EX-2048 guide
EX-2048 turns 2048 into a two-player card game. Tiles no longer appear on their own: you place them, move them and change them with cards, and you build your deck as the game goes on. This guide covers the rules, every card, and how to think about the choices the game gives you.
The idea in one paragraph
Two players share one small 3 by 3 board and take turns. On your turn you play cards from your hand to gain energy and moves, spend moves to slide the board, and spend energy to buy new cards from a shared shop. Merging tiles scores points, and so do some cards. When the board is full and nothing can move, the higher score wins.
The board
The board is 3 by 3 and starts with two tiles on it. Sliding works exactly as in normal 2048: every tile moves as far as it can, equal tiles that collide merge, a tile merges at most once per move, and each merge scores the value of the new tile for the player who made it. (If you have not played 2048 before, the how to play page explains sliding and merging in detail.)
The big difference is that no new tile appears after a slide. Every tile that arrives on the board after the first two was put there by a player, with a card. Both players act on the same board, so a tile you place is also a tile your opponent can merge on their turn.
Your deck, hand and discard pile
Each player has their own deck. Everyone starts with the same ten cards:
- seven 1 Energy cards,
- two Tile 2 cards, and
- one 1 Move card.
The deck is shuffled and you draw a hand of five. You act by playing cards from that hand. When you end your turn, every card still in your hand goes to your discard pile and you draw a fresh five. When your deck runs out, your discard pile is shuffled to become your new deck, so every card you own comes round again.
What happens on your turn
You can do these in any order, as many times as your cards and resources allow:
- Play cards. Energy cards give you energy. Move cards give you move units. Tile and action cards change the board, and some of them cost energy to play.
- Slide the board. Each slide costs one move unit. A slide that would not change the board is not allowed and costs nothing.
- Buy from the shop. Each card has an energy price. A card you buy goes into your discard pile, not your hand, so you will not see it until your deck next reshuffles.
- End your turn. Your hand is discarded, you draw five new cards, and any energy and move units you have not spent drop to zero. Nothing carries over.
That last rule shapes the whole game. Energy you do not spend this turn is wasted, so every turn is a question of how best to use what you have right now.
The shop
Both players buy from the same shop, and every card in it has limited stock: once a card sells out, it is gone for both of you. The shop offers 14 different cards each game, and the mix changes from game to game:
- It always has 1 Move, 2 Moves, Tile 2, Tile 4, and all three Energy cards, so you can always buy movement, tiles and more energy.
- It always has one of the three points cards (40, 80 or 200 points), so a player who is behind on the board always has a way to buy points back.
- The rest of the shop is drawn at random from the other cards.
There is no way to remove a card from your deck once you own it. Every card you buy is a card you will keep drawing, which is the most important thing to remember when deciding what to buy.
Every card
Buy is the energy price in the shop. Play is the energy it costs to use the card from your hand (a dash means the card cannot be played from your hand). Stock is how many copies the shop holds when that card is on offer.
Energy
| Card | Buy | Play | Effect | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Energy | 1 | 0 | Gain 1 energy. | 8 |
| 2 Energy | 4 | 0 | Gain 2 energy. | 8 |
| 3 Energy | 7 | 0 | Gain 3 energy. | 8 |
Moves
| Card | Buy | Play | Effect | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Move | 1 | 0 | Gain 1 move unit. | 8 |
| 2 Moves | 3 | 0 | Gain 2 move units. | 4 |
| 3 Moves | 6 | 0 | Gain 3 move units. | 4 |
| 1 Move & 1 Energy | 3 | 0 | Gain 1 move unit and 1 energy. | 4 |
| All Rounder | 6 | 0 | Draw 1 card, gain 1 move unit and 1 energy. When the game ends, every All Rounder in your deck is worth 15 points. | 4 |
Tiles and board actions
| Card | Buy | Play | Effect | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tile 2 | 1 | 0 | Place a 2 on an empty square. | 8 |
| Tile 4 | 2 | 0 | Place a 4 on an empty square, and score 4 points. | 6 |
| Tile 8 | 3 | 1 | Place an 8 on an empty square, and score 12 points. | 6 |
| Multiply | 3 | 1 | Double one tile of 64 or less. | 4 |
| Divide | 4 | 3 | Halve one tile. The tile must be larger than 2. | 4 |
| Swap | 4 | 1 | Swap the values of two tiles. | 4 |
| Remove | 5 | 4 | Remove one tile from the board. | 2 |
Points, cards and the clock
| Card | Buy | Play | Effect | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 pts | 3 | - | Score 40 points when you buy it. It cannot be played, so after that it only takes up space in your hand. | 8 |
| 80 pts | 5 | - | Score 80 points when you buy it. | 4 |
| 200 pts | 9 | - | Score 200 points when you buy it. | 4 |
| 1 Draw | 3 | 0 | Draw 1 card and score 2 points. | 4 |
| 1 Draw & 1 Energy | 4 | 0 | Draw 1 card and gain 1 energy. | 4 |
| 2 Draws | 5 | 0 | Draw up to 2 cards. | 4 |
| Reduce 8% | 5 | 3 | Take 8% off your opponent's clock. | 2 |
| Win card | 12 | - | Buying it wins the game on the spot. | 1 |
How the game ends
- The board locks up. The moment the board is full and no slide in any direction would change it, the game ends and the higher score wins.
- A clock runs out. Each player has their own clock, which runs only on their turn. If yours reaches zero, you lose immediately.
- Someone buys the Win card. It is not in every shop, there is only ever one, and buying it ends the game in the buyer's favour.
As in multiplayer 2048, you cannot see your opponent's score until the game is over.
Thinking about strategy
EX-2048 is young, and there is no settled theory for it yet. These are the ideas that follow most directly from the rules, and good starting points for developing your own.
Energy is a turn-by-turn budget
Because unspent energy disappears at the end of your turn, the question is never whether to spend it, only what on. A turn where you end with energy left over is usually a turn where you could have bought something. Your starting deck is mostly 1 Energy cards, so an early hand usually gives you three or four energy; buying better energy cards early raises what every later turn can afford.
Every purchase changes every future hand
You can never remove a card, and you only draw five at a time. A cheap card that is weak later in the game will keep taking up space in your hand long after you stop needing it. Before buying, ask whether you will still be glad to draw the card in ten turns.
The Win card is a question of reaching 12 in one turn
Since energy does not carry over, buying the Win card needs 12 energy generated within a single turn. If it is in the shop, look at both decks: which player can realistically put together a 12-energy turn first? Building towards that, or winning on points before your opponent gets there, can decide the whole game.
The board is shared, so placement is a gift or a trap
Every tile you place is one your opponent can merge. Placing a tile next to its twin only helps you if you also have the move to merge it this turn. Otherwise you may be setting up your opponent's points. Swap, Divide and Multiply can turn a board that suits your opponent into one that suits you.
Points cards are insurance, and the board is a clock
Points cards score without touching the board, which matters when the board is not going your way. And because the game ends as soon as the board locks up, a player who is ahead can try to fill it quickly, while a player who is behind wants to keep space open. Know which of the two you are.
New to M2048? See all the game modes, including practice bots for EX-2048.