What’s scary? A bear. What’s really scary? A cossack riding a bear! Bear Cavalry will use fear to drive opposing minions away to other bases. - AEG
The Tsar wasn’t satisfied with mere horses, so you’re pretty much screwed. You can run away from them. Or you can get killed. Sometimes you get both. Just count yourself lucky that the bears aren’t also riding sharks.
- - Awesome Level 9000 rulebook (updated in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook)
The Bear Cavalry are one of the 4 factions from the Awesome Level 9000 set.
Bear Cavalry intimidate their opponents all across the battlefield.
Other factions from the same set: Ghosts, Killer Plants, Steampunks.
Cards[]
The Bear Cavalry have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually high at 35 or an average of 3.5 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3. They are also one of the rare factions to have received a titan from the TITANS Event Kit.
Among their actions, there are:
- 0 play-on-minion actions,
- 2 play-on-base actions: High Ground, Superiority,
- 8 standard actions (7 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Bear Hug, Bear Necessities, Bear Rides You, Commission (2x), You’re Pretty Much Borscht, You’re Screwed (2x),
- 0 actions that directly increase a minion's power.
Minions[]
1x General Ivan - power 6 - Ongoing: Your minions cannot be destroyed. FAQ
2x Polar Commando - power 4 - Ongoing: If this is your only minion on this base, it has +2 power and cannot be destroyed. FAQ
3x Bear Cavalry - power 3 - Move another player’s minion from here to another base. FAQ
4x Cub Scout - power 3 - Ongoing: After another player’s minion moves here, if it has less power than this minion, destroy it. FAQ
Actions[]
1x Bear Hug - Each other player destroys his or her minion with the least power (owner controller chooses in case of ties). (errata'd by The Bigger Geekier Box) FAQ
1x Bear Necessities - Destroy an action that has been played on a minion or base. FAQ
1x Bear Rides You - Move one of your minions to another base. FAQ
2x Commission - Play an extra minion. Then move another player’s minion from the extra minion’s base to another base. FAQ
1x High Ground - Play on a base. Ongoing: If you have a minion here, destroy any other player’s minion that moves here. FAQ
1x Superiority - Play on a base. Ongoing: Your minions here cannot be destroyed, moved, or returned to your hand or deck by other players’ cards. FAQ
1x You’re Pretty Much Borscht - Choose a base where you have a minion. Move all other players’ minions from there to one other base. FAQ
2x You’re Screwed - Choose a base where you have a minion. Move another player’s minion from there to another base. FAQ
Titan[]
- (available in each Smash Up TITANS pack released with the TITANS Event Kit)
1x Major Ursa - Special: Instead of your regular minion play, you may play this titan on a base where you have a minion. Ongoing: After this titan is moved to a base, you may move another player’s minion of power 3 or less from there to another base. Talent: Place a +1 power counter on this titan, and then move it to another base. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook:
Commission: You must play the extra minion, and move the other player’s minion, immediately, if at all.
Cub Scout: This does not trigger if it is moved at the same time as the other minion.
Superiority: This does not protect a minion from being placed or shuffled.
Mechanics[]
You're pretty much screwed wherever you go when facing off against Bear Cavalry. Sparing you more stupid jokes, Bear Cavalry have a military focus of outmaneuvering your opponents with superior tactics and brute force. Their abilities imply the use of superior positioning to destroy any approaching enemy minions while protecting your own, and intimidation to force enemies to move to other bases.
Strategy[]
Bears have a roundabout method of destroying enemy minions. They set up bases to destroy enemy minions that move there, then force those minions to move there. They are very good at this maneuver. Many of their cards tie into it, and have the potential to destroy any number of minions of any power all in one move. More commonly they are limited to low power minions and single moves.
Now, when you first play this faction, you will probably be tempted to constantly trash the field with this maneuver. That is a mistake that easily loses you the game. Remember that the goal of Smash Up is to earn Victory Points, and you earn almost all of those by breaking bases with you in first place. Bear Cavalry's abilities are much more practically used for deterrence and control, keeping enemies away from where you don't want them and pushing them toward where you do. If some enemy minions are giving you trouble, go ahead and destroy them, but usually you're better off using them to help you break bases where you have the lead.
Bear Cavalry are also very good at protecting your own minions from destruction. Use that to maintain good positions while you execute your battle plans. Commission and Bear Rides You help you manipulate your own positioning to secure victory.
Synergy[]
Bear Cavalry want to be paired with factions that feature tactical maneuvers of their own or brute force for the Bears to make use of. Other factions like the protection from destruction and high amounts of power.
Dinosaurs - They offer bonus power to help the Bears dominate the field. Upgrade Cub Scouts so they project greater threat, and have a Polar Commando Rampage when she is alone then reinforce her.
Ninjas - Veritable death machine. Pick off all you would stand in your way.
Pirates - A highly tactical duo, great at the Bait and Switch.
Killer Plants - Keep the plants alive while they supply you with extra cards and minions.
Steampunks - Offer a lot of mobility and bonus power for your strategic breakthroughs.
Minions of Cthulhu - Now you can benefit much more from destroying your enemies. Just don't forget to hop onto a base if you can win it.
Sharks - Now the bears can ride sharks. Destroying minions helps trigger the sharks' feeding frenzy. Sharks can chase after prey scared away by the Bear Cavalry, or lay in wait for the prey to come to them. In Smash Up Russia, shark catches you!
External Strategy Guides[]
- Bear Cavalry - Tactical Quickie - Smash Up: Awesome Level 9000
- Calling All Titans: Major Ursa
- Smash Up KOTH #58: General Ivan
- Smash Up Action Awareness #68: High Ground
FAQ[]
Questions on General Ivan[]
Q: Does General Ivan prevent all your minions, including him, from being destroyed?
A: Yes. Any of your minions on any base (including General Ivan).
Q: It protects "all of my minions". Does it also protect minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, 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 have General Ivan in play. 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. Griefer), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. R’lyeh). Since my minions can't be destroyed, I can just ignore those cards, right?
A: Nope, if it doesn't say "you may", you must still target one of them for destruction (don't worry, it won't be destroyed anyway). It doesn't matter in most cases, but some cards do things depending on which minion you targeted (e.g. Transmogrify, “... Really?”) Moreover, even if your minion isn't destroyed, the rest of the card's ability may still happen. 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 the targeted 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 General Ivan and Sprout in play. Does General Ivan cancel Sprout's ability?
A: Sprout's destruction is not necessary to carry out the rest of its ability. At the start of your turn, you have to activate Sprout's ability and do as much as you can, while resolving it completely, even if some part of it can't be done. Firstly, you destroy it (problem: General Ivan forbids it, so you don't destroy it). Secondly, you search your deck for a minion of power 3 or less (no problem here). Thirdly, you play it on Sprout's former base (no problem here). Fourthly, you shuffle your deck (no problem here).
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: I have General Ivan and Mild Mannered Citizen in play. Mild Mannered Citizen is essentially a better version of Sprout. So can I use Mild Mannered Citizen to play a power-5 minion without losing Mild Mannered Citizen?
A: Unfortunately, no. Mild Mannered Citizen has a major difference compared to Sprout: the wording makes its destruction necessary to carry out the rest of its ability. So, if you use Mild Mannered Citizen's ability, it won't destroyed because of General Ivan, and if it isn't destroyed, you can't do the rest of its ability.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: I have General Ivan in play. I play Cat Fight or Sacrifice and choose one of my minions (either General Ivan or another one). Do I still draw cards?
A: Yes. The destruction isn't a condition for drawing cards. So you resolve the card completely, even if some part of it can't be done. Firstly, you choose a minion (you have at least one in play, so no problem here). Secondly, you draw the cards (no problem here). Thirdly, you destroy the chosen minion (problem: General Ivan forbids it, so you don't destroy it).
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: I have General Ivan and Whiskers in play. What happens if I use Whiskers's talent?
A: Again, the destruction of the minion isn't a condition for gaining an extra action to play. So you resolve Whiskers's talent completely, even if some part of it can't be done. First, you bank an extra action to play (no problem here, just remember that it is not played immediately). Then, you destroy one of your minions (problem: General Ivan forbids it, so you don't destroy it).
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: An opponent has General Ivan and another minion in play. I take control of that other minion. Is it still immune to destruction?
A: No. General Ivan makes all their minions immune to destruction. If you take control of one of their other minions, it is no longer one of their minions, so General Ivan's ability doesn't apply to it anymore.
Q: I have General Ivan in play and another minion on R’lyeh. At the start of my turn, can I use R’lyeh's ability?
A: Sure, but here's what will happen. You resolve R’lyeh's ability so you start by destroying your minion there, but General Ivan prevents it, so it isn't destroyed. Next, you resolve the second part that says that if you did destroy your minion, you gain 1 VP. You didn't, so you don't gain 1 VP.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: I have General Ivan in play. If another player plays a card to destroy my Gremlin or one of my minion on Cave of Shinies. I know that the destruction fails, but do I still get the benefits of Gremlin or Cave of Shinies?
A: No. Both cards have an ability that triggers after a minion is destroyed (itself in the case of Gremlin, a minion there in the case of Cave of Shinies). Since the minion isn't destroyed, you can't do the rest of the ability.
Questions on Polar Commando[]
Q: It's Ongoing. Does it means it gets +2 power on each turn while it is alone? So when I play it, it has +2, then on my next turn +4, then +6, etc.
A: No, it only has +2 power for as long as it's in play (while it's your only minion there). If it was as you described, it would be made explicit, like "On each of your turns, this minion gets an additional +2 power" or something similar.
Q: It needs to be "my only minion". If there is a minion there that I own but don't control, does it prevent Polar Commando's ability? 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: 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. Griefer), or a base's ability allows me to destroy one of my minions (e.g. R’lyeh), can I target my lone Polar Commando? 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 Polar Commando is on R’lyeh, you can target it with R’lyeh's ability, but you can't if it was on another base, 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, Polar Commando's ability protects it, so Polar Commando 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 Polar Commando 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 want to play Powderkeg with a polar, but the polar cannot be destroyed. Does this mean I cannot play the Powderkeg?
A: No, even if you have a minion that can't be destroyed, it is still an eligible target for Powderkeg. In that case, it is not destroyed, but all other minions there with equal or less power are still destroyed. The destruction of the minions are not conditioned to the destruction of your minion.
Q: I have two Polar Commandos on the same base as an enemy Nukebot. If Nukebot is destroyed, are the two Polar Commando destroyed or one survives because it becomes indestructible when it's alone?
A: They are both destroyed. After Nukebot is destroyed, the resulting destructions happen at the same time, not one after another.
Rule: When a single effect makes one player affect multiple cards, they are all affected at the same time.
Questions on Bear Cavalry[]
Q: If I play Bear Cavalry on a Leprechaun's base and move Leprechaun to another base, will Bear Cavalry be destroyed?
A: No, The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook gave an erratum to Leprechaun: For the destruction to take place, the two minions must be on the same base after the played minion's ability is resolved.
Questions on Cub Scout[]
Q: When does a Cub Scout check for opponent power? Does the moving minion keep their old power, text power, or new base power?
A: You check the minion's power after moving it and after applying all modifiers.
Q: Can this minion kill more than one minion per turn? Like if I use Bear Calvary to move a minion and then use You're Screwed on another.
A: Sure, there's no limit to how many minions it can destroy.
Q: I move a War Raptor to a base where there's a Cub Scout. If there's no other War Raptor there, is it destroyed?
A: If Cub Scout's power is still 3, then no. War Raptor's Ongoing ability remains active and gives it +1 power by itself.
Q: A Cub Scout is on The Central Brain and has therefore 4 power. I move a power-3 minion there. Is it destroyed by the Cub Scout?
A: No. Cub Scout's ability is only resolved after the move has been completed. The Central Brain is active as soon as a minion is present, so it gives the minion +1 power before Cub Scout is activated, so the minion survives.
Q: I move a power-3 minion on a base where another player has a Cub Scout and a Hatchling. Is the minion destroyed?
A: It depends. Both Hatchling's and Cub Scout's abilities are activated after you're done moving the minion. According to the rules, it's the current player who decides the order in which these two cards are activated. If Hatchling is activated before Cub Scout, the minion's power will be lowered to 2 and it becomes vulnerable to Cub Scout. However, if Cub Scout is activated before Hatchling, the minion survives Cub Scout's destruction first and then has its power lowered by 1.
Rule: The current player decides the order of events that are supposed to happen simultaneously.
Q: An opponent has a Cub Scout on Field of Honor. I move a power-2 minion there, so it's destroyed. Who gains the VP, me or my opponent? I caused it to move, so I should get the VP, right? If I didn't move it, it wouldn't have been destroyed.
A: Short answer: your opponent. In-depth answer: Just check the card where the destruction is mentioned. That card directly caused the destruction, you moving the minion only triggered that card. Cub Scout states that after an opponent's minion is moved there, Cub Scout's controller destroys it if it's eligible for destruction. So it's Cub Scout's controller who does the destruction, and therefore the one who gains the VP.
Q: I move Cub Scout and several power-2 minions to the same base (e.g. Felicia Day). Are they destroyed?
A: No, Cub Scout needs to be present on the destination base when the movement happens. Since it wasn't, it didn't "witness" the minions being moved to its base.
Q: If several minions are moved at the same time by a single ability (e.g. You’re Pretty Much Borscht, Felicia Day) to a Cub Scout's base, does Cub Scout's ability trigger after that and how many times?
A: It triggers for each minion moved to its base.
Questions on Bear Hug[]
Q: In which order are the minions destroyed? I suppose it's the current player who chooses.
A: Nope, there's already a defined order so the current player doesn't decide the order. The order is: each player (except Bear Hug's play) in clockwise order and starting with the current player destroys one of their lowest-power minions.
Q: An opponent plays Bear Hug, do I destroy my lowest-power minion in play or in my hand?
A: Only in play.
Q: If I only have one minion in play and a player plays Bear Hug, do I have to destroy it?
A: Unfortunately, yes. It's a mandatory ability, so you have to do it.
Q: My lowest-power minions in play are a minion that can't be destroyed and a minion that can. Do I have to choose the destructible minion?
A: No, you don't have to. You can choose either one.
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: My lowest-power minions in play are a minion I own and a minion I don't own (e.g. Flower Child, Sneaky Squire, Halfling Hireling, Make Contact), so the owner chooses in case of a tie, but which owner? Me or the owner of the other minion?
A: It's been corrected in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook: The card now says that the controller chooses in case of a tie.
Q: I play Bear Hug and an opponent chooses to destroy their minion on Field of Honor. Who gets the VP?
A: Your card made another player destroy the minion, so it's that player who did the destruction. Therefore, your opponent gets the VP because Field of Honor rewards the player who destroys it.[1]
Q: I play Bear Hug and an opponent chooses to destroy their Elder Thing, claiming that it can't be destroyed by my card and therefore survives. Is that correct?
A: Yes. Elder Thing is immune to any effect caused by other players' cards, as long as the effect is included in the definition of "affect", such as a destruction.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Q: I play Bear Hug and an opponent chooses to destroy their Awesome Guy, claiming that it can't be destroyed by my card and therefore survives. Is that correct?
A: No. There's a subtle nuance. When you play Bear Hug to make another player destroy a minion, the minion is considered both "destroyed by your card's ability" and "destroyed by that player". So the cause of the destruction is your card's ability, but the person who carried out the destruction is that player. A card that can't be destroyed by "other players' abilities" is only immune to destruction if the cause is another player's ability. However, a card that can't be destroyed by "other players" is only immune to destruction if the person who does the destruction is another player. So Awesome Guy is not immune to destruction if it's destroyed by its own controller, even if the destruction was caused by another player's card.[1]
Q: I play Bear Hug and other players are forced to destroy their own minion. Can I activate Mako's ability and play it?
A: No. Mako's ability can only be triggered after you destroy a minion. When you play Bear Hug, you make other players destroy their minions, so they are the ones who destroyed them, not you. On the other hand, if your opponent played a similar card as Bear Hug (e.g. Griefer) and made you destroy one of your minions, then you can activate Mako's ability.[1]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed, regardless of Diva's power.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed, regardless of the minion's power. Note that while the action is restricted to other players' minions, the destruction can be copied onto another minion regardless of whoever controls it. Also, note that if several of the destroyed minions were on the same base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to destroy only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed, regardless of the minion's power. Note that while the action is restricted to other players' minions, the destruction can be copied onto another minion regardless of whoever controls it.
- It is impossible for Funky Town to copy that action's effect because you can only directly affect opponents' minions, which won't trigger Funky Town.
Questions on Bear Necessities[]
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Yes, destroying an action affects that action, but not the card (minion or base) it is on.
Rule: Definition of "affect".
Questions on Bear Rides You[]
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: Can it move one of my minions in stasis to a base?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion not controlled by that player.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it moves one of your minions away from Funky Town, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base as the minion that was directly affected by the action.
Questions on Commission[]
Q: Do I have to play the extra minion immediately or can I delay it until later and finish doing the rest of the card when I do it?
A: The minion must be played immediately because there are further instructions on the card's ability that depend on the extra minion being played.
Q: When I play the extra minion, do I have to move another player's minion?
A: If another player has a minion there, yes, you have to do it.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that moving a second minion doesn't allow the action player to play a second extra minion; the extra minion is played before the move effect can be copied, and besides, merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it and so that part can't be copied.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player. Also, note that moving a second minion doesn't allow the action player to play a second extra minion; the extra minion is played before the move effect can be copied, and besides, merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it and so that part can't be copied.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player. Also, note that moving a second minion doesn't allow the action player to play a second extra minion; the extra minion is played before the move effect can be copied, and besides, merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it and so that part can't be copied.
- It is impossible for Funky Town to copy that action's effect because you can only directly affect an opponent's minion, which won't trigger Funky Town. Note that merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it and so the part allowing you to play an extra minion can't be copied.
Questions on High Ground[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I have a minion there and they don't, my opponents' minions that are moved to there are destroyed, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "you" means "they" (i.e. your opponent) and "any other player" means "any of their opponents".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: I play a minion on a base where an opponent has a minion and High Ground. Is my minion destroyed?
A: High Ground destroyed minions that move to its base. It does nothing to minions that are played there.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: It works "if I have a minion" there. Is it enough if there is just a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so I "have" it, right?
A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: I have High Ground and a minion on Field of Honor. I play You’re Pretty Much Borscht and move several minions there and destroy them. Do I gain 1 VP for each minion I destroyed?
A: No. You’re Pretty Much Borscht moved all those minions simultaneously, so High Ground destroyed them simultaneously as well. No matter how many minions were destroyed simultaneously, it's still counted as one destruction event. So you only get 1 VP from that destruction.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: I have High Ground and a minion on Field of Honor. I play Commission to play a Bear Cavalry on a base and move two minions to Field of Honor (one because of Bear Cavalry and the other because of Commission). How many VPs do I gain?
A: 2 VPs. The reason is that the two minions are destroyed one after the other, so it's counted as two separate destructions. First, you resolve Bear Cavalry's ability and immediately move a minion to Field of Honor, where it triggers High Ground (High Ground is triggered but doesn't immediately destroy the minion). Then, you finish resolving Commission because it's in the middle of resolving and move a second minion to Field of Honor, where it triggers High Ground again. Next, you resolve card reactions. What you did triggered High Ground twice, so two separate destructions occur one after another, each time triggering Field of Honor, which awards you 2 VPs in total.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: I have High Ground on a base, but no minion there. I move one of my minions and several of other players' minions to there (e.g. Hyperspeed 10). Are they destroyed?
A: No, High Ground needs to be able to destroy the minions right before they are moved there. This case is similar to Cub Scout's situation. For High Ground to trigger, the conditions must be met right before the minions are moved.
Q: I have a minion and High Ground on Pony Land and another player already has a minion there too. If I move one of their other minions to Pony Land, is it destroyed?
A: No. Pony Land is applicable as soon as a player has two minions or more there. So it's already indestructible and High Ground has no effect on it.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Rule: Definition of "standard".
Questions on Superiority[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I have a minion there, it's now protected from all those things, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "your minions" means "their minions" and "other players" means "their opponents".
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: It protects "my minions". Does it also protect minions I own that I don't control? I don't control them but I "own" them, so they are "my" minions, 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: Is there a card that "returns" a card in play to a deck?
A: Strictly speaking, no. No card "returns" (as in, actually uses the term "return") a card in play to a deck. [2] And in case you're wondering, no, it doesn't protect against cards that place or shuffle your minions in play into your deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: An opponent plays Unfathomable Goals (or Griefer, Out of Sight), forcing me to affect one of my minions. Can I choose one of my minions on the same base as Superiority? If so, does Superiority 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, Superiority protects it, even if the card makes you do the affect.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If you're asking about when Superiority is played, it doesn't interact with them at all, because Superiority says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
- If you're asking about when you copy an effect onto an opponent's minion with Superiority protecting it, then the minion isn't affected. Note that Superiority only protects against other player's cards, so if Superiority's controller plays a standard action, you can copy it with Dancing King or We are Family and have it affect one of that player's minion, bypassing Superiority's protection because the minion is considered as being affected by its own controller's action and what Dancing King and We are Family do is copy the effect onto it, which itself doesn't count as affecting the minion.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Superiority protecting it is directly affected by your standard action and you want to copy that, then it's not possible because the minion isn't affected by your action and because no minion was affected, you can't copy the effect.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Superiority protecting it is directly affected by that player's standard action and you want to copy that, then you can indeed copy it the same way.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: Definition of "standard".
Questions on You’re Pretty Much Borscht[]
Q: It tells me to choose a base "where I have a minion". Can I choose a base with a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so I "have" it, right?
A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: I play You’re Pretty Much Borscht on a base that has like 8 power-2 creatures and move them to a base where I have a cub scout. Do all the level 2 creatures die BEFORE the base scores, or does the base score THEN all the creatures die, and whatever is left is what determines the winner?
A: You only check if a base scores during phase 3 of a player's turn. If you've played You’re Pretty Much Borscht during your Play Cards phase, then you don't check whether the base scores or not. So, in your scenario, the power-2 minions are all destroyed. Whether the base scores or not during phase 3 depends only on how much power is there when you check.
Q: I have High Ground and a minion on Field of Honor. I play You’re Pretty Much Borscht and move several minions there and destroy them. Do I gain 1 VP for each minion I destroyed?
A: No. You’re Pretty Much Borscht moved all those minions simultaneously, so High Ground destroyed them simultaneously as well. No matter how many minions were destroyed simultaneously, it's still counted as one destruction event. So you only get 1 VP from that destruction.
Rule: When an ability is triggered, it's resolved once per trigger.
Q: Do the moved minions all go to the same base?
A: Yes. The card text says to move all other players' minions from the chosen base to one other base.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - Diva can't copy it because it would already be directly affected by it.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player. Also, note that even though several minions are moved, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to move only one additional minion, not one per affected minion.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player.
- It is impossible for Funky Town to copy that action's effect because you can only directly affect opponents' minions, which won't trigger Funky Town.
Questions on You’re Screwed[]
Q: It tells me to choose a base "where I have a minion". Can I choose a base with a minion I own that I don't control? I don't control it but I "own" it, so I "have" it, right?
A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is moved to the same base. Note that while the action is restricted to a minion controlled by the action player's opponents, the effect's copy still works if applied to a minion controlled by that player.
- It is impossible for Funky Town to copy that action's effect because you can only directly affect an opponent's minion, which won't trigger Funky Town.
Questions on Major Ursa[]
- Main article: Titans
Q: The card says "Special" so I can use it outside of my turn, but why does the card also say "instead of your regular minion play"?
A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Major Ursa, the condition is "instead of your regular minion play", this means that you can only activate it when you have a regular minion play available, which is only on your turn and more specifically on your Play Cards phase. It cannot be played out of turn, because, outside of your own Play Cards phase, you don't have any regular minion plays to give up.
Q: If there's a restriction on where I can play a minion (e.g. Ice Castle, Overrun), does it also apply to Major Ursa if I play it instead of my regular minion play?
A: No, such a restriction only applies when you play a minion. If you convert your regular minion play into a titan play, you're playing a titan, not a minion, so the restriction doesn't apply.
Q: I need to "have a minion". Do minions that I own but don't control also count? I don't control them but I "own" them, so i "have" them, right?
A: No. "Where you have a minion" means "where you control at least one minion (whether or not you own it)". Minions you just own but don't control don't count.
Q: What happens to Major Ursa when the base that it's on scores?
A: It remains on that base until the step where you discard all the cards on the base. At which point it leaves play and is set aside. Any +1 power counter on it is removed.
Q: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but I have Major Ursa there. It is similar to a minion, right? So I can still get VPs from the base if 0 is among the top three total power, right?
A: No and no. Major Ursa is a titan, not a minion. To be eligible to receive VPs, you must have at least one minion or at least 1 total power on the base. If you have no minions and your total power there is 0, then you can't receive any VPs from the base. Now, if Major Ursa had any +1 power counters on it or gave you any total power (e.g. on Kaiju Island), then you would have at least 1 total power and be eligible. Otherwise, no.
Q: An opponent is playing the Bear Cavalry with their titan. Their Major Ursa isn't in play. There is a base where I have a minion and I haven't played my regular minion yet, I can then invoke Major Ursa through its Special ability and play it there, right?
A: No, only the player who has it next to their deck can play it.
Rule: Playable Special cards can only be played by their current possessor.
Q: If Major Ursa's ability is cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed on it by its own ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them has its ability cancelled (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress's ability is cancelled).
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: Another player plays They Say He’s Got to Go and moves Major Ursa. Does it activate its Ongoing ability? If so, who can move a minion of power 3 or less?
A: Yes, its trigger is "After this titan is moved to a base", so no matter how it happened, if this titan is moved, its ability is triggered. If triggered, no matter who moved the titan, it's Major Ursa's controller who can move a minion of power 3 or less of their choice.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: My Major Ursa is moved to a base where another player has a titan and more power than me. Can I move a minion of power 3 or less from there? Or is Major Ursa immediately removed from play? If I can move a minion and end up with more power than that player, is Major Ursa still removed or is their titan removed?
A: A clash will indeed happen, but before the clash happens, you will have the opportunity to use Major Ursa's ongoing ability. As proof, the rulebook does mention that in a clash the titan controllers compare their total power after resolving their ongoing abilities. Put simply, regarding Card Resolution Order with titans, titan clash is resolved after card reactions (Major Ursa's ongoing ability is one). Once you're done resolving card reactions, the titan controllers must now compare their "final" total powers, so moving a minion away has to be taken into account because it influences its controller's total power.
Trivia[]
- The artist is Gong Studios, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- The artist for the titan (which was released after Awesome Level 9000) is Francisco Rico Torres, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- Their divider (available in The Big Geeky Box and The Bigger Geekier Box) features General Ivan.
- Although the official text never specifies a particular country of origin, it is implied that this faction comes from Russia. The term "Tsar" is the title for a Russian monarch, and the card "Bear Rides You" is a fragment of a Russian reversal "In Soviet Russia, bear rides you!". Some cards depict enemy soldiers wearing helmets with a single spike on top, like those of circa World War 1 German soldiers.
- In Bear Rides You, the Bear Cavalry is battling against Robots and Aliens.
- In High Ground, the Bear Cavalry is battling against Dinosaurs.
- Their flavor text say we're lucky they aren't "riding sharks". Incidentally, Sharks became a faction much later.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Translation (if different) |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 黑熊騎兵 | Black Bear Cavalry |
| French | Cavalerie ours | |
| German | Bärenreiter | Bear Riders |
| Greek | Ιππικό των Αρκούδων | |
| Italian | Cavalleria Ursina | |
| Polish | Niedźwiedzia Kawaleria | |
| Portuguese | Cavalaria Ursina | |
| Russian | Медвежья кавалерия | |
| Spanish | Ejército del Oso | Army of the Bear |
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