Rules & Game Options
Everything you need to master Triple Triad: capture rules, match options, modes and card rarities.
β‘ Quick reference
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Same | Captures all pairs of equal values (β₯ 2 pairs) |
| Same Wall | Same variant: walls count as A (10) |
| Plus | Captures all pairs whose sums match (β₯ 2 pairs) |
| Plus Wall | Plus variant: walls count as A (10) |
| Broken Wall | Toroidal board: edges wrap around |
| Elemental | Element cells: Β±1 on values |
| Combo | Cascading captures after Same/Plus |
| Sudden Death | Extra round on a draw |
| Random | Hand drawn automatically (5 random cards) |
| Order | Cards played left to right |
| Chaos | The card to play is forced each turn |
| Open | Opponent's hand is visible |
The Basics
Triple Triad is a card game played on a 3x3 grid. Each player selects 5 cards from their collection. Players take turns placing one card on an empty cell.
Each card has 4 values (Top, Bottom, Left, Right) ranging from 1 to A (10). When you place a card adjacent to an opponent's card, the touching values are compared. If your value is higher, you capture that card (it flips to your color).
After all 9 cells are filled, the player controlling the most cards (board + hand) wins.
Board layout
Cells are numbered 0-8. Adjacent cards compare touching sides.
Capture Rules
When a placed card has 2 or more adjacent cards where the touching values are equal (same number on both sides), all matching enemy cards are captured.
Before
After
Example: You place a card with Top=5, Left=5.
Adjacent card above has Bottom=5, adjacent card left has Right=5.
Both pairs match (5=5, 5=5) -- both enemy cards are captured!
Captured cards by Same can trigger Combo captures (basic value comparison from the flipped cards).
Board edges act as virtual cards with value A (10). When your card touches a wall, if the card's value on that side is A (10), it counts as a matching pair for the Same rule.
Example: You place a card at position 0 (top-left corner).
Your card has Top=A(10). The top edge = A(10) -- wall pair!
Your card has Right=5. Adjacent card at position 1 has Left=5 -- card pair!
2 pairs total -- Same triggers, enemy card captured!
When a placed card has 2 or more adjacent cards where the sums of the touching values are equal, all matching enemy cards are captured.
Before
After
Example: You place a card with Top=6, Left=4.
Adjacent card above has Bottom=3 -- sum = 6+3 = 9
Adjacent card left has Right=5 -- sum = 4+5 = 9
Both sums equal (9=9) -- both enemy cards are captured!
Also triggers Combo cascading captures.
Board edges act as virtual cards with value A (10) for the Plus rule. The sum of your card's value and the wall value (10) counts as a sum pair for Plus.
Example: You place a card at position 0 (top-left corner).
Your card has Top=3. Sum with wall: 3+10 = 13
Your card has Right=6. Adjacent card at position 1 has Left=7. Sum: 6+7 = 13
Both sums equal (13=13) -- Plus triggers, enemy card captured!
The board becomes toroidal (infinite). The left edge wraps to the right edge, and the top edge wraps to the bottom edge. Every cell has exactly 4 neighbors.
Example: You place a card at position 0 (top-left).
Normal: neighbors are 1 (right) and 3 (bottom).
Broken Wall: neighbors are 2 (left wraps), 1 (right), 6 (top wraps), 3 (bottom).
Your card can now capture across the board edges!
Affects all capture rules (basic, Same, Plus). Note: Same Wall / Plus Wall have no effect with Broken Wall since there are no walls.
Some board cells are assigned a random element. When a card is placed on an elemental cell:
Values are clamped between 1 and 10. Elemental modifiers affect Same, Plus, and basic captures.
When cards are captured by Same or Plus, each captured card then performs basic capture checks against its own neighbors. This can cascade multiple times, creating chain captures.
Hand Rules
5 cards are randomly selected from each player's collection. The card selection phase is skipped entirely -- the game starts immediately.
Only unlocked cards (not used in another active game) are eligible.
Cards must be played left to right, in the order they appear in your hand. You choose where to place each card, but not which card to play.
A arrow indicates the next card you must play.
Each turn, the system randomly picks which card you must play. You only choose where to place it on the board.
A ! mark indicates the forced card. All other cards are greyed out.
Both players can see their opponent's hand face-up. Normally, the opponent's cards are hidden (shown as ? card backs).
This is purely visual -- it adds strategic depth since you can plan around your opponent's cards.
Gameplay Rules
If the game ends in a draw, a new round begins. Each player keeps the cards they controlled (captured cards stay with the captor). The board is cleared and a new round starts.
- Maximum 3 rounds
- After round 3, a draw is definitive
- The round counter is displayed in the status bar
Trade Rules (Classic mode only)
Trade rules determine what happens to cards after a Classic mode game. In Friendly mode, no cards change hands regardless of the trade rule.
The winner picks 1 card from the loser's hand. A card picking screen appears where the winner can choose.
Each player keeps the cards they control on the board at the end of the game. Cards that were captured transfer automatically -- no card picking phase.
You played card A, opponent captured it -- opponent keeps card A.
You captured opponent's card B -- you keep card B.
The winner picks N cards from the loser, where N equals the score difference.
Score: You 7 -- Opponent 3 -- difference = 4
You pick 4 cards from your opponent's hand!
Winner takes all 5 cards from the loser. Automatic transfer -- no card picking phase. High risk, high reward!
Game Modes
Friendly
No cards at stake. Play for fun and earn coins.
- Win: 10 coins
- Loss: 2 coins
Classic
Cards are at stake! The trade rule determines what changes hands.
- Win: 20 coins + opponent's cards
- Loss: 2 coins + lose cards
Turn Timer
Each turn has a configurable timer. If the timer expires, a random card from your hand is placed on a random empty cell automatically.
Card Rarities
Common
Values: 1-4
Uncommon
Values: 2-6
Rare
Values: 3-8
Epic
Values: 5-9
Legendary
Values: 7-A
Getting Cards
Starter pack: 20 random cards when you create your account.
Boosters: Buy card packs in the Shop with coins earned from playing.
Classic mode: Win your opponent's cards by winning in Classic mode.
Trading: Trade cards with other players directly.