Blackfire Plays Strong

You put down the Two of Pinbar, changing suit, and now Blackfire must again put down a card of either higher value or of the better suit.

She plays the 12 of Pinbar!!

"Blackfire!" you shout. "Did you need to raise the number level so high already?"

"No," she says, "but I wanted to, and I did."

Raven looks through her hand, and finds a card that can beat it. She plays her 12 of Gablurniff. This forces you to play your 12 of Klork earlier than you had hoped.

Blackfire is calm as she plays her 13 of Klork. Now the only card Raven can play that can beat it is a 13 of Pinbar, which you know you don't have, or a G'blindos.

Raven plays a G'blindos of Gablurniff, changing suit.

"So, how do these work?" she asks.

"G'blindos are the highest in point value," Blackfire says. "They can be beat by either a G'blindos of the Defeating Suit--Klork, in this case--or by a combination of cards, such as Straights or Doubles."

"In the case of a double," you begin to explain, "at least one card must be of the Defeating Suit, while the other can be of any suit.

You show her this by playing a double.

You play your two Fours, of Klork and Pinbar, defeating the G'blindos! But Blackfire easily trumps you again with a double 11, also of Klork and Pinbar.

"You love stepping it up really high, huh?" you say as a few of the others chuckle.

Blackfire merely smiles as Raven looks in her hand.

"I don't have anything," she says. "Unless Straights beat Doubles."

"No, you have to do either a Double or a Straight to beat a G'blindo, and keep on that route until no one has any playable cards. You're turn again, Saffire."

"I don't have anything either," you say.

"Good, then I get a Free Play!" Blackfire says as she plays a Straight, 3 to 6, of both Gablurniff and Pinbar.

"Again with the big plays," you say.

"Straights can be beat by a Straight of the same amount of cards, and of higher numbers. So to beat a 3-4-5-6 straight is with at least a 4-5-6-7 straight."

"Now there's something I can play," Raven says, playing another four card Straight, 7 to 10, also of Gablurniff and Pinbar.

You counter with another 7 to 10 straight, but of Gablurniff and Klork.

"This straight wins out because the suits of my cards are higher than yours, card to card."

"I see..." Raven absorbs the information well.

"Oh darn," Blackfire says with a pout, "I don't have any cards to make a straight."

"Same here," Raven says. "Your turn again, Saffire."