Working in the lab, late one night, my eyes beheld an eerie sight. For my monster from his slab, began to rise. And suddenly to my surprise, he did the Smash... Up. The Mad Scientists, intent on unlocking the mysteries of life, have instead released death in the form of powerful creations! Their toying with nature can empower various minions, but at what cost? (Apologies to Bobby Pickett)
- - Monster Smash rulebook
The Mad Scientists are one of the 4 factions from the Monster Smash set.
The Mad Scientists focus on getting a great deal of +1 power counters, sometimes by getting rid of your own cards, and then spending the counters to trigger some abilities.
Other factions from the same set: Giant Ants, Vampires, Werewolves.
Cards[]
The Mad Scientists have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is the usual 30 or an average of 3 per minion. Additionally, the Mad Scientists have numerous abilities that boost the power of minions beyond its base value.
Among their actions, there are:
- 2 play-on-minion actions: Überserum (2x),
- 2 play-on-base actions: German Engineering, Grave Situation,
- 6 standard actions (all of them affect one or more minions): Angry Mob, Blitzed, Body Shop, IT’S ALIVE! (2x), Jolt,
- 5 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Angry Mob, Body Shop, IT’S ALIVE! (2x), Jolt.
Minions[]
1x Herr Doktor - power 5 - Talent: Place a +1 power counter on another one of your minions. FAQ
2x The Monster - power 4 - Talent: Remove a +1 power counter from this minion to play an extra minion. FAQ
3x Lab Assistant - power 3 - Place a +1 power counter on another one of your minions. FAQ
4x Igor - power 2 - Ongoing: After this minion is destroyed or discarded, place a +1 power counter on one of your minions. FAQ
Actions[]
1x Angry Mob - Choose one of your minions. Place any number of cards from your hand on the bottom of your deck. For each card you placed there, place a +1 power counter on that minion. FAQ
1x Blitzed - Remove any number of +1 power counters from your minions. Destroy a minion with power less than or equal to the number of counters you removed. FAQ
1x Body Shop - Destroy one of your minions. Place a number of +1 power counters equal to that minion’s power, split any way you choose, on your minions. FAQ
1x German Engineering - Play on a base. Ongoing: After you play a minion here, place a +1 power counter on it. FAQ
1x Grave Situation - Play on a base. Ongoing: After one of your minions is destroyed here, place it into your hand instead of the discard pile. FAQ
2x IT’S ALIVE! - Play an extra minion. Place a +1 power counter on it. FAQ
1x Jolt - Place a +1 power counter on each of your minions. FAQ
2x Überserum - Play on a minion. Ongoing: At the start of your turn, place a +1 power counter on this minion. This minion cannot be destroyed. FAQ
Titan[]
- (available in the 10th Anniversary set)
1x The Bride - Special: At the start of your turn, you may choose two effects and do them in any order to different minions to play this titan:
• Place a minion you own from your hand or discard pile into the box.
• Destroy one of your minions.
• Remove a +1 power counter from one of your minions.
Ongoing: Once per turn, after you place or remove a power counter on your minions, draw a card. Talent: Place a +1 power counter on one of your minions here OR remove two +1 power counters total from your minions to play an extra action. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in The Bigger Geekier Box rulebook:
Grave Situation: Minions placed into your hand do not count as being destroyed (c.f. Field of Honor).
Igor: You get the +1 power counter if this minion goes to the discard pile after scoring, but not after being discarded from the hand, since Ongoing abilities only work while in play.
Mechanics[]
Mad Scientists have many ways to turn things into power counters, and then to turn the power counters into something else. Their minions play counters on minions that aren't themselves to mimic experimenting and augmenting. They also have ways to cut up their own minions for more power tokens. This can seem counterproductive at first, except that they also have ways to sacrifice power counters to destroy other minions and play extra minions themselves. The Monster is the only minion to give advantages to being the recipient of all the counters, with a huge advantage on minion playing. Mad scientists favor accumulating lots of power counters on a few minions and using other (and extra!) minions as fodder for that.
Synergy[]
- Giant Ants: The most obvious partner for Mad Scientists from Monster Smash. Giant Ants can produce +1 power counters with Gimme the Prize and Headlong, and transfer +1 power counters using A Kind of Magic, Under Pressure and We Are the Champions. Soldiers are handy for their ability to transfer +1 power counters to, say, The Monster who in turn can spend the counter to play an extra minion.
- Vampires: Igor is excellent fodder for Heavy Drinker and Nightstalker. Grave Situation ensures he comes back again and again to feed your vampires.
- Kung Fu Fighters: Kung Fu Fighters love to transfer +1 power counters to reload their talents, which suits Mad Scientists just fine. Destroy a minion with Lady Whirlwind, transfer the counter to The Monster with Dragon Warrior or Ancient Chinese Art, spend the counter to play an extra minion. Uberserum can ensure your choice minions survive Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting.
- Polynesian Voyagers: Shark Tattoos produce additional +1 power counters if you have no other minions on the same base as the minion you played them on, and the Ocean Tattoo lets you move the minion to place a +1 power counter on it. A Monster with either of those Tattoos quickly becomes an engine for playing extra minions on other bases. Of course, you also have Uberserums to provide counters in a similar capacity.
- Big Hero 6: Big Hero 6's characters all become better when they have +1 power counters on them.
- Mulan: Mulan, Chien Po, Ling, and Yao all like +1 power counters being placed on them. Herr Doktor and Uberserum can place +1 power counters on them turn after turn. Be a Man can place a +1 power counter on up to two minions at once, allowing you to keep both Monsters fueled with +1 power counters.
- Skeletons: Lord of Bones, Gravestones, and Graveyard all produce +1 power counters when you uncover minions, and uncovered minions trigger German Engineering.
External Strategy Guides[]
- Cull the Weak: Vampires vs Mad Scientists
- Smash Up KOTH #70: Herr Doktor
- Smash Up Action Awareness #33: Body Shop
FAQ[]
Questions on Herr Doktor[]
Q: It allows me to place a +1 power counter on "one of my minions". Can I place one on 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 Herr Doktor is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, returned, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability cancelled), so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by Herr Doktor's ability and which ones were not (e.g. placed by Lab Assistant, Igor or Überserum)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: Can you place a +1 power counter on one of your minions in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Questions on The Monster[]
Q: There are +1 power counters on one The Monster. If I use its talent, do I have to remove a +1 power counter on it? (e.g. if it's on Changing Room)
A: No. While it doesn't say "you may", "Do X to do Y" abilities imply that doing X is optional.[1]
Rule: When a card says "Do X to do Y" or "You may do X to do Y", doing X is optional in both cases.
Q: If there are several +1 power counters on the same The Monster, using its talent, can I remove more than one and play as many extra minions on the same turn?
A: No. A minion's talent can only be activated once on each of your turns, and with The Monster, you can only remove one +1 power counter on it each time you use its talent.
Rule: Each talent can be activated once on each of your turns.
Q: If I play Augmentation and give +4 power to The Monster, can I play 4 extra minions when I use its talent?
A: No. When you use The Monster's talent, you remove a +1 power counter on it. Augmentation increases the Monster's power but it doesn't place any +1 power counters on it, so there's no +1 power counters to remove.
Rule: +1 power counters are only placed, removed or transferred when a card tells you to do so.
Q: If I play Aggromotive and give +5 power to The Monster, can I play 5 extra minions when I use its talent?
A: No. Aggromotive doesn't place any +1 power counters on The Monster (it doesn't even increase any minion's power), so there's no +1 power counters to remove.
Rule: +1 power counters are only placed, removed or transferred when a card tells you to do so.
Questions on Lab Assistant[]
Q: It allows me to place a +1 power counter on "one of my minions". Can I place one on 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 Lab Assistant is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, returned, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability is cancelled), so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by that one Lab Assistant's ability and which ones were not (e.g. placed by another Lab Assistant, Igor or Überserum)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: Can you place a +1 power counter on one of your minions in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Questions on Igor[]
Q: An ability makes me discard an Igor from my hand. Can I use Igor's ability?
A: No. Igor's ability is an Ongoing, so it only becomes active when Igor is in play.
Rule: An Ongoing ability only becomes active when the card is in play.
Q: What does it mean for Igor to be discarded from play?
A: It means first being on a base, and then going to the discard pile for whatever reason. Possible reasons include:
- being destroyed (if the minion does end in the discard pile as a result, as such, being destroyed on Tar Pits will result in the minion going to bottom of a deck, not to the discard pile, though in this case, Igor will trigger because it does count as being destroyed),
- being discarded after its base scores,
- and being discarded after the base leaves play outside of scoring (this would happen for indestructible minions after a base is destroyed by There Goes Tokyo).
Q: It allows me to place a +1 power counter on "one of my minions". Can I place one on 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: Before No-Moon™ scores, it targets a base with an Igor on it. Wording-wise, since Igor is "placed in the discard pile" rather than "discarded", does it trigger Igor's ability or not?
A: Igor's ability triggers from Igor going to the discard pile from play, so yes, you do get a +1 power counter from it.
Q: Can you place a +1 power counter on one of your minions in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Questions on Angry Mob[]
Q: It tells me to choose "one of my minions". Can I choose 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 I choose a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be chosen by cards that do not explicitly state cards in stasis can be chosen.
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 gets the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it from the pool. Note that you won't place additional cards under your deck for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the number of +1 power counters is already set.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it from the pool. Note that you won't place additional cards under your deck for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the number of +1 power counters is already set.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it from the pool. Note that you won't place additional cards under your deck for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the number of +1 power counters is already set.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it from the pool. Note that you won't place additional cards under your deck for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the number of +1 power counters is already set.
Questions on Blitzed[]
Q: May I remove 0 +1 power counters? If so, may I destroy a minion of power 0?
A: Yes and yes. Blitzed requires you to remove "any number" of +1 power counters, so zero is a legal choice. From there, the rest of the ability is resolved normally, so "Destroy a minion with power less than or equal to the number of counters you removed" becomes "Destroy a minion with power less than or equal to 0". A minion of power 0 has a power less than or equal to 0, and so is a legal target.
Q: It allows me to remove +1 power counters from "my minions". Can I remove them from 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: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: Blitzed affects minions at two different moments. First when you remove +1 power counters from your minions, and then when you destroy a minion. When you use any of the effect-copying cards, each one may only copy one of the two effects, either the removal of counters or the destruction, not both. Of course, if you have several effect-copying cards that are triggered, you may have each one copy a different effect.
If you choose to copy the removal of counters:
- There's no point for Diva to copy the removal of counters because Diva can have its +1 power counters removed directly by Blitzed anyway.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has the same amount of +1 power counters removed from it (if there aren't enough on it, remove all of them). If several minions had their +1 power counters removed on Dancing King's base, choose one of them to imitate. Note that if several minions had their +1 power counters removed on that base, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to remove the +1 power counters from only one additional minion, not one per affected minion. Also, 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. Next, regardless of whoever controls the minion that got its +1 power counters indirectly removed by Blitzed, you still resolve the rest of the ability as written, and so destroy a minion with power less than or equal to the number of counters removed, and yes, even the counters that were indirectly removed from that other minion!
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has the same amount of +1 power counters removed from it (if there aren't enough on it, remove all of them). If several minions had their +1 power counters removed on We are Family's base, choose one of them to imitate. Note that if several minions had their +1 power counters removed on that base, We are Family only triggers once and allows you to remove the +1 power counters from only one additional minion, not one per affected minion. Also, 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. Next, regardless of whoever controls the minion that got its +1 power counters indirectly removed by Blitzed, you still resolve the rest of the ability as written, and so destroy a minion with power less than or equal to the number of counters removed, and yes, even the counters that were indirectly removed from that other minion!
- There's no point for Funky Town to copy the removal of counters because the minion can have its +1 power counters removed directly by Who Wants to Live Forever? anyway.
If you choose to copy the destruction:
- If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed, regardless of Diva's power. Note that you don't remove additional +1 power counters from your minions for that additional minion; that part happened before the destruction and so you don't do it again.
- 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 you don't remove additional +1 power counters from your minions for that additional minion; that part happened before the destruction and so you don't do it again.
- 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 you don't remove additional +1 power counters from your minions for that additional minion; that part happened before the destruction and so you don't do it again.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it affects one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed, regardless of the minion's power. Note that you don't remove additional +1 power counters from your minions for that additional minion; that part happened before the destruction and so you don't do it again.
Questions on Body Shop[]
Q: The number of power counters it gives is equal to the minion's power. Do you count power counters on the minion to determine its power?
A: Yes.
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: If I choose a minion that "can't be destroyed" or has a similar ability (e.g. Warbot or Buccaneer), does Body Shop still give me power counters?
A: Yes. Getting power counters and destroying your minion are independent. So even if the minion is not destroyed, you still get an number of +1 power counters equal to its power.
Q: Can you place a +1 power counter on one of your minions in stasis?
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: Body Shop affects minions at two different moments. First when you destroy one of your minions, and then when you place +1 power counters on your minions. When you use any of the effect-copying cards, each one may only copy one of the two effects, either the destruction or the counters, not both. Of course, if you have several effect-copying cards that are triggered, you may have each one copy a different effect.
If you choose to copy the destruction:
- If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that destroying an additional minion doesn't impact the way you'll resolve the rest of the ability, so "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to that minion’s power, split any way you choose, on your minions." should be understood as "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to the power of the minion that was directly affected, split any way you choose, on your minions."
- 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. Note that destroying an additional minion doesn't impact the way you'll resolve the rest of the ability, so "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to that minion’s power, split any way you choose, on your minions." should be understood as "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to the power of the minion that was directly affected, split any way you choose, on your minions."
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that destroying an additional minion doesn't impact the way you'll resolve the rest of the ability, so "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to that minion’s power, split any way you choose, on your minions." should be understood as "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to the power of the minion that was directly affected, split any way you choose, on your minions."
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that destroying an additional minion doesn't impact the way you'll resolve the rest of the ability, so "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to that minion’s power, split any way you choose, on your minions." should be understood as "Place a number of +1 power counters equal to the power of the minion that was directly affected, split any way you choose, on your minions."
If you choose to copy the placing of +1 power counters (note that you can't copy it onto a minion that directly received +1 power counters from Body Shop):
- If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it as one of the minions on its base that was directly affected by Body Shop. If several minions on its base directly received counters from Body Shop, choose only one of them and get the same amount of +1 power counters as it. Note that those additional +1 power counters don't count toward the "number of +1 power counters equal to the minion'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 has the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it as one of the minions on its base that was directly affected by Body Shop. If several minions on its base directly received counters from Body Shop, choose only one of them and get the same amount of +1 power counters as it. Note that those additional +1 power counters don't count toward the "number of +1 power counters equal to the minion's power".
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it as one of the minions on its base that was directly affected by Body Shop. If several minions on its base directly received counters from Body Shop, choose only one of them and get the same amount of +1 power counters as it. Note that those additional +1 power counters don't count toward the "number of +1 power counters equal to the minion's power".
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it affects one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has the same amount of +1 power counters placed on it as one of the minions on its base that was directly affected by Body Shop. If several minions on its base directly received counters from Body Shop, choose only one of them and get the same amount of +1 power counters as it. Note that those additional +1 power counters don't count toward the "number of +1 power counters equal to the minion's power".
Questions on German Engineering[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I play a minion there, it gets a +1 power counter, 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 "(you) place" means "they place".
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: If German Engineering is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, returned, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability is cancelled), so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by German Engineering's ability and which ones were not (e.g. placed by Lab Assistant, Igor or Überserum)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on German Engineering's base, do I still place a +1 power counter on it?
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: 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 Grave Situation[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if one of my minions there is destroyed, it's placed into my hand, 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 "your hand" means "their hand".
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: If Grave Situation is on Tar Pits, what happens to my minions that are destroyed there? Are they put on the bottom of my deck or in my hand?
A: Both abilities happen at the same time after the minion is effectively destroyed, so the current player decides the order. If Tar Pits is triggered first, the minion is placed on the bottom of its owner's deck, then Grave Situation must be activated but the minion already left play. If Grave Situation is triggered first, Grave Situation will replace "placing it in the discard pile" with "placing it in your hand" (though only if it does go to the discard pile), then Tar Pits is triggered and the minion is placed on the bottom of its owner's deck. So whatever the order, the minion is placed on the bottom of the deck.
A: UPDATE. The Bigger Geekier Box clarifies how Grave Situation works. Despite its wording, the minion is actually not destroyed when Grave Situation's ability occurs. So Grave Situation saves it from destruction by placing it into your hand and Tar Pits is not triggered because the minion was not actually destroyed.
Q: Grave Situation is on The Homeworld and there's also an enemy Leprechaun on it. If I play an Igor there, Leprechaun destroys it, therefore allowing me to place +1 power counter on one of my other minions, but then I'd get the Igor back in my hand with Grave Situation and thanks to The Homeworld, I can replay it, therefore starting that loop over and over again, each time adding a +1 power counter on one of my minions. Is that correct?
A: Actually, The Bigger Geekier Box clarifies how Grave Situation is supposed to work. While it's true that you'll be able to get Igor back in your hand again and again, each time saving it from Leprechaun, Grave Situation prevents you from treating Igor as having been destroyed. In fact, Grave Situation saves your Igor right when Leprechaun tries to destroy it. This goes against Grave Situation's actual wording, but it prevents your loop from generating an infinite amount of +1 power counters.
Q: I have Grave Situation and a minion on the same base. Another player takes control of my minion there. What happens when it's destroyed?
A: Grave Situation only reacts to "your minions" being destroyed, i.e. minions that you control. You no longer control that minion, so it's no longer "your" minion and Grave Situation isn't activated. The minion will go to the discard pile.
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 IT’S ALIVE![]
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: You have to play it immediately or not at all because the card does something else after the extra minion is played. It cannot be saved for later.
Q: When is the power counter placed? Before resolving the minion's ability or after?
A: After. You resolve the card in order, so you first play the minion, then resolve its ability, and finally you place the +1 power counter on it.[2]
Rule: When you play a card, resolve the played card's ability immediately and completely.
Rule: Multiple parts of a card’s ability must be done in their stated order.
Rule: Check the Card Resolution Order.
Q: Using IT'S ALIVE!, I play a power-4 minion as the extra minion on a base with a Leprechaun. When does Leprechaun's ability trigger? Before placing the +1 power counter or after?
A: Before activating Leprechaun's ability, you must finish resolving the played minion's ability and any other abilities in the middle of their resolution (e.g. IT'S ALIVE!). So Leprechaun's ability is triggered after placing the +1 power counter.
Rule: When you play a card, resolve the played card's ability immediately and completely.
Rule: Multiple parts of a card’s ability must be done in their stated order.
Rule: Check the Card Resolution Order.
Q: If the minion is Sidelined Girlfriend and you place it in stasis, can you still place a +1 power counter on it?
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 has a +1 power counter placed on it.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has a +1 power counter placed on it.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has a +1 power counter placed on it.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it affects one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has a +1 power counter placed on it.
Questions on Jolt[]
Q: If I play Jolt and there is a minion in play that I own but do not control, does it get a +1 power counter? I don't control it but I "own" it, so it's "my" minion, right?
A: No. Jolt makes you place a +1 power counter on each of "your" minions, that is to say on minions that you control, whether or not you own them. A minion that you own but don't control is not your minion anymore, but its current controller's minion.
Q: Can you place a +1 power counter on one of your minions in stasis?
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: - 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 has a +1 power counter placed on it.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and has a +1 power counter placed on it.
- Funky Town can't copy it because you need to be the one who played the action and so all your minions are already directly affected by it.
Questions on Überserum[]
Q: If the minion remains in play for several rounds of turn, do I keep adding power counter to it?
A: Yes. At the start of each of your turns, Überserum's ability is triggered, so a new +1 power counter is placed on it.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
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. R’lyeh), can I target my minion with Überserum played on it? 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 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, Überserum's ability protects it, 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: If Servitor of Cthulhu has any ability such as Überserum or General Ivan in play, can it still use its talent to place an action card without having itself getting destroyed?
A: Yes. Destroying it and retrieving the action are independent, so you can retrieve an action even if Servitor of Cthulhu cannot be destroyed.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: If Überserum is removed from play (e.g. destroyed, returned, etc.) or has its ability cancelled, are the +1 power counters placed by its ability removed?
A: No. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect (like drawing cards, if you play Enchantress, you're not going to discard the card you drew if Enchantress is destroyed or has its ability is cancelled), so the +1 power counters remain even if the card that placed them is removed from play or has its ability cancelled. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by that one Überserum's ability and which ones were not (e.g. placed by Lab Assistant, Igor or the other Überserum)? That would be very cumbersome.
Rule: Cancelling (or losing) an effect does not necessarily undo what it did.
Rule: Removing a card from play does not necessarily undo what it did.
Q: It says "Play on a minion", so I suppose I can play it on another player's minion, right? So it will get +1 power counters at the start of each of their turns, right?
A: Yes, you can play it on any minion, but since you played the action, you will be the action's controller and so "At the start of your turn" really means "at the start of your turn", regardless of whoever controls the minion, so the minion will get a +1 power counter at the start of each of your turns, not that player's turns.
Rule: If you play an action on another player's minion, you're still the action's controller.
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: An opponent played this card on one of their minions. If I transfer it to one of my minions, e.g. with Tinx or Rules Lawyer, do I also transfer the +1 power counters gained from Überserum to my minion? Also, I suppose from now on, I will place a +1 power counter on my minion at the start of each of my turns.
A: No and no. When you place a +1 power counter, it's a definitive effect, so the +1 power counters remain on that minion even if the card that placed them is transferred to another. Besides, how are you going to keep track of which +1 power counters were added by that one Überserum's ability and which ones were not (e.g. placed by Lab Assistant, Igor or the other Überserum)? That would be very cumbersome. Also, transferring an action doesn't make you its controller and transferring it to a different player's minion doesn't grant that player control of the action. The action's controller simply doesn't change. So, the player who played it still controls it, and therefore the action only addresses them and the ability must be interpreted from their point of view. So "your turn" means "their turn" and "Place..." means "they place". In summary, at the start of each of that opponent's turns, they will place a +1 power counter on your minion.
Rule: When you transfer an action, it doesn't change controller.
Q: Can you play it on a minion in stasis?
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 you're asking about when Überserum is played, it doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a minion", which means that it is not a standard action.
- If you're asking about when you copy a destroy effect onto an opponent's minion with Überserum protecting it, then the minion isn't destroyed.
- If you're asking about when an opponent's minion with Überserum protecting it is directly destroyed by a standard action and you want to copy that, then it's not possible because the minion can't be destroyed and because no minion was affected, you can't copy the effect.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Rule: Definition of "standard".
Questions on The Bride[]
- Main article: Titans
Q: The card says "Special" so I can use it outside of my turn, but why does the card also say "at the start of your turn"? Aren't Special playable at any time?
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 The Bride, the condition is "at the start of your turn", which already restricts its usage during your Start Turn phase, not at any other times. Note that it's restricted to your Start Turn phase only, not any other phases of your turn either.
Rule: "At the start of your turn" means "during the Start Turn (phase 1) of each of your turns".
Q: It tells me to destroy or place/remove a +1 power counter from "one of my minions". Can I do it to 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: A base is chosen to score. I have no minions there, but I have The Bride 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. The Bride 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 The Bride 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: After triggering its Ongoing ability, I 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: To bring this titan into play, can I choose to do one effect twice?
A: No, it must be two different effects.
Q: To bring this titan into play, can I both destroy one of my minions and place the destroyed minion into the box?
A: No, the minion you destroy and the one you place into the box must be different, i.e. physically two different minion cards.
Q: To bring this titan into play, can I choose to destroy a minion that cannot be destroyed?
A: No, and by the way, you cannot both fail to destroy a minion and try to do any of the two other effects.
Q: To bring this titan into play, can I choose to destroy an Igor, place Igor's counter and remove that counter?
A: No, because you are currently resolving The Bride's Special ability and Igor's ability is only resolved after you've completed The Bride's ability, so you would not be able to place Igor's counter in the middle of it.
Rule: Check the Card Resolution Order.
Q: Can you destroy one of your minions in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Trivia[]
- The artist is Prosper Tipaldi.
- The artist for the titan (which was released after Monster Smash) 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 The Monster.
- The flavor text quotes the song Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett substituting the word "Mash" for "Smash... Up".
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Translation (if different) |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 科學怪人 | Frankenstein |
| French | Scientifiques fous | |
| German | Verrückte Wissenschaftler | |
| Italian | Scienziati Pazzi | |
| Spanish | Científicos locos |
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