How To Play: Guardians

Overview

Ready to rule the battlefield and annoy your friends? You’re in the right place! My latest How To Play guardians guide gives you the rules in plain English, plus my best tips for outsmarting everyone at the table. After many chaotic games (and one broken snack bowl) with my crew, I’ve got all the goods. Who knew strategy and spilled salsa could mix so well?

What’s in the box

• 5 Guardian miniatures
• 20 Squad miniatures
• 5 Guardian dashboards
• 90 Guardian cards
• 35 Squad cards
• 5 Ultimate cards
• 36 Power tokens
• 20 Wound tokens
• 15 Victory point tokens
• 10 Objective tokens
• 5 Player reference cards
• 1 First player token
• 6 Location boards
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Guardians: Rules Summary

Setup

1. First, shuffle all the location cards and deal three face-up in the center.
2. Next, every player picks their team of three unique Guardians and grabs their matching decks.
3. Mix your Guardian decks together and shuffle well. Draw five cards for your starting hand.
4. Place your Guardians’ standees (they look like tiny heroes!) in your starting area.
5. Finally, collect your Influence tokens—don’t eat them, they are not snacks, even if you get hungry mid-game.

Gameplay

1. Players take turns in clockwise order. On your turn, play cards, move Guardians, and use abilities.
2. To control a location, use your Guardians to pile on Influence tokens at that spot.
3. Attack rivals by blasting away their Influence, or just move in to look intimidating.
4. Draw new cards at the end of your turn, but only up to five. (No hoarding allowed!)
5. Keep an eye on special Guardian abilities. They can flip the game faster than my Aunt June flips pancakes.

Winning

1. To win, control two out of three locations by the end of a round. This is harder than it sounds.
2. If all else fails and locations are tied, the player with the most Influence tokens on any one board wins.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Some locations have wild effects. Read the location cards before you start—trust me, I learned the hard way.
2. Guardians can be knocked out, but don’t worry; they respawn at the start of your next round. No Guardian left behind!
3. If you run out of cards, shuffle your discard pile and keep going. The action never stops in How To Play guardians.

That’s the basics! After playing with my crew, I can say Guardians is easy to pick up but tough to master, especially if your friends talk as much smack as mine. Good luck!

Best Guardians Strategies

Smash the Competition: Mastering Team Building in Guardians

Choose Your Leaders Wisely

First, make sure your guardian combo brings both muscle and brains. My buddy once picked three healers and, well, we all fell asleep before turn four. Balance is smart.

1. Mix offense and defense.
2. Pick guardians with abilities that work together.
3. Have at least one guardian with speed for objectives.

Plan for Synergy

Next, look for guardians with powers that boost each other. I love pairing Blaze with anyone who does area damage. Suddenly, the board is on fire—literally and emotionally.

1. Stack status effects to maximize chaos.
2. Chain attacks for massive bursts.

Adapt to Opponents

Last game, we saw a tank-heavy team coming, so we switched in some armor-piercing skills. Stay flexible and you’ll always have the upper hand in How To Play guardians.

Master Card Timing and Usage to Win Big in Guardians

Know When to Hold ‘Em

Timing your cards right can make or break your game. Trust me, I once played a card too early, and my friends still bring it up every game night. Keep these tips in mind for How To Play guardians like a champ:

1. Wait for the perfect moment. Saving your strongest card can surprise everyone and flip the board.
2. Always watch your opponent’s moves. If they look too happy, they’re probably cooking up trouble—be ready!
3. If you draw a combo, use it late to finish, not just to show off.

Keep Your Options Open

Sometimes you want to play flashy, but holding back pays off. This way, you adapt to surprises, dodge counters, and stay one step ahead, How To Play guardians style.

Play for the Win, Not for Fun (Just Kidding)

Look, it’s all about scoring the winning move, but making your friends laugh when you do it? That’s the real victory. I learned the hard way—never burn all your cards too soon. Save some for a memorable finish!

How To Play guardians: Crush the Game with Objective Control

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

First, focus on the objectives. Ignore distractions like your teammate’s never-ending jokes. Every point counts!

1. Always position your team near objectives.
2. Force your rivals away with clever moves.

Plan Your Moves Like a Mastermind

Next, look ahead! Plan your actions a turn or two in advance. You might surprise your friends, or at least yourself.

1. Forecast enemy moves.
2. Hold back a strong card for clutch moments.

React Fast, Win Faster

Finally, adapt quickly when objectives change. You can pull off wild wins if you stay flexible in How To Play guardians!

1. Change plans if needed.
2. Jump on new objectives before opponents do.

Mastering Guardians Like a Boss

So there you have it, my battle-scarred friends! After many nights arguing over the best way How To Play guardians, I can say this: strategy matters, luck helps, and pretending you know what you’re doing always fools at least one player. With smart team building, good card timing, and some sneaky objective grabs, you’ll be the hero of your game group. Or at least not the one stuck cleaning up the snack crumbs. Now, go out there and guard those objectives like it’s the last slice of pizza at game night!

Want to know what we think of Guardians? Read our detailed review of Guardians here