How to play Bunfight

The shop

• You get 10 coins at the start of every round. A creature or a food costs 3 coins and a reroll costs 1. Coins you do not spend are lost (a few creatures reward keeping one back).
• Tap a creature in the shop, then tap a space in your team to buy it. You can drag instead. Your team has six spaces and the front is on the right.
• Tap one of your creatures to see what it does, sell it (one coin per level) or move it: tap another space to swap.
• Freeze a shop card with the snowflake and it stays for the next round. Better creatures appear as the rounds go on: tier 2 from round 3, up to tier 6 from round 11.

Levelling up

Drop a copy of a creature on top of one you own and they combine: it keeps the better stats plus one, and its ability gets stronger. Three copies make level 2 and six make level 3. A Sticky Toffee Pudding counts as one more copy.

The fight

• The two front creatures clash and both hit at once. When one faints, the next in line steps up. The team with creatures left standing wins.
• Abilities go off by themselves: at the start of a fight, when a creature is hurt, when it faints, when a friend faints, or when it knocks an enemy out.
• Win and you collect a rosette. Lose and you lose a heart. A draw changes neither. The fete closes after round 15.

The five tribes

• Hedgerow (Thick Hedge): sturdy creatures that grow and leave things behind. Two give every Hedgerow creature +2 health at the start of a fight; four give +2/+4.
• Seafront (Sea Spray): sharpshooters. Two send two waves at random enemies for 2 each before the fight; four send four.
• The Local (On the House): the pub regulars, all about coins and buffs in the shop. Two give an extra coin each round; four give two.
• Village Fete (First Prize): prizes that last. At the end of each round, one Fete creature (two with four) gets +1/+1 for good.
• Night Bus (Last Bus Home): fainting is only the beginning. When a Night Bus creature faints, a random friend gets +2/+2 for that fight (+3/+3 with four).

Food and perks

• Jammy Dodger +1/+1, Cup of Tea +3 health, Sausage Roll +2 attack, Cream Tea +1/+1 to two creatures, Pork Pie +3/+3 and Sunday Roast +2/+2 to the whole team. All for good.
• Perks: a Brolly blocks the first hit completely, a Pickled Onion hits back for 3 when it faints, Hot Mustard splashes the enemy behind for 2 and a Lucky Horseshoe survives one knockout blow. A creature carries one perk at a time.

Who you play against

Every time you press Fight, your team is saved as a snapshot for that round. Other players at the same round, with a similar record, are matched against those snapshots, and you are matched against theirs. When nobody has reached your round yet, a house team such as the Vicarage XI steps in.

Scoring

100 points for every win and 25 for every draw. Win 10 fights for Best in Show: another 200 points, plus 50 for each heart left. Everyone gets the same shop, so the daily leaderboard is fair.

Tips

• Spend every coin early on: three cheap creatures beat one good one in round 1.
• Put a tough creature, or one with a Brolly, at the front. Start-of-fight shooters such as the Puffin and the Mole are happiest further back.
• Aim for two of a tribe early and four later. Pairs of the same creature are worth more than you think.
• Freeze a strong creature you cannot afford, and come back for it next round.

Frequently asked questions

Is it the same shop for everyone?

Yes. Everyone gets the same shop each round, and the same new cards when they reroll. Your choices and your opponents make the difference.

Are my opponents real people?

Usually. They are snapshots of teams other players built at the same round today or in the last few days. When there are none yet, you meet a house team.

Can I play more than once?

Your first run each day counts. After it you can replay today unranked, play past days from the calendar, or try free play with a random shop.

What if I close the page?

Open it again the same day and carry on from where you were. Every fight is saved as you go.

Is Bunfight free?

Yes. It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account.