How to Play Squishy Clash
Learn the rules, start collecting, and challenge your friends.
Soy Dumpling
Gumdrop GaryTwo ways to play
Pick your game
New here or playing with little ones? Start with Junior. Ready to duel? Jump into the standard game.
The goal
Build a deck of 30 Squishies, send one into the arena at a time, and knock out three of your opponent’s Squishies to win.
Some Squishies hit harder, some are faster, some are tough as nails, and the rarest carry powers that can swing a whole match. Build smart, play smart, squish hard.
What you need
A 30-card deck
Exactly 30 Squishy cards, up to 2 copies of any single card. Every card is a Squishy; nothing else to manage.
Counters
Tokens, coins, or scrap paper to track Heart (HP) and Chaos on your powered Squishies.
A worthy rival
One friend to duel. Squishy Clash is a head-to-head game for two players.
The four stats
Every Squishy has four battle stats. Rarer Squishies (Rare and up) also carry Chaos to fuel a Special Power.
Heart
HP
How much damage a Squishy can take. At 0 HP it's knocked out (KO'd) and your opponent scores a point.
Speed
Who strikes first
In a clash, the higher-Speed Squishy attacks first, letting you strike before the other gets a turn of its own.
Squish
Attack
Its attack power. In a clash, this is how much damage it deals (before the other Squishy's Cuteness).
Cuteness
Armor
Subtract it from ALL incoming damage, clashes and powers alike, though at least 1 always gets through.
Chaos
Power fuel
Earned by fighting: a Squishy gains +1 Chaos every clash. Spend it to unleash a Special Power (Rare and up).
Setting up
- 1
Shuffle up
Shuffle your deck and place it face-down as your Draw Pile.
- 2
Draw 5
Draw 5 cards. This is your Hand. Keep it hidden.
- 3
Choose your fighter
Each player picks one Squishy from their Hand and places it face-up as their starting Active Squishy.
- 4
Underdog goes first
Whoever has the lower Squish on their Active Squishy goes first. If it's tied, both flip the top card: lower card number goes first.
- 5
Zero the Chaos
Set any Chaos counters to 0. You're ready to clash!
Your turn: 4 phases
On your turn, go through these four phases in order.
- 1
Draw
Draw 1 card. Hand limit is 5. If you go over, discard down to 5.
- 2
Swapoptional
Bench your Active Squishy and bring in one from your Hand. Swapping is your big move: if you swap, you skip your Clash this turn. The Bench holds up to 3; benched Squishies keep their HP and Chaos and can't be attacked. Once per turn.
- 3
Poweroptional
If your Active Squishy has a power and enough Chaos, pay its cost and use it. One power per turn, before the clash. Commons and Uncommons have no power and simply skip this phase.
- 4
Clash
Skipped if you swapped. Your Active Squishy clashes with the opponent's: higher Speed strikes first, and the other strikes back (even a KO'd Squishy lands one last counterattack). Both gain +1 Chaos. Any Squishy at 0 HP is knocked out.
First-turn rule
How battles work: the Clash
This is the heart of the game. When your Active Squishy attacks, the two Active Squishies clash and trade blows.
- The higher-Speed Squishy strikes first. Damage = its Squish − the other Squishy's Cuteness (at least 1). Subtract it from that Squishy's HP.
- Then the other strikes back the same way, and it gets this hit even if the first strike just knocked it out. A knocked-out Squishy always lands one last counterattack, its “dying blow.”
- If Speeds are tied, the attacker, the player whose turn it is, strikes first. If a dying blow KOs the attacker too, it's a double knockout: each player scores 1 KO Point.
Your Wasabi Warrior (Squish 5, Speed 4, Cuteness 2) attacks a Sad Nugget (Squish 2, Speed 2, Cuteness 2, HP 4).
Wasabi is faster, so it strikes first for 5 − 2 = 3, taking Sad Nugget to 1 HP. Sad Nugget strikes back for 2 − 2 = 1 (the 1-minimum). Even if Wasabi had knocked it out, Sad Nugget would still land that final 1 damage on the way down.
Special Powers & Chaos
Commons and Uncommons are pure stat cards, perfect for learning. Powers appear on Rare, Super Rare, and Legendary cards and grow stronger with rarity.
Earn it
A Squishy gains +1 Chaos every clash, whether it attacks or defends. You charge up by battling.
Spend it
Powers cost 3 (Rare), 4 (Super Rare), or 5 (Legendary) Chaos. Reach the cost and you may use the power.
One per turn
Use at most one power per turn, before your clash unless it says otherwise. Benched Squishies keep their Chaos.
Power keywords
- Strike first
- This clash, your Squishy hits first no matter the Speed.
- Ignores Cuteness
- That damage is not reduced by the target's armor.
- Deal X damage
- Damage dealt straight to a Squishy's HP, from a power rather than a clash.
- No counterattack
- The opponent doesn't strike back this clash, the only way to stop a dying blow.
- This turn / next turn
- Stat changes last until your next turn; 'next turn' effects land on the opponent's upcoming turn.
Knockouts & winning
When a Squishy hits 0 HP it’s knocked out: move it to the Discard Pile and the attacker scores 1 KO Point. The KO’d player brings in a new Active Squishy, from the Bench (keeping its HP and Chaos) or fresh from the Hand (full HP, 0 Chaos).
One KO per turn
You never deck out
First to 3 KO Points wins the match!
Quick reference
Stats
Heart · Squish · Speed · Cuteness (+ Chaos on Rare+)
Your turn
Draw → Swap → Power → Clash
Clash damage
Squish − Cuteness (min 1). Faster hits first; loser still counters.
Win
Score 3 KO Points. +1 Chaos each clash.
The goal
Flip a card, compare a stat, and the bigger number wins!
Keep winning cards until you have them all. Easy to learn, quick to play. Just grab your Squishy cards and go.
What you need
How to play
- 1
Shuffle and deal
Shuffle all your cards together and deal them out evenly, face-down. This is your pile. (One card left over? Set it aside.)
- 2
Flip!
Both players flip the top card of their pile at the same time. Yell “SQUISH!” if you want to.
- 3
Compare the stat
Each round compares a different stat, cycling Heart → Squish → Speed → Cuteness, then start over.
- 4
Bigger number wins
Whoever has the bigger number on that stat wins both cards and puts them at the bottom of their pile.
The stat cycle
Each round you compare the next stat, moving across the card. Skip the purple Chaos stat. That's only for the big game.
Tie? Squish Battle!
Same number on the stat? Time for a Squish Battle.
- 1
Into the middle
Both tied cards go into a pile in the middle, the Squish Pile.
- 2
Flip again
Each player flips their next card and compares the same stat.
- 3
Winner takes all
The winner takes the whole Squish Pile, plus both new cards! Tie again? Flip again. The pile keeps growing.
Big wins!
Let's play a round!
Maya flips Cappybarro (Heart 6). Leo flips Soy Dumpling (Heart 5).
6 beats 5: Maya wins and takes both cards! Next round is Squish, so they flip again and compare Squish this time.
Collect every card to win the Showdown!
Short on time? Set a 5-minute timer. Whoever has more cards wins.
Try it different ways
Tiny Champions
Ages 4-5Use only Common and Uncommon cards for smaller, easier-to-count numbers. Win the most rounds out of 5!
Random Stat Mode
Any ageSkip the cycle. Before each round, the older player calls out a stat. Keeps everyone guessing!
Squishy Team-Up
3+ playersEveryone flips at once. The highest of the chosen stat wins all the cards, then cycle to the next stat.
Trade Mode
2 playersAfter a Showdown, the winner may pick 1 card from the loser's pile to keep, but only if both players agree!
Video tutorial
Watch a game in action
Soon you'll be able to watch two players play a full match from start to finish while the rules are explained.
Learn by example
See it in action
Example graphics are on the way. Here's what's coming as the game grows.
Print & play
Download the rules
Save or print the full rulebooks to keep at the table.