classic mirrorquest rules: match & discard

The OBJECTIVE is to be the first to discard all of your cards by matching and playing strategically.

Setup

  • Shuffle and deal 8 cards to each player facedown
  • When playing with only 2 players, start by dealing 12 cards to each player
  • Place remaining deck facedown to form the draw pile
  • Flip the top card faceup next to it — this is called the Mirrorcard (discard pile)
  • If it's any type of Wildcard, place back in middle of deck and repeat until a non-Wildcard is flipped, then begin
  • Players organise their cards discreetly
  • Youngest player goes first, and players take turns starting in clockwise direction

On Your Turn

Choose one option:

  • ✅ Play a matching card (MUST match the Mirrorcard's colour, or symbol, or location)
  • OR ✅ Play a Wildcard (regular or pickup)
  • OR ✅ if you can't play you MUST draw a card

Additional Options

• You may also choose to draw 1 card even if you have a playable card (strategic draws can help if an opponent is close to winning and you need new options)

• If you draw a card and still can't or don't want to play → Pass

• If a pickup-Wildcard is played against you and you can't respond after picking up, draw 1 more and choose to play if able

Rules When Matching Mirrorcard

Colour Match

Play 1 card that matches the Mirrorcard's colour.

⛰️ Symbol Match

Play any number of cards that match the Mirrorcard's symbol.

📍 Location Match

Play any number of cards that match the Mirrorcard's location AND choose 1 effect:

  • 🔄 Reverse the play direction OR
  • ⏭️ Skip the next player OR
  • ✅ can be played as a Regular Match
  • 1 effect per matching card • Announce effect(s) as you play

Playing Tips

❗ When playing a card, place it facing the next player. This makes the card + location easier to read, and visually reflects effects like reverse or skip.

❗ When matching a Mirrorcard, say out loud the colour, symbol and location of the card you are playing ie. 'Yellow Deer in Winterwoods'. This helps to inform the next player and gives the game a vocal element.

Wildcards

Regular wildcard
Regular Wildcard
Pickup +2 wildcard
Pickup +2
Pickup +4 wildcard
Pickup +4

Regular-Wildcards

Play on ANY card • After playing one it remains your turn to play ANY other single (1) card • You may play more than one regular-Wildcard in a row—each keeps your turn going.

Pickup-Wildcards

Play on ANY card • Forces the next player to pickup and lets you declare any colour to continue play.

  • Blackborder = pickup2
  • Whiteborder = pickup4

Pickup Rules

• Can be played on top of each other but pickup amount never stacks or cancels • After the forced pickup, the forced player takes their turn.

• Player may respond with a card matching the declared colour, any Wildcard (pickup or regular) – OR must draw 1.

Pickup-Wildcard Catch-up Response

• After the forced pickup, the forced player may (if able) respond with 1 set of any number of matching Symbols or Locations IF at least 1 card matches the declared colour • That card must go on top for next player to play on.

Game Flow

🔄 Reshuffle

If draw pile runs out, reshuffle the discard pile (minus the top Mirrorcard) to form a new draw deck and continue – with an updated Mirrorcard match rule: play any number of cards that match the Mirrorcard's colour – this helps speed things up.

😎 One Card Left

Call out your name when you've played your 2nd-to-last card • If another player says your name first, draw 1 penalty card and play moves on • Call-name tie? Resolve with rock paper scissors or a coin flip • If your 2nd-to-last card was a pickup-Wildcard, you draw your call-name penalty first, then next player picks-up and has their turn • If you played a regular-Wildcard, pick up your penalty, then play any card. Does not apply in scenario where you go out by playing multiple matches at once. You may disguise how many cards you hold.

🏆 Winning

The first player to play all their cards wins! 🏆

Valid Plays on Your Turn:

  • Colour Match - 1 card (or multiple after reshuffle)
  • Symbol Match - Any number of matching symbols
  • Location Match - Any number of matching locations (with effects)
  • Wildcard - Always playable
  • Draw - Always allowed, even with playable cards
  • Pass - Only after drawing

Card Effects:

  • Regular Wildcard → Play exactly 1 more card
  • Pickup Wildcard → Next player picks up, you declare colour
  • Location Match → 1 effect per card (skip/reverse/none)

Special Rules:

  • After Reshuffle → Multiple colour matches allowed
  • After Pickup → Can play catch-up response
  • One Card Left → Must call your name
  • Going Out → First to 0 cards wins

Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Gameplay Questions

Mirrorquest is designed for 2-8 (best with 3-5) players, making it perfect for small gatherings, family game nights, or intimate friend groups. The game dynamics work well with any number within this range. Remember to start with 12 cards each when there are only 2 players.
A standard game of mirrorquest typically takes 5-25 minutes, depending on the number of players and their speed of card play. Games can be quicker with experienced players who are familiar with the cards and know the optimal strategies.
They are fun to say and add something more interactive and vocal to the game.
We're building toward something beyond this simple matching game, and including those details helps get us there. If it's helpful, remember that you only need to focus on the location, colour and symbol of the cards – and whether a wildcard is 'regular', pickup2 or pickup4.
~8% of males and ~4.5% of people world-wide have red-green colour blindness... that's almost 370million people! We want them to be able to enjoy mirrorquest too, and the dot on the green cards can help them differentiate between the green and red cards.
Yes! This is a strategic option. If an opponent is close to winning and you don't have any pickup wildcards to stop them, you might want to draw to find one. You can always choose to draw instead of playing.
'Can't play' means you have no legal cards to play. 'Don't want to play' is strategic - maybe you're saving a pickup wildcard for later, or waiting to play multiple cards together. If you draw and still don't want to play your playable cards, you can pass.

Multiple Card Plays

You get one effect per card! For example, if you play 3 location-matching cards, you choose an effect for each one separately. You could skip 3 times, reverse once and skip twice, or any combination. In a 3-player game, skipping twice brings play back to you!
In these 4 scenarios: #1 If you have multiple cards in your hand that match the symbol of the mirrorcard you may play them all together. #2 If you have multiple cards in your hand that match the location of the mirror card you may play them all together. #3 If you are forced to pickup by a player playing a pickup-wildcard against you, and you have multiple cards with matching symbols or locations AND one of them matches the declared colour, you may play them all together, leaving the declared colour on top for the next player to play on. #4 If you play a game that goes so long that you need to reuse the discard pile and reshuffle it, once play begins again you may now also play multiple cards that match the colour of the mirrorcard – this helps speed up and end games that have gone on unusually long

Wildcard Rules

Yes! The regular wildcards are simply an always playable 'go-again' card and each one keeps your turn going until you play a different type of card or go out. However, pickup wildcards (black and white borders) work differently - they force the next player to pickup and end your turn.
No, after playing a regular wildcard, you must play exactly ONE card. The wildcard keeps your turn going, but you can only play a single card afterward, even if you have matching symbols or locations, you can only play one card.
No! You MUST pickup the cards first when a pickup wildcard is played against you. However, AFTER picking up, during your turn, you can play your own pickup wildcard if you have one (along with any other valid play). This passes the pressure to the next player but doesn't let you avoid picking up yourself.
No, pickup amounts never stack or cancel. If someone plays a +2 on your +4, you still only pickup 2 cards (not 6). Each pickup wildcard replaces the previous pickup amount rather than adding to it.

Pickup and Catch-up Rules

After picking up cards after a pickup wildcard is played against you, if you have multiple cards with the same symbol OR location, AND at least one of them matches the declared colour, you can play all of them together! The card matching the declared colour must go on top (played last) for the next player.
Yes! The declared colour should always be clear to all players. In a physical game, players should announce it clearly. In the online version, the declared colour is shown with a coloured border around the mirrorcard.

One Card Left Rule

If another player notices and calls your name first, you must draw a penalty card. This rule keeps players engaged and adds excitement to the endgame!
Your turn ends immediately when you draw the penalty card. Play moves to the next player. Important: if your last played card was a wildcard, it becomes the mirrorcard and the next player can play ANY card on it!
No! The name-calling rule only applies when you play your second-to-last card, leaving you with one card. If you play multiple cards at once to go out (reaching zero cards), you win immediately without needing to call your name!

Special Situations

If a pickup-wildcard is played against you and after picking up you can't respond (no card matching the declared colour, no wildcards, no valid catch-up play), you must draw 1 more card. If that card is playable, you may play it. Otherwise, your turn ends and play continues. The next player must play a card matching the previously declared colour. They do not have an option to use the catch-up response.
As per the setup rules, if a wildcard is flipped as the first mirrorcard, it's placed back in the middle of the deck and you flip again. This continues until a non-wildcard card is revealed to start the game.