First Edition FAQ

What are "rivals?"

Rivals are the Neopets, Heroes, and Villains currently in a contest against each other. Other Neopets, Heroes, and Villains not in a contest don't count as rivals.

Can I play an Item or roll a die during a contest with no rivals?

No. When a contest is started and there are no rivals, skip the rest of the contest steps and go straight to banking or drawing a card.

Some cards refer to the "stat bonuses" of Item or Equipment cards. What does that mean?

Stat bonuses are the numbers in the boxes that add to your stat total for the contest, and any text on the card that would modify the numbers in the boxes. Stat bonuses do not take into consideration any other text on the card, unless you're told to also use the card's "effects."

An Equipment stat bonus is added to the stat of the Neopet or Hero it's attached to. An Item stat bonus is added to the total of the contest it's played in.

When a card tells me to draw a card or search my deck, can I use my Neopet stack?

No. Your deck is only your pile of cards other than your Basic Neopets. You can only draw from or search your Neopet stack if a rule or effect specifically tells you to.

When can I play Something Has Happened cards?

Unless they say otherwise, you can only play a Something Has Happened card on the main part of your own turn when nothing else is happening. This means it has to be after you've drawn your card for the turn, untapped your Neopets, and flipped over your new basic Neopet, and there can't be a contest or anything else happening at the time.

This is also true for playing every other card type except for Items, which are played during contests. (Note that some Something Has Happened cards list special times during the turn they can be played.)

How do Villain contests work?

Villain contests work just like normal contests with the following exceptions:

Villains don't get to have items played or dice rolled for them. A Villain contest doesn't count for the one contest per arena per turn rule. When a Villain is defeated, it gets discarded.

Some cards care about the amount I win or lose a contest by. What happens if that contest is won because someone rolled a 6?

For cards that care how much you win or lose a contest by, you check the difference between the contest totals even if you or your opponent won by rolling a 6.

There are lots of ways to get cards into my hand "when I win a contest." Can I bank those cards?

No. Things that happen "when you win a contest" or "at the end of a contest" happen after the chance to bank or draw.

Some cards, like Grimoire of Thade and Hubrid Nox Statue, have restrictions on when they can be banked. Do they apply only when I want to bank those cards for winning a contest?

No, they apply anytime you want to bank those cards. For example, it's impossible to bank Grimoire of Thade using a Something Has Happened card like Cleansing Flames.

What if somehow neither my opponent nor I can roll a die in a contest and we're tied?

If you both aren't supposed to roll dice, but you are otherwise tied, you each roll 1 die to break the tie.

When a card says something like, "a Light Neopet or Hero," does it mean a Light Neopet or any kind of Hero, or does it mean a Light Neopet or a Light Hero?

The Faerie type applies to everything listed after it. If it is meant to be any kind of Hero, it would say, "a Hero or Light Neopet."

After I've gained control of a Neopet or an Equipment owned by my opponent, an effect has me discard it. Do I put it in my discard pile?

No. When a card is discarded, it is always put into its owner's discard pile.

Acara Acrobat
Neopet | Experienced Acara | Air Water
Before you roll for a contest this Neopet is in, you may choose a card from your hand and discard it to use this Neopet's agility stat instead of the arena's stat.

Acara Acrobat is in the strength arena, and I use its ability. Do I add the strength bonus from its Equipment to the agility stat printed on the Acrobat?

No. You determine the Acrobat's entire agility stat, including all bonuses from Equipment, and use that number in the contest. You'll still use the strength bonus from any Item you play in the contest.

Aisha Myriad
Item | Myriad | Light
To play this in a contest, you need a Light Neopet.
When you play this card in a contest, reveal the top 4 cards of your deck. You get the stat bonuses and contest effects of all Items there. (They get discarded at the end of the contest.) Put all of the other cards on the bottom of your deck.

How does this work?

When you play this Item in a contest, flip over the top four cards of your deck and find any Items. Pretend you played all of them in the contest too! You can ignore any restrictions like "To play this in a contest, you need an Air Neopet." Do everything that would happen if you played those Items normally in the contest.

Battle Eyrie
Neopet | Experienced Eyrie | Air
Roll an extra die when this Neopet is in a contest (and add it to your result).

It says Air but the Faerie symbol is Water. Which is it?

Battle Eyrie is Air. The Water symbol is a misprint.

Darigan's Blight
Something Has Happened | Fire
To play this, you need a Fire Neopet.
Search your deck. You may take a Villain from your deck, show it to your opponent, put it into your hand, and shuffle your deck. Then your opponent does the same.

It says "Then your opponent does the same." Does that mean my opponent gets to search my deck for a Villain and put it in his or her hand?

No. Your opponent searches his or her own deck.

Dissent
Something Has Happened | Air
To play this, you need an Air Neopet. Play this card when your opponent starts a contest with more than 1 Neopet. Choose 1 of those Neopets and gain control of it until the end of the contest. (You can't trade in or replace that Neopet.)

I played Dissent after my opponent started a contest. Does the Neopet or Hero I gained control of join the contest on my side?

Yes.

Faerie Slingshot
Equipment | Weapon
To play this, tap 1 of your Neopets. Whenever you play an Item in a contest in any arena, this Equipment gives +3 to all stats for that contest.

Where does the bonus go?

Faerie Slingshot gives the bonus into whichever arena the current contest is. It doesn't matter which arena Faerie Slingshot is in.

Grarrl Gladiator
Neopet | Experienced Grarrl | Dark
When you roll a 5 for a contest this Neopet is in, you automatically win. (You still win on a 6.)

What if I roll a 5 and my opponent rolls a 6?

Any time both players would win a contest, it's a tie and both players reroll.

Jhudora
Villain | Faerie | Dark Earth
To play this, you need a Dark or Earth Neopet. When you play this card, discard your hand. To bank a card for winning a contest, that player must discard a card from his or her hand. When this Villain loses a contest, the player who defeated it chooses up to 2 cards from his or her hand and banks them. (That player doesn't need to discard cards to bank those cards.)

Does Jhudora's restriction on banking cards affect all arenas?

Yes. She's a very evil Villain.

Kacheek Shepherd
Neopet | Experienced Kacheek | Light
Whenever you or your opponent attaches a Petpet to a Neopet or Hero, you draw a card.

Can I draw a card when a player moves a Petpet from one Neopet or Hero to another?

Yes, as long as the effect tells you to "attach" the Petpet to the new Neopet or Hero. You can draw a card whenever a Petpet gets "attached" to a new Neopet or Hero, not just when someone plays a Petpet from his or her hand.

Magic Lottery Ticket
Item | Ticket
If you win this contest by rolling a 6, bank this card instead of discarding it.

I play Magic Lottery Ticket in a contest and win by rolling a 6. Can I bank another card in addition to Magic Lottery Ticket?

Yes. You bank Magic Lottery Ticket because of its special ability. You still get to bank or draw for winning the contest (as long as its your turn).

Master Vex
Hero | Mynci | Earth
To play this, tap 1 of your Earth Neopets. Your opponent doesn't get to roll a die in contests against this Hero.

What if an effect would let my opponent roll more than 1 die?

Against Master Vex, your opponent doesn't get to roll any dice.

Mirror Shield
Equipment | Armour
To play this, tap 1 of your Neopets. Before you roll for a contest this Neopet or Hero is in, if your opponent played an Item card and you didn't, you get the same effect from his or her Item card as he or she does.

My opponent played an Item and I didn't. Now what?

If your opponent did something because of the instructions on his or her Item, you do it too. If your opponent's Item has an instruction he or she couldn't follow, you don't get to do it either. You also don't get to copy anything the Item tells your opponent to do after the die roll.

Misdirection
Something Has Happened | Air
To play this, tap 1 of your Air Neopets. Play this card when you start a contest. Choose 2 Neopets controlled by the same player. Move each to the other's arena. If this moves a Neopet into the arena the contest is in, that Neopet joins the contest.

I start a contest with a Neopet in the strength arena, then I play Misdirection. I move the Neopet I started the contest with to the agility arena, and I move a different Neopet from the agility arena into the strength arena. Is the Neopet I started the contest with still in the contest?

No, because it's in a different arena now. Only the Neopet you moved into the strength arena will be in the contest. It joins the contest even if it's tapped.

Scorchio Alchemist
Neopet | Experienced Scorchio | Fire
Before you roll for a contest this Neopet is in, you may discard a Potion from your hand to give it +4 to all stats for this contest.

Can I use its ability in addition to playing an Item?

Yes. After both players play and reveal any Items, you may use the ability. Then each player rolls for the contest.

Scorchio Warrior
Neopet | Experienced Scorchio | Fire
When you play this card, you may attach an Equipment from your hand to it.

When I play this card, can I attach an Equipment of a Faerie type I don't have?

Yes. You only need the Faerie type if you are playing the Equipment normally.