These minions are frequently transformed! - AEG
The legendary tales of Russia enter Smash Up and bring with them fantastical characters, including the dangerous Baba Yaga. Transformation is in many of these stories, and this faction takes advantage of that. You can change your minions for the better, and your opponents’ minions for the worse, faster than they can keep up!
- - World Tour: Culture Shock rulebook
The Russian Fairy Tales are one of the 5 factions from the World Tour: Culture Shock set.
They focus on transforming minions (any minions!) into others, especially random ones played off the top of the deck.
Other factions from the same set: Anansi Tales, Ancient Incas, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Polynesian Voyagers.
Cards[]
The Russian Fairy Tales have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually low at only 28 or an average of 2.8 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3.
Among their actions, there are:
- 2 play-on-minion actions: Bewitched, The Frog Princess,
- 1 play-on-base actions: Go See My Sister,
- 7 standard actions (3 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Fetch I Know Not What, Go I Know Not Whither, Mass Transformation, The Water of Life (2x), Transformation (2x),
- 1 actions that directly increase a minion's power: Bewitched.
Minions[]
1x Baba Yaga - power 5 - Talent: Place another minion here on the bottom of its owner’s deck to have them play a minion off the top of their deck here as an extra minion, then shuffle their deck. FAQ
1x Finist the Falcon - power 4 - Special: Before a base scores, you may move this minion to there, or return this minion from there to your hand and play it on another base as an extra minion. FAQ
1x The Birch Woman - power 4 - Ongoing: After this minion goes to the discard pile from play, you may search your hand, deck, and/or discard pile for The Birch, and add it to your hand or play it as an extra minion. FAQ
1x The Gray Wolf - power 3 - Talent: Place this minion on top of its owner’s deck to play an extra minion here and place a +1 power counter on it. FAQ
1x The Birch - power 2 - Ongoing: At the start of your turn, you may destroy this minion to search your hand, deck, and/or discard pile for The Birch Woman, and add it to your hand or play it here as an extra minion. FAQ
1x Toad - power 0 - You may give control of this minion to another player to shuffle another one of their minions here into its owner’s deck. FAQ
2x Foolish Magician - power 3 - Draw three cards, then place three cards from your hand on the top and/or bottom of your deck in any order. FAQ
2x Tsar Eagle - power 2 - Draw a card OR place a minion from another player’s discard pile on top of their deck. FAQ
Actions[]
1x Bewitched - Play on a minion. Ongoing: This minion has +2 power. If this minion leaves play, transfer this action to another minion. FAQ
1x Fetch I Know Not What - Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal two actions. You may place any number of those actions into your hand. Shuffle the rest into your deck. FAQ
1x Go I Know Not Whither - Choose a base. Shuffle a random minion there controlled by each other player into its owner’s deck. FAQ
1x Go See My Sister - Play on a base. Ongoing: After you play or move one of your minions to here, you may draw a card. FAQ
1x Mass Transformation - Each player places their hand on the bottom of their deck and draws an equal number of cards. FAQ
1x The Frog Princess - Play on one of your minions. Talent: Place this minion on the bottom of its owner’s deck to play a minion off the top of your deck here as an extra minion and transfer this action to it, then shuffle your deck. FAQ
2x The Water of Life - Place a minion from your discard pile on top of your deck. You may play an extra action. FAQ
2x Transformation - Place a minion on the bottom of its owner’s deck to have them play a minion off the top of their deck there as an extra minion, then shuffle their deck. FAQ
Bases[]
Clarifications[]
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in the World Tour: Culture Shock rulebook:
The Birch: Destroying this minion because of any other ability does not trigger this ability.
The Birch Woman: Going to the discard pile from play includes both being discarded after scoring, and being destroyed.
The Birch, The Birch Woman, Baba Yaga, The Frog Princess, Transformation: Cards that specify how to choose the extra card require you to play it immediately.
Finist the Falcon: If a card is played again, its ability can be used again unless it says otherwise.
The Frog Princess: If you use the ability of Baba Yaga or Transformation on the minion this card is on, this card is discarded without triggering.
Mechanics[]
The Russian Fairy Tales focus on transforming any minions into others. The main way of transformation is by placing a minion on the bottom of its owner's deck and have that player play a new minion in its place off the top of their deck, so unless you are able to stack the top of a deck, you will have little control over what minion will replace the old one. Of note, Toad is a very nasty card, allowing you transform any other player's one minion into a useless power-0 minion. Also, The Birch/Birch Woman are a pair of minions that can endlessly change from one to the other and therefore persist until the end of the game unless the other players are able to get rid of them.
External Strategy Guides[]
FAQ[]
Questions on Baba Yaga[]
Q: What does playing "off the top of your deck" mean? Do I just reveal the top card of my deck and play it it's a minion? Sounds lame...
A: No, you reveal cards from your deck until you find a minion, which you'll have to play. Then you shuffle all the revealed actions into your deck.
Q: What do I do with the revealed actions? Do I discard them?
A: You shuffle them into your deck.
Q: When do I play the revealed minion? Before or after I shuffle the revealed actions into my deck?
A: Before.
Q: What if the minion's ability allows me to draw a card, search my deck, place or shuffle a card into my deck, etc.? Can I draw one of the revealed actions or put back the revealed actions into my deck before doing that?
A: You only do it to what remains of your deck. The revealed actions aren't considered as in play or in your deck or discard pile. So:
- if you need to draw a card, you draw the next unrevealed card,
- if you need to search your deck, you only search among the unrevealed cards of your deck,
- if you need to place a card on the bottom or top of your deck, you only place on the bottom or top of what remains of your deck,
- if you need to shuffle a card into your deck, you only shuffle it into what remains of it.
Q: What do I do if I reveal an action I don't own?
A: You shuffle it into its owner's deck when you have to shuffle all revealed actions into your deck.
Q: If the top card of my deck is already a minion, do I still shuffle my deck if I revealed no actions?
A: Yes, because the card actually tells you to shuffle your deck.
Q: So if I reveal actions while I play a minion off the top of my deck, I shuffle them into my deck, then do I have to shuffle my deck a second time?!
A: Technically, yes, the card would have you shuffle your deck twice in a row, but fundamentally the second shuffle is not needed since your deck has already been shuffled. So do as you please but really one shuffle is enough.
Q: What if I reveal a Shoggoth and don't have any eligible base to play it on?
A: You discard it and don't play any replacement for it.
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: If I use Baba Yaga's ability on a minion controlled by one player but owned by another, who gets to play a minion off the top of their deck?
A: The minion's owner, regardless of who controlled it at the time.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: Since the transformed minion is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer counters and actions on the former minion onto the new minion?
A: No, as soon as the former minion leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
Q: If the former minion can't be affected due to an effect, does the minion's owner still get to play an extra minion?
A: No, the extra minion is dependent on the former minion being placed on the bottom of its owner's deck. So, if it doesn't happen, the extra minion can't be played.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: Can I use Baba Yaga on a minion that cannot be returned to the deck? E.g. because of Superiority
A: Yes. The card says "place", not "return". So Baba Yaga can be used on a card that cannot be "returned". Also, there currently are no abilities that "return" a card in play to the deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: Which minion can I transform with Baba Yaga?
A: You can target any minion that's on the same base as Baba Yaga, except Baba Yaga itself:
- If it's a minion you own, it's placed on the bottom of your deck and you get to play a new one.
- If it's a minion owned by another player, it's placed on the bottom of that player's deck and they get to play a new one.
- If it's a minion that no one owns (e.g. a treasure, a monster), it remains in play.
Rule: Cards that refer to a card’s owner do not apply to monsters or treasures.
Q: If I choose to place a minion owned by a different player than the controller, who gets to play the new minion off their deck? For example, if I give control of Toad to another player and target Toad. Also applies to Flower Child, Kitty Cats, Ignobles, etc.
A: It's the minion's owner who gets to play the new minion, ignoring whoever controlled the minion.
Questions on Finist the Falcon[]
Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right?
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 Finist the Falcon, the condition is "before a base scores", which means that you can only activate it during the Score Bases phase of any turn, and more specifically during the step where before-scoring abilities can be used. Furthermore, it mentions that when activated, you may "move" it to there or return it from there. Moving involves a relocation from one base to another, so Finist the Falcon must already be on a base. Similarly returning it from the base implies that it must obviously already be on the base. So Finist the Falcon is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play.
Rule: Moving lets you relocate a minion or titan from one base to another.
Rule: "There" means "the location just referred to on the card".
Q: I don't get its ability. What does it do?
A: First of all, Finist the Falcon has to be in play. Then, if a base scores there are two possibilies, either the scoring base is a different one from where Finist the Falcon is at, in which case you may move it to that base, or the scoring base is the base where Finist the Falcon is, in which case you may return it to your hand (therefore discarding any counters and actions that were on it) and play it on a different base. Of note, if you choose to return Finist the Falcon and play it elsewhere, since it counts as a newly-played minion, nothing prevents you from reusing its Special ability again, but this time to move it to the scoring base. That's useful to shake off any bad play-on-minion actions it may have.
Q: I have ten cards in hand. Before its base scores, I choose to return Finist the Falcon so I have more than 10 cards in hand before I can play it, 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: Can you move it from stasis to a base before a base scores?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis. Also, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Questions on The Birch Woman[]
Q: It's so broken! It doesn't tell me to prove that I picked The Birch, so I can cheat, put a strong minion in my hand and nobody can check if I did it, right?
A: Actually, when you search your deck for a card, it is now part of the rules that you have to reveal the searched card.
Rule: If you “search” a deck or discard pile for a card you must reveal the card chosen.
Q: It doesn't say to shuffle my deck, so I don't have to shuffle it at all, right?
A: No, you have to shuffle your deck because you searched through it. That's now an integral part of the rules.
Q: Since The Birch Woman is essentially replaced by The Birch, do I transfer counters and actions on The Birch Woman onto The Birch?
A: No, as soon as The Birch Woman leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
Q: What does it mean for The Birch Woman to go to the discard pile 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 and so won't trigger The Birch Woman),
- 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: I have ten cards in hand. After The Birch Woman is discarded from play, I choose to add The Birch to my 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: If both The Birch and The Birch Woman are on a scoring base and therefore are discarded at the same time, can The Birch Woman change into The Birch?
A: Of course! Both cards end in the discard pile together, then The Birch Woman resolves, therefore you can search for The Birch in your discard pile without a problem.
Q: Wait, so The Birch Woman changes into The Birch when it's discarded, then at the start of my turn, I can change The Birch back into The Birch Woman, am I getting that right? Isn't that like having a persistent power-4 minion for the rest of the game?
A: Absolutely, although be wary about The Birch as it is a power-2 minion, therefore an easy target for the other players. If they manage to get rid of The Birch, it will end the cycle. Also, The Birch Woman only transforms into The Birch after it goes to the discard pile from play, so returning it to hand, or better putting it back into the deck will likewise stop the cycle.
Q: Do I have to play The Birch on The Birch Woman's previous base or any base?
A: On any base.
Q: If The Birch Woman is discarded after a base scores, can I play The Birch on the base that replaces the scored base?
A: No. The cards are discarded before the new base is drawn, so The Birch Woman's ability is resolved before the new base appears.
Rule: Check the steps for Phase 3.
Q: If The Birch Woman goes to the discard pile from stasis, does it trigger its ability? Being in stasis is considered as being in play, so it should work.
A: No, while in stasis, the only abilities that can do anything are the ones that explicitly state that they do something there.
Rule: Abilities of cards in stasis do not work unless they refer to stasis.
Questions on The Gray Wolf[]
Q: Since The Gray Wolf is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer counters and actions on The Gray Wolf onto the new minion?
A: No, as soon as The Gray Wolf leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
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.[1]
Rule: Multiple parts of a card’s ability must be done in their stated order.
Q: Using The Gray Wolf's talent, 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. The Gray Wolf). So Leprechaun's ability is triggered after placing the +1 power counter.
Questions on The Birch[]
Q: It's so broken! It doesn't tell me to prove that I picked The Birch Woman, so I can cheat, put a strong minion in my hand and nobody can check if I did it, right?
A: Actually, when you search your deck for a card, it is now part of the rules that you have to reveal the searched card.
Rule: If you “search” a deck or discard pile for a card you must reveal the card chosen.
Q: It doesn't say to shuffle my deck, so I don't have to shuffle it at all, right?
A: No, you have to shuffle your deck because you searched through it. That's now an integral part of the rules.
Q: Since The Birch is essentially replaced by The Birch Woman, do I transfer counters and actions on The Birch onto The Birch Woman?
A: No, as soon as The Birch leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
Q: I have ten cards in hand. At the start of my turn, I choose to destroy The Birch and add The Birch Woman to my 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: If both The Birch and The Birch Woman are on a scoring base and therefore are discarded at the same time, can The Birch Woman change into The Birch?
A: Of course! Both cards end in the discard pile together, then The Birch Woman resolves, therefore you can search for The Birch in your discard pile without a problem.
Q: Wait, so The Birch Woman changes into The Birch when it's discarded, then at the start of my turn, I can change The Birch back into The Birch Woman, am I getting that right? Isn't that like having a persistent power-4 minion for the rest of the game?
A: Absolutely, although be wary about The Birch as it is a power-2 minion, therefore an easy target for the other players. If they manage to get rid of The Birch, it will end the cycle.
Questions on Toad[]
Q: Since the transformed minion is essentially replaced by Toad, do I transfer counters and actions on the former minion onto Toad?
A: No, as soon as the former minion leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
Q: If the former minion can't be affected due to an effect, what happens if I still use Toad's ability?
A: You'll give control of Toad to the other player, but then will fail at shuffling their minions in their deck. So essentially you will have given them Toad but they won't suffer any consequences.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: Can I use Toad on a minion that cannot be returned to the deck? E.g. because of Superiority
A: Yes. The card says "shuffle", not "return". So Toad can be used on a card that cannot be "returned". Also, there currently are no abilities that "return" a card in play to the deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: I'm the owner of the Russian Fairy Tales. I play Toad and give it to another player. If I use Baba Yaga or Transformation to change Toad, who gets to play the extra minion?
A: It's Toad's owner who gets to play the new minion, i.e. you.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Questions on Foolish Magician[]
Q: Are the three cards I have to place back into may deck the three cards I just drew?
A: No, you draw three cards and add them to your hand, then place three cards into your deck among all the cards in your hand.
Q: After drawing the three cards, I have more than 10 cards in hand, do I immediately discard down to 10 before placing back three cards?
A: You strictly follow the card's instructions (draw three cards then place three cards into your deck) and you don't discard any other card until your upcoming 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.
Questions on Tsar Eagle[]
Q: It doesn't say to reveal the card you place on the other player's deck, so I don't have to reveal it if I don't want to, right?
A: No. Discard piles are "public knowledge", so you can check which cards are in any player's discard pile at any time. If you take a card out of the discard pile, players are supposed to know what card was taken out. So, you should reveal it. Otherwise, how are you supposed to prove that you didn't put an action instead of a minion?
Rule: If you take a card out of the discard pile, show it to everyone.
Q: After playing this card, I choose to draw a card and (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.
Questions on Bewitched[]
Q: Wait! If the minion leaves play, its attachments must be discarded according to the rule "when a card leaves play, discard attachments." How am I supposed to transfer Bewitched then?
A: Obviously, for Bewitched to work, it must trump that rule just to allow you to transfer it. The remaining attachments are still discarded though.
Rule: Often, card text and rules text will conflict. When there's a fight, card text wins.
Q: If The Birch or The Birch Woman have Bewitched played on them and I choose for them to be transformed into the other, can Bewitched be transferred onto the new minion?
A: No since Bewitched must be transferred immediately when the minion it is on leaves play, so during the split moment when one minion left play and the other isn't in play yet.
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: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a minion", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on Fetch I Know Not What[]
Q: I have ten cards in hand. After playing this card, I choose to draw both revealed actions, 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: If I reveal cards I don't own, what happens?
A: If the cards are any of the actions you want to place into your hand, they go to their owners' hand'. That's because the other players can see who owns the card and the card changes location. As for the rest of the revealed cards, they are shuffled into your deck since they came from there and were simply revealed.
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.
Questions on Go I Know Not Whither[]
Q: What happens to actions that were played on the shuffled minions? Are they also shuffled to their owners' deck? into the minion's owner's deck?
A: They are discarded in the appropriate discard piles.
Q: It says "a random minion (...) controlled by each other player." Are there even minions that can have multiple controllers?
A: No, that's not what the card means. Go I Know Not Whither makes you shuffle multiple minions, but you choose for each other player a random one among their minions you'll shuffle into its owner's deck. So if you're playing against two opponent players, you choose a random minion controlled by one opponent, and another random minion controlled by the other opponent.
Q: Can I use Go I Know Not Whither on a minion that cannot be returned to the deck? E.g. because of Superiority
A: Yes. The card says "shuffle", not "return". So Go I Know Not Whither can be used on a card that cannot be "returned". Also, there currently are no abilities that "return" a card in play to the deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
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 shuffled into its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns 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 shuffled into its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that if the minion is a monster or a treasure, it remains in play because monsters and treasures can't be affected by cards that refer to a card's owner. Also, note that if several minions are shuffled, Dancing King only triggers once and allows you to shuffle 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 shuffled into its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that if the minion is a monster or a treasure, it remains in play because monsters and treasures can't be affected by cards that refer to a card's owner.
- 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.
Rule: Cards that refer to a card’s owner do not apply to monsters or treasures.
Questions on Go See My Sister[]
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so if I play or move one of my minions to the same base, I can draw a card, 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), "your minions" means "their minions" and "you draw" means "they draw".
Rule: "You" on a minion, action or titan means the controller of the card.
Q: It triggers when I move "one of my minions". Does it also trigger when 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: I have ten cards in hand. If I trigger this card and choose to draw a card, 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: If I play an Argonaut instead of an action on Go See My Sister's base, do I still draw a card?
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.
Questions on Mass Transformation[]
Q: I play this card, do I also place my hand on the bottom of my deck and draw an equal number of cards?
A: Absolutely! The card says "each player", i.e. all players including you.
Q: I play this card. If a player has one card they don't own in their hand, it cannot go on the bottom of that player's deck. So, do they draw one fewer cards?
A: Actually, they do place all cards in their hand on the bottom of their deck, even if there's any of them that they don't own. That's because none of the other players can actually see who really owns any of the cards.
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.
Questions on The Frog Princess[]
Q: What does playing "off the top of your deck" mean? Do I just reveal the top card of my deck and play it it's a minion? Sounds lame...
A: No, you reveal cards from your deck until you find a minion, which you'll have to play. Then you shuffle all the revealed actions into your deck.
Q: What do I do with the revealed actions? Do I discard them?
A: You shuffle them into your deck.
Q: When do I play the revealed minion? Before or after I shuffle the revealed actions into my deck?
A: Before.
Q: What if the minion's ability allows me to draw a card, search my deck, place or shuffle a card into my deck, etc.? Can I draw one of the revealed actions or put back the revealed actions into my deck before doing that?
A: You only do it to what remains of your deck. The revealed actions aren't considered as in play or in your deck or discard pile. So:
- if you need to draw a card, you draw the next unrevealed card,
- if you need to search your deck, you only search among the unrevealed cards of your deck,
- if you need to place a card on the bottom or top of your deck, you only place on the bottom or top of what remains of your deck,
- if you need to shuffle a card into your deck, you only shuffle it into what remains of it.
Q: What do I do if I reveal an action I don't own?
A: You shuffle it into its owner's deck when you have to shuffle all revealed actions into your deck.
Q: If the top card of my deck is already a minion, do I still shuffle my deck if I revealed no actions?
A: Yes, because the card actually tells you to shuffle your deck.
Q: So if I reveal actions while I play a minion off the top of my deck, I shuffle them into my deck, then do I have to shuffle my deck a second time?!
A: Technically, yes, the card would have you shuffle your deck twice in a row, but fundamentally the second shuffle is not needed since your deck has already been shuffled. So do as you please but really one shuffle is enough.
Q: What if I reveal a Shoggoth and don't have any eligible base to play it on?
A: You discard it and don't play any replacement for it.
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: The Frog Princess is on one of my minions, whether or not I own it but I do control it. If another player takes control of that minion, I know I still control The Frog Princess, but who gets to play the minion off their deck if I use The Frog Princess's talent?
A: You. The minion still goes on the bottom of its rightful owner's deck, but you're the one who getst to play a minion off the top of your deck, whether or not the minion ended on the bottom of it.
Q: Since the transformed minion is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer counters and actions on the former minion onto the new minion? It says so for The Frog Princess.
A: No, as soon as the former minion leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded. The Frog Princess is an exception here, since the minion is removed from play by The Frog Princess and The Frog Princess states what to do with it.
Q: Wait! If the minion is placed on the bottom of a deck, that means it left play, so its attachments must be discarded according to the rule "when a card leaves play, discard attachments." How am I supposed to transfer The Frog Princess then?
A: Obviously, for The Frog Princess to work, it must trump that rule just to allow you to transfer it. The remaining attachments are still discarded though.
Rule: Often, card text and rules text will conflict. When there's a fight, card text wins.
Q: So I use its talent to transform the minion it is on and then transfer The Frog Princess to it. Since it's a new minion, do I get another shot at using The Frog Princess's talent?
A: No. It has nothing to do with there having a new minion or not. Each Talent can only be used once during your Play Cards phase. You've used The Frog Princess's talent once, then The Frog Princess is transferred so it's still considered as the same card, whose talent you've already used.
Rule: Each talent can be activated once on each of your turns.
Q: If the former minion can't be affected due to an effect, does the minion's owner still get to play an extra minion?
A: No, the extra minion is dependent on the former minion being placed on the bottom of its owner's deck. So, if it doesn't happen, the extra minion can't be played.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: It says to play it on "one of my minions". Can I play it 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 my The Frog Princess is on another player's minion (e.g. because the minion's control was given to them), and if I choose to use the talent, who gets to play the new minion off their deck?
A: It's the player who uses the talent, i.e. the controller of The Frog Princess.
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: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on one of your minions", which means that it is not a standard action.
Questions on The Water of Life[]
Q: It doesn't say to reveal the card you place on your deck, so I don't have to reveal it if I don't want to, right?
A: No. Discard piles are "public knowledge", so you can check which cards are in any player's discard pile at any time. If you take a card out of the discard pile, players are supposed to know what card was taken out. So, you should reveal it. Otherwise, how are you supposed to prove that you didn't put an action instead of a minion?
Rule: If you take a card out of the discard pile, show it to everyone.
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.
Questions on Transformation[]
Q: What does playing "off the top of your deck" mean? Do I just reveal the top card of my deck and play it it's a minion? Sounds lame...
A: No, you reveal cards from your deck until you find a minion, which you'll have to play. Then you shuffle all the revealed actions into your deck.
Q: What do I do with the revealed actions? Do I discard them?
A: You shuffle them into your deck.
Q: When do I play the revealed minion? Before or after I shuffle the revealed actions into my deck?
A: Before.
Q: What if the minion's ability allows me to draw a card, search my deck, place or shuffle a card into my deck, etc.? Can I draw one of the revealed actions or put back the revealed actions into my deck before doing that?
A: You only do it to what remains of your deck. The revealed actions aren't considered as in play or in your deck or discard pile. So:
- if you need to draw a card, you draw the next unrevealed card,
- if you need to search your deck, you only search among the unrevealed cards of your deck,
- if you need to place a card on the bottom or top of your deck, you only place on the bottom or top of what remains of your deck,
- if you need to shuffle a card into your deck, you only shuffle it into what remains of it.
Q: What do I do if I reveal an action I don't own?
A: You shuffle it into its owner's deck when you have to shuffle all revealed actions into your deck.
Q: If the top card of my deck is already a minion, do I still shuffle my deck if I revealed no actions?
A: Yes, because the card actually tells you to shuffle your deck.
Q: So if I reveal actions while I play a minion off the top of my deck, I shuffle them into my deck, then do I have to shuffle my deck a second time?!
A: Technically, yes, the card would have you shuffle your deck twice in a row, but fundamentally the second shuffle is not needed since your deck has already been shuffled. So do as you please but really one shuffle is enough.
Q: What if I reveal a Shoggoth and don't have any eligible base to play it on?
A: You discard it and don't play any replacement for it.
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: If I use Transformation on a minion controlled by one player but owned by another, who gets to play a minion off the top of their deck?
A: The minion's owner, regardless of who controlled it at the time.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: Since the transformed minion is essentially replaced by another minion, do I transfer counters and actions on the former minion onto the new minion?
A: No, as soon as the former minion leaves play, the counters and actions on it are discarded.
Q: If the former minion can't be affected due to an effect, does the minion's owner still get to play an extra minion?
A: No, the extra minion is dependent on the former minion being placed on the bottom of its owner's deck. So, if it doesn't happen, the extra minion can't be played.
Rule: "Can't" trumps "can".
Q: Can you place a minion in stasis to the bottom of its owner's deck?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: Can I use Transformation on a minion that cannot be returned to the deck? E.g. because of Superiority
A: Yes. The card says "place", not "return". So Transformation can be used on a card that cannot be "returned". Also, there currently are no abilities that "return" a card in play to the deck.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Q: Which minion can I transform with Transformation?
A: You can target any minion that's in play:
- If it's a minion you own (whether or not you control it), it's placed on the bottom of your deck and you get to play a new one.
- If it's a minion owned by another player (whether or not they control), it's placed on the bottom of that player's deck and they get to play a new one.
- If it's a minion that no one owns (e.g. a treasure, a monster), it remains in play.
Rule: Cards that refer to a card’s owner do not apply to monsters or treasures.
Q: If I choose to place a minion owned by a different player than the controller, who gets to play the new minion off their deck? For example, if I give control of Toad to another player and target Toad. Also applies to Flower Child, Kitty Cats, Ignobles, etc.
A: It's the minion's owner who gets to play the new minion, ignoring whoever controlled the minion.
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
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 placed on the bottom of its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that its owner won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the shuffled Diva, because playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it, so you can't use Diva to copy that part.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is placed on the bottom of its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that its owner won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the shuffled minion, because playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it, so you can't use Dancing King to copy that part.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is placed on the bottom of its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that its owner won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the shuffled minion, because playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it, so you can't use We are Family to copy that part.
- 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 placed on the bottom of its owner's deck, regardless of whoever owns the minion that was directly affected by the action. Note that its owner won't be able to play an additional extra minion for the shuffled minion, because playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it, so you can't use Funky Town to copy that part.
Trivia[]
- The artists are Gong Studios, who also designed the art of many other factions, and Felicia Cano (Toad).
- The illustration for Toad is reused from the Giant Toad card from AEG's Mystic Vale: Vale of Magic.
- Within the World Tour series, this faction represents Russia.
- Their divider features Bewitched.
- This faction draws inspiration from several Russian Fairy Tales. These include:
- The Wooden Eagle
- Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf
- The Feather of Finist the Falcon
- The Wonderful Birch
- Baba Yaga
- The Frog Princess
- Go I Know Not Whither and Fetch I Know Not What
- The Bold Knight, the Apples of Youth, and the Water of Life
- The Gigantic Turnip
- A Priest of Anubis is being Bewitched by Baba Yaga.
- Russian Fairy Tales were one of the top 10 nominated factions for "The Smash Up: Oops, You Did It Again contest".
In other languages[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 俄羅斯童話故事集 |
| French | Contes Féériques Russes |
| German | Russische Märchen |
| Russian | Русские сказки |
| ||||||