Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
Several years ago one of my sons showed me this game called Super Auto Pets. At that time it was a simple browser-based game in which players could acquire adorable pets and send them into combat against each other. Pet fought pet, until only one was left standing. Pets had health and damage stats, and every pet had some sort of special ability. The lure was to learn the game well enough that you could arrange the pets such that their special abilities comboed together and let you defeat your opponent.
Now picture all that as a card game and you’ve got a good idea what Plaid Hat’s Super Auto Pets Card Battle is. Join me at the table, and I’ll tell you all about it.
It’s Turtles all the way down
In Super Auto Pets Card Battle, players create decks over the course of 6 rounds, acquiring increasingly more powerful pets in their attempt to dominate the meadow. Gone are the differing prices from the digital game—in this version, pets only cost a single gold, and players have three to spend per round. The game is broken up into six rounds, each of which has its own distinct deck of pet cards.
At the beginning of each round, players take turns purchasing pets from a selection of 4 cards. Once each player has three cards, they arrange their pets in whichever order they like, preparing them for battle.
But let’s roll it back a bit to talk about the pet cards. There are a few things to keep in mind. Each pet has a “power” which stands for both health and damage. A pet with a power of 3 will do 3 damage to whichever pet is in front of it, and can receive 3 damage before being defeated.
Some pets also have abilities that relate to the phase of the round. For example, if a pet has a Buy ability, that will trigger when the pet joins your team. The Battle Ability triggers before combat begins. Finally, the Faint ability engages when a pet is defeated, sometimes dealing damage to other pets, earning food for your existing pet, or even bringing in friends to join the battle. Other abilities might rear their heads, but those are the most common three.
Duck! And cover.
As mentioned earlier, the Power stat determines a pet’s damage, but also its health. However, that Power number can be augmented via addon cards, like food. For example: a pet that has a Power of 3, and two apples, would have a Power of 5.
Now back to the battle: simultaneously each player flips over cards until they both have a pet. Players often have special cards that provide benefits to their team, but aren’t battlers themselves: apples, honey, pineapples, etc. Once each player has a pet at the ready, they determine damage, and health. Then they continue flipping cards until every pet from one player’s deck has been defeated.
Along the way, players will ride a roller coaster of cheering and crying as powerful pets—their Power energized by Apples—go on a rampage, only to be defeated in turn by a humbler creature. In one battle, my son had a Leopard with a power of 4 and 5 Apples, chewing through my deck, only to be defeated by a Scorpion with a Power of 1, but whose power allowed it to defeat any opponent.
This game is like no Otter
So, who is this game for? People already familiar with the IP are one group: in addition to the browser game, there are iOS and Android versions, as well as a Steam version. But Super Auto Pets Card Battle will appeal to any kid who enjoys cute animals. My son has loads of stuffed animals, loves our foster kittens, and adores cute things in general. So when we opened the box, he just shuffled through the deck, exclaiming at the kawaii (Japanese for “cute”) on display.
But besides those two groups, anyone who enjoys tactics will enjoy this game. The pets you acquire are public knowledge, so each player has a good idea of what pets their opponent has. And at that point, it becomes a game of outguessing deduction. If I put this pet first, my opponent might counter with this, so maybe I’ll put it second. But the other player is thinking the same thing, so it becomes very meta, with both players trying to outthink the other.
But even if you’re perfect at outguessing the other player, it’s hard to remember what special abilities the other pets will have, and those—cleverly placed—can make all the difference. In my last game, I stacked my deck so Flamingo was first, followed by two Apple cards, then my Rooster. Flamingo allows you to place two Apples on top of your deck when it faints. That meant that I flipped over 4 Apples before my Rooster was revealed. And since Rooster has a power of 4, that meant its updated Power was EIGHT. Even better, when Rooster faints, it allows you to put one Bee (a Power 1 animal) on top of your deck for each Apple it has. Adding four new cards to your deck during combat is huge.
But my favorite combo is the Shark, which, when played, receives one Apple for each of your pets that has already been defeated. So playing Shark last in the 5th or 6th round means that you might be 8 or 9 Apples, INSANE!
Given that the official name of this game is Super Auto Pets Card Battle: Classic Pack, it’s a sure thing that Plaid Hat already has expansion content in mind. I haven’t played any of the other digital versions, but it’s a safe bet that more animals, more upgrades, and possibly new modes might be “on the table”.
And that’s a good thing, because while there’s not a lot of depth to this game, it’s a blast to play, and I heartily recommend picking up a copy while it’s on Kickstarter.
