Mattel, masters of card game variants, have come out with two new Uno variants: Uno No Mercy and Ono 99. Both games have included a variation that adds drama, hilarity, and increased strategy to the games. My brother and nephew brought these games home and I loved them so much that I had to share them with you!
Before I start the review, though, I want to applaud Mattel’s accessibility measure with the Uno decks. Uno is color-reliant for game play, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to play if you are color blind. To make them accessible to color-blind players, the cards are marked with different symbols for each color.
First up for review is Mattel’s Uno No Mercy. This is an even more diabolical version of Uno than Uno Flip (which we call Evil Uno). Here’s a brief synopsis of Uno, in case you haven’t played. You have cards with different numbers and colors and the goal is to get rid of your cards before your opponents do by matching either the number or color of the top card on the discard pile. There are Wild, Skip, Plus 2 and Wild Plus Four cards to create chaos in the game. If you don’t call Uno when you’re down to one card, you have to pick up two cards as a penalty. Uno Flip had two different decks printed on either side of each card. One side was the standard Uno deck and the reverse was an even wilder deck with special cards that create even more chaos.
What’s in the box?
A deck of Uno cards. Not your standard everyday Uno deck, though. There are some new, crazy cards included in the Uno No Mercy deck. In addition to the standard four colored “suits” numbered 0 to 12, with the usual Reverse, Skip, and Wild cards, there are: 0; Wild Reverse Plus 4; Wild Plus 6; 7; Wild Plus 10; Discard All; Skip Everyone; and Wild Color Roulette. And if you think those sound crazy, just wait until you understand how they work.
How to play Mattel’s Uno No Mercy
The same rules apply to Uno No Mercy as to Uno. Each player gets dealt seven cards, which they have to get rid of by matching the color or number of the card on top of the Discard pile. Those crazy new action and wild cards really spice things up, though. The Wild cards work the same, except the Wild Reverse Plus 4, which reverses the direction of play. If you play a 0 card, all players have to pass their hand to the next player. If you play a 7 card, you have to swap your hand with any player you choose (this is a requirement, not an option). If you play the Discard All card, you get to discard all of the cards in your hand that match the color/symbol of the card on top of the Discard pile. The Wild Color Roulette card the next player gets to choose a color/symbol, but then must draw cards (and reveal them to all players) until they pull a card that matches the color/symbol. And the Plus cards can be stacked! You can be forced to draw more than twenty cards, if you get unlucky. Stacking only happens if the card to be stacked is equal to or higher than the card being stacked onto (for example, you can’t stack a plus 2 on a plus 4 or higher), but those higher and higher amounts can get crazy!
How to win Mattel’s Uno No Mercy
Get rid of all your cards. It’s as simple as that, but not as easy as it sounds. With all those crazy new wild and action cards, just getting down to one card is a challenge. And don’t forget to say Uno when you have just one card left or you’ll have to draw two and find yourself back in the fray. There is an important rule to consider, though, which we missed when we played. The Mercy rule means that if your hand has more than 25 cards, you are out! Considering that I had to draw 60 cards in one turn due to stacking, I could certainly have used that rule!
How to play Mattel’s Ono 99
Ono 99 is pretty much the opposite of Uno. Instead of seven cards, you start with four and you draw a card every time you discard to make sure your hand stays at four cards. The deck includes cards numbered 0 to 10 and there are four special cards. The color is not relevant to the game. Each player is dealt four cards at the beginning of the game. As you discard, you add the number on your card to the sum of the discard pile. You have to keep a running total of the sum of the cards on the discount card.
TOP TIP: Use the calculator on your cell phone to track the running total of the discard pile.
The four special cards are: i) Ono 99 card, which cannot be played unless you collect four of them, at which point, you can discard them and draw four new cards; (ii) Reverse Card, which reverses the direction of play, just like the Uno reverse card; (iii) -10 card lets you subtract 10 points from the discard total (but the total can’t be less than zero); and (iv) Play 2 card, which requires the next player to take two turns by discarding one card, drawing a new one, then discarding a second card, as well. You can avoid the Play 2 by either playing a Reverse Card or stacking a Play 2 card on the one you were dealt. That only transfers the Play 2 card, though. The next player doesn’t have to play four turns.
How to win Mattel’s Ono 99
Determining the winner is easy. If your discard would bring the sum of the discarded cards to 99 or more, you are out! Play continues until there is only one player left. The winner is the last person with a hand of cards.
Uno No Mercy and Ono 99 are marked 7+ for age recommendations and, given the relative simplicity of the games, you can probably play it with younger children, though it might be better if the younger players are teamed with an adult. Uno No Mercy and Ono 99 are for 2-6 players. These are great games that can be quick and can be played in rounds with scoring, if you want. We love a good travel game, too!
Buy Uno Show Them No Mercy right now!
٭٭٭٭٭Highly recommended
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