Guardians Stack Attack! (A Solitaire Game Variant)

Guardians Stack Attack! is a game variant for one player. The object of the game is to clear all creatures from the stacks before you run out of cards. The rules are as follows:

You will need the following cards (100 total):

Angel
Angel of Righteousness
Archangel Magnus
Arnath
Axeman
Baal-a-Gog
Bantam Drake
Beelzebub
Big Groaning Cankerd
Black Lung
Bone Shambler
Brown Backs
Captain
Cherub
Corporal
Crystal Flash
Cyclops
Death
Desert Giant
Devil Hedgehog
Dragon Wing Lord
Dreaded Doom Dog
Druk
Earth Elemental
Fangis the Hunter
Festus
Fire Walker
Giant Babe
Giant Penguin
Golden Fleecer
Great Black Ri'shar
Greater Air Elemental
Greenback Chak
Grilbus
Ice Elemental
Ice Ogre
Ice Spirit
Icky Bugs
Jibber
Kikijub
Kurgan, Blademaster of the Exiled
Lake Serpent
Lancer
Land Drake
Lizard Skin Lynn
Lorg Mole
Magnate Justice
Merchant
Moon Spirit
Na 'Boob
Phil, Bar Fly
Polar Ice Ogre
Prince of the Lost
River Giant
Rock Giant
Sand Lord
Shadow of Ashes
Slackback Chak
Sloarch
Snogwart
Snow Daughters
Succubus
Sun Spirit
Super Model
Tanniker Smith
Thackle
Tiny Whining Cankerd
Valley Troll
Vampire Hunters
Wailing Specter
Warrior Spirit
Watcher
Water Nymph
Water Spout
White Unicorn
Wild Nymph
Wind Spirit
Yard Rat
Zombie
Spirit Mountain
The Dry Heaps
Rivers and Lakes
Iron Crag Brew Mountain
SS House of Babes
Babes Bribery
Beer Bribery
Gold Bribery
Etherwave Magna Lock
Hammer of Doom
Power Lunch
St. Ballantine's Evocation
Summon Entropy Storm
Rock Rat (ranged attack)
Joomjaba (secondary attacker)
Buzzard (secondary attacker)
Brom Standard Bearer Goblin 16
Brom Standard Bearer Angelic 13
Maitz Standard Bearer Dark 16
Brom Standard Bearer Dem Bones 19
Brom Standard Bearer Skull 16

Put all the creatures (except for Rot Rat, Joomjaba, and Buzzard) in one large creature deck (separate the Bribery, Terrain, Spell, Magic Item, and Standard Bearer cards and put them off to the side). Shuffle the creature deck.

Keeping all cards face down, deal the cards into 4 piles side by side until there are 9 cards in each pile. These are called Creature Stacks 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Take the Standard Bearers and shuffle them. Place one Standard Bearer, face up, above each Creature Stack; the Standard Bearer will only affect Creatures in that Creature Stack. Deal yourself the last Standard Bearer. Your Creatures will use this Standard Bearer for the rest of the game.

Now add the Spell, Magic Item, Bribery, Terrain, and 3 special Creature cards into the remaining creature deck and shuffle well. This is called your Play Deck. Play begins by turning over the top card of each Creature Stack and placing it face up on that stack. You will draw 1 card from your Play Deck each turn and place it face up in front of you. The object of the game is to defeat all the creatures in each Creature Stack.

Drawing from your Play Deck results in getting one of four card types: Bribery, Terrain, Spell/Magic Item, or Creature. Here are the rules:

1. Drawing a Creature. Use that Creature to try to defeat one or more Creatures on the Creature Stacks. Think of it as a primary matchup from the original rules. If your Creature has an AOE, it may be applied to all Creatures on the Creature Stacks, including the next card in the stack. Otherwise, if no Bribery is taking place, matchup your Creature against one of the Creatures on a Creature Stack. Take into account destruction effects, off-color bonuses, Standard Bearer effects, and Terrain bonuses. If you beat the opposing Creature, it and your Creature go into the Discard Pile, and you turn over the next card on that Creature Stack. If you can’t beat any opposing Creatures, your Creature goes into the Discard Pile.

Special Creature cards: Rock Rat, Joomjaba, Buzzard. When you draw one of these 3 Creatures, you must set them off to the side to use during a subsequent turn (you cannot use them as regular (primary) attackers). If you find that you have a Creature that cannot beat any opponents and you have one of these 3 special cards available, attack with your Creature, then modify the matchup by playing the special card as a secondary attacker or range attacker, after which the special card is discarded.

2. Drawing a Bribery card. Set the card off to the side. You may use the Bribery card at any time. When using the Bribery card, discard it and the opposing Creature you use it on. Turn over the next card on the Creature Stack. You do not have to discard a Bribery card if another is drawn.

3. Drawing a Terrain card. Place the Terrain card above the Creature Stacks. If there was already a Terrain card there, discard the old Terrain card and play the new one. Both the opposing Creatures and your Creatures receive Terrain bonuses if their card text matches the Terrain in play. A Terrain card stays in play until a new Terrain card or Hammer of Doom forces it to be discarded.

4. Drawing Spells and Magic Items. Spells and Magic Items, when drawn, must be set off to the side. Play them at any time, following the instructions on the card. You may only have 1 Spell or Magic Item set aside at a time; if you draw another Spell or Magic Item, you may choose which one to discard.

Place 2 Power Stones in front of you. You may channel to one of your Creatures that can receive it, equal to that Creature’s vitality, by removing one Power Stone. If you play the Spell Power Lunch, you must remove 1 Stone to do so; if you have already used both Power Stones, you can’t use Power Lunch.

Note: When an opposing creature is revealed that has an AOE, that AOE applies to your next creature played. If your creature falls to the AOE, your next creature also must face it. This continues until you play a creature that withstands the AOE.

That’s it! Either you wipe out all the Creature Stacks and win the game, or you use all your cards and don’t defeat all the opposing Creatures, in which case you lose.

I'll post a sample game, along with some general strategy. I've playtested twice and lost both times. It's tough!