Another 2p trick-taker that slaps

😈 Faust vs Mephisto is a 2-player trick-taking game with some mind-busting twists. This is a new game from Mandoo Games and they had some bangers in the previous years already: Jekyll vs Hyde, Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard, Dracula vs Van Helsing or Yellow House - these are all superb games, and this one is of a similar niveau. 😉

One player will be Mephisto: They need to concentrate on winning all cards of the same color. They have 2 rounds to achieve this with 2 different colors. Naturally, the Faust player then wants both players to win tricks in a way so colors are divided between players. 

The suit-strength works a bit like in Jekyll & Hyde. Whenever a new color is played it goes on the track in the next higher spot - so the later a color arrives, the stronger it is. However when all 4 tokens are on the track, the track is reset. Additionally, suits have some special rules:

♥️Red cards cannot be used to start a trick
📜Blue suit strength isn’t reset from the track
👑Yellow cards always go in a one-higher strength slot - unless it is the final color to get added, then it goes in the weakest spot
🌿Green cards have no extra rules

The way you have to think about tricks and deciding what cards to play feels like walking in a minefield. You really have to calibrate your brain to what you want to win, and what to let go. And even though this would already be pretty much fun to play, there is one more big twist! 🥳

Both players have 2 metal coins. Instead of playing a card you can use a coin to force your opponent to play one of their own cards for you. You can name a suit and whether you want lowest or highest (although they have to follow normal rules, like following suit if they can). This is the primary piece of puzzle that makes the game click. And it adds even more of that minefield-feeling. 😀 Even if your hand of cards wouldn’t lead you to your goal, you can make use of your opponent's cards in a way. 

Like I said, mind-busting and unique. The art of the cards is superb and colorful, just like the aforementioned games from the previous years, and you even have the cool metal coins. Awesome quality, especially for a trick-taker. 😊