- Publisher: Exploding Kittens
- Players: 2-6
- Time: 10 minutes
- Ages: 7+
Mantis is a card game for 2-6 players, ages 7+ that plays in about 10 minutes. Mantis is developed and published by the crew over at Exploding Kittens. This quick to play game is great for when you only have a few minutes free, but want to scratch your gaming itch. The box art is brightly colored and the game includes a comic book describing why the mantis shrimp is so fantastic!
What’s In the Box?
- The Rules
- 105 Cards (15 of each color)
- Comic Book
Setup
The cards for Mantis have a front (containing a single color) and a back (containing 3 colors). Setup for Mantis starts with shuffling all 105 cards together and dealing 4 cards to each player, front side up. This area is called a player’s tank. If a player is dealt 2 or more cards of the same color, they should put them in a stack, while still allowing both cards to be seen. The remainder of the deck will go into a central area where all players can reach. You are now ready to play Mantis!
Gameplay
During a player’s turn they can choose 1 of 2 actions. Players may either Try to Score or Try to Steal. If a player tries to score, they will take the card at the top of the draw pile and put it in their tank. If the player picked up a card in which the Mantis’ color matches one that is already in their tank, they may move all the characters into their score pile. At this point, a player’s turn ends whether or not they were able to score. If a player chooses to try to steal, they will take the top card from the draw pile and turn it over into another player’s tank. If the card matches any of the characters in the other player’s tank, the active player may steal all the characters of this color and put them in their own tank. It is important to remember that the front of the card will always be 1 of the 3 colors shown on the back of the card. In addition, cards stolen from another player are placed into the active player’s tank and NOT their score pile. The only way to earn points is to move cards into the score pile through the Try to Score action.
Objective
In Mantis, players are trying to be the first to have 10 or more cards in their score pile. Like the strike of a Mantis Shrimp, game play is lightning fast!
Final Thoughts
Mantis is a fun game that combines elements of deduction and luck. The game plays quickly and it allows you to play multiple rounds if you’d like. We typically play to the best of three to up the competition! The comic book included is delightful to read and well illustrated. I also appreciate that there is a link right on the rule book to take you to a video to learn how to play. Like many of the Exploding Kittens games, it is both fun to play and features beautiful graphics!
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