- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Tableturf Battle
Tableturf is a competitive strategy card game adapted from Splatoon 3's minigame of the same name. It's been ported to Minecraft as part of the community server's annual games weekend. Players face off against each other in 1v1 matches, taking turns claiming "turf" on a shared board. The most turf gained by the end of the match wins!
Tableturf Rules
An example of how both players could claim turf.
Each player starts with a deck of 12 cards, from which they initially draw 4. Each card has a unique 'shape', which can be placed down on the board. Players can place one card per turn. Shapes can only be placed in free spaces, and must connect to your own turf (diagonally is ok!). At the end of the turn, both cards will be placed at the same time. For each square of turf you claim, you gain one point.
Each card in your deck will have a unique pattern based on existing community phenomena and MC Games history. The key to a good deck is to have a mix of card sizes with a variety of different shapes.
The 50 cards currently available.
If both players place a card in the same area, an overlap will occur. If this happens, the smallest card will take priority, placing their card on top of the larger one, and claiming any turf that it overlaps. If both cards are the same size, any overlapped turf will become neutral blocks.
This is where the first part of the game's strategy comes in - you can try and play large cards to cover as much space as possible, but that will open you up to losing turf in the event of an overlap and, more importantly, will allow a crafty opponent to break through your front lines for free.
Both players are attempting to claim the same turf. Since the blue team is placing a smaller shape, their claim takes priority.
Since you can't normally place your card anywhere other than free space on the board, you may find yourself getting cut off by your opponent. This is where Special Turf comes in. Most card shapes will contain one piece of Special Turf, identified by a red square on the card, and a gold/diamond block on the board. Any special turf that you place down that has no empty space around it will grant you 1 SP.
You can also gain 1 SP by skipping a turn and discarding one of your cards. This is useful for when you only have huge cards and no space to place them.
SP is very useful - it allows you to upgrade your cards, making them strong enough to be placed on top of your opponent's turf! Bigger cards will cost more SP to upgrade, but if you can save enough points, it can turn the tide of battle. Remember - if you place your card on top of your opponent's turf, not only will you gain points, but they will often lose points as well.
Orange team has built up enough SP to break through the enemy lines.
In summary:
Place cards to claim turf!
Smaller cards will win in an overlap!
Build up SP by discarding cards, or by surrounding your Special Turf!
Spend SP to upgrade your cards and break through enemy turf!
An example of an ongoing match. Blue team is losing bad.
Place cards to claim turf!
Smaller cards will win in an overlap!
Build up SP by discarding cards, or by surrounding your Special Turf!
Spend SP to upgrade your cards and break through enemy turf!
An example of an ongoing match. Blue team is losing bad.
Tournament Structure
Depending on the number of sign-ups, this tournament will either run as a Round Robin (you must play with every player in the tournament, in any order) or Swiss (you will play a set number of rounds against players who have a similar win/loss record). For the sake of finishing the tournament in good time before MC Games, I would like to aim for about 5 rounds regardless of the structure.
- Each week, you will have 7 days to complete your match. You will be told who you are matched up against. If matches are completed early, I will update the matchups as soon as possible.
- If the tournament takes a Round Robin structure, I will instead give all players a month to complete all matchups, and will be checking in to make sure certain players don't leave every match until the last weekend.
- Matches will consist of a best-of-three format.
- One round will take place on the standard Main Street board. Players will take turns picking the second and third round boards.
- By default, you may change your deck between rounds.
- If both players agree to play with modified rules (e.g. single game, no deck changes, etc) for that matchup, then go for it (as long as both players agree who the winner is by the end).
- When the winner is determined, please send me your scores, either through this forum thread or in my DMs. As long as it's clear who won, I don't really mind how you report it.
Changes from MC Games 2024:
Since the previous Tableturf session, Minecraft has gone through a few updates. As chief Games Maintainer, I have taken advantage of some of the new features introduced since 2024 to make some improvements.
- Several changes have been made to speed the game up and tighten the gameplay:
- Each turn has a time limit. If you run out of time before playing a card, you will discard a random one in your hand.
- Round length has been decreased from 12 to 9 turns.
- Deck size has been decreased from 15 to 12 cards.
- Boards have been shrunk slightly to accommodate for the reduced amount of total turf you can claim.
- Some visual improvements have been made to make it easier to see where your card will be placed.
- Controls have been improved to make it easier to move around the board.
- You must have a Minecraft: Java Edition account to join, and must be able to download and apply the MC Games Asset Pack.
- You must be willing and able to schedule and attend matches with your fellow competitors. I will try and take timezones into account when matching up players, to avoid incompatible matchups.
- If a round cannot be completed, it may count as a forfeit. Multiple forfeits may disqualify you from the game.
The winner of this tournament will receive a commemorative, one-of-a-kind painting for use in their survival house. They will also be added to the game as a card, which they can help design.
All players will receive a souvenir gift.
SIGN-UP AND DATES:
To sign up for the tournament, I will need the following:
- Your name
- Your Minecraft username
- Your Time Zone
