Anime - http://maxpages.com/planetanime/Rules

Introduction
Before the world's continents broke up into peices, a huge disaster hit the world. People prayed to God for help, and God created new lifeforms. However, new lifeforms brought new troubles, so God became exasprated and sealed them in disk stones.

Many years have pasted since then, and God has entrusted the humans with the secret of the disk stones. Today people still continue to search for disk stones to release the monsters sealed in them.

You are one of these people.

Once you find a disk stone and release the monster inside it, it's up to you to train your new friend on your ranch to become the best monster it can be. The only way to prove how great your monster is, of coarse, is to battle you monster agaist other monsters.

Someday, you hope to prove to the world that you are the greatest monster rancher of them all. All that stands between you and that prize is every other trainer in the world. Good Luck!

Winning The Game
The object of the Monster Rancher Trading Card Game is to raise the best monsters in the land and win battles. Everytime you win a battle, you earn a fame counter. First player to have three fame counters wins.

How Many Can Play
While many players can play Monster Rancher at once, these rules assume there are only two players. This makes it easier to explain the game to new players. At the end of these rules, we explain some simple ways to add more players to the game.

What You Need To Play

A Monster Rancher Rulebook
Each player needs a deck of exactly 60 Monster Rancher cards. If your using the 30-card decks from the two-player starter sets, thats good enough to get started playing with.
You need 3 Fame Counters and 8 to 10 Damage counters each. You get XXX in each Monster Rancher Theme deck or two-player starter set.
A Monster Rancher playmat. You can find these in every Monster Rancher theme deck or two-player starter set.

Deck Building
If you start with a Theme deck or one of the starter decks in a two-player starter set, then your all ready to play. That's the best way to learn how to play the game.

Once you've used the starter decks for a few games, you're going to want to customize your own deck using the Monster Rancher cards in your collection. In this way, you can tailor your deck to your own style of play, and can use your favorite monsters and most powerful cards, stacking the odds in your favor. When your ready to do this, there are a few restrictions on what you can put into your deck.

You must have 3 Battle Cards in your deck. You should also have a good number of training cards in your deck, probally around half your deck.
You must have exactly 60 cards in your deck. If you run out of cards at any time resuffle the cards in your discard pile. That then becomes your new deck.
You can only have up to 3 copies of any single card in your deck. Cards that have the same name are considered to be the same card, even if there art or text differs.

The Cards
There are five different kinds of Monster Rancher cards: Monster Cards, Training Cards, Event Cards, Battle Cards, and Attachment Cards. Each of these types of cards are used in a different way in the game.

First, though, lets cover two things that every card has in common: pull numbers and move icons.

Pull Numbers
This is a number between 1 and 6 in the upper right hand corner of every card. At certain times, you'll be asked to make a pull. When that happens, draw a card and look at the pull numner. That is the result.

When you're done looking at the pull number add the card to your discard pile. If you dont have a discard pile yet start it with your first pull card.

Move Icons
Each card also has a Move Icon. When in battle you'll need to decide how your monster is going to move: Charge (C), Retreat (R), Hold (H), and Shove Back (S). At that time just choose on of these cards and place it face down in front of you. Then flip it over to reveal how your monster is going to move.

When your done looking at the cards move icon, you stick it back into your hand. If your smart you will take a good look at your opponent's move card when he shows it to you. it might give you a clue to what he is planning to do next.

Card Types
Here's how the five different types of cards work

Monster Cards
Monster Cards have the following traits:

Side: In the world of Monster Rancher, there are two kinds of monsters. Baddies are monsters that serve the evil Moo. Goodies are the free monsters who work to overthrow Moo's stranglehold upon the land.

Life: This tell how many points of damage each monster can take before it is knocked out.

Power: This is the power of the monsters physical attacks. A Power rating of "PPP" would be 3.

Intelligence: This is the power of the monsters psychic attacks. An Intelligence rating of "II" would be 2.

Speed: This help determine which monster attacks first. A Speed rating of "SSS" would be 3.

Defense: The higher a monsters defense the less it will be damaged by attacks. A defense rating of "DD" would be 2.

Loyalty: All monster start with no loyalty so you wont find this on your card. Loyalty takes the form of attached training cards. With enough loyalty monsters can use certain powers or cards.

Monster Cards also tell you what the monsters breed is, what kind of attacks it can perform, and what its special power is.

Training Cards
When you play a training card on a monster, you must pull equal to or under a certain number for the training to be successful. If it works you attach the card to your monster.

You get to subtract your monster's loyalty from your pull number when you make a training pull. Since your going for low numbers here, the more Loyalty your monster has the easier it is to train it.

When you successfully attach a Training Card to a monster, it has 2 effects. First, it adds to one or more of your monsters traits. Second, depending on the kind of Training Card, it may actually allow your monster to use new kinds of attacks.

Example: You play the Power Up card on a Seuzo who already has 1 point of loyalty from a Make Friends card. Normally you need to pull a 3 or less to attach the Power Up card, but you add the suezo's 1 loyalty and now you only need to get 4 or less.

Event Cards
These are cards that can cause events to happen when they come up in a pull during the Speed Rank Phase. They include things like battles, illnesses, bad weather, and so on. If they come up in a pull at any other time, they do not take effect and are simply discarded, just like usual. If they come up in a normal draw, they don't have any effect either.

Once an Event Card is actually used as an Event, it is immediately removed from play. It does not go into your discard pile.

Battle Cards
Battle Cards work just like Event Cards. Whenever a Battle Card comes up in a pull during the Speed Rank Phase, it's time to fight a battle as described on the card.

Once a Battle Card is actually used for a battle, it is immediately removed from play. It does not go into your discard pile.

Attachment Cards
These are simply attached to the monster or player. Normally no pulls are required, but some cards may require certain restrictions to be met.

The Card Rule
If the rules on a card and the rules in this book ever contradict each other, follow the rules on the card.

Before The Game Begins
Select any number of monsters with a total pull number of 4 or less and put those monsters in front of you facedown. This can be a single monster with a pull number of 4, four monsters with a pull number of 1, or any combination in between.

Then shuffle your deck and place it facedown in front of you. When everyone has done this, the players turn their monsters face-up at the same time.

Order Of Play
Play goes in a series of turns which are broken down into phases. Each turn is equal to one week in the world of Monster Rancher.

Draw Phase
Monster Activation Phase
Speed Rank Phase
Event Phase
Card Play Phase
End Phase

1) Draw Phase
Each player fills his hand to five cards by drawing cards off of his deck. If you have more than five cards, you must discard down to five cards.

If you don't have a discard pile yet, start one now. Discarded cards are placed face up in a pile in front of you. These are considered to be separate from your deck, as are any cards in play or in your hand.

If you run out of cards at any point during the game, shuffle your discard pile and place it facedown in front of you, making it your new deck. Then just continue drawing cards off your new deck.

Cards that have been removed from play do not go into your new deck.

2) Monster Activation Phase
Starting with the player who had the highest Speed Rank last turn and moving to the left, each player declares which of her monsters is her active monster this turn. If this is the first turn, start with the youngest player.

If you only have one monster, that monster is automatically your active monster. Most of the time, only your active monster can use its special power, so choose carefully.

3) Speed Rank Phase
Each player pulls a number of cards equal to his active monster's Speed. These make up the monster's Speed Rank, which tells you which monsters move first throughout this turn.

In case of any ties, compare the next highest cards in the tied players' Speed Ranks until the tie is broken.

The if both players have tied Speed Ranks, but one player has more cards than the other, the player with the most cards in his Speed Rank hand wins the tie.

If there's still a tie, have the tied players each pull an additional card and compare them. These cards are only considered as tie-breakers. They do not replace any of the cards in the monster's Speed Rank. Do this up to three times or until the tie is broken.

If after three cards, there's still a tie, have the youngest player secretly put either one or two spare counters in her hand. The other player then has to guess how many counters are hidden in her hand. If the older player guesses right, his monster wins the tie. Otherwise the younger player's monster wins the tie.

Leave these Speed Rank Cards off to one side until the end of the turn so you can remember your Speed Rank-including any tiebreaker-throughout the turn.

Example: Marty has Suezo as his active monster, and Delaney is using Mocchi. Suezo's Speed is SS, so Marty pulls two cards. He checks the pull numbers and sees that he has a 6 and 2. The highest number is 6, so that's Suezo's Speed Rank.

Mocchi's Speed is SSSS, so Delaney pulls four cards. She gets 6, 5, 4, and 2. The highest number is 6, so that's Mocchi's Speed Rank.

Since the monsters' Speed Ranks are tied, Marty and Delaney look to their next-lowest cards. Suezo's next card is a 2, making its Speed Rank 6:2. Mocchi's is 5, so it has the higher Speed Rank, 6:5.

4) Event Phase
If any of the cards pulled during the Speed Rank Phase is an Event or Battle Card, it takes effect now. Start with the Event Card with the highest pull number and work your way through to the lowest. Then move on to the Battle Cards.

In case of a tie in pull numbers, the card belonging to the player with the highest Speed Rank goes first. If the tied cards belong to the same player, that player chooses which Event Card happens first.

If more than one Battle Card comes up in the same Event Phase, only the card with the highest pull number is used. Break ties normally. Any unused Battle Cards are then discarded instead of being removed from play.

Remember, any Event or Battle Cards that are used in an Event Phase are removed from play. This means that they no longer are part of your Speed Rank Cards either.

5) Card Play Phase
Each player can now play Monster Cards, Training Cards, and Attachment Cards on herself or on any monsters that didn't fight in a battle this turn.

The player whose active monster has the highest Speed Rank goes first and can play a single card or pass. Then it's up to the player to her left. This goes around the table until every player passes all the way around.

There are a few restrictions on how you can play cards during the Card Play Phase.

You can only attach one Training Card to each of your monsters each turn. If you play a card and fail to actually attach it to a monster, put that card into your discard pile. You can still try again with another card with that monster later.
You can only play one Attachment Card on each of your monsters or yourself each turn.
You can only have a total of five Monster Cards in play at any one time. Injured monsters do not count toward this total until they are healed. If you ever find yourself with more than five Monster Cards in play, you must immediately discard enough Monster Cards (along with any cards attached to them) to bring yourself to five Monster Cards.
4) You cannot play Training or Attachment Cards on Monster Cards you put into play this turn.

Helping and Hindering
When you make a pull for a Training Card, the other players can either help or hinder your efforts. Starting with the player to your left, each player besides yourself has the chance to play one card from her hand. When the player plays a card, she declares whether she wants to help or hinder.

If the player wants to help you, her card takes -1 from your pull number, no matter what value the card has. If she wants to hinder you, her card adds +1 to your pull number, no matter what value the card has.

No player has to play a card to help or hinder training if he doesn't want to. Also, you can't help or hinder yourself.

After the pull for the Training Card is made, all helping and hindering cards are discarded.

Switching Attachments
With some types of Attachments, you can only have one of that type attached to another card. That's fine until you get your hands on an Attachment that's better than the one that's already on the other card. You can replace the old Attachment with the new one, but you must first discard the old Attachment.

You cannot transfer Attachments-or any other kinds of cards-to other cards. Once they're played on a card, they're stuck there until they're discarded.

If you like, you can discard an Attachment during the Card Play Phase instead of playing a card.

6) End Phase
Each player may discard a single card from his hand. They must also discard the cards they drew for their Speed Rank.

The turn is now over. Start a new turn with a new Draw Phase.

Using Special Powers
Unless your active monster's card says otherwise, you can use its special power at any point during the turn. Once the turn is over, though, it loses its chance to use its special power until the next turn. You can't carry over a use of a special power from one turn to the next.

If two players try to use their active monster's special powers at the same time, the monster with the higher Speed Rank goes first.

Battles
If a Battle Card comes up during the Event Phase, then the active monsters listed on the card fight a battle.

When a battle starts, you can choose whether or not to send a monster to fight in it for you. If you do so, you must send your active monster. If only one monster shows up, the lone player wins the battle.

The Battle Card tells you how to arrange the battle. The type of battle usually only makes a difference during a game with three or more players. In a two-player game, most battles are simply between the two active monsters.

If you can use the Battle Card to fight a battle, you must do so. If there is no active monster for your monster to fight by means of this Battle Card, then you automatically win the fight and earn a Fame Counter.

Once a Battle Card is used for a battle, it is removed from play.

Before Each Battle
There are two things you need to do before each battle. Do them in this order.

1) Fill Your Hand
If you have less than the maximum number of cards you can hold in your hand, draw cards off the top of your deck to fill your hand. Normally you fill your hand to five cards.

If you have more than the maximum number of cards in your hand at any time, you must discard down to your maximum number.

2) Sey Up the Arena
Choose a counter to represent your active monster, and place it on the table in front of your active monster's card. Use one of your unused Fame Counters for this.

Then draw the top five cards off your deck. Don't put these in your hand, and don't look at their faces. Line them up one by one to the right of your Monster Counter, stretching to the left of your opponent's Monster Counter. Your opponent does the same on his side of the playmat.

Look at the Monster Rancher playmat to see how this works.

The first card is next to your Monster Counter, and the last card is next to your opponent's Monster Counter. These outline the sides of the arena in which your monsters will fight.

If a player doesn't have enough cards to fill her side of the arena, put counters in the unfilled spaces instead. When the player would normally pull a card from a space, simply remove the counter.

Fighting
Battles are broken up into rounds of two shots each. The player whose monster has the highest Speed Rank takes the first shot in each round. The other player takes the second.

Each shot has three phases. You continue cycling through shots and rounds until one monster is either knocked out (KO'd) or time runs out.

The Round

The monster with the higher Speed Rank takes its shot.
The other monster takes its shot.

The Shot

Move
Attack
Draw

Move
Each card in the game has a move icon: Charge (C), Retreat (R), Hold (H), and Shove Back (S).

Charge: Move your Monster Counter one space forward.
Retreat: Move your Monster Counter one space backward.
Hold: Don't move your Monster Counter.
Shove Back: If the two Monster Counters are right next to each other, move your opponent's Monster Counter back one space. Otherwise, you can move your Monster Counter one space forward if you like.

During the Move Phase, choose a card for your monster and show it to your opponent. Move your Monster Counter the way the card's move icon tells you to, and then return your Move Card to your hand.

You can't move outside of the five spaces that make up the arena, and you can't move into the same space or past your foe's monster. If you can't move your Monster Counter the way your Move Card says, then your Monster Counter stays right where it is.

Attack
Declare which of your monster's listed attacks you want to use. You can only use an attack if you have the needed icons for that attack attached to your monster and if your foe is at that attack's Range.

Draw
If your monster did not attack-for whatever reason-you must draw a card from those on the table in the column to your monster's right. Start with the card closest to you and work your way to the furthest card.

Also, if your monster did attack and you now have no cards in your hand, you must draw one of these cards. Otherwise, you cannot draw one of these cards.

When these cards are drawn, the size of the arena does not change. It's always five spaces long.

If you end up with more than five cards in your hand, be sure to immediately discard back down to five cards.

The cards act as a time clock. Once either player has drawn all of his cards, the fight is over. If this happens, the monster that has fewer Damage Counters than its foe is the winner. In case of a tie, neither monster wins.

Attacks
Attacking is the most complicated part of the game, so let's go over it carefully. Once you get it down, it's pretty easy. Each Monster Card has a number of different attacks listed on it. Each of these attacks has three different things you need to know about it: Range, Damage, and Need.

Example: Suezo has five different attacks: Tail Assault, Bite, Lick, Tongue Slap, and Eye Beam.

Range
Each attack on a Monster Card has a Range listed next to it, anywhere from 1 to 3. The foe has to be exactly that many spaces away for the monster to be able to use that attack aga

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