Card Index
APEX PREDATOR
For each Apex Predator trait on your species:
– Increase your species’ attack value by 3.
– Other species take 2 fewer population than their attack value
when they attack your species.
A species with an Apex Predator trait may never forage regardless
of whether it has other traits with a forage icon. Announce when
your Apex Predator attacks so players with the nearest Shark
Cleaners remember to gain population.
BOTTOM FEEDER (Left & Right)
For each Bottom Feeder trait on your species:
– Your species will gain 2 population after the species to its
immediate right or left (depending on the direction of the
arrow) is attacked.
FILTER FEEDER
For each Filter Feeder trait on your species:
– Increase your species’ forage value by 5.
A species with a Filter Feeder trait will never overpopulate, which
means you may place population on the space with the fishbones
icon. This species still may not take population if it has no
available space on its species board. A species with a Filter Feeder
trait may never attack regardless of whether it has other traits
with an attack icon. Announce when your Filter Feeder forages so
players with the nearest Whale Cleaners remember to
gain population.
INKING
For each Inking trait on your species:
– Other species take 4 fewer population than their attack value
when they attack your species.
Note: Don’t forget that Shell icons do not reduce the attack value,
so traits like Shark Cleaner are not affected by Shell icons.
PARASITIC (Left or Right)
For each Parasitic trait on your species:
– Your species takes 2 population from the species to its immediate right or
left (depending on the direction of the arrow) before your feeding phase. If
that species does not have enough population, take as many as possible.
The leeching automatically triggers after your play cards phase, and before
your feeding phase. If you have more than 1 Parasitic trait, choose the order
in which to trigger them. Leeching does not count as a feeding, so you may
choose to feed the Parasitic species during your feeding phase in addition to
the leeching, or you may choose to feed a different species.
SCHOOLING
For each Schooling trait on your species:
– Your species will age an additional population during your aging phase.
A species with a Schooling trait may not be attacked if it has 5 or
more population.
SHARK CLEANER
For each Shark Cleaner trait on your species:
– Your species will gain 2 population after a species with an attack value
of 3 or greater attacks, as long as your species is the first species with a
Shark Cleaner trait to the attacker’s left, or the attacker’s right.
For example, everytime an Apex Predator attacks, two different species with
a Shark Cleaner trait will each gain 2 population. One of the Shark Cleaner
species will be the closest on the left side of the Apex Predator, the other will
be the closest on the right side of the Apex Predator. If there is only 1 Shark
Cleaner on the table, it gains 2 population (not 4 population for being the
closest on both sides of the attacker). The Shark Cleaner species does not
need to be immediately adjacent to the attacker, which is why the trait does
not have an adjacency arrow.
SPEED
For each Speed trait on your species:
– Increase your species’ forage value by 2.
– Increase your species’ attack value by 2.
– Increase the maximum number of traits your species can have by 1.
– Other species take 2 fewer population than their attack value when they
attack your species.
You may put a Speed trait on a species that already has its maximum number
of traits (including a species that has already has 1 Speed and 3 other traits).
SYMBIOTIC (Left & Right)
For each Symbiotic trait on your species:
– Your species will gain 1 population after the species to its immediate right
or left (depending on the direction of the arrow) forages or attacks.
TENTACLED
For each Tentacled trait on your species:
– If this is the species you choose to feed during your feeding phase (attack
or forage), then it may feed an additional time (attack or forage).
Resolve all triggered traits from the feeding, then overpopulation, before
starting an additional feeding. Additional feedings trigger traits as normal.
A species with Tentacled may not feed an additional time if it loses population
to overpopulation. Overpopulation on a different species (e.g., a species with
Bottom Feeding or Shark Cleaner) does not end this species feeding.
TRANSPARENT
A species with Transparent may not be attacked or leeched if the Reef has at
least 1 population in it.
WHALE CLEANER
For each Whale Cleaner trait on your species:
– Your species will gain 3 population after a species with a forage value of 3
or greater forages, as long as your species is the first species with a Whale
Cleaner trait to the forager’s left, or the forager’s right.
For example, every time a Filter Feeder forages, two different species with a
Whale Cleaner trait will each gain 3 population. One of the Whale Cleaner
species will be the closest on the left side of the Filter Feeder, the other will
be the closest on the right side of the Filter Feeder. If there is only 1 Whale
Cleaner on the table, it gains 3 population (not 6 population for being the
closest on both sides of the forager). The Whale Cleaner species does not
need to be immediately adjacent to the forager, which is why the trait does
not have an adjacency arrow.
Deep Cards
ADVANCED EYES
Ignores 1 defensive trait when attacking a species with a Deep trait.
Conditions for “ignore” effects are checked simultaneously before anything is ignored, and an “ignore” effect won’t undo its own condition retroactively. If a target has only 1 Deep trait, and that Deep trait is defensive, the species with Advanced Eyes can ignore that trait. Afterwards, as far as the species with Advanced Eyes is concerned, the target doesn’t have any Deep traits, but its “ignore” effect still applies.
● If the target has multiple copies of the same defensive trait, Advanced Eyes only ignores 1 of those copies.
● The defensive trait that Advanced Eyes ignores does not have to be a Deep trait.
● If the ignored defensive trait triggers from the attack, the attacker isn’t affected by it.
AMBUSH
After each species forages, take 2 population from it.
● The trigger isn’t optional. The species with Ambush takes 2 population after another species forages, even if that means the species with Ambush would overpopulate or take from one of your own species.
● Species can’t take from themselves. If the species with Ambush forages, it won’t take population from itself.
BIOTIC CYCLE REVERSAL
Gains 3 after an attack reduces this species to 0 population.
The effect triggers whenever the species with Biotic Cycle Reversal is reduced to 0 population
due to an attack. Biotic Cycle Reversal only triggers from the effect that reduces its population
to 0. Biotic Cycle Reversal doesn’t trigger if its population is reduced to 0 from some other
effect, such as leeching, losses caused by scenarios, and so on.
● Effects that count as losing population due to an attack include:
○ Being attacked.
○ Having population taken by Hydra during an attack.
○ Losing population due to an effect that triggers specifically from attacking or being attacked. An attacker can lose population due to its own attack.
○ Losing population due to an effect that triggers from another effect that’s triggered due to the attack. In other words, any chain of triggers that started specifically from attacking or being attacked.
● Triggers resolve in turn order. If Biotic Cycle Reversal triggers while there are other triggers waiting to resolve, it may resolve before those earlier triggers if its controller comes earlier in the turn order.
BLUBBER
May store 9 extra population on the species board.
BRIGHT COLORATION
Gains 1 after a new species is created.
Traits can’t be triggered by themselves being played, or affect anything triggered by themselves being played. Bright Coloration won’t trigger itself if it’s used to create a new species, though it will trigger other copies of Bright Coloration already in play.
CAMOUFLAGE
[Defense +2] for each other species you have.
● If the species with Camouflage is your only species, Camouflage provides [Defense 0]. Camouflage still counts as a defensive trait even if it’s not providing any [Defense].
● The [Defense] provided by Camouflage is continually updated as you get or lose species, even if you happen to get or lose a species during a feeding turn.
COMMUNICATION
May have 1 extra trait. All gains are doubled.
DEFENSIVE SPINES
Species lose 4 population to the Reef after attacking or leeching from this species.
EXTREMOPHILE
May have 1 extra trait. May not be leeched. Never overpopulates. Never goes extinct.
FILTER FEEDER
Never overpopulates. May store 5 extra population on the species board.
● Each Surface trait has a Deep version that’s more powerful. The Deep version of Filter Feeder has an additional point of [Forage] and allows the species to store 5 extra population on the species board.
● The Deep version of Filter Feeder does not count as a Surface trait.
GENTLE GIANT
May not be attacked. May store 5 extra population on the species board.
GEOTHITE EXOSKELETON
May have 1 extra trait. Can’t be attacked by a species with less than [attack value 9].
● Goethite Exoskeleton doesn’t reduce the amount of population taken by an attacker. If an
attacker has [Attack 9], it still takes 9 population.
GRAZER
Before your feeding phase, takes 2 population from the Reef.
● If there is only 1 population in the Reef, Grazer just takes 1. If there is no population in the Reef, Grazer’s effect does nothing.
LEVIATHAN
Aging +1. May not be attacked.
LUMINOUS BACTERIA
May have 1 extra trait. May forage from any Ocean zone.
● Luminous Bacteria doesn’t prevent the species from foraging from the Reef.
● The reserve bag is not an Ocean zone. Luminous Bacteria doesn’t allow species to forage from
there. After the reserve tokens are placed into the Ocean, a species with Luminous Bacteria
can forage from them.
● If a species foraging from the Ocean causes the Ocean to become empty, the reserve tokens
are immediately placed into the final Ocean zone. If the foraging species was unable to take its
full forage value from the Ocean, it doesn’t take the remainder from the reserve tokens.
● This trait is mostly redundant with the Long Haul Migration scenario. If that scenario is active,
there’s no special cumulative bonus to having Luminous Bacteria also.
NEUROTOXIN
Species lose 2 population to the Reef after they attack or are attacked by this species.
● Even though it affects attacks, Neurotoxin doesn’t have a black text box, and it isn’t a defensive trait. It can’t be ignored by effects that ignore defensive traits.
● Neurotoxin doesn’t affect how much population a species takes in an attack. A species can still attack a species with Neurotoxin, even if all the population it takes would be lost to the Reef.
● The losses caused by Neurotoxin are considered to be “due to an attack” for traits that care about that.
● The Neurotoxin trigger is owned by the player who owns the species with Neurotoxin, regardless of whether their species is attacking or being attacked. It resolves in their place in the turn order.
SEA REX
Aging +2.
SWARMING
Never overpopulates. [Attack +1] for each population.
● A species automatically gets [Attack 1] if its [Attack] would be less than 1. If a species has
Swarming, no other traits with [Attack], and 0 population, its [Attack] is still increased to 1.
TENTACLED
May feed 2 additional times.
● Each Surface trait has a Deep version that’s more powerful. The Deep version of Tentacled allows a species to feed 2 additional times, not just 1.
● The Deep version of Tentacled does not count as a Surface trait.
WARM BLOODED
May have 1 extra trait. May age an additional 1-3 population.
● The aging ability of Warm-Blooded is optional. The species with Warm-Blooded still has to age at least its usual amount of population.
Deep Pack 1
ACUTE SMELL
Gains 1 when each Shark Cleaner triggers.
BARBELS
Gains 1 when each Bottom Feeder triggers.
BOTTOM FEEDER
Gains 2 after an adjacent species (Left and Right) loses population due to an attack.
GIGANTIC SCAVENGER
After a species with [Attack 5] or more attacks, takes 2 population from that species.
IMPOSTOR CLEANER
After Shark Cleaners gain, takes 1 population from each of them.
REGENERATION
May have 1 extra trait.
Gains 1 after losing population due to an attack.
ROWS OF TEETH
When attacking, Bottom Feeders and Shark Cleaners that gain take 1 additional population.
SCAVENGER
Gains 1 after a species loses 2 or more population due to an attack.
SHARK CLEANER
After a species with [Attack 3] or more attacks, gains 3 if this is the closest Shark Cleaner on either side.
THE KRAKEN
[Attack 13]
Ignores “may not be attacked” effects on species with at least [Forage 5] or [Attack 5]. May attack 2 additional times.
Deep Pack 2
LIVING ECOSYSTEM
[Forage 2]
Before your feeding phase, migrate population equal to this species’ [Forage value] from any ocean zone to the Reef.
ZOOPLANKTON
[May not forage]
[May not attack]
[Gain 3]
May not be attacked. Gains 3 after population is migrated to the Reef. Adjacent species may forage from this species board.
MIGRATORY FILTER FEEDER
[May not attack]
[Forage 6]
May store 9 extra population on the species board. May forage from any ocean zone.
IMPOSTOR CLEANER
After Whale Cleaners gain, takes 1 population from each of them.
COLOSSUS
[Forage 11]
May not be attacked by a species whose [red icon] is less than this species’ [green icon].
May take less population than its [Forage value].
DEEP DIVER
[Forage X]
[Forage +2] for each Deep trait on this species. May forage from any ocean zone.
SCHOOLING
Aging +3
May not be attacked if this species has 5 or more population.
TAIL WHIP
Before your feeding phase, takes 1 population from each species with Schooling.
WHALE CLEANER
After Whale Cleaners gain, takes 1 population from each of them.
BUBBLE NET
Ignores Schooling when attacking.
Deep Pack 3
MASSIVE FINS
[May not attack]
[Forage 8]
After this species forages, every Parasitic leeches 1 from it.
May forage from any ocean zone.
CTHULHU LEECH
Play on any player’s species. It counts as a trait and may not be removed or copied. You score 2 of its population before it ages.
MUCOUS COCOON
May not be leeched. Before your feeding phase, species with a leeching trait lose 1 population to the Reef.
TENTACLE LEECH
Before your feeding phase, leeches 2 from a species with a Deep trait.
CHITIN PLATED MAW
Before your feeding phase, leeches 4 from the species with the greatest [red icon]. Pick one if there is a tie.
PARASITE CLEANER
Before your feeding phase, takes 1 population from every species with a leeching trait.
PARASITIC
Before your feeding phase, leeches 2 from an adjacent species.
PATHOGEN CULTIVATION
[May not forage]
[Attack 5]
May not be leeched. Ignores “may not be attacked” effects on species with a leeching trait.
POISONOUS SPINES
After being attacked, the attacker and each species that gained from the attack lose 3 population to the Reef.
MEGAMOUTH
[Forage 5]
[Attack 5]
Deep Pack 4
KLEPTOPARASITIC
Aging +2 After an adjacent species attacks, takes 1 population from that species.
GIANT CEPHALOPOD
May feed 3 additional times.
SEDENTARY COLONY
[May not forage]
[May not attack]
May not be attacked. Takes 1 population from any ocean zone when an adjacent species gains.
CAVITATION BULLET
[attack 2]
Never takes more than 2 population from an attack. Ignores all defensive traits when attacking.
ENDURANCE
[Gain +2]
Aging +2 Takes 2 extra population when it gains.
FILTER KRAKEN
[May not attack]
May forage 2 additional times.
MUTUALISM
[Gain 1]
Gains 1 when each Symbiotic triggers.
SYMBIOTIC
[Gain 1]
Gains 1 after an adjacent species forages or attacks.
TELOMERE REPAIR
[Gain 2]
Gains 2 before aging. Does not score during aging.
HARD SHELL
[Shell 6]
Deep Pack 5
BIOLUMINESCENCE
[Gain 1]
Gains 1 after a Deep trait is played on a species.
PACK HUNTING
[Attack x2]
May have 1 extra trait. Doubles each [red icon] on this species’ traits.
DRACONIC
[May not forage]
[Attack 7]
[Shell 3]
Overpopulation is scored instead of lost.
TUSKS
[Forage 2]
[Attack 2]
[Shell 5]
DENSE POPULATION
May have 1 extra trait. May store 9 extra population on the species board.
CRUSHING JAW
Ignores all [shell icon] when attacking.
SPEED
[Forage 3]
[Attack 3]
[Shell 3]
May have 1 extra trait.
BEHEMOTH
[May not forage]
[Attack 3]
Ignores “may not be attacked” effects if this species has a greater [red icon] than the target.
POISONOUS INKING
[Shell 4] This Species and adjacent Species have [Shell 4]
ELECTRORECEPTION
[Forage 2] [Attack 2] Ignores 1 defensive trait when attacking.
Deep Pack 6
ABYSS DWELLER
[May not forage]
May not attack or be attacked by species with a Surface trait. Evolves other Deep traits for free.
GIGANTIC BRAIN
May have up to 9 traits total, regardless of other effects. Ages population equal to the number of traits it has. Other effects may never reduce this amount.
RAPID MUTATION
After being attacked, may replace this trait with a free Deep Card in the Gene Pool.
ATAVISM
May have 2 extra traits. Before your feeding phase, may swap traits with Surface cards in your hand.
GENE TRANSFER
May have 2 extra traits. Before your feeding phase, may swap Surface traits for traits on one of your adjacent species.
VESTIGIAL LIMB
Play on another player’s species. It counts as a trait and may not be removed. Play another trait after playing this one.
FLIGHT
May not be attacked unless the attacker has Speed. Ignores Schooling and Inking when attacking a species without a Deep trait.
TINY
May not be attacked by a species with [red icon 2] or greater. Discard this trait if its [green icon] or [red idon] is greater than 2.
TRANSPARENT
May not be attacked or leeched if there is population in the Reef. Ignores “may not be attacked” effects on Deep traits.
Deep Pack 7
VORACIOUS FEEDER
May feed in addition to your normal feeding turn if you have played another trait on it this turn.
HYDRA
[May not forage]
[Attack 4]
When attacking, may also take 1 population from any number of species without a defensive trait.
FAST METABOLISM
May age on any player’s aging phase.
SLOW METABOLISM
May have 2 extra traits. May age 0.
GARGANTUAN
[May not forage]
[Attack 9]
May not attack a species unless that species has at least 7 population. Ignores “may not be attacked” effects.
DEEP-SEA KRAKEN
[May not forage] May attack 1 additional time. Population from each attack after the first goes directly to your score pile.
BURROWER
After an attack on an adjacent species is resolved, if the attacker is a valid target, this species may attack it once.
COPROPHAGIA
Before your feeding phase, takes 2 population from any player’s score pile onto its species board.
APEX PREDATOR
[Cannot forage]
[Attack 4]
[Shell 3]
INKING
[Shell 4]
Species lose 3 population to the Reef after attacking this species.