Additional Information

TAIJI Supreme Ultimate Playing Cards does not have one specific game to play. This deck was designed to create new mechanics which allow for old classic games to still be played, but open up the door for many new games to be discovered. Some things are the same, some things are different. There will not be a simple short answer for how to play because the intention of this deck is to open up your creativity rather than tell you just one specific game to play. But for those who want just one game to play, then play Zeb! For those who want to unlock this deck’s full potential, keep reading.

This page will have way more information than what is necessary to be able to learn and play most of the games. However, for those interested in digging deeper into the fundamentals of this deck then the information below will be helpful. This page and entire site is in a constant evolution so check back every so often for new updates.

The Basics

  • 52 Total Cards

 

  • 2 Forces –
    • Yin (Negative) – Black Background Cards

    • Yang (Positive) – White Background Cards

  • 4 Suits –
    • Taiyin (Greater Negative) – Black icons on Black Background Cards

    • Taiyang (Greater Positive) – White Icons on White Background Cards

    • Shaoyin (Lesser Negative) – White Icons on Black Background Cards

    • Shaoyang (Lesser Positive) – Black Icons on White Background Cards

Game Mechanics

TAIJI Supreme Ultimate Playing Cards are a Universal Deck that can be used with multiple styles of Game Mechanics. The four main types of Game Mechanics are Taiji, Wuji, Classic & Interpretive.

  • Taiji Mechanics – In these games, cards represent the forces of Yin and Yang, with white cards representing Yang’s positive energy, and black cards representing Yin’s negative energy.  The goal of games using these mechanics is to make hands with a force value that is balanced or exactly the force value of 0, also known as Taiji. In the event of no hand value is exactly zero, then the hand force value closest to 0, or the hand force value with the lowest absolute value is the winner.

  • Wuji Mechanics – These game mechanics are similar to Taiji Mechanics in that the cards represent the forces of energy however the goal is to create the strongest hands. Hand force values may be either positive or negative, but the winning hand is the farthest from 0.  The polar opposite of Taiji Mechanics.

  • Classic Mechanics – These games do not use any aspect of card force values but instead use Direct or Face Value much like the standard deck mechanics using a 13 card hierarchy. See below for more details on card hierarchy. The goals of each game using Classic Mechanics will vary.

  • Interpretive Mechanics – These games do not use any aspect of forces but also don’t fall under Classic Mechanics. These are usually games where specific cards have unique functions and often only for the exact game you are playing. The same card value could mean something different in each game. These games will defy the normal logic all of the other 3 Game Mechanics include.

Card Types:

  • Number Cards (1 through 9)
  • Action Cards (Key, Void, X, Key)

Each Action Card has a unique value that derives its own value based on the other cards it gets paired with depending on what game you are playing. I know this may be confusing, but not all games will use the Action Card Values or sometimes the Action Card Value may be different. Below is the default Action Card Values you will frequently see used in many different games.

  • The “Key” is like a wild card that can be any force value between 1-9. This must remain the same force as the background color and once the card force value has been assigned to the Key it cannot be changed.
  • The “Dragon” is a powerful card that will nullify all of the opposing force cards by having a sliding card force value equal to all opposing force cards. The Dragon’s force value may change with the addition or subtraction of other cards. A Nonactivated Dragon has a force value of 11
  • The “Void” can absorb and nullify any other cards of the same force. A Void has a  sliding card force value equal to the polar opposite of the total card force value of all combined cards of the same force. A Nonactivated Void has a force value of 0.
  • The “X” doubles all card force values of the same force. A Nonactivated X has a force value of 10

What does “Nonactivated” mean? Simple meaning: Not active or being used. Complex meaning: Dragons, Voids, and X cards all require specific other cards in order to use their full potential value. When they are paired with the right cards, the force of the action card becomes activated which then can be affect by the value of the other cards. Sometimes there will not be any other cards in your hand that can use the force of the action cards. When an action card cannot be used, this is the “nonactivated” state of the card that uses a default card force value.

Card Values

Each card has its own values by themselves. When a player holds two or more cards, add up all of the individual card values to determine the Hand Force Value (HFV). Depending on what cards make up a player’s hand will determine the individual value of any action cards a player may have. The more cards a player holds, the higher range of potential Hand Force Values.

Below is the HFV Chart for all possible 2 card hands.

Card Hierarchy

When playing games using Classic Mechanics the games will require a defined order of cards.

LOWEST

  • Void (0)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • X (10)
  • Dragon (11)
  • Key (WILD)

HIGHEST

Note: Some games may use The Key as low or high similar to the Ace in a Standard Deck of Playing Cards.

Suits

Each force has 2 suits, making 4 suits in a complete deck. The suits follow “suit” with the theme of yin and yang. They are Taiyin, Shaoyin, Shaoyang, Taiyang. “Tai” meaning “Greater” and “Shao” meaning “Lesser”. This is visually depicted using the colors of the icons. Taiyin and Taiyang cards all have icons the same color as the background card with a shadow border. White on white, and black on black. If you think logically about this, white on white means overall the card has more white which means greater and same goes for black on black, means overall the card has more black which means greater. Shaoyin and Shaoyang cards use the same logic, and the icons are made up of only the opposite color of the background which means the card has overall less of the background color since the icon is solid of the opposite color. Black on white, and white on black. This may take a little bit of time to see clearly, but after playing for a little while you will eventually be able to quickly and clearly know what cards are what suits. (The current decks do not have pips in the corner, but we have had a suggestion to add them to future decks and are considering it even though they are not necessary to identify the suits which is why they are not currently in the corners and only on the center of the number cards.)

Suit Hierarchy

Some games may require a hierarchy and the default one is as below. It uses the logic that the greater negative cards are the lowest ranking, and the greater positive cards are the highest ranking. 

LOWEST

  • Taiyin (Greater Negative – Black Pips on Black Background)
  • Shaoyin (Lesser Negative – White Pips on Black Background)
  • Shaoyang (Lesser Positive – Black Pips on White Background)
  • Taiyang (Greater Positive – White Pips on White Background)

HIGHEST

Learn Games to Play

Now that you have a basic understanding of how this deck can function, head on over to “Discover Card Games“.  The best game to start with is probably 4 Card Draw, as it will help you get familiar with reading the cards (which will be difficult at first since your eyes are not used to the Black and White design).  But don’t worry, after a few rounds, the game mechanics are so natural that reading Hand Force Values will become second nature. We then would suggest playing War: Battle Combat next as this game will introduce trick-taking fundamentals that will be common in many games. Be patient, you now hold a very powerful deck in your hands and it will require some time and effort to unlock its full potential.  The coolest and most unique game by far is Zeb, a simple yet exciting family-friendly game.  There is multiple other games, and we are adding new ones all the time, but we will wrap things up with mentioning one more game called The Force, which is a group game similar to Texas Holdem and the most complex game currently listed. This will be a game for the serious poker player to transition to. We have high hopes for this game but it may take some time to get people to understand it completely.

Don’t get discouraged if things are a little complicated to begin. Remember, there was one time when you didn’t know if a flush beat a straight, or what does the “A” or “K” meant. There is a learning curve and we look forward to you embracing it. We will be here to assist along the way. This site will be in a constant state of evolution, so check back frequently for updates on new games, rule changes and all things related.

Enough of the background info, it’s now time for you to go on this journey into exploring “The Future of Playing Cards”, and enter the powerful world of TAIJI Supreme Ultimate Playing Cards! Your life will never be the same…