A FIELD GUIDE TO YOUR FIRST GAME
Small board.
Big possibilities.
Learn the essentials, read your cards, and make your first move.
01 / THE OBJECTIVE
Control the board.
You and an opponent take turns placing one card on a nine-square board. A move can fill an empty square or upgrade a square you already control.
The game ends when the ninth square is filled, or after both players pass consecutively. Aim to control more squares than your opponent when play ends. The official online game uses a hand of 13 cards.
02 / READ YOUR CARD
Four numbers. Four directions.
Meet Bottle Rocket.
The cluster in the top-left corner is a compass. Its numbers correspond to the card’s four edges.
- Top rightThe family: Club, Mutant, Cosmic, or Arcana.
- Top centerDiamonds indicate the card’s level.
- Bottom centerThe printed card number and name.
Base and foil are artwork finishes. They share the same gameplay values, family, rarity, and level.
03 / MAKE A CAPTURE
Higher at the touching edge wins.
Place a card beside an opponent’s card. Compare only the edges that touch: your right against their left, for example. If your value is higher, you capture that neighboring square. In the standard rules, a tie leaves ownership unchanged.
Your 4 beats their 2.
You take the square.
Check each neighboring opponent card independently. A lower touching number cannot capture it. Diagonal corners are not touching edges.
04 / LEVEL UP
Build on what you control.
Only Level I (Common) cards can enter an empty square face up. To play a higher-level card face up, stack it on a square you control whose current level is exactly one below it. An upgrade checks for captures just like a new placement.
| Level | Rarity | Face-up placement |
|---|---|---|
| I | Common | An empty square |
| II | Uncommon | Over your Level I card or rock |
| III | Rare | Over your Level II card |
| IV | Prestige | Over your Level III card |
| V | Legendary | Over your Level IV card |
05 / PLAY A ROCK
Sometimes, face down is the move.
You can place any card face down in an empty square as a rock. A rock cannot be captured and counts as Level I. Each player may have only one uncovered rock on the board at a time.
Cover your rock with a Level II upgrade to free up your rock allowance. The card’s original rarity does not change the rock’s Level I status.
06 / ADVANCED RULES
When numbers tie, family matters.
With advanced mode enabled, an attacking card wins an equal-value comparison if its family dominates the defender’s. Family advantage never turns a lower number into a winning capture.
Each family beats the one immediately after it. Arcana closes the cycle by beating Club. This tie-break applies only in advanced mode.
07 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Your first trip into the swamp.
- Start with your Common cards.
They can claim empty squares face up. Look for edges you can protect against the board’s boundary.
- Compare the touching numbers.
Plan a capture, then consider which of your exposed edges an opponent could attack next.
- Keep an upgrade in mind.
Claiming a position is only the start. An upgrade can defend it and capture adjacent squares.
- Watch the empty squares.
Filling the last one ends the game. Check who will control the board after your move.
From the official game.
Rules are summarized from the official Mudwater game, its rules sheet, and the public card catalog. Verified October 18, 2026. Strategy suggestions are our own; the official game is the authority if rules change.