The Detective Conan Trading Card Game officially known as Case Closed: Trading Card Game is a collectible trading card game based on the series Detective Conan. It has been released on June 29, 2005 by Score Entertainment.
One day you're a brilliant detective with a judo-flipping love interest, and the next you get poisoned into a pre-teen doing impersonations through a bow tie.
Welcome to the world of Conan Edogawa.
But being a run has advantages. With gadgets, deception and a mind as fit as ever, Conan fights for right, knowing one thing is certain...
One Truth Prevails!
Players compete to be the first to successfully solve three cases using their detectives and appropriate clues, while simultaneously attempting to stop their opponent from doing so. Rather than taking alternating turns, each player plays through each of the five steps of a full turn at the same time.
The game is played using three decks per player, as follows:
- Draw Deck
- A deck made up of detectives, events and gadgets, which are drawn into the hand.
- Problem Deck
- A deck consisting of clues, criminals and obstacles. Cards are drawn to problem row and stored face-down.
- Case Deck
- A deck which stores potential unsolved cases. Three cases are drawn to make up the case row.
Steps of Play[]
Turns are made up of the following steps:
- Step 1
- Ready
- This step "resets and refills" everything in play from the last turn. Each player readies their expended detectives, gadgets, criminals, and problem cards. Then each player refills his problem row from his problem deck until it has 4 face-down cards. Finally, each player refills his case row from his case deck until it has 3 face-up cards. After that, each player draws 2 cards from his draw deck,
- Step 2
- Main
- Now everyone gains job and crime points and plays cards. Each player gains 3 job points and 3 crime points. Job points help you play detectives to your HQ as well as attach gadgets to characters. Crime points help you flip over criminals and attach clues to your detectives. In this step, you will play detectives, and attach gadgets and clues to them for the cases ahead.
- Step 3
- Movement
- Everyone may move their face-down problem cards. Problems are usually criminals, but often they are a clue card used to bluff your opponents. You can move your problem cards to your and your opponents' cases.
- Step 4
- Sleuth
- Now the lead player assigns his detectives to work cases. First, the lead player may try to solve one or more cases. Afterward, the follower becomes the lead player and repeats the process. Throughout this step, characters may challenge one another in a single turn - with the loser of each challenge going to the discard pile
- Step 5
- End
- Players may discard one of their cases in play. They can do this if it has no problem(s) cards assigned to it. Players may then discard any number of cards from their problem row.
Steps of Play Explained[]
Step 1 - Ready Step[]
In this step, players go through each of the sub-steps in order. In each sub-step, the lead for the turn does all his actions, and then the followers for the turn do the same in a clockwise direction around the table.
- A. Ready All Characters
- Each player readies all their expended cards by turning all horizontal cards back to a vertical position
- B. Refill the Problem Rows
- Each Player refills his problem row if possible. The problem row is next to the problem deck (PD). Each problem row has 4 spaces for cards. If a player has any open spaces, he takes cards from the top of his PD, looks at them and places them face-down into his problem row. A player can look at the cards in his problem row anytime, but not his opponents' problems.
- C. Refill Case Rows
- Each player refills their case row if possible. A palyer does this by taking the top card of his case deck and putting it on his case row face-up. He repeats this action until he has 3 cases in his case row.
- D. Draw 2 Cards
- Each player draws 2 cards from the top of his draw deck (DD) into his hand.
After the last player draws his 2 cards, this step ends.
Step 2 - Main Step[]
When this step begins, all players gain 3 job points and 3 crime points. Players spend job points to play detectives into their HQ and to attach gadgets to them. Players also spend crime points to pay for flipping up criminals and to pay for clues they attach to detectives. Leftover points carry over from turn to turn.
- A. Lay Detectives and Attach Gadgets
- Each player may spend any of their job points to play detectives into their HQ or attach gadgets to their detectives. A player may play as many unique detectives as they can afford during this sub-step. Players may attach gadgets to their face-up criminals and detectives in this step.
- B. Attach Clues to Detectives in Your HQ
- To attach a clue, you must pay its cost in crime points and play it from your problem row under your chosen detective, face-up with part of the card visible. You may only attach clues to detectives you control. The moment a detective has more attached clues than its intelligence, you must discard clues from that character until the number of clues attached equal its intelligence.
- C. Players can Play Problems from their PD Row to Cases
- To assign a problem to a case, move the problem card from your PD row to your crime zone and line it up with the case card on your side of the case keeping your problem face-down. There is no cost to do this. Each player may have up to 2 problems assigned to each case. A player cannot assign a problem card to a case where he already has 2 cards from his problem deck.
- Bluffing Opponents With Face-down Clues
- Problems are either face-down clues or criminals. Your opponent never knows if the face-down card you assign to a case is a criminal that can flip and challenge him or a clue serving as a ruse. To discard a problem card that is a face-down clue, show it to your opponent and discard it.
You can look at your problems in play anytime, but not those of your opponents. After the last player has finished Sub-step C, the Main Step ends.
Step 3 - Movement Step[]
Each player may rearrange his problems on any of the cases in play (face-up cards are never problem cards). Each player may have up to 2 cards from his problem deck at any case.
Step 4 - Sleuth Step[]
In this step, the lead has an opportunity to work his cases. When the lead works his cases, he goes through all three of the sub-steps below. After he does this, the player to the left of him becomes the lead and goes through the three sub-steps. This continues until each player has had a chance to be the lead in the three sub-steps. The last person to go through this step is the new lead until the next sleuth step.
- Flipping Criminals
During sleuth, you can flip up your criminals. You can flip criminals any time during the Sleuth step except in the “solve” sub-step. To flip a criminal, you reveal it to your opponents, pay its crime point cost and leave it in play face-up. If you cannot pay the crime points, you discard that criminal. Note: You cannot flip up expended problem cards.
- A. Assignment Sub-Step
For each detective the lead controls, he chooses to assign that detective to a case, or leave that detective in his HQ. Players may assign more than one detective to a case, but cannot assign the same detective to multiple cases.
- B. Conflict Sub-Step
In this sub-step, other players can challenge their opponent’s characters that are at the same cases.
- How Challenges Work
You can only start challenges between characters by using card effects from events and cards in play. Challenges are “fights” that key off a single, shared talent. A character may challenge another with strength, speed, or intelligence. A challenge begins when the challenge ability comes off the route, and ends when both players pass on an empty route. In some ways it’s like a mini-substep. At the end of a challenge, the two characters compare the final values for the competing
talent and the character with the lower talent value is discarded. If the characters’ final talent values in a challenge tie, both characters remain in play. No player can challenge his own characters.
- C. Solve Sub-Step
Now the lead can solve cases. In this step, no events, card effects or flipping of criminals can occur. Cases solve like this:
Card types[]
- Characters - Criminals and detectives. Detectives can be played from the hand to their owner's headquarters during the Main Step by paying the appropriate number of job points. Criminals are played as problem cards, and can be flipped face-up by paying their crime point cost during the Sleuth Step.
- Gadgets - Weapons and useful equipment which can be attached to characters during the Main Step. Doing so requires that the indicated job point cost be paid, and each character can only have one gadget attached at a time.
- Cases - The mysteries and crimes which detectives attempt to solve. Cases can only be solved by having enough detectives with the right talents at the case. Additionally, in order to solve a case, the detectives must have either the correct clues attached, or must have a certain (higher) number of total clues attached.
- Clues - Pieces of evidence needed to solve cases. Clues are problem cards which can attached to detectives during the Main Step by paying the indicated crime point cost. Detectives may not have more clues attached to them than their total intelligence talent value. Clues can also be used face-down as bluffs (in place of criminals).
- Events - Events which take place. These cards can be played during different steps, as indicated by the text on the card.
- Obstacles - The Crime & Punishment expansion introduced Obstacle Cards. Obstacles go in your problem deck and you assign them to cases as problem cards. During the Sleuth Step, you may pay crime points and flip-up a criminal card. Obstacles are not unique. Obstacles count toward your limit of 2 problem/criminal cards per case. Obstacles are discarded when the case they are assigned to is solved.
Sleuthing[]
The Sleuth Step is further broken down into the 3 sub-steps. Each player goes through all of these sub-steps in order before the next player. In each of the first 2 sub-steps, players can pay the crime point cost to flip a criminal face-up at any time (although there is a limit of 1 face-up criminal per case). Choosing to reveal a clue card which is being used as a bluff has no effect other than discarding the card. The sub-steps are as follows:
- Assignment Sub-step - For each detective the lead player controls, he or she may chose to assign that detective to one of the cases (or leave the detective unassigned at the headquarters). Multiple detectives can be assigned to a single case, but each detective may only be assigned to one case at a time.
- Conflict Sub-step - Characters can challenge the characters of other players who are at the same case. This challenge typically takes the form of a detective challenging a criminal or vice versa. However, challenges can only be initiated through an event or a card effect. The challenge is executed by comparing one of the talents on the two cards; the card with the lower number is the loser and is discarded.
- Solve Sub-step - In this step, the lead player can expend detectives to use their talents to temporarily reduce the required talent values at the case. The other player can expend criminals to increase the required talent values. If all 3 of the talent values are at or below 0, the next step portion of the Solve Sub-step can proceed (otherwise, the case cannot be solved at the moment). After the talent check, the clue requirements are checked, and if these are met, the case is solved. If the case is solved, all problem cards, criminal cards at the case, as well as any clues used to solve it, are discarded.
Regardless of the outcome of the Solve Sub-step, all of the detectives at the case automatically return to that player's headquarters. After all cases of the lead player have been processed, the role of the lead player passes to the next player, until each player has had a chance to be a lead for that turn.
Deck composition[]
As noted above, each player must provide three separate decks. The requirements for each deck are as follows:
Deck name | Card types in deck | Min/max cards | Max. copies of a card |
---|---|---|---|
Case Deck | Cases | 5 / 20 | 1 (each must be unique) |
Main Deck | Events, Detective, Gadgets | 40 / 60 | 4 of each card |
Problem Deck | Criminals, Clues, Obstacles | 20 / 20 | 4 of each card |
Hence, players need at least 65 cards (of various types) to play, with a number of restrictions on both the minimum and maximum number of these cards. Because of these, a single starter deck does not yield a fully legal play deck.
Products and sets[]
Case Closed: One Truth Prevails base set starter decks contain 40 randomized draw cards, 20 randomized problem cards, and 12 fixed cards (including 4 cases). The package, which has an MSRP of US $10.99, also includes a demo poster, and a rulebook.
Packs are sold in a booster box containing 12 packs. Each pack contains 10 cards consisting of 6 common, 3 uncommon, and 1 rare card. There are 201 cards in total, excluding Alternate Art cards.
The expansion set, Case Closed: Crime & Punishment, introduces 129 new cards, as well as a new card type, obstacles. Booster packs for both sets contain 10 cards (6 commons, 3 uncommons, and 1 foil rare).