dub3 101

How to play

Watch the 90-second explainer, then let Pop-Up Possum teach you your first match on the real board.

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Read the transcript
  1. 0:04 psst. Hi! I'm Pop-Up Possum.
  2. 0:07 Click my X and I play dead. Let's not.
  3. 0:11 dub3 is a card game about the old web.
  4. 0:14 Every card is a real website from 30 years of the internet, redrawn in pixels.
  5. 0:20 You and a bot play cards into three lanes, over six quick rounds.
  6. 0:24 Whoever has more Power in a lane wins it. Win more lanes than the bot, and the match is yours!
  7. 0:29 Cards cost RAM. You get 1 RAM in round 1, then 2, then 3...
  8. 0:33 ...all the way up to 6. It refills every round, so spend it!
  9. 0:37 You both choose in secret. Then the cards flip one at a time, whoever has the flag first.
  10. 0:41 Now you lead two lanes, so the flag is yours next round too.
  11. 0:46 Most cards do something. On reveal happens once, when the card flips.
  12. 0:50 Ongoing is always on. Read the small print: that's where the fun is.
  13. 0:55 Each lane is a place on the web, with its own rule.
  14. 1:01 After round 6, win more lanes than the bot and...
  15. 1:04 ...you are the one millionth visitor! Not a real prize. You did win, though.
  16. 1:09 Earn tokens by playing, and open Floppy Disks for new cards. About 1 in 20 has a Legendary, and we publish every odd.
  17. 1:16 And every day there's a Daily Challenge: same deck for everyone, one try.
  18. 1:22 Ready? I'll teach you your first match.
  19. 1:25 Or I'll just... lie down.

The rules on one page

  1. Win more lanes

    A match is 6 rounds. At the end, whoever has more Power in a lane wins it, and whoever wins more lanes wins the match. If that's level, total Power decides, and if that's level too, it's a draw.

  2. RAM pays for cards

    Each card's blue number is its cost in RAM. You get 1 RAM in round 1, 2 in round 2, and so on up to 6. It refills every round, and up to 1 you didn't spend carries over to the next. Some cards give you more for next round.

  3. Play in secret

    You and your opponent place cards at the same time, then lock in. Then the cards flip one at a time, the player with the flag first. Whoever leads more lanes gets the flag next round; if that's even, more total Power does, and then a coin flip. Some cards care about the order.

  4. Lanes load slowly

    Lane 1 loads in round 1, lane 2 in round 2 and lane 3 in round 3, but you can play into a lane before it loads. Each lane is a place on the web with its own rule. Each side can have 4 cards in a lane, unless the lane says fewer.

  5. Abilities

    On reveal happens once, when the card flips, and checks its condition right then: cards that flip after it don't count. Ongoing is always on while the card is in play. Each round end fires as every round finishes. When you play a card here fires each time you add another card to that lane.

  6. The small print

    Destroy removes a card from the board. Shield blocks the next destroy or enemy debuff, and some cards are stronger while their shield holds. A crashed card loses what it gained and its Ongoing effect stops. A locked lane takes no cards next round, from you, your opponent or both.

  7. Your deck

    A deck is 12 cards: at most 2 copies of a card and 2 cards from the same site. You start with 3 cards and draw one each round, so round 1 begins with 4. From round 2, if you're down to 2 cards or fewer, you draw 2 instead. You can hold 7.

  8. Rarity

    Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary cards look fancier as they go up. Rarity never adds rules of its own: a card does what its text says.

  9. Tokens and packs

    You earn tokens by logging in and playing, and spend them on Floppy Disks and Hard Drives of five cards. Every pack's odds are published, and you never need to buy anything.

  10. Daily Challenge

    Once a day everyone gets the same deck against the same bot, with the same draws. You get one try, and the day's best results go on the leaderboard.

See the pack odds.