Today I want to get away from card discussions, and talk about ways that you can have lots of fun with your friends using Battle Pack 2: War of the Giants.

Picking up a box of this set (and splitting the cost with your friends) gives you a lot of opportunities for repeatable, affordable fun.

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Method 1: The Mega-Deck

Number of players: 2, 4, 6, or 8, but best with 4 or 6.

How to do it:

Take all the cards that came in the box, and shuffle them into one gigantic 180-card Mega-Deck.

Split off into pairs and start Dueling. Every draws from the SAME deck. (Just like regular card games like Bridge or Poker). Each player still has their own, separate Graveyard.

SPECIAL: For a really wacky variant, try playing with a single, combined Graveyard as well. An experience you won’t soon forget, but trust me, only try it with your best friends!

Special rules:

1. Sometimes a card will tell you to place a card back on top of the deck, like with Axe of Despair or Plaguespreader Zombie. In this case, place the card next to the deck (not on top of it), but closest to you. So that it will be YOUR next draw from the deck, but nobody else can draw it, and it won’t interfere with their draws.
2. For anything that shuffles cards into the deck, like Pot of Duality, Card Trader, or Tour Bus from the Underworld, just place the cards on the bottom of the Mega-Deck.
3. Ignore the ability of Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord when he attacks. Just pretend it doesn’t exist. (You can still Special Summon Exodius using his effect, by placing the monsters in your Graveyard on the bottom of the Mega-Deck. See Rule #2.)

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The Mega-Deck has a lot of advantages:

*Re-playability. You can keep playing over and over again, and you’ll see different cards every time. Not only will your cards be different each Duel, but so will your opponent’s.

*Less need to switch up opponents. In casual play, one reason you switch up opponents or Decks is to keep things new and different. With a Mega-Deck, it’s always different, so you can stay seated against the same person the whole time.

*Good for groups of different skill levels. Maybe you and another friend are really experienced Duelists, but a couple other friends don’t have as much experience? Have them Duel each other, while you Duel against the other experienced player. You all draw from the same Mega-Deck, and can enjoy each others’ Duels, using the same card pool, but are playing opponents with the same skill level.

*Good if you have friends who are new. See above – let your friends who are just learning the game play each other. If you play on a large table together, the more experienced players can keep an eye on the newer players, offer tips, and answer questions. And the newer players can watch the experienced players and pick up a few tricks.

*Good family activity. If you have family members who are new to the game (younger brothers/sisters, or maybe even your parents???), this is a great way to teach them.

*No need to shuffle between Duels. If your Duel ends, just put the cards you used to the side and start over by drawing fresh hands from the Mega-Deck. When the Mega-Deck runs out of cards, take all the cards set aside and shuffle them into a new Mega-Deck.

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Method 2: Pack Escalation

Number of Players: 2 or more

How to do it:

Pack Escalation works best if you have a group of friends that gets together regularly to play. The first time you meet up to play, everybody brings 4 packs of War of the Giants. Open the packs, and play with those 20 cards as your deck.

Next time you meet, everybody brings 2 more packs, opens them, and adds them to their existing card pool. Now everybody has a 30 card deck.

The third time you meet, everybody brings 2 more packs, and has a 40 card deck.

Keep going! The fourth time, everybody brings 2 more packs, and has a 50 card deck.

The fifth time, everybody brings 2 more packs, and has a 60 card deck. Might want to stop at that point. Although you can combine everybody’s cards together at this point into a Mega-Deck, and switch to Method 1.

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Method 3: Magnificent Floor of Cards

Number of Players: 2 or more

How to do it:

This method is great for when you have a large number of opened Battle Packs. It works well after Pack Escalation. You can use the same stack of cards you use for Mega-Deck play.

It’s simple: Take a box’s worth of cards, and spread them out on the floor. Face-up.

Now start drafting! That means each player takes turns picking 1 card from the floor, and adding it to their deck. Just like when you’re picking players for dodgeball teams at school. When you’re done, just Duel like you normally do.

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Remember: Draft or Duel as You Open!

Whether you’re opening packs to prep for a Mega-Deck or Magnificent Floor of Cards, or if you’re just opening packs because you like to, or are hunting for cards you need for your Advanced Format regular deck, keep one thing in mind: PLAY AS YOU OPEN.

Battle Packs are designed to be played right out of the pack. If you’re opening a lot of packs, you should play with them on the spot with your buddies. You can combine them for Mega-Deck or Pack Escalation later, add them to your collection, put them in your Advanced Format Decks… whatever you wanna do. But don’t miss the fun of playing with the cards right there, right now, as you open the packs.

My favorite way is to take 10 packs and put the cards into a 40-card deck. And have your friends do the same. It’s a one-time opportunity to get some extra, free fun from the packs you’ve already bought – don’t waste it!