How to Play Stack Up!

🃏 How to Play Stack Up!

A fast-paced, strategic card game where players race to stack their cards in order while sabotaging their opponents.

🎯 Goal of the Game

Be the first player to empty your hand by stacking number cards in sequence based on the stacking direction (up or down), while using special cards to disrupt your opponents.

🔧 Setup

Shuffle all cards.
Deal 10 cards to each player.
Place the rest as the draw pile.
Flip one card to create the discard pile (the stack).
The first player decides whether to start stacking up (1→15) or down (15→1).

🃏 Card Types

Number Cards
1–15 in Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green

Special Cards (4 of each):

Stack Flip – Reverses the stacking direction
Stack Freeze – Skips the next player’s turn
Stack Snatch – Take 1 to 3 random cards from another player’s hand
Stack Switch – Change the color of the stack
Stack Crash – Next player draws 3 cards

🔁 Your Turn: What You Can Do

1. Play a Card

You can play a card that either:

Matches the color of the top card
OR is the next number in the stacking direction
(+1 if stacking up, -1 if stacking down)

Example (stacking up, top card is Blue 5):
✅ Play any Blue card (even Blue 2 or Blue 13 — resets the number)
✅ Or play a 6 of any color

💡 Playing a same-color card resets the number on the stack, but the direction stays the same.

2. Stack Multiple Cards (Combo Play)

You may play multiple number cards in a row if they:

Are all the same color
Follow the stacking direction without skipping

Example (stacking down, top card is Red 10):
✅ Red 9 → Red 8 → Red 7

If you stack 3 or more cards in one turn, you earn a Stacking Bonus.

3. Can’t Play?

Draw 1 card from the draw pile
If it’s playable, you may play it immediately
If not, your turn ends

📌 Cards drawn from Stack Crash or other special cards cannot be played immediately — your turn ends after drawing them.

🔥 Stacking Bonus

Stack 3 or more number cards in one turn (same color, correct order) to choose one:

Skip your next draw if you’re stuck
Force the next player to skip their turn

👉 Declare your bonus immediately after stacking.

✴️ Special Cards Explained

Card	Effect
Stack Flip	Reverses stacking direction (e.g. up to down)
Stack Freeze	Skips the next player’s turn 2-player rule: you play again
Stack Snatch	Steal 1 to 3 random cards from another player
Stack Switch	Change the stack’s color (number stays the same)
Stack Crash	Next player draws 3 cards

🏁 Winning the Game

The first player to empty their hand wins.

✅ You must end the game with one of the following:

A Number Card
Stack Switch
Stack Crash

❌ You cannot end the game with:

Stack Freeze
Stack Snatch
Stack Flip

⚠️ Other Rules to Know

Only one special card can be played per turn
Special cards cannot be stacked
If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to create a new draw pile

❗ Edge Cases

Stuck at 1 (descending) or 15 (ascending)?

✅ Play a same-color card to reset the number
✅ Or use a wild card like Stack Flip or Stack Switch

Example:
Top card = 15 Blue, stacking up
✅ Play any Blue card (resets number, stays stacking up)
❌ You can’t play a lower number in a different color unless you change the direction

👥 2-Player Rule (Stack Freeze)

If you freeze the only other player, you immediately take another turn.

🌀 Double Stack Crash Rule

If a player uses Stack Crash on you, and you respond immediately with your own Stack Crash, the effect is blocked.

✅ 2-player game: The penalty is completely canceled — nobody draws any cards.
✅ 3 or more players: The penalty is passed to the next player in turn order.

👉 That player can also block with a Stack Crash. If not, they must draw 3 cards.

➡️ The chain continues until someone fails to respond instantly and ends up taking the penalty.

Example:
Player A plays Stack Crash.
Player B responds instantly with their own Stack Crash.
➡️ Player C must now draw 3 cards — unless they also block with Stack Crash.
If Player C does, then Player D becomes the target… and so on.
👉 If no one else blocks, the final targeted player draws 3 cards.

❌ Stack Snatch Target Limit

You can use Stack Snatch to steal 1 to 3 random cards from another player’s hand. However:

❌ If the targeted player has 3 cards or less, you may only steal 1 card.
❌ If the player has no cards at all, they cannot be targeted.

This prevents accidental wins and keeps sabotage strategic.

Example:
Player A has a Stack Snatch.
Player B only has 2 cards left.
✅ Player A can still play Stack Snatch, but may only steal 1 card.
If Player B had 4 cards, Player A could have stolen up to 3.

📦 Box Reminder Tip
Not sure which way you're stacking (up or down)?
Flip the Stack Up! box to match the current stacking direction — it’s a built-in visual reminder.