TriXtan Showdown
Collect the cards. Challenge your friends. Take control.
Every TriXtan Showdown card is more than a collectible — it’s part of a fast-paced strategy game you can play anywhere.
Build your hand, place your cards and battle your opponent using the numbers on each side. Capture the most cards before the board is full to win the Showdown!
Learn the rules below to play with your own collected TriXtan Cards, or learn by playing our online
2 Players • 10 Cards • 3×3 Grid • Easy to Learn
Quick Rules
TriXtan Showdown in 30 Seconds
- Shuffle 10 cards and deal 5 to each player.
- Create a 3×3 playing area.
- Take turns placing one card into an empty space.
- Compare Battle Numbers against adjacent opponent cards.
- Higher number captures.
- Flip captured cards to show control.
- Only the newly played card battles.
- Fill all nine spaces.
- Count all cards you control.
- Most cards wins!
What You Need
To play Standard Showdown, you only need:
- 2 players
- 10 TriXtan Showdown cards
- Enough table space for a 3×3 grid
No game board, dice or tokens are required.
Know Your Showdown Card
Every playable TriXtan Showdown card has four Battle Numbers:
- Top
- Right
- Bottom
- Left
Each number represents the strength of that side of the card.
When two cards are placed beside each other, only the two numbers touching one another are compared.
For Standard Showdown, you can ignore all other text and graphics on the card.
Set Up the Game
Step 1: Deal the Cards
Choose 10 cards to play with and draft the cards with each player be letting each player select one at a time.
Create the Grid
Step 2: Create a 3×3 Grid
Cards are played by placing them down into an imaginary grid that both players are aware about.
Take Your Turn
Step 3: Play a Card
On your turn, choose one card from your hand and place it face-up into any empty space on the grid.
Battle & Capture
Step 4: Battle Adjacent Cards
When a card is placed beside a card controlled by your opponent, compare the numbers closest to each other, higher number wins!
After the first game, the loser of the previous Showdown goes first.
If the previous game was a draw, choose randomly again.
Battle Explained
If your number is higher than your opponent’s number, you capture their card.
Flip the captured card over to show that you now control it.
For example:
Your 7 beats their 6.
7 > 6 = CAPTURE
If the two numbers are equal, nothing happens.
If your number is lower, nothing happens.
Multiple Captures
One Card Can Win More Than One Battle
A card can touch cards on up to four sides.
When you place a card, compare it against every opponent-controlled card directly beside it.
If your new card beats more than one opponent card, you capture all of them.
Cards Can Be Captured Back
Control Can Change
A captured card isn’t permanently yours.
Later in the game, your opponent may place another card beside it and capture it back.
A card can change control multiple times during the same Showdown.
[IMAGE LATER: Card captured once, then later captured back]
Then the important clarification:
No Chain Reactions
Only the new card you just played starts battles.
When another card is captured, that captured card does not immediately battle the cards around it.
Ending the Game
Fill the Board
Players continue taking turns until all 9 spaces are filled.
The player who went first will have played all five of their cards.
The player who went second will still have one card left in their hand.
That remaining card still counts toward their final score.
Scoring
Count Your Cards
Every card you control is worth 1 point.
Count:
Every card you control on the board
Plus the unused card belonging to the player who went second
The player with the most cards wins.
Example Scores
6–4 = Win
7–3 = Win
5–5 = Draw
Most Cards Wins the Showdown!
Draft Showdown
Ready for More Strategy?
Draft Showdown
If you have a 20-card TriXtan Showdown pack, try building your hand before the battle.
Shuffle all 20 cards and deal 10 cards to each player.
Each player secretly chooses 5 cards to use in the Showdown and sets their remaining five aside.
Then play using the normal Standard Showdown rules.
Choosing the right combination of strong and weak sides can make a huge difference.
Collect the Cards
Build Your Collection
TriXtan Showdown cards can be found at TriXtan Entertainment events and from participating performers.
Collect different cards, experiment with new combinations and challenge your friends to a Showdown.
The Story Behind TriXtan Showdown
TriXtan Showdown was inspired by one of Tristan Court’s favourite games growing up — the card game featured in Final Fantasy VIII.
More than 15 years ago, Tristan took inspiration from its simple directional card battles and created a real-world game built directly into TriXtan Entertainment’s collectible business cards. Each card was given four Battle Numbers, allowing cards collected from different TriXtan performers and services to be played against one another.
Since then, thousands of these playable cards have been handed out at events. What started as a fun addition to our business cards has grown into TriXtan Showdown — a collectible game you can play with physical TriXtan cards or online.