: I play an Argonaut on Enchanted Glen, do I draw a card?
A: No. While playing Argonaut counts as if you played an action, you actually play Argonaut on a base, not on a minion, so Enchanted Glen doesn't treat playing Argonaut as playing an action on a minion.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability? Can I prevent other players from drawing a card when they play an action on one of my minions?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't get a card draw after playing an action that directly affects an opponent's minion there. So no, if another player plays an action that directly affects one of your minions, you cannot prevent them from following the base's intructions, because the base's ability itself doesn't affect your minions and it doesn't instruct you to do anything.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Equaria[]
Q: It doesn't say "each time" like Cave of Shinies or The Homeworld, so I suppose I only get to move a minion after playing my first minion there, right?
A: No, you may move a minion after each time you play a minion there. For it to only work once, it has to explicitly state it for example by saying "once per turn", "the first time" or "the first minion". This ability is a triggerable one, and unless otherwise stated it must be resolved each time it is triggered. If it said "each time", it would just be redundant.
Q: It tells me to move "one of my minions". Can I move a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, right?
A: No. "Your minions" are minions you control, whether or not you own them. A minion you own but don't control isn't yours.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Equaria, can I still move one of my minions to there?
A: Yes. Playing an Argonaut, whether as a minion or instead of an action, still counts as playing a minion. It IS a minion after all.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't be able to move one of your minions to there when you play a minion there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Fairy Circle[]
Q: If I play a minion on another base and then a second minion on Fairy Circle, do I get to use its ability or does it have to be the very first minion of the turn that must be played there?
A: You do get to use this base's ability because the trigger is "After the first time you play a minion here each turn", which happened: your second minion of the turn IS the first minion you played on that base on that turn.
Q: If I manage to play a minion there before it scores (e.g. Shinobi), do I get an extra action/minion play?
A: Yes. And you must play one immediately or not at all.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: After I play a minion on Fairy Circle, can I decide to play an extra action and play an Argonaut on any base?
A: Yes. If you had decided to get an extra minion and played an Argonaut, you would have had to play it on Fairy Circle. But since you decided to get an extra action, you can play the Argonaut on any base.
Q: I haven't played any minion yet. If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Fairy Circle, do I still get the extra card play?
A: Yes. Playing an Argonaut, whether as a minion or instead of an action, still counts as playing a minion. It IS a minion after all.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) won't be able to get either a minion play or an action play after you play a minion there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Ice Castle[]
Q: How can I get minions on Ice Castle?
A: Move them.
Rule: N/A
Q: I play Enshrouding Mist on Ice Castle, can I now play a minion there?
A: No, well you can try, but the minion will be discarded without effect. That's because, even though Enshrouding Mist allows you to play a minion there, Ice Castle prevents it, and when cards conflict, "can't" always trumps "can".
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: The Greenhouse allows the winner to play a minion on the base that replaces it. If that base is Ice Castle, can they still play it?
A: No, well technically yes, but if they try to, it will be discarded without effect.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: If I have a Mild Mannered Citizen in play and it is moved to Ice Castle, does it cancel Mild Mannered Citizen's ability? Or since Mild Mannered Citizen's ability replaces it with another minion, I can still replace it, right? That's not playing a minion. (This also applies to Sprout)
A: At the start of your turn, if you choose to activate Mild Mannered Citizen's ability, do as much as you can, while resolving it completely, even if some part of it can't be done. Firstly, you destroy it (no problem here). Secondly, you search your deck for a minion of power 5 or less (no problem here). Thirdly, you play it on Mild Mannered Citizen's former base (problem: Ice Castle forbids it, so you can't play it and it is discarded without effect). Fourthly, you shuffle your deck (no problem here).
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: You (and only you, not all players) can now play minion there.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on Pony Land[]
Q: It works "if I have two or more minions" there. Does it also work if I have minions there that I own but don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so I "have" them, right?
A: No. "If you have a minion" means "if you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: Can Pony Land's ability protect my minions from being destroyed by High Ground?
A: Yes, as long as you have at least two minions there when High Ground tries to destroy your minions. If you have one there anyway, your other minions are immune to High Ground. If two or more of your minions are moved to Pony Land at once (e.g. You’re Pretty Much Borscht), then they are protected by Pony Land's ability. This is because Ongoing abilities apply before on-move reactions resolve.
Q: One of my cards tells me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Sacrifice), or an opponent's card forces me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Bear Hug), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Spikey Chair Room), can I target one of my (at least two) minions on Pony Land? If so, is it destroyed? If not, does it stop the rest of the ability if there were more to it?
A: Short answer: Yes, no and it depends. Firstly, you can indeed choose any of your minions as long as it fits the card's requirement (e.g. if your minion is a minion you own, you can target it with Spikey Chair Room's ability, but you can't if it's not a minion you own, obviously), but you must choose one if you have any in play and if it's a mandatory ability (i.e. there's no "you may"). Secondly, because it is targeted for destruction, Pony Land's ability protects it if you control at least two minions there, so your minion will not be destroyed. Lastly, you must finish resolving the card that was originally invoked. If the card was the kind of card that says "Destroy a minion to do Y" or "Destroy a minion. If you do, do Y", then the effect stated as "Y" can't be done at all, simply because in the end your minion isn't destroyed. If the card says something else, such as "Destroy a minion. Do Y", "Destroy a minion and do Y", etc., the destruction isn't a pre-requisite so you resolve the rest of the card's ability.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: Your minions there (and only your minions, not all minions) aren't protected by Pony Land anymore.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".
Questions on The House of Nine Lives[]
Q: Do I have to have a minion on The House of Nine Lives to use its ability?
A: There's no such restriction, so no.
Q: If several of my minions on other bases are about to be destroyed at the same time, how many can I save with The House of Nine Lives? It says "a minion".
A: You can save any number of those minions.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: I take control of another player's minion on another base. If I want to destroy it, who decides whether to save it or not with The House of Nine Lives?
A: It's the minion's owner who decides.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: One of my cards tells me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Sacrifice), or an opponent's card forces me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Bear Hug), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. Spikey Chair Room), can I target one of my minions on bases other than The House of Nine Lives and have The House of Nine Lives save it? If so, does it stop the rest of the ability if there were more to it?
A: Short answer: Yes and it depends. Firstly, you can indeed choose any of your minions as long as it fits the card's requirement (e.g. if your minion is a minion you own, you can target it with Spikey Chair Room's ability, but you can't if it's not a minion you own, obviously), but you must choose one if you have any in play and if it's a mandatory ability (i.e. there's no "you may"). Secondly, because it is targeted for destruction, The House of Nine Lives's ability is triggered, offering you the option to change the destruction into a movement. If you choose to do so, your minion will not be destroyed. Lastly, you must finish resolving the card that was originally invoked. If the card was the kind of card that says "Destroy a minion to do Y" or "Destroy a minion. If you do, do Y", then the effect stated as "Y" can't be done at all, simply because in the end your minion isn't destroyed. If the card says something else, such as "Destroy a minion. Do Y", "Destroy a minion and do Y", etc., the destruction isn't a pre-requisite so you resolve the rest of the card's ability.
Q: It's the start of my turn and I have one Mild Mannered Citizen in play. I activate its ability and destroy it, but decide to save it with The House of Nine Lives. Can I activate Mild Mannered Citizen again and, this time, actually destroy it and play a power-5 minion on House of Nine Lives?
A: No. Mild Mannered Citizen has already been triggered by the start of your turn and you've already resolved it, so you can't trigger it a second time.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: The House of Nine Lives and Tar Pits are in play. If a minion on Tar Pits is chosen for destruction, is it moved to The House of Nine Lives or placed on the bottom of its owner's deck?
A: The House of Nine Lives is triggered first because the minion "would be destroyed". So the minion's owner decides if they want to use The House of Nine Lives's ability or not. If they want to, the minion is moved there and Tar Pits isn't triggered because the minion wasn't destroyed after all. If they want to ignore The House of Nine Lives, then the destruction is applied and if it succeeds, Tar Pits is triggered and the minion is automatically placed on the bottom of its owner's deck.
Q: How does Cool Cats’ Alley work with The House of Nine Lives? Can I draw a card and have my minion saved from destruction?
A: No. If you choose to destroy your minion with Cool Cats’ Alley, you must have the destruction succeed to draw a card. If you use The House of Nine Lives to save your minion, then the destruction failed and you can't draw a card.
Q: I have Infiltrate on this base. What happens if I choose to ignore this base's ability?
A: There are three possible situations:
- If the minion about to be destroyed is one you own but don't control, it can't be moved to that base since the base allows you as the owner to move it, which you can ignore.
- If the minion about to be destroyed is one you control but don't own, it can't be moved to that base since the base will affect your minion if its actual owner chooses to move it, and your minion can't be affected by the base's ability.
- If the minion about to be destroyed is one you don't either own or control, its owner can move it to that base.
Rule: Definition of "ignore".