2020 BGG rank #18557

Penalties: Animal Cup

2 players 10 min Ages 8+ 1.0/5 complexity 5.5/10 rating

About this game

The Animal Cup final between Jungle United and Forest F.C. remains a draw after the extra time. The winner will be decided on penalties! The goalkeeper guesses the intentions of the striker and chooses which side to defend. The striker chooses one of their available shots to try to score a goal. Reveal the chosen cards to know if it's a goal or a miss! —description from the publisher

What it feels like

Simulation Card Play Conflict Resolution Hand Management Card Game Deduction Sports Anthropomorphic Animals

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Setup

1. One player takes the coin, flips it, and covers the result. The other player calls heads (ball) or tails. The winner of the toss decides either to shoot first or to pick one of the two teams (Jungle United or Forest F.C.). 2. Each player takes all 10 cards of their team. 3. Keep the 3 goalkeeper cards secret in your hand. 4. Arrange your 7 striker cards face-up on your side of the table in the following order: - Left: Shooting for the left corner + Shooting for the top corner cards - Centre: Paradinha + Panenka cards - Right: The 2 Shooting for the right cards 5. Place the scoreboard to one side of the table with the fans-celebrating side face up, oriented so each player has their own team's crest on their side.

Turn flow

The game is played as a series of 5 penalties. The two players alternate as striker and goalkeeper for each penalty in the series. Each penalty follows these steps: 1. GOALKEEPER CHOOSES: The defending player secretly selects one of their 3 goalkeeper cards and places it face-down in the centre of the table. 2. STRIKER CHOOSES: The attacking player selects one of their available face-up striker cards and places it in the centre of the table. 3. REVEAL & RESOLVE: The goalkeeper card is flipped face-up. Both cards are compared using the shot-type rules to determine if it is a goal or a miss (see SHOTS rules). 4. RECORD RESULT: The used striker card is placed face-down on the player's side of the scoreboard — ball side up for a goal, X side up for a miss. Used striker cards are not returned; they are spent for the series. The series ends early if one player has already secured an unassailable lead before all 5 penalties are taken. If tied after 5 penalties, sudden death rounds follow.

Scoring and victory

The player who scores the most goals in the 5-penalty series wins. If tied, sudden death rounds are played until one player scores and the other misses in the same round. Target score: Best of 5 penalties; first to gain an unassailable lead, or first to score when the opponent misses in sudden death Scoring sources: Goals scored during the 5-penalty series, Goals scored during sudden death rounds (as tiebreaker)

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

A coin toss decides who shoots first or who picks their team.

Before the game, one player flips the coin and covers the result. The other player calls heads (ball side) or tails. The player who guesses correctly decides either to shoot first in the penalty series or to choose which of the two teams (Jungle United or Forest F.C.) they will play as. The loser of the toss gets the remaining option.

Setup

Striker cards are arranged face-up in a specific left/centre/right layout; goalkeeper cards are kept secret in hand.

Each player takes their team's 10 cards. The 3 goalkeeper cards are held in the player's hand, kept secret at all times during setup. The 7 striker cards are placed face-up on the player's side of the table in this order: left corner and top corner cards on the left; paradinha and Panenka cards in the centre; the 2 right-side cards on the right. This public layout lets both players see which striker cards are still available.

Setup

The scoreboard is placed with the celebrating-fans side up, with each player's team crest facing them.

Flip the scoreboard to the side showing fans celebrating the team that shoots first. Place it to one side of the table, oriented so that each player has their own team's crest facing their direction. After each penalty, used striker cards are placed on the corresponding team's side of the scoreboard to record the result.

Turn structure

The goalkeeper secretly places a goalkeeper card face-down first.

At the start of each penalty, the defending player secretly selects one of their 3 goalkeeper cards — representing left, centre, or right — and places it face-down in the centre of the table. This choice must be made before the striker reveals their shot selection.

Turn structure

The striker selects an available face-up striker card and places it in the centre.

After the goalkeeper has placed their card face-down, the attacking player selects one of their currently available (face-up, unused) striker cards and places it face-up in the centre of the table. Once used, a striker card is removed from the table and not available again during the current 5-penalty series.

Turn structure

The goalkeeper card is revealed and both cards are compared to determine the result.

After both cards are placed, the goalkeeper card is flipped face-up. The two cards are placed side by side and compared according to the shot type indicated on the striker card (see shot-type rules: Panenka, For the Right, For the Left Corner, Paradinha, For the Top Corner). The outcome is goal or miss based on these rules.

Turn structure

The used striker card records the result on the scoreboard.

The used striker card is flipped face-down and placed on the striker's team's side of the scoreboard. If the result was a goal, the ball face is shown. If it was a miss, the X face is shown. This card is now spent and cannot be reused in the current 5-penalty series.

Special

Panenka: saved if the goalkeeper guesses the centre direction.

The Panenka is a soft, lob shot aimed at the centre of the goal. It is saved simply by the goalkeeper having chosen the centre goalkeeper card. If the goalkeeper chose left or right, it is a goal. No coin flip is involved.

Strategy briefing

Best striker cards to save for late game

The paradinha and left corner shots are statistically the strongest. The paradinha wins automatically if the goalkeeper dives, and even forces a second guess if they stay centre. The left corner cannot be saved with certainty even when guessed correctly. Saving these for late in the series maximises pressure when stakes are highest.

Goalkeeper adaptation

As the series progresses, the goalkeeper gains information about which striker cards remain available (since used cards are visible on the scoreboard). Prioritise defending against the opponent's remaining powerful shots (paradinha, left corner) rather than wasting coverage on directions the striker has already exhausted.

Top corner as an all-or-nothing gamble

The top corner shot ignores the goalkeeper entirely and is resolved purely by coin flip (50/50). It is best used when you want to take a guaranteed-chance shot regardless of the goalkeeper's reads, or when you wish to preserve your paradinha/left corner cards for later.

Unpredictability as a defensive strategy

Since goalkeeper cards are reused each round, the goalkeeper should vary their choices to avoid establishing a readable pattern. If the striker can predict the goalkeeper's tendencies, they can exploit easier shot types (Panenka, right) knowing the goalkeeper is diving elsewhere.

Managing the Panenka and right-side shots

The Panenka and right-side shots are the weakest — saved by simply guessing correctly with no coin-flip safety net. Use these early in the series or when you need to conserve stronger cards, accepting the higher risk of the goalkeeper guessing correctly.

Big Final variant forces harder decisions

In Big Final mode, discarding one striker card secretly reduces your arsenal to 6 shots and introduces extra bluffing — your opponent does not know which card you removed. Consider discarding a weaker card (Panenka or right) to preserve all your strong options while keeping your opponent uncertain.

Common questions and edge cases

The goalkeeper dives to the left, correctly guessing a left corner shot. Is it automatically saved?

No. Even when the goalkeeper correctly guesses a left corner shot, it is NOT automatically saved. The striker flips the coin: heads (ball) = still a goal; tails = miss. The goalkeeper can never be 100% sure of saving a left corner shot.

Does it matter which goalkeeper card is chosen when the striker plays a top corner shot?

No. The goalkeeper card chosen has absolutely no effect on a top corner shot. The result is determined entirely by the striker flipping the coin — heads is a goal, tails is a miss.

The goalkeeper stays in the centre during a paradinha. What happens?

The goalkeeper must secretly choose a second goalkeeper card. The striker then places the coin (ball side up) on either the left or right side to declare the shot direction. If the goalkeeper's new card matches that side, it is saved (miss). If not, it is a goal. The striker openly declares direction via coin placement, but the goalkeeper's card choice is secret.

The goalkeeper chose left or right during a paradinha. What happens?

The striker scores automatically. The striker shoots to the opposite side — there is no coin flip needed. It is an automatic goal.

The goalkeeper stays in the centre against a Panenka shot. Is it a goal or a miss?

It is a miss (saved). The Panenka is saved by simply having the goalkeeper choose the centre card. No coin flip is involved.

What happens if a striker runs out of certain cards and is forced to use less favourable shots?

Striker cards are spent after use and are not recovered during the 5-penalty series. Players must choose wisely. If a player has used all their powerful shots early, they must use whatever cards remain. This is by design — hand management is a core strategic tension.

Can the series end before all 5 penalties are taken?

Yes. If the partial score makes it mathematically impossible for one player to win (i.e., the leading player cannot be caught), the series ends immediately. For example, if one player leads 3–0 with only 2 penalties remaining for each, the trailing player cannot win even with a perfect finish.

Which cards do players get back for sudden death, and how are they arranged?

Players recover the 5 striker cards they used during the series (the cards placed on the scoreboard). They re-arrange them face-up in the same layout as setup: left corner and top corner on the left, paradinha and Panenka in the centre, right-side cards on the right. Goalkeeper cards were never spent, so they are already in hand. Sudden death proceeds with 1 penalty per player per round.

In Big Final mode, does your opponent know which card you discarded?

No. The discarded striker card is placed face-down without showing it to the opponent. This adds an extra layer of hidden information, as your opponent does not know which 6 cards you have available.