Monster Rancher Battle Card Game
Encyclopedia
is a handheld game released in North America
on December 23, 1999, for the Nintendo
Game Boy Color
system. It is the first game in Tecmo's Monster Rancher Battle Card series, featuring a card game
incorporating the popular characters from the Monster Rancher
series. It was followed by Monster Rancher Battle Card: Episode II for the Sony PlayStation
entertainment system which featured additional monsters.
series is known for the ability to import game content via CDs, Monster Rancher Battle Card GB has no equivalent functionality. Instead, the player takes a short "personality test" to determine his starting deck and then can win additional cards by defeating opponents as well as new monster cards by defeating dungeon bosses. While a code system is also in place, only a select few cards catering to a single monster along with some general support can be obtained through this method.
Each player's deck consists of three monster cards and an additional fifty attack/defense/support cards. Monster cards start in play, have HP, and a type (either ground or air). Attack are always specific to one monster breed, defense cards can be specific to one monster breed, and support cards. To use these cards, a player usually has to pay an activation cost in the form of a resource called "guts".
The actual card game with both players, each with their three monsters on the field, flipping a coin to determine which player has the choice of going first or second. Each player then draws five cards. A player's turn consists of (in the following order):
A) A draw phase: The active player draws until he has five cards in hand)
B) A general phase: The active player can attack or use support cards. At this time the defending player can use defense cards to counter an opponent's attack)
C) The discard phase: The active player can discard any number of cards from their hand. Those discarded cards become "guts", which can be used to pay for attacks.
A monster is killed when its HP reaches 0. A player loses when they have no monsters remaining or when they are unable to draw a card.
The game consists of a character traveling to dungeons to obtain sacred stones needed to generate new monster cards and fighting ranked battles to increase their level to unlock new dungeons. Each dungeon contains multiple randomly generated floors, invisible guardians that automatically challenge the player, normal NPCs that the player can challenge, and a boss. After achieving the maximum rank and completing all the dungeons, a new dungeon is discovered and after defeating its boss a player has the option of starting a new game+ during which his normal deck is locked until he reaches the final dungeon. There's no actual story or objectives beyond unlocking content.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on December 23, 1999, for the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
system. It is the first game in Tecmo's Monster Rancher Battle Card series, featuring a card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
incorporating the popular characters from the Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher, known in Japan as , is a series of life simulation role-playing video games created by Tecmo . The series currently consists of fourteen games across different video game platforms, and future titles are planned...
series. It was followed by Monster Rancher Battle Card: Episode II for the Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
entertainment system which featured additional monsters.
Gameplay
Although the Monster RancherMonster Rancher
Monster Rancher, known in Japan as , is a series of life simulation role-playing video games created by Tecmo . The series currently consists of fourteen games across different video game platforms, and future titles are planned...
series is known for the ability to import game content via CDs, Monster Rancher Battle Card GB has no equivalent functionality. Instead, the player takes a short "personality test" to determine his starting deck and then can win additional cards by defeating opponents as well as new monster cards by defeating dungeon bosses. While a code system is also in place, only a select few cards catering to a single monster along with some general support can be obtained through this method.
Each player's deck consists of three monster cards and an additional fifty attack/defense/support cards. Monster cards start in play, have HP, and a type (either ground or air). Attack are always specific to one monster breed, defense cards can be specific to one monster breed, and support cards. To use these cards, a player usually has to pay an activation cost in the form of a resource called "guts".
The actual card game with both players, each with their three monsters on the field, flipping a coin to determine which player has the choice of going first or second. Each player then draws five cards. A player's turn consists of (in the following order):
A) A draw phase: The active player draws until he has five cards in hand)
B) A general phase: The active player can attack or use support cards. At this time the defending player can use defense cards to counter an opponent's attack)
C) The discard phase: The active player can discard any number of cards from their hand. Those discarded cards become "guts", which can be used to pay for attacks.
A monster is killed when its HP reaches 0. A player loses when they have no monsters remaining or when they are unable to draw a card.
The game consists of a character traveling to dungeons to obtain sacred stones needed to generate new monster cards and fighting ranked battles to increase their level to unlock new dungeons. Each dungeon contains multiple randomly generated floors, invisible guardians that automatically challenge the player, normal NPCs that the player can challenge, and a boss. After achieving the maximum rank and completing all the dungeons, a new dungeon is discovered and after defeating its boss a player has the option of starting a new game+ during which his normal deck is locked until he reaches the final dungeon. There's no actual story or objectives beyond unlocking content.
Available Monsters
- Dino (8HP, Ground)
- Gali (7HP, Air)
- Golem (9HP, Ground)
- Hare (6HP, Ground)
- Mocchi (7HP, Ground)
- Naga (8HP, Ground)
- Pixie (6HP, Air)
- Suezo (7HP, Ground)
- Tiger (6HP, Ground)
- Phoenix (4HP, Air)
- Hare Hound (6HP, Ground) Tiger/Hare hybrid
- Big Blue (7HP, Ground) Golem/Tiger hybrid
- Melonzo (6HP, Ground) Suezo/Dino hybrid
- Allure (7HP, Air) Pixie/Naga hybrid
- Rock Dino (7HP, Ground) Dino/Golem hybrid
- Fairy Hare (5HP, Ground) Hare/Pixie hybrid