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How to play

THE GAME

Best On The Beat is cards on a real table. The phone is the referee. The Arena is the TV on the other side of the room.

SET THE TABLE

One friend. That is the whole league.

  • Each side brings 3 different players.
  • Shuffle a 30-card deck and draw 5.
  • You both start with 3 energy.
  • Raccoon is the chase card. Leave it out of the starting five.

HOW YOU WIN

First to 21. If one play would put you both over, finish that play and look at the score. Still tied? Keep going until somebody is ahead.

ONE POSSESSION

  • Call the play. The Arena card turns to the player with the ball.
  • The other side gets one answer. Tap their player.
  • Tap the cards that are in it.
  • The phone reads the make in one line.
  • Then clean up.

Energy is the gas. If you do not pay it, the move does not happen.

THE SIX CALLS

  • DUNK is the power move. It is worth 2, and it can bank a little momentum.
  • THREE is the long shot. It is worth 3 when it beats the defense.
  • SPEED is beating them down the floor.
  • STOP is the wall. A good stop can steal or block.
  • RHYTHM is stringing plays together.
  • STEAL takes the ball. A steal or a block can light a Fast Break.

You do not have to shoot. A stop that steals the ball arms a fast break on the next make. It is not a free extra possession.

THE MAKE

A dunk is 2. A three is 3. A fast break or a live rhythm adds 1, and the phone says it: DUNK 2 +1. Two fast breaks in a row is the limit.

HEAT

  • From 18, one make can end it. That side of the table glows. Play like it.
  • Two stops in a row light a hot streak.
  • Say the signature out loud when it happens. The phone and the Arena only confirm the name.

FAST BREAK

A Fast Break is a green light on the next play, not a free extra turn. It can add 1 point. Two in a row is the limit.

ON THE PHONE

HOME is your side. AWAY is theirs. The line at the top tells you to call, answer, or read the make. From 18 that side of the table glows. HOT lights after two stops. E is energy. MOM is momentum. NEXT PHASE walks the rest of the play. ARENA opens the second screen.

PLAY