Power cards
Power cards: Yatzy with a twist
Last updated 12 September 2026
EpicYatzy adds ten optional power cards to Yatzy and Maxi Yatzy. Every player holds a private hand, drawn at random when the game starts and topped up every few rounds. Cards bend the rules for one turn: an extra throw, a copied die, a frozen or rerolled opponent die, a blocked score row, or a Shield to cancel an attack. The dice and the score sheet stay exactly as in classic Yatzy, and the host can switch every card off.
Play Yatzy with power cards, free and without an account.
The ten cards
| Card | Type | When you play it | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Wind | Dice | After your three normal throws, before scoring | One extra throw this turn. Keep and roll dice exactly as in a normal throw. |
| Copycat | Dice | On your turn, with the dice settled | Set one unfrozen die to the face of another die of a different value. |
| Jinx | Attack | Right after the active player's first throw | Reroll one of their dice, even a kept one. It does not cost them a throw. |
| Frostbite | Attack | Right after the active player's first throw | Freeze one of their dice at its current face until the turn ends or they play Thaw. It still scores but cannot be rerolled or changed. |
| Detour | Attack | Right after the active player's first throw | Block one of their empty score rows for this turn. At least one row always stays open. |
| Shield | Defence | When a hostile card targets you | Cancel that card. Both cards are spent. You are only asked if you actually hold a Shield. |
| Pickpocket | Utility | On your turn | Steal one random card from an opponent's hand. They may Shield. |
| Trade | Utility | On your turn | Offer one of your cards and swap it for a random card from an opponent's hand. They may Shield. |
| Trade-In | Utility | On your turn | Discard this card and one other, then draw one random card from the enabled pool. |
| Thaw | Utility | On your turn | Unfreeze one of your Frostbitten dice. It keeps its face and is not rerolled. |
How many cards can you play in a turn?
On your own turn you may play one dice power (Second Wind or Copycat) and one utility power (Thaw, Pickpocket, Trade or Trade-In). So Copycat plus Trade-In is fine; Copycat plus Second Wind is not. Your opponents together get one accepted table attack against you per turn, whichever of Jinx, Frostbite or Detour lands first. Shield sits outside these limits: you may answer every hostile card aimed at you as long as you hold Shields. Played cards are always spent, including a cancelled attack and the Shield that cancelled it.
The attack window
Attacks happen at one moment only: right after the active player's first throw, before they may keep dice, roll again or score. A 15-second window opens for everyone else at the table. The first valid attack the server receives wins; later attempts cost nothing. If the target holds a Shield they get a Play Shield or Ignore prompt with no countdown; without a Shield the effect applies at once. After the window closes the active player continues undisturbed, and there is no second window after later throws, saved rolls or Second Wind.
Starting hands, refills and duplicates
Each player starts with seven random cards by default; the host can set anything from 0 to 10. Every draw picks uniformly from the enabled card types, so duplicates are normal and there is no finite deck to run out. After every fifth completed round (the host can choose Off or any interval from 1 to 20), everyone still at the table draws one more card. There is no maximum hand size. Nobody draws in the final round.
Playing classic Yatzy
The host chooses which cards are in the pool when creating the room. Switch them all off and you have classic Yatzy or Maxi Yatzy: no hands, no attack windows, no card prompts, just the physics dice, the turn timer and the shared scorecard. Removing Frostbite while keeping Thaw is allowed but pointless, so the game offers to remove Thaw too.
Frequently asked questions
How many power cards can I play in one turn?
On your own turn, one dice power (Second Wind or Copycat) and one utility power (Thaw, Pickpocket, Trade or Trade-In). Opponents together get one accepted table attack (Jinx, Frostbite or Detour) against you per turn. Shield is separate and answers each hostile card aimed at you.
Can other players see my cards?
No. Opponents see only how many cards you hold. Card identities are private until played, and even Pickpocket and Trade take a random card without revealing your hand.
Can a card change a score I have already written?
No. Cards act on dice and on the current turn only. Recorded scores are final, and Detour only blocks an empty row for one turn.
Can I play Yatzy without power cards?
Yes. The host can switch off any card or all of them. With every card off you get classic Yatzy or Maxi Yatzy: no hands, no attack windows, just dice and the score sheet.