Rules Glossary
Every term used in the Cube Creatures rules, A to Z
This glossary defines the terms used in the Standard Game Rules, Grandma's Rules and the printed rulebook for Cube Creatures. For questions about how the rules work in play, see the Rules FAQ.
Action Card
A card played on your own turn for a one-time effect, then put in the discard pile. You may play one Action card per turn. An Action card shows the card type, the card name and the card effect.
Armor (Upgrade)
One of the two kinds of Upgrade card. Armor attaches to a Creature and raises both its current Health Points and its maximum Health Points. A Creature can have at most one Armor Upgrade at a time.
Attack
The required final step of your turn. Choose one of your Creatures, roll the attack die to modify its Attack Points for that turn, then subtract the result from the defending Guard's current Health Points. Defenders never deal damage back.
Attack Die
The six-sided die included in the box, rolled once for every attack. Its faces are +2, +1, −1, −2, 2X and a miss symbol. The result changes the attacking Creature's Attack Points for that attack only.
Attack Points
The number shown on the red mace icon on a Creature card. It is the amount of damage that Creature deals when it attacks, before the attack die is applied.
Battlefield
The area of the table in front of you that holds up to 3 Creatures and any Upgrade cards attached to them. Some Action cards and Creature Powers can open up a 4th spot. The first spot is the Guard position. A Creature played to your Battlefield cannot return to your hand and stays there until it is defeated or removed by a card.
Booster Pack
A sealed pack of additional Cube Creatures cards, used for deck building and drafting.
Creature Card
A card that stays on your Battlefield and does the fighting. Each Creature card shows the card type, the Creature Power, the Attack Points on a red mace icon, the Creature name, and the Health Points on a green shield icon.
Creature Power
A special ability printed on a Creature card. Each Creature can use its Creature Power once per game. Turn the card sideways, 90 degrees, to show the power has been used. Not every Creature card has a Creature Power. Effects last until the end of the turn they were used on, except Health Point increases, which are permanent.
Damage
An amount subtracted from a Creature's current Health Points. Damage stays on a Creature across turns until the Creature is healed by a card or is defeated. Damage never carries over from a defeated Creature to another one.
Deck
The shared face-down draw pile in the middle of the table. Every player draws from the same deck. When it runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new deck.
Deck Building
The optional way to customize your game by mixing cards from booster packs into your own deck. Two rules apply: a 60 card minimum, and half Creature cards to half non-Creature cards. Guides are at deckbuilding.cubecreatures.com.
Defeated
A Creature at zero or fewer Health Points. Move it to the attacking player's Victory Pile, and send any attached Upgrade cards to the discard pile. If you defeat your own Creature, it goes to the discard pile instead of anyone's Victory Pile.
Deflect
To redirect or cancel an incoming attack using a Reaction card. Only an actual attack, and its related bonuses, can be deflected. Direct damage cannot.
Direct Damage
Damage dealt by a card effect or a Creature Power rather than by an attack. It does not use the attack die and can target a Creature other than the Guard when the card says so. Direct damage cannot be deflected with a Reaction card, but it can be blocked by a Shield.
Discard Pile
The face-up pile in the middle of the table holding used Action and Reaction cards, discarded Creatures and detached Upgrades. When the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile into a new deck.
Draft
A collaborative way for a group to build a shared deck from booster packs before playing. Guides for 2, 3, 4 and 5 player drafts are at draft.cubecreatures.com.
Grandma's Rules
The simplified version of Cube Creatures for beginners and ages 5 and up. It uses only the 30 Creature cards, gives each player one Creature at a time instead of a Battlefield, and plays in about 10 minutes. See the full Grandma's Rules.
Guard
The Creature in the first spot of your Battlefield. It is the only Creature of yours that opponents may attack, unless a card says otherwise or your Guard has been removed. Your Guard can still attack on your own turn. You may swap your Guard with another Creature on your Battlefield once per turn.
Hand
The cards you hold. Each player starts with 7 cards and draws one at the start of every turn. There is no hand size limit.
Healing
Restoring Health Points to a Creature with a card or Creature Power. Creatures can heal up to their increased maximum Health Points if an Upgrade or other effect has raised their maximum.
Health Point Dial
A cardboard dial placed next to a Creature to track its current Health Points as it takes damage or gains bonuses. Four are included in the box. If you need more, use pen and paper.
Health Points (HP)
The number shown on the green shield icon on a Creature card. It is the total damage that Creature can take. At zero or below, the Creature is defeated.
Main Phase
The optional* middle part of your turn, between drawing a card and attacking. During your Main Phase you may do each of the following once, in any order: play a Creature card, play an Action card, play an Upgrade card, use a Creature Power, and change your Guard. *Note: if you have any empty battlefield, then the play a Creature card action of this phase is required.
Maximum Health Points
The highest current Health Points a Creature can have. It starts as the number printed on the green shield icon, and rises when Armor Upgrades or Health-boosting Creature Powers are applied.
Playmat
A mat showing where cards go on the table. Two are included in the box. Playmats are optional guides once you know the layout, and extra players can simply copy the same arrangement on the table.
Rarity
How scarce a card is, shown by an icon and color at the bottom of the card. The four levels are Common, Uncommon, Rare and Ultra-Rare.
Reaction Card
A card played on anyone's turn in response to another player's action, then put in the discard pile. There is no limit on how many Reaction cards you may play, and a Reaction card can be countered by another Reaction card.
Shield
A type of Armor Upgrade card that blocks all damage from one source, one time, no matter the amount, and is then discarded. A Shield blocks direct damage from Action cards, Reaction cards and Creature Powers just as it blocks damage from an attack. Because a Shield is an Armor Upgrade, it uses that Creature's one Armor slot, so a Creature cannot carry a Shield and another Armor Upgrade at the same time.
Standard Game
The full version of Cube Creatures, for 2 to 5 players ages 6 and up, playing in about 15 minutes. It uses all four card types along with Battlefields, Guards, Upgrades and Creature Powers. See the full Standard Game Rules.
Team Brawl
The 2 vs 2 variant for exactly 4 players. Teammates keep separate Battlefields and hands but may look at each other's cards and help each other. Turns alternate by team, you may not attack your teammate, and the first team to defeat 7 Creatures wins.
Turn
One player's go, made of three parts: draw a card (required), Main Phase (optional*), and attack (required). Draw first and attack last; the Main Phase steps in between may be done in any order. *If your Battlefield is empty, playing a Creature card during the Main Phase is required.
Upgrade Card
A Weapon or Armor card attached underneath a Creature to boost its stats. Each Creature may have at most one Weapon and one Armor. An Upgrade cannot be moved once attached, and is discarded when the Creature is defeated.
Victory Pile
Your pile of defeated opponent Creatures. Collect 5 to win the Standard Game or Grandma's Rules. In Team Brawl the two teammates share one pile and need 7.
Weapon (Upgrade)
One of the two kinds of Upgrade card. A Weapon attaches to a Creature and raises its Attack Points for as long as it stays attached. A Creature can have at most one Weapon at a time.
More Cube Creatures Rules
- Standard Game Rules, the complete rules for ages 6 and up
- Grandma's Rules, the simplified version for ages 5 and up
- Rules FAQ, answers to common questions about how the rules work in play
- How to Play videos
- Full card list
Still stuck? Email us at hello@cubecreatures.com. We are happy to help.