Before you start playing, make sure all three Bakugans are closed so that they’re in their ball shape. You’ll roll them when you play, so they need to be closed. Set the three that you’re playing with in front of you and put all the other Bakugans off to the side. You aren’t allowed to switch out partway through the game.
For example, if your chosen Bakugans include one red, one blue, and one yellow, select gate cards with high numbers in the red, blue and yellow circles. You won’t always get perfect matches, but try to find the best options. The gate cards are made of metal, so they are heavier than the ability cards.
Blue cards add G-power during battle. Red cards are played during a roll to impact your roll or your opponent’s roll. Green cards have many different functions.
Keep the rest of your cards facedown in front of you, still unused. Each player sets their gate card down at the same time so the narrow sides of the cards are touching.
If your Bakugan doesn’t land on the gate card and open, pick the Bakugan up and put it in your used pile. It does not stay in play for that round. The Bakugan counts if one of three things happens: it lands on the gate and opens; it lands on the gate but doesn’t open; it opens on the gate but slides off of the card. If it lands on the card but doesn’t open, move it around so that it opens. If it opens and slides off of the card, move it onto the card.
If your opponent’s Bakugan lands on the gate card that is empty, play goes back to you. Roll your second Bakugan, trying to land it on the card your opponent is on.
The gate attribute bonuses are located along the left side of the card in colored circles. Your Bakugan’s G-power score can be seen printed inside the opened Bakugan. For example, if you have a green Bakugan, find the green circle and add that number to your Bakugan’s G-power score. If your G-power score is 300 and the gate bonus is 50, your current total is 350. Some gate card instructions may not apply until the end of the battle.
If you play an ability card and your opponent plays one, you are allowed to play another one or more cards. You rotate back and forth. If the first player doesn’t wish to play a card, but the second player plays an ability card, the first player still has the option to play an ability card. For example, play a blue ability card that allows you to add the gate bonus to your score twice. This gives you an edge over your opponent.
If the scores are tied, the player whose Bakugan landed on the gate card first wins the card.
If at any point during play you use all of your Bakugans, close them and return them to your unused pile. You are only allowed to reuse a Bakugan once all three of them have been used once.
