A rival trying to force you into action with an Attack card.

There’s a high chance that they put the cat on the top of the deck.

Players just Defused an Exploding Kitten.

This increases your chances of drawing an Exploding Kitten.

Your opponents keep stealing your cards, forcing you to keep drawing cards.

Always consider the possibility that the player before you is bluffing. Especially a Nope or Skip card if they try to force you into action. Ideally, you’d want to have at least one of each kind of card in your hand. These are the cards that will be used to combat these common issues when trying to win.

Offensive = Attack, Favor, See the Future, Cat Pairs (Hairy Potato Cat, etc.).

Defensive = Defuse, Skip, Shuffle, Nope.

Since this is more luck-based, it’s helpful to consider the cards included and how they are best used. It rewards being aggressive but you have to be ready to defend at a moment’s notice. Similar to King of Tokyo, this game is very reactive. With less and less cards to go around, you see where this is going. There are four kittens, and every time the Defuse card is used, it means the Exploding Kitten goes back into the deck. Strategy-wise, if you have more players, you’ll have an easier time hoarding cards and eliminating other players through Exploding Kittens. But if you only have two players the game can get short fast. If you don’t take every opportunity to push your opponents to the edge, they will make you pay for it.

(I’m looking at you Mario Party and Monopoly.) So proceed with caution if you have anyone sensitive to brutal combat. This is the kind of game that friendships can be ruined over.

Unfortunately, my husband is more ruthless than I am when it comes to this game. We started with three players and once it was down to two, things got dicey quick. I recently played this game and it’s definitely different from what I remember. What is the Best Way to Win Exploding Kittens?.How do I stop players from taking my cards?

Exploding kittens card template