This game is based on the physical card game MATR1X 0VERL0AD by Michael Elliot, which itself was based on Gridcannon by Tom Francis. This digital version was created by Andrew Steele.

The original version of these rules can be found here (published with permission). If you enjoy this game, please consider supporting the original creator by visiting his patreon, or consider sending me a donation!

The goal of this game is to defeat the Royal cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings) before they become too powerful to beat, and before you run out of cards to play against them. The draw pile can be found in the lower right corner, and you will drag and drop cards from this pile to the play area.

To play, you must line up cards in rows or columns in order to defeat the royal cards. The game engine will automatically highlight valid placements for you. The value of the two cards closest to the royal's row or column must add up to the value of the royal or higher, and then be "triggered" to attack by placing a valid card in the third, farthest-away pile (see example below). A Jack can be beaten with any two cards adding up to at least 11 points, a Queen requires at least 12 points and the cards must be of the same color as the Queen, and a King must be beaten with two same-suited cards adding up to at least 13 points.

For example, if you have a row with a 3, a 10, a 7, and a Jack on the end, the 10 and 7 add up to 17 points, which is enough to beat the Jack. Placing any valid card on top of the 3 will "trigger" the other cards, causing the Jack to be defeated and flipped face-down. If the royal at the end of the row was a Queen of Hearts, then the 10 and 7 would both need to be either a Heart or a Diamond (red colored suits). If the royal at the end was a King of Spades, then the 10 and 7 would both need to be Spades as well (same suit).

When you draw a Royal, they get placed in one of the outer piles. The game engine will automatically highlight valid placements. They should be placed next to the highest-value same-suited card, if a place is available. If no same-suited space is available, then the highest same-color space should be chosen. If no same-color space is available, then the royal should be placed next to the highest card with an open spot. If two spots are open (like on a corner), you may choose either of the two places.

Cards from Ace to 10 and a single Joker are placed on the nine inner piles, and can only be placed on piles where the top card is the same value or lower than the card to be placed. For example, a 7 can be placed on top of anything from an Ace through a 7, but not on an 8, 9, or 10.

If a 'number' card cannot be placed on an inner pile, it must be added to a royal as 'armor'. For example, if there is no valid place in the inner piles to add a 2, you would then add it to a Jack, Queen, or King, which would increase that royal's difficulty to defeat by two points. A Jack with a 2 would require 13 points to defeat instead of 11. The normal rules about suits and/or color requirements remain the same.

The exception to the normal gameplay rules comes when you have an Ace or a Joker. Aces can be played on any pile and 'reset' the pile, causing all of the cards in that pile to move to the bottom of the draw pile. Jokers also reset, but must be placed on the lowest-value pile at the time they are drawn. Again, the game engine will automatically highlight valid placements of these cards for you.