Magic Number Eleven

Magic Number Eleven is a two-player card game with a soccer theme, where players will play two rounds – representing the two halves of a match – in order to try and outscore each other.

The main board represents the pitch, where you’ll play your player cards (see pictures) and either side are two smaller boards, one representing which team is currently the most dominant and the other where goal attempts are resolved, using Synergy cards.

But that’s a lot of terminology, so let’s back up a little to the start. Both teams have eleven Player cards, and before the match kicks off you get to add in three ‘star players’ that from an additional deck, as though spending the last of your transfer budget in a panic. Then the game kicks off, with players taking turns to play a player card onto the pitch, and how the team functions depends on the way your team line up with each other, because two matching half-symbols aligned across two cards will make a complete symbol, and these are what power your game. Shield symbols generate a defence value and Football symbols generate an attack value. Red arrows generate pressure – ie dominance – and green crosses allow you to draw synergy cards into your hand, which will be helpful when you or your opponent makes an attempt on goal.

Each turn you can optionally take what is called a Team action, which is either activating all your red arrows to press – move a marker on the side board to track this – or activating all your green crosses to draw synergy cards. Then you must play a player card, and you may optionally shoot on goal. Shooting is where the synergy cards (which are added to your attack value on the player you’re shooting with) and the pressing (which determine how many synergy cards you get to play!) come into it. Players will play at least one synergy card each face-down, drawing from the deck, but depending on where the press marker is you may get to add more. When these cards are revealed the total value decides who is successful – the attacker or defender: a goal, or not. But there are a couple of wrinkles to this face-off: one is that if the attacker’s total is eleven exactly, they score a Wonder Goal that can’t be stopped, even if the defender’s value is higher. The other is that if the attacker’s total is higher than eleven, they’re bust: essentially the equivalent of whacking the ball into row Z.

That’s pretty much it, outside of the opportunity to bring in a substitute and the Tackle! synergy card leading to a penalty. It should really say Foul! but either way, it’s a tactical opportunity to game the system slightly when your defensive backs are against the metaphorical wall. Both sides select a Penalty card secretly and then reveal them: the attacking card shows where they are kicking the ball and defending cards show the area the goalkeeper will hope to save: both sides reveal at the same time!

After the synergy cards run out, the half is over and the pitch empties. All the synergy cards are reshuffled into a deck and play recommences. After the second half, the game ends! If it’s a draw you can either share the draw… or do a penalty shootout to determine victor and loser.