Habitat Heroes

1. The Objective: A Diverse Ecosystem

The first player to collect 3 Habitat Tokens from 3 DIFFERENT Habitats wins the game! (For example: You cannot win with three Forest Tokens. You need a Forest Token, a Water Token, and a Sky Token). This proves you have built a balanced ecosystem!

🌱 The Adaptation Rule (Trading):

What if you win a round for a Habitat you already have? Keep the token! If you collect TWO tokens from the exact same habitat, your ecosystem is so healthy that it adapts and spreads! You can trade those two identical tokens in to receive ONE token of any habitat you need to help you win.

Note: A "Habitat Token" is simply a way to keep score. You don't need physical pieces—just use tally marks on a piece of paper to track which habitats you have won!

2. Setup

• Every player brings their own custom deck of 30+ cards.
• Shuffle your deck and draw 5 cards.
• The youngest player goes first!

3. The Round: Build a Habitat Trio

On your turn, you must play a Habitat Trio from your hand.

• The Rule: A Trio is 3 Animals that share the exact same Habitat.
• Multiple Habitats: Some animals live in more than one place (like "Water / Land"). You get to choose which one to use for the round! A Water/Land animal can team up with two normal Water animals to make a Water Trio. You do not need to find other Water/Land animals.
• The Catch: If you don't have a Trio, you must draw from your deck until you can make one!
• Wildcards: "Full Art" cards are Wild! They ignore habitat restrictions and can copy any habitat to help you finish your Trio.

4. Scoring the Round & Tie-Breakers

Once everyone has played their Trio, calculate the scores. The player with the highest score wins the Habitat Token for the Habitat they played!

• Rarity: Common (1), Uncommon (2), Rare (3), Ultra Rare (5).
• Conservation Status: Least Concern (1), Threatened/Endangered (2), Critically Endangered (3), Extinct (5).
• Diversity Bonus: +1 Point for 1 unique class (e.g., all Birds), +2 Points for 2 unique classes, +3 Points for 3 unique classes.

⚔️ Tie-Breaker (The Top Deck Battle):

If two or more players tie for the highest score, they face off in a Top Deck Battle! The tied players each draw the top card of their deck and reveal it at the exact same time. The player whose animal has the highest Base Value (Rarity points + Status points) wins the Habitat Token! Both players then discard those cards.

5. Cleanup & The "Sanctuary" Rule

• Discard: All played cards go to your personal discard pile.
• The Sanctuary Rule: You may choose ONE card from your remaining hand to "save" for the next round.
• Reset: Discard the rest of your hand into your discard pile, then draw new cards until you have 5 cards again.
• (If your deck ever runs out, just shuffle your discard pile to make a new one).