Beginner's guide

How to play Street Wars

Street Wars is a fast turf-war card game: 3 blocks, 6 nights, and whoever controls more blocks when the last night ends takes the pot. Here is everything the game will throw at you — and below, the real table with every piece numbered. Tap any pin.

Your first match in five steps

  1. Open the game — no download, no sign-up. You start with a ready-made deck and a full crew.
  2. Each night you get Stacks equal to the night number — night 3 means 3 Stacks. Every card costs its number in Stacks.
  3. Drag cards onto blocks. Your rival stages at the same time, face-down — neither of you sees the other's night until it's committed. (The arena below shows this mid-move.)
  4. Hit CALL THE REVEAL. Cards flip, abilities fire, Power totals move. Repeat for 6 nights.
  5. Control more blocks than the rival at the end — strictly more Power on a block controls it — and the pot of Street Cred is yours.

Know the arena

This is the table, mid-fight — a real night 2 the engine would deal. Every numbered pin explains the piece it sits on.

YouThe First RespondersDeck 7
0/2
Stacks — your muscle budget
1 · Stacks — your muscle budget

You get Stacks equal to the night number — night 2 means 2 — and they don't carry over: spend them or lose them. A few cards and blocks (Zoey LaRue, The Power Plant) bank +1 for the next night.

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NIGHT 2/6
The six nights
2 · The six nights

6 nights, then the verdict. The gold-ringed last segment is night 6: the moment it opens, the pot doubles on its own.

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1
The pot — Cred at stake
3 · The pot — Cred at stake

Every fight opens at 1 Cred. Each crew can DOUBLE DOWN once (1 → 2 → 4), and night 6 doubles it again by itself — max 8. Fold and you concede only what's in the pot right now: folding on night 5 genuinely costs half of what staying risks.

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CRED IN THE POT
YOU REVEAL FIRSTYOU 1st
Who reveals first
4 · Who reveals first

The crew ahead on TOTAL Power flips first — dead even, a coin decides. Flipping first fires your abilities first, but face-down cards can't be touched: flipping second gets the last word with burns and steals.

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4HAND7DECK
The rival's hand and deck
5 · The rival's hand and deck

You always see how many cards the rival holds — and in a 1v1, how many are left in their deck. A fat hand means late-night tricks — count it before you Double Down.

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Rival crewThe Thunder Run
The Bank
Interest compounds: cards here get +1 Power for each night they've been here.
Turf rules
6 · Turf rules

Every block has a turf rule that warps the fight — The Bank pays +1 Power for each night a card camps here. Each match deals 3 of the city's 13 blocks, and some (Red Lantern Flats) switch abilities off entirely. The full list is in the table below.

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2RIVAL
2 1 Rusty Bolt Road Reapers MC
HOLDING BY 1+1
Who holds the block
8 · Who holds the block

The tug-of-war: the bar tips toward whoever's ahead and the pill counts the margin — HOLDING BY 1 means this block is yours if it stays that way. STRICTLY more Power controls a block: The Docks' level bar at 0 means nobody holds it.

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3 2 Spike Riot Kings
Buffed Power vs base Power
7 · Buffed Power vs base Power

The Bank has already paid Spike +1: the dark-green 3 is what he counts for, the little 2 is his BASE — and burns and destroy effects read the base. The red ring means one common burn from the grave. Full anatomy in the next figure.

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3YOU
The Docks
The shipments flow: when you play a card here, draw a card.
0RIVAL
Face-down cards
9 · Face-down cards

Both crews stage at the same time, face-down. A back means the rival committed something here this night — until it flips it can't be burned, moved, or read.

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0
0YOU
SEALED BLOCK
The crews move in on night 3
Sealed blocks
10 · Sealed blocks

Blocks unseal one per night through night 3. You CAN stage on a sealed block — the dashed card is doing exactly that — but you're staging blind: the turf rule hits the moment the block opens.

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0RIVAL
2 3 Sgt. Caleb Trent Iron Legion READY
0YOU
Not enough Stacks left — call the reveal.
Your hand
11 · Your hand

You draw 1 per night and the hand caps at 7 — a draw at a full hand is skipped, and the card waits on top of your deck. Dimmed cards cost more Stacks than you have left; the greyed-out one is already staged.

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2 3 Sgt. Caleb Trent
1 1 Tara Blaze On Reveal: rival cards here lose 1 Power. Cards burned to 0 or less base Power are destroyed.
3 3 Sergeant Steel Ongoing: your other cards here have +1 Power.
4 6 Riot Mob
The four buttons
12 · The four buttons

CALL THE REVEAL locks your night in — nothing is spent or seen until both crews commit. DOUBLE DOWN presses the pot, once per crew per match. Clear takes back everything you've staged. Fold concedes the pot as it stands and walks.

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CALL THE REVEAL ▶ DOUBLE DOWN Clear Fold
A real night 2, mid-staging — every number obeys the engine. Tap any pin; tap it again (or anywhere outside) to close.
  1. 1 Stacks — your muscle budget
  2. 2 The six nights
  3. 3 The pot — Cred at stake
  4. 4 Who reveals first
  5. 5 The rival's hand and deck
  6. 6 Turf rules
  7. 7 Buffed Power vs base Power
  8. 8 Who holds the block
  9. 9 Face-down cards
  10. 10 Sealed blocks
  11. 11 Your hand
  12. 12 The four buttons

Read a card

Two sides of the same card chrome: how a card reads in your hand, and what it looks like standing on a block mid-fight.

1 1 Tara Blaze On Reveal: rival cards here lose 1 Power. Cards burned to 0 or less base Power are destroyed.
Cost
1 · Cost

The grey chip is her price in Stacks — Tara costs 1, playable from night 1. Your whole night's staging can't cost more Stacks than you have — the night number, plus anything you banked.

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Power
2 · Power

The green chip is her muscle — side totals of Power decide who controls a block. In your hand it always shows the PRINTED base Power.

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The rules text
3 · The rules text

In hand you get the full rule: "On Reveal:" fires once as she flips; "Ongoing:" works while the card stands. On the board the text tucks away — hover or press-and-hold any card in game to read it again. Hers is the one to memorize: burned to 0 or less BASE Power = destroyed.

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Crew colors
4 · Crew colors

The colored left edge names her crew — every card wears its faction's color. Six crews, six game plans; on the board a footer spells the crew out, too.

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Tara Blaze as she sits in your hand — the full rule rides on the card.
6 2 Remy the Pyro Riot Kings
Buffed and nerfed numbers
5 · Buffed and nerfed numbers

Dark-green = running above printed Power; dark-red = below. Remy's Ongoing pays +1 for every card your crew has lost — four losses, so his 2 shows 6.

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Base Power — what burns check
6 · Base Power — what burns check

Burns and destroy effects check THIS number, not the big one. Remy counts 6 in the totals, but a 2-Power burn still kills him. The red ring means one common burn from the grave — Ward or Shield is the armor.

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On Reveal vs Ongoing
7 · On Reveal vs Ongoing

Blue loop = Ongoing, working the whole time he stands. Gold bolt = On Reveal, fires once. Ongoing isn't forever: a Jam or Red Lantern Flats switches it off — and every buff it was granting disappears.

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Status badges
8 · Status badges

Bottom-right badges are flags that last. This blue shield says he can't be destroyed — an Entrenched Squad dug him in. All four flags are decoded just below.

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The board layout
9 · The board layout

On the board the rules text is stripped and the cost chip retires with it — a played card is already paid for. Name, Power, badges, crew is all a street needs. Hold any card in game and the big inspector brings the words back.

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The 6 is rented. The 2 is his life.

The same chrome mid-fight: four of your crew have fallen (2 + 4 = 6) and an Entrenched Squad dug him in.
  1. 1 Cost
  2. 2 Power
  3. 3 The rules text
  4. 4 Crew colors
  5. 5 Buffed and nerfed numbers
  6. 6 Base Power — what burns check
  7. 7 On Reveal vs Ongoing
  8. 8 Status badges
  9. 9 The board layout
  • Shield — can't be destroyed.
  • Ward — rivals can't reduce its Power.
  • Jammed — its Ongoing ability is shut down.
  • Ridden — counts for your moved-card effects.

They line up side by side when combined.

Browse every ability in the card gallery.

The rules, block by block

Winning the match

Control more of the 3 blocks than your rival when night 6 ends — 2 of 3 takes it. You control a block by having strictly more Power there; equal Power means nobody holds it. If blocks split even, the higher total Power across all blocks wins. Still even? It's a draw, and nothing changes hands. (marker 8 on the arena)

Stacks — your muscle budget

Each night you get Stacks equal to the night number, and they don't carry over — spend them or lose them. Some cards and blocks bank extra Stacks for the next night; a curve that spends every Stack every night is the backbone of a good deck. (marker 1 on the arena)

The blocks unseal one by one

Only the first block starts open. Blocks 2 and 3 unseal on nights 2 and 3 — you can stage crew on a sealed block, but you're staging blind: its turf rule kicks in the moment it opens. Each side fits 4 crew per block (6 shared slots per side in Crew Brawl). (marker 10 on the arena)

The face-down reveal

Both crews stage face-down, then the night resolves. The crew ahead on total Power flips first, cards in the order they were staged. Flipping first means your abilities fire first — but crew still face-down can't be touched, so flipping second gets the last word with burns and steals. The lead trades hands all match; use it. As the flips play out, the street ticker narrates every reveal line by line — who burned whom, and exactly why a card died. (markers 4 and 9 on the arena)

Card abilities

On Reveal fires once, as the card flips. Ongoing works the whole time the card is on the board — and can switch off if its block shuts abilities down (like Red Lantern Flats). Burn strips Power: a card burned to 0 or less base Power is destroyed, and Ongoing buffs won't save it. Shielded crew can't be destroyed at all; Warded crew can't have their Power reduced. Your hand holds 7 — a draw at a full hand is skipped, and the card waits on top of your deck. (markers 6 and 7 on the card)

The pot — Double Down and Fold

Every fight starts with 1 Street Cred in the pot. Double Down doubles it — each crew can double once — and when night 6 opens the pot doubles again on its own, up to 8. Fold to walk away conceding only what's already in the pot: fold before the final night and you pay half of what staying would risk. Knowing when to press and when to fold wins more Cred than any single card. (markers 3 and 12 on the arena)

1the fight opens
2once per crew
4both pressed
8the cap

Deck building

Street Wars is a deck-building card game at its core: decks are exactly 12 cards, no duplicates. You start each match with 3 in hand and draw one per night, so most of your deck shows up in most matches — every slot counts. Each of the six factions plays a different game; pure-faction decks are the easiest way to learn, and the deck builder tracks your curve and suggests fits as you go.

Don't learn these the hard way

Eight lessons every rookie pays for — take them for free instead.

The buffed number is rented — burns check the small one.

A 6 with a base of 2 still dies to a 2-burn. (card marker 6)

Flip second, speak last.

Face-down cards can't be touched — the trailing crew's burns land on a finished board. (arena marker 4)

Sealed blocks take your crew — they just won't read you the house rules yet.

The turf rule hits the moment the block opens. (arena marker 10)

Stacks expire at sunrise.

Unspent Stacks are gone — a curve that spends every Stack every night is the backbone of a good deck. (arena marker 1)

The pot doubles itself on night 6 — folding on night 5 is half price.

Fold concedes only what's already in the pot. (arena marker 3)

Full hand? The draw waits on top of your deck — it isn't gone.

The hand caps at 7; the skipped card arrives next night. (arena marker 11)

Equal Power is nobody's turf.

You control a block only with STRICTLY more Power. (arena marker 8)

Ongoing isn't forever — a Jam or Red Lantern Flats pulls the plug.

When an Ongoing switches off, every buff it granted disappears with it. (card marker 7)

Know the blocks

Every match is fought on 3 blocks drawn from the city's 13 — and each has a turf rule that warps the fight. The rule stays hidden until the block unseals (marker 10 shows the moment).

BlockTurf rule
Crater RowThe mob rises: your cards here have +1 Power for each of your other cards here.
Iron GateCurfew is absolute: after night 4, cards can't be played here.
Spindle HeightsThe Grid echoes: On Reveal abilities here trigger twice.
Graveway StripThe games are rigged: cards played here get their base Power doubled (up to +5) or halved (rounded up), at random.
Red Lantern FlatsNeutral ground: cards here have no abilities.
The DomeDress for success: only cards costing 4 or more can be played here.
The BankInterest compounds: cards here have +1 Power for each night they've been here.
The DocksThe shipments flow: when you play a card here, draw a card.
The TowerThe broadcast amplifies: Ongoing cards here have +3 Power.
The Power PlantTap the grid: when you play a card here, you get +1 Stack next night.
The UndergroundThe tunnels take you: after a card played here reveals, it moves to a random other block with room.
The MarketThe Arbiters keep the peace: cards played here gain Shield, and nothing here can be destroyed.
The CourthouseHolding cells: cards here can't be moved.

Game modes

Turf War

The solo ladder. The city starts you against easy crews and only turns up the heat as your Cred climbs — with faction Legends waiting as bosses.

Blood Match

Online 1v1 against someone across the table. Same rules, live double downs, no take-backs.

Crew Brawl

2v2 — four players, one table. You and your crewmate fight the same three blocks and share 6 slots per side. Each of you runs your own deck, hand, and Stacks; one combined verdict.

Queues never go cold: if no rival answers the call quickly, one of the city's AI crews takes the fight — same rules, same pot, no waiting. Full details on queues, crew codes, and quick-comms live on the multiplayer page.

That's the whole street code.

PLAY YOUR FIRST MATCH