1.

1 Intro: Pocket MMA

This game is dedicated to my one true Love and Heavenly Father God Almighty Himself. For His Glory,
His Son Jesus Christ who has redeemed us, and for His Heavenly purpose to reach the Lost and grow
our Faith. Amen.
Pocket MMA is an easy to learn, fast pace, and fun to collect trading card game. Also to be
considered a collectible card game. In Pocket MMA, you play as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter using cards
that represent creative MMA techniques, disciplines, positions, special actions, and other functions to the
sport such as customizing your fighting style, weightclass, grappling & striking techniques and use a
unique system of abilities that add a fun twist to the game. The game is full of strategy, realism, and
simulation as you beat your opponent to the finish.
There will also be a future in-game function that simulates a professional Pocket MMA career.
There is an in-game economy known as MMA Money for gamer community, competitive tournament play
as usage for trading cards with friends and tournament entry as you earn prize money (in the form of play
money) as you advance in your Pocket MMA career!
Use MMA money to place bets between friends or to buy & sell cards to collect and expand your
collection or Pocket MMA bank account. Or use MMA money to put together big promotions and super
fightcards amongst friends in your local community! All this provides you the best real MMA action that
can fit in your pocket fight any where any time with Pocket MMA. ________________
2.1 Types of Cards: 2.2 In Pocket MMA there are several types of
cards and some that have sub-types. They are also distinguished by a textured & colored background.
Please note some cards can only be played during certain phases in a turn and some can be played
regardless of Initiative such as: Strikes, Submissions, Actions, and/or Reactions.
2.3 Weightclass cards- these are cards that have a pink textured background that represent the current
weightclass all players are fighting at. Only one of these cards can be in play at a time during the whole
game and must be determined by all participating players before a game begins. Take into consideration
that weightclass cards are designed to simulate the weight of fighters in a fight. As you tend to choose
heavier weightclasses youll notice that Damage is either induced or reduced, Knock Out chances are
either increased or decreased, Stun chances are also either added or subtracted. So choose wisely
seeing that lighter weightclass bouts may tend to go to decision more often while heavier weightclasses
tend to have more punishing & damaging fights that may end in Knock Out. Note, the abilities on
weightclass cards cannot be evaded. Weightclass cards are also one of the only few cards that must be
placed on the table face up in the center of play before a game begins as part of the layout of starting a
game, its not a card that should be in a personal deck that you would eventually draw, its meant as part
of the design of a fight. These cards are placed face up in the center of the play area and stay in play the
entire length of the game.
2.4 Position cards- these are cards that have a black textured background that represent the current
Fighting Position. These cards do have sub-types: Standing, Ground, and Transitional. The sub-type is
distinguished after the dash found in the center of the card located within the brackets (ex. [PositionGround]). Standing simply means all players are standing up, while Ground means all players are on the
ground, and Transitional means either one player is standing while the other is on the ground. In Mixed
Martial Arts, there are dozens of fighting positions. For the sake of simplicity and realism, Pocket MMA
has the top 20 most familiarized fighting positions. Every game has to have all 20 Position cards in play in
order to play. Also in Pocket MMA every Fighting Position has an abbreviation for simplicity and they will
be found in the body of the card in the rules text section of the card. Position cards are also one of the
few cards that must be placed face up in the play zone before a game begins as part of the layout of the
game. Theyre not cards that should be in a personal deck that you would eventually draw. Because there
are 20 different position cards, there must be one pile of position cards placed in the center of play

beside the

Weightclass card. There is no need for all players to have their own Position Pile of cards. Keep the
current Position card face up (as considered active) while the others stacked face down underneath the

active one. As default, players must place the Standing Position card face up as active at the beginning
of each new game and new Round. These cards are placed face up (only the active one, rest face down)
in the center of the play area and stay in play the entire length of the game.
2.5 Character Trait cards- these are cards that have a white textured background that represent a
players customized style of fighting. These cards do have sub-types: such as: Striking Discipline,
Grappling Discipline, and Style. The sub-type is distinguished after the dash found in the center of the
card located within the brackets (ex. [Character Trait- Striking Discipline]). Striking Disciplines represent
certain Arts of Fighting that are popularized by their striking techniques such as Boxing or Muay Thai.
While Grappling Disciplines represent Arts of Fighting that are popularized by their grappling techniques
such as Wrestling or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Style represents the fighting style of a player such as a Counter
Striker or a Power Striker. Character Trait cards are also one of the few cards that must be placed face up
in the play zone before the game begins as part of the layout of the game. Theyre not cards that should
be in a personal deck that you would eventually draw. A player can only have three of these cards placed
face up closest to them and only one of each: Striking Discipline, Grappling Discipline, and Style... no
more and no less. These cards are placed face up in the center of the play area and stay in play the
entire length of the game.
2.6 Strike cards- these are cards that have colored & textured backgrounds that represent Striking
Techniques. These cards do have four sub-types: Punch cards have blue backgrounds, Elbow cards
have orange backgrounds, Knee cards have purple backgrounds, and Kick cards have green
backgrounds. The sub-type is distinguished after the dash found in the center of the card located within
the brackets (ex. [Strike- Punch]). These cards can only be played from certain corresponding Position
cards as either Offence or Defense. Offense simply means, the attacking player while Defense means the
defending player. So if youre attacking someone with a Strike card youre considered as Offense; while
if someone is attacking you with a Strike card... youre as Defense. Within the first half of the body of
rules text, of the card (found in the lower half of the card) there will be a line of text that states, Play
from: This is a condition to play a Strike card, as a player you must meet the corresponding condition
before you can even play the card. For example, if the card states Play from: STND as Offense, you
must play it from the Standing position on your turn or if youre attacking your opponent. Strike cards will
also contain Damage, abbreviated as D and other Abilities. Some Strike cards will have whats called a
Knock Out chance usually abbreviated as KO followed by either a pound sign # or a star sign *,
then a number. Thats where if you play a Strike card with a KO chance against an opponent and its
successfully not evaded; either you or your opponent rolls a die and if that player rolls higher than a 5; the
defending player gets Knocked Out by the Strike card. You would have won a game due to Knock Out.
The difference between # and * is this: if you see a # die roll check, you (the attacking player) has to roll
to beat the number displayed while a * is where the defending player has to roll to beat the number
displayed. Basically, whoever rolls and beats the number displayed confirms if the defending player gets
Knocked Out or not. There are many types of abilities that will add a fun twist to the game found in later
sections of this rulebook. Once these cards are played; theyre played as once, then give opponents a
chance to respond by playing a Reaction card and/or with the Reaction card and/or with the Rapid or
Rapidfire ability because they now have Initiative to play something, then the card is discarded into the
Discard Pile.
2.7 Submission cards- these are cards that have red textured backgrounds that represent Submission
Techniques. These cards do have two sub-types: Hold or Choke. Please note that both sub-types share
the same red textured background because both types of submissions are same in nature while Striking
techniques can be so different from one another. These cards can only be played from certain
corresponding Position cards as either Offence or Defense. Submission cards will almost always have
whats called a Tap Out chance usually abbreviated as TAP*. Thats where if you play a submission

card against an opponent and its successfully

not evaded, your opponent has to roll a die and if the defending player rolls higher than the displayed
number; they tap out and submit. Then, you would have won a game due to Tap Out. Basically, if your

opponent rolls a higher number than the one displayed, they submit. Submission cards will also have
other Abilities. There are many types of abilities that will add a fun twist to the game found in later
sections of this rulebook. Once these cards are played; theyre played at once, then give opponents a
chance to respond by playing a Reaction card and/or with the Reaction card and/or with the Rapid or
Rapidfire ability because they now have Initiative to play something, then the card is discarded into the
Discard Pile.
2.8 Transition cards- these are cards that have brown textured backgrounds that represent a variety of
techniques that alternate between the Fighting Positions of an MMA bout. These cards currently have six
sub-types: Takedown, Grab, Slam, Sweep, Generic, and Throw. The sub-type is distinguished after the
dash found in the center of the card located within the brackets (ex. [Transition- Grab]). In the future more
sub-types may be added. These cards can only be played from certain corresponding Position cards as
either Offence or Defense. These cards will also function similar to Strikes & Submission cards as in they
will also have some cards that may deal damage and contain abilities. However, similar to Submission
cards with sub-types; Transition card sub-types will also share the same colored textured background
since theyre similar in nature as in they transition from one fighting position of the fight to another. Also,
almost always Transition cards will have an ability that states that you may play a Strike or Submission
card. You dont have to, but theyre designed this way because most professional transition techniques
are almost always followed up by a Strike or a Submission. If you choose to play a card this way, be it a
Strike or Submission... it must be corresponding with the current Position card. For example, if a fighter
plays a takedown technique and both players are now on the ground, the attacking player cant follow up
with a kick card because its physically impossible. Once these cards are played; theyre played at once,
then give opponents a chance to respond by playing a Reaction card and/or with the Reaction card
and/or with the Rapid or Rapidfire ability because they now have Initiative to play something, then the
card is discarded into the Discard Pile.
2.9 Action cards- these are cards that have grey textured backgrounds that represent a diversity of events
and other elements that occur in MMA fights other than just fighting techniques. Such as elements of the
crowd, fans, the media, your coaches, and some special techniques. For the most part, these cards have
three sub-types: Technique, Special Technique and Taunt... others that dont fit into any category will be
left as [Action]. However there may be more sub-types added in the future. Action cards however can
only be played once a turn during your Main step (thats before your Attack step). Also, some Action
cards may have an ability that states that you may play a Strike or Submission card or another type of
card. You dont have to, but if you choose to play a card this way, be it a Strike or Submission... it must be
corresponding with the current, Position card. Once these cards are played; theyre played as once, then
give opponents a chance to respond by playing a Reaction card and/or with the Reaction card and/or with
the Rapid or Rapidfire ability because they now have Initiative to play something, then the card is
discarded into the Discard Pile.
2.10 Reaction cards- these are cards that have grey textured backgrounds that represent a diversity of
events and other elements that occur in MMA fights other than just fighting techniques. Such as elements
of the crowd, fans, the media, your coaches, and some special techniques. For the most part, these cards
have three sub-types: Technique , Special Technique, and Taunt... others that dont fit into any category
will be left as [Reaction]. However there may be more sub- types added in the future. Reaction cards
however may be played at any Step of a players turn regardless of Initiative and there is no limit as to
how many a player may choose to play. Also, some Reaction cards may have an ability that states that
you may play a Strike or Submission card or another type of card. You dont have to, but if you choose to
play a card this way, be it a Strike or Submission... it must be corresponding with the current Position
card. Once these cards are played; theyre played at once, then give opponents a chance to respond by
playing a Reaction card and/or with the Reaction card and/or with the Rapid or Rapidfire ability because

they now have Initiative to play something, then the card is discarded into the Discard Pile.

________________

3.1 Card Layout:

3.2 Card Name- this is the very top most line of text of a card and its in centered alignment. Simply this
feature identifies the name of the card (above the picture).
3.3 Card Type- this is the part of the card located inside brackets in the lower half of a card near the
center of the card (beneath the picture). There are currently eight types of Card Types: Weightclass,
Position, Character Trait, Strike, Submission, Transition, Action, and Reaction. In the future more Card
Types may be added. Simply this feature identifies what Type of card it is so you have an idea of how its
supposed to function.
3.4 Card Set- this is the part of the card located to the right of the brackets but before the Rarity of the
card. Simply this feature identifies which card is from what set.
3.5 Card Rarity- this is the part of the card located to the right of the Card Set of the Card. Currently there
are three commonly used terms of card rarity: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. There may be more
added. Simply this feature identifies how rare the card is and the odds of obtaining one through
purchasing, collecting and/or trading amongst other players.
3.6 Rules Text- this is the part of the card which is usually a few lines of text found underneath the Card
Type, Card Set, and Card Rarity. This part of the card is the most important because the Rules Text
states how the card functions and in most cards where can it only function. There is an exception among
Strike, Submission, and Transition cards compared to Action & Reaction cards. Strike, Submission, and
Transition cards will have a line of text above followed by a blank space from the Rules Text stated as
Play from:, this is the condition of the card. This condition has to be met before a player can even play
the card. While compared to most Action & Reaction cards, they may not always contain the Play from:
condition. Afterwards, youll find lines of text which contains certain rules and abilities on how the card
works. Simply this feature identifies how a
cards fmm STN
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card works.

3.7 Illustration Attribution- this is the second most bottom line of text on a card which displays attribution
to the artist of the card and any following copyright information. Simply this feature identifies legal artist
attribution.
3.8 Copyright Notice- this is the last and most bottom line of text on a card which displays a Copyright
notice. ________________
4.1 Game Set Up: 4.2 Deck- before every game begins, every
player must have their own deck. A standard game requires a deck of no more than 50 cards per three
rounds of fighting and 60 cards per five rounds of fighting, excluding the 20 Position cards, three
Character Trait cards, and 1 weightclass card. Those cards arent counted toward a players deck, so a
players deck would consist of up to 50 Action, Reaction, Strike, Submission, and/or Transition cards. If
this is your first time playing and this is from a Starter Pack players would need to separate all the card
types from each other. If youre more advanced in playing and youre constructing your own deck from a
collection, a suggestion is to have ten punch & kick cards (20 total), five elbow & knee cards (10 total),
ten Transition cards, then a combination of Actions, Reactions, and/or Submissions that equal ten to
make a total of 50 cards. But its completely up to a player and their playing style. When constructing a
deck, players are allowed to have up to three copies of a card in a deck. Before every game begins every
player must have their deck thoroughly shuffled and/or cut.
4.3 Hand- for future note, when all players get their hands it would consist of drawing seven cards with a
limit of seven. During a players discard step, that player would have to discard cards from hand down to
seven.
4.4 Customizing your Fighter- before a game begins a player needs to customize their fighter. Each
player must select one of the three type of Character Trait cards: Striking Discipline, Grappling Discipline,
and Style. Once they have them selected, that player places them face up on the play area closes to him
or her. These cards cannot be removed from play, these cards depict you as a MMA fighter and contain
abilities you would have during the game. These cards will give you some advantages while your fighter
is in certain Fighting Positions and/or connects with certain Strike cards, as well as a give you a unique
fighting style.
4.5 Choose a Weightclass Bout- before a game begins all players must agree on what Weightclass they
will be fighting at. In Pocket MMA there are ten weightclasses to choose from: Flyweight, Bantamweight,
Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Super
Heavyweight, and finally a Catchweight. Choose carefully because these cards are designed to simulate
the weight of a fighter so these cards will effect the damage on Strike cards, Knock Out chances, and
Stun chances.
4.6 Choose a Play Arena- before a game begins all players must agree on what Arena theyll play at.
Either a Cage or Ring. This will not make any difference in the game, in fact there isnt a card for this
function either. Mainly because in the artwork on most of the cards youll see many type of areas of
fighting such as gyms, on mats, near a crowd, in cages, in rings, and so on. Mixed Martial Arts fights are
found in all sorts of sporting events but for simplicity just choose either a Cage or Ring.
4.7 Choose Rounds- a real professional MMA fight consists of three 5-minute rounds for non-title fights
and five 5-minute rounds for championship fights under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. So in
Pocket MMA, a game is made of both players playing one turn each to make one minute of fighting in a
five minute round. Three rounds for a standard game and five for a championship match. So remember, a
standard game: a minute consists of two turns (one per player) while a round consists of ten turns (five
minutes per round, 30 turns per game). But in a

championship match: a minute consists of two turns (one per player) while a round consists of ten
turns (five minutes per round, 50 turns per game). Use dice, counter, markers, tokens, chips, or any other

things to keep track of the turns per minute, minutes per round, and number of rounds.
4.8 Set Play Area- before a game begins all players must put all 20 of the Position cards in a pile on a
playing surface with the Standing card active and the rest underneath. Players also need to have all
three of their Character Trait cards put in play in front of them face up as well as have their deck beside
them on the playing surface. ________________
5.1 Zones of Play: 5.2 Play Area- these are cards found face up,
on the playing surface, and are considered active and in play. However a players: hand, deck, discard
card pile, removed from the game (term known as Abolish), and even the cards face down cards found
in the Position Pile are not considered in play. They are respective to their own zones of play. As a
player, the only cards that are going to be in play will be a players Character Trait cards that are unique
to them and any current and active Action/Reaction, Strike, Submission, and/or Transition cards they are
recently playing. After any of those cards are played (the five listed above), they would go into the
respective owners (person who owns the card) discard pile.
5.3 Deck- these are the cards that make up a players deck of cards theyll be playing with. They will be
face down and will be in the play area but not considered in play. A players deck should be closest to
the owner at a comfortable distance from their opponents but have a moderate amount of space for their
discard pile, which will be found beside their deck. Whenever a card that selects or has the deck as a
target, this is referring to this zone of play. Whenever a player looks or searches through a deck in
exception to a GamePlan ability, it must be shuffled. No player at any time may look or search through
any deck, unless a card has an ability that says so. Once a player is forced to draw a card from their deck
either by an ability or by turn structure and that player cant draw a card from deck, that player loses the
game due to TKO because that player is considered to not able to intelligently defend his or herself.
5.4 Discard Pile- these are cards placed in a face up, as a single card stack. The discard pile is located
beside a players deck. Whenever a card selects or has the discard pile as a target, it is referring to this
zone of play. At any time, any player may look through any discard pile but must be returned back to its
original location and with the cards arranged as they were found.
5.5 Punishment Pile- this is actually a temporary single card stack of face up cards that is meant to help
players resolve the sequence of cards as they are played. Whenever a card is played from any zone of
play, it is temporarily placed in whats known as the Punishment Pile. Once a player plays a card that
person must give an opponent a chance to respond, by playing another card that doesnt require
Initiative (such as Reactions or some cards with the abilities Rapid or Rapidfire) onto the Punishment
Pile. Remember, the Punishment Pile is treated as a single card stack and cards resolve from the
Punishment Pile in a last card on, first to resolve type of fashion. Here is an example: Player 1 plays
card A and Player 2 responds to play card B, then Player 1 also responds by playing card C... card C is
actually the first card to resolve because it was the last card played on top of the Punishment Pile. Dont
get confused when playing cards with the Combo ability, this ability lets you combine one card into a
series of attacks. Each card a player would combo off from a chain of cards, this would just stack those
other cards on top of each other in the order they were played. Once that chain of attacks is done, then
that player must give their opponent a chance to respond. If a person plays a card with the Combo ability
which produces a 3-card chain attack and their opponent responds with a card with an Evade ability, the
Evade would only avoid one of the cards from the chain of attacks because it can only Evade one card in
the Punishment Pile; unless it says otherwise. ________________

6.1 How to Play: 6.2 How to Win- in Pocket MMA a player can
win through different fight outcomes. Whenever a defending player has either a KO or TAP chance

played against them and they lose that die roll check, they lose either by Knock Out or Tap Out. There
are other ways to win to, either by TKO (when a players Cardio reaches zero or below or cant draw any
more cards), Referee Stoppage (results as TKO) or other abilities that result in Referee Stoppage, or by a
CUT(results as TKO) or Disqualification (DQ). However, if none of the above happen and all rounds of a
game are complete; the game goes into whats considered to Decision. This is determined by which
Player had successfully dealt more damage to their opponent, not whoever has the most Cardio at the
end of a game. If this cant be determined, then the game results in a Draw. A standard game begins with
all players starting at 80 cardio.
6.3 How Rounds Work- in Pocket MMA, a game is made of both players playing one turn each to make
one minute of fighting in a five minute round. There are three rounds for a standard game and five rounds
for a championship match. So remember, a standard game: a minute consists of two turns (one per
player) while a round consists of ten turns (five minutes per round, 30 turns per game). But in a
championship match: a minute consists of two turns (one per player) while a round consists of ten
turns (five minutes per round, 50 turns per game). Use dice, counter, markers, tokens, chips, or any other
means to keep track of the turns per minute, minutes per round, and number of rounds.
6.4 How Cardio Works- each player starts with 80 Cardio. Cardio represents the health of the Player. At
the end of a current Step in a turn if an opponent depletes it down to zero or less, that player loses due to
TKO.
6.5 How to Play Cards- for the most part in Pocket MMA there are no costs or required resources in order
to play cards so its very easy to learn how to play. There is however conditions that need to be met
when playing a card. Almost all Action/Reaction, Strike, Submission, and Transition cards will have an
area in the Rules Text of the card that state Play from. Play from means in order to play that card, the
player playing a card has to meet the current Position card that players are fighting in. So if both players
are fighting in Standing, one of them cant play a card that can only be played in Open Guard. Remember
there are 20 fighting positions players can be in so refer to the active Position card which is face up, all
others should be face down and underneath the active one to avoid confusion. If a player is trying to play
a card that does not meet the corresponding Position card, that person cannot play it. There are two other
terms players need to familiarize themselves with: as Offense or as Defense. As Offense simply
means, the attacking player while as Defense means the defending player. So if youre attacking
someone with a card youre considered as Offense; while if someone is attacking you with a card, youre
as Defense. During a players turn they will be considered as Offense because its their chance to
attack an opponent. If someone attacks you with a card during their turn, you will be considered as
Defense because now its your chance to defense yourself. Some abilities have conditions, but check the
section dedicated to abilities to learn more about how they work. Once a player plays an Action, Reaction,
Strike, Submission, and/or Transition card, theyre played at once, then give your opponent a chance to
respond by playing a Reaction card and/or with the Rapid ability, then if a opponent either decides not to
respond, the card resolves and is discarded into the Discard Pile.
When playing cards regarding As Offense and As Defense within certain fighting positions,
some rules may vary. When players are fighting in ground positions (which can been seen in the sub-type
of a Position card) the player on the top in the fighting position is considered As Offense while the player
on the bottom is considered As Defense. The only exceptions are in a few positions. Such as Sprawl,
the player on top is considered As Offense; if a player initiates a takedown attempt or transitions into
Sprawl is actually the bottom player and is considered As Defense. So if youre on the bottom in
Sprawl, youre actually As Defense. In Cage Side/Ring Side, the player pressed up against the cage or
ropes is considered As Defense while the player pressing the player against the cage or ropes is
considered As Offense. While in Standing in Guard, whoever is standing is considered As Offense and
if the player is on the

bottom, that player is considered As Defense. As for Rubber Guard, whoever initiates or transitions into
Rubber Guard is actually considered As Offense. On a side note, most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Practitioners

can initiate into Rubber Guard so theyll tend to be As Offense because Rubber Guard is exclusive to
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The player on the bottom of Rubber Guard is considered As Offense while the player
on top is considered As Defense because whoever initiates Rubber Guard has a more strategic
position. As for BackBody Triangle, the player that has their back exposed to their opponent is considered
As Defense and the player behind the other player in BackBody Triangle is considered As Offense.
This position is a little confusing because both players are on the ground one behind the other. But just
use some common sense to figure things out, refer to the photo in the BackBody Triangle card to see
how the position looks like.
If a player cant play a card, they have to pass their turn and play nothing. If there are two consecutive
passes in the same turn and all players are in a Position other than Standing, the referee resets the fight back to
Standing.
6.6 How a Players Hand Works- at the start of a game each player draws up to seven cards which is that
players hand and no other player at any time may look at it, unless a card says otherwise. At the end of a
turn, that player must discard down to seven cards. At the beginning of a new round and after players roll
for Initiative, all players draw two cards. At the beginning of a minute of a round, thats not a new round,
all players would draw one card instead of two.
7.1 Order of Play: 7.2 Initiative- initiative simply is a brief
sequence of a turn in order for players to discover who gets to attack first. This step happens only once
during a minute of a round. After players have rolled for Initiative, it is not repeated during the Defending
players turn because a new minute of the round will be following his or her turn. So, during Initiative all
players take a die and roll for the highest number. Obviously keep rolling to break ties, whoever wins gets
to play first during that minute of the round. If the game has multiple players rather than just two, it goes in
turn sequence from whoever rolled the highest on down.
7.3 Draw Step- during the first minute of a new round, all players would draw two cards while the
remaining minutes of that round those players would draw one card instead. Read section 6.6 to learn
more.
7.4 Upkeep- the part of a turn where certain abilities resolve or where a player manages cards or abilities.
7.5 Attack Step- the part of a turn where a player can only play one of the following types of cards: Action,
Strike, Submission, or Transition card. If a player doesnt have cards to play or cant play any cards, that
player must pass their turn. Once a player plays any of the cards listed above, that player immediately
passes Initiative to their opponent in turn sequence. Initiative simply means its that players chance to
respond to a card by either playing a Reaction, Strike, or Submission card with either the abilities Rapid
or Rapidfire. Once that player has played something or not, Initiative is passed back to that player.
Initiative will keep passing back & forth amongst players until all players have either passed the
opportunity or cant play any more cards. When all players have passed Initiative, the Attack step ends
and then proceeds to the Attack Resolution Step. Cards played during the Attack step are placed in the
Punishment Pile zone of play, read section 5.5 to learn more. After all players have finished responding,
then proceed to the next step.
7.6 Attack Resolution Step- after cards that are played during an Attack Step of a players turn, by all
players that are finished playing cards for Initiative, cards resolve from the Punishment Pile. Read
section 5.5 to learn more. Then, proceed to the next step.
7.7 Discard Step- the part of a turn where a player discards cards from hand down to seven.

7.8 Round Resolution Step- when all players have completed their turns, a Round of fighting is
considered complete. This step only happens at the end of a Round, not at the end of a Players turn.

When a Round ends, all players roll two dice, add up the numbers rolled, and gain Cardio equal to the
sum of the two numbers rolled. However, if a player rolls a pair (a matching pair of numbers), that player
instead gains double the amount of Cardio. This ability represents a Second Wind for a fighter who gets a
burst of energy; which is rarely seen in Mixed Martial Arts but it does happen. So if a player rolls a one &
six, that player gains seven Cardio while if another player rolls two 6s, that player gains 24 Cardio
because 6+6= 12 (x2 Second Wind bonus)= 24. ________________
8.1 Example of Play: 8.2 Sample game- Player 1 & Player 2 both
show up to play a game of Pocket MMA and both own their own customized decks. Before both players
begin, they open up their boxes and start separating 1 of the each type of cards from their decks:
Character Trait- Striking Discipline, Grappling Discipline, and Style. Player 1 has selected Boxing as their
Striking Discipline, Wrestling as their Grappling Discipline, and Counter Striker as their Style. Player 2 has
selected Muay Thai as their Striking Discipline, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Practitioner as their Grappling
Discipline, and BJJ Ground Grappler as their Style. Player 1 & 2 both place their Character Trait cards
face up and beside each other in front of themselves on the play area. Also, both players also agree that
they will be fighting in a Cage. Both Player 1 & 2 have also agreed to play a 3-Round bout. Now both
players have written on their own note pad 80 Cardio and used one 6-sided die to keep track of minutes
per round and another 6-sided die to keep track of rounds as well as have a coin to keep track of who has
Initiative and use a pair of dice to roll for Initiative and other die roll checks. After that both players have
agreed to select one of their Welterweight Bout cards to place face up in the middle of the play area. After
Player 1 & 2 have shuffled their decks and had their opponent cut their deck, they each place them
beside their Character Trait cards and begin to draw seven cards for their hand. Player 1 & 2 agree to use
one set of their Position cards, they have placed the Standing Position card face up and the rest of the
nineteen Position cards underneath it.
Now, both players roll a die for Initiative. Player 1 rolls a six while Player 2 rolls a one. Player 1 puts a
coin on top of 1 of his Character Trait cards as a sign that he has Initiative, as well as placed one die on
the number one for the first minute of the first round and another die on number one for round one.
Player 1 proceeds to his Draw Step so all Players will now draw two cards because it is the beginning of a
new round (so their hand size is now 9). Then, Player 1 proceeds to the Upkeep. Player 1 proceeds to the
Attack Step. Player 1 decides to play Straight Punch, the cards text states: Play from: STND, CL, OG,
MO as Offense or U/DN as Defense & 4D, Combo. Player 1 & 2 are currently in the Standing position so
Player 1 decides to play it from Standing (STND). It also happens to have the Combo ability which allows
the player to play another Strike card from hand if its corresponding with the current Position card. So
Player 1 combos off with Straight Punch to Body, which states: Play from: STND, CL, OG, HG, MO as
Offense or U/DN as Defense & 5D, Combo. However Player 1 does not have another card to combo off
with, so thats Player 1s series of attacks. Since Player 1 finished the attack, that player now places
those cards in the Punishment Pile. Because Player 1 finished the attack, that player now passes
Initiative over to Player 2 to respond to the attack. Player 2 decides to play Side Stepping Jab which
states Play from: STND as Defense & Rapid, 3D, evade a Punch card, -1 to your next Initiative. Player 2
can only play this card because it does the ability Rapid which allows Player 2 to play it regardless of
Initiative. The -1 to Initiative refers to the roll for Initiative step, not the chance to respond to a card. The
Rapid ability would allow Player 2 to play it because it basically allows Player 2 to play it at any Step in a
turn. Player 2 cannot play just any Strike card because Player 2 can only play a Strike card either a card
with the abilities Rapid or Rapidfire. So now, Side Stepping Jab is placed on top of the Punishment
Pile and Initiative is passed back to Player 1. However Player 1 cannot play any other card unless the
card has Rapid or Rapidfire or if its a

Reaction card because all Reaction cards dont require Initiative. However Player 1 chooses not to
respond and passes Initiative. Because both players have passed Initiative, the Attack step ends and

proceeds to the Attack Resolution Step where theyll resolve the process of cards from the Punishment
Pile.
Because the top card is Side Stepping Jab, Player 2 gets to evade a Strike card. So Player 2 chooses
Straight Punch. However because Side Stepping Jab just avoids that Strike card, it does not stop the
Combo ability so Player 1s card, Straight Punch to Body which he or she played from Straight Punch
would still get to resolve. Ok, so now Side Stepping Jab resolves first and is put into the respective
owners discard pile then, Player 1 takes three damage in which Player 1 changes his or her Cardio down
to 77. Straight Punch to Body resolves second because its second from the top (underneath Side
Stepping Jab). That card is then put into its respective owners discard pile. Player 2 would take six
damage instead of five because Player 1 also happens to have the Boxer Character Trait- Striking
Discipline card in play. So it adds +1 to the punch making it deal six damage instead of five. Next, Player
2 moves his or her Cardio down to 74 from 80. After that, Player 1 proceeds to Discard Step. Because
Player 1 still has seven cards in hand, that player ends the turn.
Both Players make adjustments to their dice that were keeping track of the Minutes of the Round and the
current Round. So, one die is placed on two for the second Minute of the First Round. The die for Round
One is not changed because it has not finished. Now its Player 2s turn in which Player 2 starts during his
or her Upkeep because all players have already rolled for Initiative and drew cards.
This concludes a sample of a game, all the following turns proceed in similar fashion. ________________
9.1 List of Terms & Abilities: 9.2 !- whenever an Attacker successfully
damages an opponent with a card with !, the Attacker may play another Strike or Submission card from
hand if it meets the corresponding Position card. (! is also known as the Stun ability.)
9.3 # - whenever a player is playing a card against an opponent with #, that player has to roll the die to
beat the die roll check number. (also called pound.)
9.4 * - whenever a player is playing a card against an opponent with *, the Defending player has to roll
to beat the die roll check number. (also called star.)
9.5 Abolish- remove from the game. (Whenever an ability states Abolish, it means to be removed from
the game.)
9.6 Assimilate- whenever an Attacker plays a card with Assimilate and it was evaded, the Attacker gains
Cardio equal to the damage that would have been dealt.
9.7 Battering- whenever an Attacker successfully damages an opponent with a card with Battering, the
Attacker plays a copy of that card for each card that went into the discard pile currently this turn.
9.8 Blank Out- whenever an Attacker successfully damages an opponent with a card with Blank Out, the
Defender selects and abolishes a card from their discard pile.
9.9 Block- Whenever the Defender could play a card with Block from hand; regardless of Initiative, the
Defender may reveal that card from hand and discard it to select a Strike card in play to prevent up to X
damage where X is the damage that would have been dealt from the card with Block.