recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Peking Man

## Ability

### Ability

**Hunter-Gatherer****(Draw)** If it's after Round 2, a random card in your hand gains +28 Power permanently. **(Return)** An opponent's random card in hand loses -28 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

For over half a century, a mystery remained unsolved: whatever happened to the remains of the prehistoric homo erectus known as ‘**Peking Man**’? The collection of fossils, discovered in the outskirts of Beijing in the late 1920s, comprised skulls, skull fragments and bones of around 40 individuals who lived approx. 400,000 years ago.

In 1941, the fossils vanished in transit to the U.S. amid a backdrop of World War II. Theories of their whereabouts range from being lost at sea to being ground up for medicine. Thankfully, all was not lost, as casts of the fossils had been made.

Further excavations would later show that the Peking Man was able to control fire – an important skill given the cold winter weather in northern China.

'skull Peking Man' by kevinzim (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Ratatoskr

## Ability

### Ability

**Up and Down****(Draw)** Your Norse Mythology cards in hand gain +15 Power until played. **(Return)** Your remaining Norse Mythology cards in hand lose -5 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Climbing up and down the Norse tree of life delivering messages gets boring after a while - even for a squirrel. So, when acting as a middle-man between the eagles perched atop the World Tree and the serpent who dwells below it, **Ratatoskr** kept things interesting by embellishing the truth and putting his own spin on it.

According to some scholars of Norse mythology, Ratatoskr wasn’t just a tricksy squirrel intent on creating tension between the eagle and the serpent. In some interpretations, Ratatoskr deliberately gnawed on the tree of life to promote its continual destruction and regrowth cycle. Well, either that, or he just got bored of playing Norse whispers with the Gods.
Pyramid of the Sun

## Ability

### Ability

**Alignment****(Draw)** If your deck has 3 or more Aztec Mythology cards, your Wonders of Construction cards, wherever they are, gain +22 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

The **Pyramid of the Sun** in San Juan Teotihuacán is an awe-inspiring testament to the architectural achievements of the ancient civilization. Stretching a staggering 225 metres across and 75 metres high, it’s the third-largest pyramid in the world. For context, this behemoth is as big as a giant sequoia, the most massive trees on Earth.

Size aside, excavations underneath the pyramid have revealed an extensive tunnel system connecting to caves, considered sacred spaces by the Teotihuacan people. The exact purpose and symbolism of the cave system remains a mystery. But what we do know is that the Pyramid of the Sun was carefully positioned to align with prominent landmarks and astronomical events. Its orientation takes into account the Cerro Gordo mountain to the north, as well as specific dates for sunrises and sunsets.
Santa Claus

## Did You Know?

We are all believers here at CUE - but we hope you won't mind if we debunk three of the myths around Santa.

1. If you live in a modern apartment, don't worry about not having a chimney. That whole 'sliding down the chimney' thing (the physics of which is quite baffling) was made up by American author Washington Irving. He also gave Santa a pipe, which must have made anti-tobacco campaigners groan in despair. Remember kids - Real Santas don't smoke.

2. You think Santa wears Red and White? Pah. You fell for one of the best branding stunts of all time. It's no coincidence that Santa wears the same colors as a Coca Cola bottle because Coca Cola came up with the idea. Prior to that, everyone agreed that Santa wore whatever colors he felt like - as well he should.

3. As for flying Reindeer... well, \*maybe\*. But the earliest evidence we have of this is a poem written by Clement Moore, called 'A Visit from Saint Nicholas'. And yes, you probably do know the poem - it's more commonly known by its opening line: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'.

## Trivia

* This card is available on Christmas specials.
Pirapitinga

## Ability

### Ability

**Batesian Mimicry****(Play)** If you have played Teeth this game, your Fabulous Fish cards in hand gain +15 Power for 2 turns.

## Did You Know?

With their mouths closed, you could mistake the **Pirapitinga** for a regular (although pretty large) fish. But pry open their jaws and you’ll be surprised to find a row of human-like teeth. There aren’t many sights more unsettling, except perhaps <link="https:>Anne Hathaway without eyebrows.</link>

But there’s a good reason for their big teeth. You see, Pirapitinga - often considered the safe cousin of the Piranha - eats fruit, nuts and vegetation. As such, their teeth are set up to do this job well, just like ours. During the rainy season, the Red-bellied Pacu (as it’s sometimes called) moves into the flooded Amazon river to feast. That being said, Pirapitinga isn’t fussy, and will happily feed on crustaceans, insects and plankton when fruit salad is off the menu.
Playing Cards

## Ability

### Ability

**Ace Up Your Sleeve****(Play)** If you are losing the round, your cards in hand gain +10 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

**Playing Cards** were invented in Imperial China in the 9th Century. They commonly come in 52 card packs, and so the number of different ways a deck of cards can be shuffled is 52 factorial. This is calculated as 52 \* 51\* 50 \* 49\*... and so on etc to... \* 4 \* 3 \* 2 \* 1.

This results in a number that is 68 digits long.
Peace Sign

## Ability

### Ability

**Peace and Love****(Draw)** If you are tied in the round, both players gain +1:energy/turn: permanently.

## Did You Know?

It's one of the most widely known symbols in the world - but the **Peace Sign** started life as the emblem of the British anti-nuclear movement, the CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.) Gerald Holtom, the symbol's creator, was given the task of designing banners for the movement’s 50-mile-march from London to Aldermaston. So, Holtom came up with a graphic symbol that he proposed merged semaphore symbols for "N" and "D <link="http:>(representing Nuclear Disarmament)</link>. Alternatively, he envisioned it as a stylized figure with outstretched hands, symbolising powerlessness and resignation when confronted with the nuclear threat.

Contrary to unfounded rumours and conspiracy theories, the peace sign bears no connection to the Germanic "death rune" or historical rune alphabets. The misinterpretation linking it to Nazi-era symbolism arose from esoteric inventions in the early 20th century.
Perfect Storm

## Ability

### Ability

**Nature's Fury****(Return)** Your opponent's Science cards, wherever they are, cost +1 Energy this round and your Forces of Nature cards, wherever they are, gain +15 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

A **Perfect Storm** is not just a storm that features George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg\*. It is the name for any exceptionally severe storm resulting from a combination of weather phenomena.

The term was indeed popularised by the movie, which was based on a book, which was based on the 1991 Halloween Nor’easter - which combined the twelfth cyclone, eighth tropical storm, and fourth hurricane of the 1991 Atlantic season. While $200M in damage was incurred, ‘only’ thirteen people died - six of whom were on the fishing boat *Andrea Gail*. Waves during the storm rose to a recorded height of over 30 metres.

The term ‘Perfect Storm’ has now come to mean any ‘extremely bad situation in which many bad things happen at the same time’ (Cambridge Dictionary).
Polyphemus

## Ability

### Ability

**An Eye for an Eye****(Draw)** This card loses -60 Power this turn and an opponent's random card in hand loses -15 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

**Polyphemus** was the giant son of the god Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology. He was also a man-eating cyclops. On his way back from Troy, Odysseus found himself trapped in Polyphemus’ cave. So, he did as anyone would: he plied him with wine and plunged a burning stake into his eye. Now blind drunk (literally and figuratively) the giant was unable to stop Odysseus escaping by clinging on to the bellies of giant sheep let out to pasture.
Queen Anne's Revenge

## Ability

### Ability

**The Queen's War****(Draw)** If you have played any Unruly Rulers card this game, your Plundering Pirates cards, wherever they are, gain +18 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

When Blackbeard captured La Concorde, a French slaving vessel, he didn’t just fly the jolly roger and rename the ship - he turned it into the most fearsome pirate ship in the world, mounting it with 40 cannons.

For several months in 1717, Blackbeard used the newly-Christened **Queen Anne’s Revenge** to terrorise ships in the Atlantic, plundering shipping lanes and even blockading the port of Charleston in 1718, looting ships and taking medicines from the town.

It sank that same year after hitting a sanbank off of North Carolina, and Blackbeard took the opportunity to make off with all the loot, leaving most of his fellow pirates to fend for themselves. Given that he had a reputation of horrific magnitude in his day, they should have really seen that coming.
Pomeranian

## Ability

### Ability

**Prove Yourself!****(Play)** All other Dogs cards in both player's hands lose -15 Power for 2 turns. **(Return)** This card gains +32 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most popular breeds of small dog: the **Pomeranian** is a real-life teddy bear. But don’t underestimate this cute ball of fluff – back in the day, the breed used to pull sleds and herd animals. However, in those times (the 18th century), Poms were much bigger. They weighed around 30 pounds and were all white.

But Queen Victoria was a big fan of the breed, and also favoured dogs on the smaller size. So, she had them bred to be smaller, and by the end of her reign, the breed had shrunk in size by 50%. Just over a decade later, the Titanic sunk, and two Pomeranians were among the only three dogs to survive!
Pompadour Fish

## Ability

### Ability

**The Elvis Cut****(Play)** Your Kingfisher, King Cobra and King Penguin cards, wherever they are, gain +25 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Often dubbed the most stunning of all aquarium fish, the Discus – also known as the **Pompadour Fish** – is a genus of cichlids native to the Amazon river basin in South America. However, due to their attractive appearance and peaceful nature, this fish has drawn a cult following of collectors and spawned a multi-million-dollar industry complete with shows and competitions.

In the wild, Pompadour fish feed on algae, invertebrates, plant material and detritus – dead organic material. To keep safe from predators, discus congregate in large groups with dozens of members so they can eat in peace. In home aquariums, these fish can live up to 15 years if proper care is given, and can grow up to 8 inches in size.
Pompeii Worm

## Ability

### Ability

**It's Getting Hot****(Play)** If it's the last turn of a round and if you are trailing by -30 Power or less, this card gains +90 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

How does the **Pompeii Worm**, the most-heat tolerant animal on Earth, withstand temperatures of 60 degrees celsius in the super-heated hydrothermal vents they call home? The answer is fascinating, albeit slightly unsavoury.****

****It all comes down to a symbiotic relationship that the worm has with a form of bacteria. The bacteria clings to the worm, coating its back in a dense layer so thick that it insulates the worm, allowing it to rest its tail in piping hot water. In exchange, the bacteria receive a hearty meal of worm mucus.****

****Before studies on this worm were conducted, it was long agreed that 50 degrees was the limit at which animal life could survive - but this defiant deep sea critter has proven to be the exception to that rule.****
Pygmy Goat

## Ability

### Ability

**G.O.A.T(iny)****(Draw)** Your Mountain Goat card, wherever it is, gains +30 Power for 3 turns.

## Did You Know?

Reaching a maximum height of around 56cm, the **Pygmy Goat** is one of the smallest goats in the world. If you’re looking for a tiny bundle of joy with a friendly nature to keep as a pet, this goat could be it.

The domestication of pygmy goats goes as far back as 7500 BC; their resilience to the environment and climate made them the perfect farm animals above even sheep and cows.

In the wild, group sizes range from 5 – 20 members. Adult males butt heads to assert dominance, and the highest-ranking male pygmy goats mate with the females.

Like human children, goat kids like to cuddle. The baby pygmy goat pile is a common sight in the wild, as they snuggle up together for companionship and warmth.
Pygmy Possum

## Did You Know?

**Pygmy Possums** are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family *burramyidae*.

Endemic to Australia, these cute and furry little bundles of joy can be found in the bush and arid shrub-lands of southwestern Western Australia, several regions of South Australia and western Victoria, favouring places thick with vegetation.

They're extremely agile climbers and use their clever little grasping tails like bonus fifth limbs, leaping Spider Monkey style between even the tallest trees.

Just as they depend on their habitat, they also play a huge role in maintaining habitat health by pollinating plants.
Limbo

## Ability

### Ability

**Triple Barreled****(Draw)** Three random cards in your opponent's deck lose -25 Power for 3 turns. **(Return)** Three of your random Machines of War cards, wherever they are, gain +25 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

In its time, the **Limbo** was considered one of the most effective anti-submarine weapons, with a success rate of around 60%. Developed by the British in World War II, it had a range of approximately 450 yards. However, like the Caribbean dance it shares a name with, the lower the bar, the harder it gets.

As expected, the Limbo was effective against submarines that were at shallow depths, and less so against deep-diving submarines. Still, this weapon was linked to the sonar system of the ship, allowing Naval officers to fire when the target was in range.

Although it was eventually retired in the ‘80s for more modern anti-submarine weapons, the Limbo sank at least five enemy submarines during the Falklands War, including the Argentine submarine Santa Fe.
Rainbow

## Did You Know?

As you may know, **Rainbows** aren't bows at all - but instead full circles which we only see a part of. The spectrum is created by light reflecting and refracting off water droplets.

The Rainbow became the flag of Pride in 1978, reflecting the diversity and unity of the LGBTQ community. In 1994, to commemorate 25 years since the Stonewall Uprising, a mile-long Rainbow flag was carried by 5,000 people through New York City.

[Bonus fact: The idea that there are seven colours in the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) was made up by Isaac Newton, and is quite arbitrary. The actual spectrum is continuous and contains as many colours you can be bothered to come up with names for. Newton only chose seven colours because he felt the colours should match the seven-note musical scale.]
Sainte-Chapelle

## Ability

### Ability

**A King's Residence****(Play)** Your Unruly Rulers cards in hand gain +13 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

While some grand Gothic buildings can take years and years to build (in some cases hundreds - we’re looking at you, Sagrada Familia), the stunning **Sainte-Chapelle** was completed in a swift 7 years in the 13th Century.

Built inside the Palais de la Cité (where the French kings lived until the 14th Century), it was commissioned by King Louis IX so he would have somewhere to house all of his religious relics. After seeing the building, you’d be excused for thinking it’s a bit extra for what was ultimately intended as a trinket box. It’s now a museum and makes for a beautiful day trip, with its 1113 stained glass windows, depicting the history of the world up until the building’s completion.

The holy relics housed in the Sainte-Chapelle actually cost more than the construction of the building itself. These include the Holy Crown (the crown of thorns thought to be worn by Jesus) and a piece of the True Cross (thought to be wood from the cross from Jesus’ crucifixion). The Holy Crown has since been moved a couple of times, including after the Notre Dame fire in 2019, and is now housed in the Louvre Museum.
Manx

## Did You Know?

One of the most intelligent forms of domestic cat, the Manx cat originates from the Isle of Man, hence the name. The tail – or lack thereof, is a naturally occurring mutation – but not every **Manx** cat is completely tailless. Some are called ‘stumpies’ as they have a small stump of a tail. Others are called ‘rumpy risers’ because, when they are petted from head to rump, it causes a tiny tail to rise.

There are many legends surrounding this breed, but one of the most interesting is that the Manx was napping when Noah called the animals to the ark. She awakened as Noah was closing the door of the ark, making it onto the boat but losing her tail in the process.
Pneumatic Tube

## Ability

### Ability

**Uh... Crosstown Express?****(Play)** Your Futurology cards in hand gain +22 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

Sick of catching the eye of creeps on the subway? Hate feeling someone else's hand touch yours on the grab rails? With any luck, we’ll be travelling by **Pneumatic Tube** in the future.

Invented by William Murdoch around 1799, pneumatic tubes were used in the late 19th to the early 20th century to transport small packages over short distances in banks, hospitals and stock exchanges. However, there has been more hype over pneumatic tubes in recent years with Elon Musk’s Hyperloop.

Unlike in Futurama, you can’t just announce where you want to go and get sucked up and shot to your destination. Also, you would be travelling in a pressurised capsule rather than flying freely in any direction through a complex tube system.
Megalodon

## Did You Know?

Just hearing the name "Megalodon" is enough to strike fear into the heart of mammals worldwide and throughout history. The largest shark ever to have lived, it's believed the Megalodon reached 50 to 70 feet in length - as long as three Great White Sharks (which, incidentally, is probably not a trade offer you should accept in this game. Three Fusions for a Rare? Come on now.)

The word Megalodon comes from the Greek term for "giant tooth", as their teeth could be over 7 inches long and their mouths nearly 10 feet wide. We won't be getting back in the water anytime soon.
Plateosaurus

## Ability

### Ability

**Broad Appeal****(Play)** Your cards gain +30 Power and your opponent's cards gain +15 Power this turn

## Did You Know?

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “From my extensive studies, and several viewings of Walking with Dinosaurs, I am confident that the **Plateosaurus** is, in fact, a *Herbivore*, and not, as you would have it, an Omnivore. Therefore, CUE, you have once again proven that your research team, if you can even call it that, is comprised of button-headed buffoons with cotton wool for brains.”

Well, you might be right (and why do people keep using the "button-headed buffoon" line?). But we’re also fans of a good debate. And in this case, the debate is whether prosauropods (the suborder of which Plateosaurus is a member) actually supplemented their diet with small prey or carrion.

It seems an odd thing to care about, but then so is *Love Island*, and that always gets plenty of coverage.

On a less contentious note, the Plateosaurus was one of the first dinosaur fossils to be discovered, and since then over 100 Plateosaurus skeletons have been found. It is generally believed to have been a herd animal.
Pythagoras' Theorem

## Ability

### Ability

**Triplets****(Play)** Your Common Mega Math cards in hand gain +34 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

Pythagoras’ Theorem relates to the length of the sides of all right-angled triangles. It states that the square on the hypotenuse (the longest-side of the triangle, opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides - i.e. x² + y² = z² .

Impressive as this is, Pythagoras himself was considered rather odd, even in his own time. Amongst other things, he stipulated that the right shoe must be put on before the left, and explained to his followers that in a previous life he had been the son of Hermes. Still... great at maths.
Mary Anning

## Ability

### Ability

**Fossilist****(Draw)** If your deck has 8 or more Science cards and if your deck has 8 or more Paleontology cards, your cards, wherever they are, gain +19 Power for 4 turns.

## Did You Know?

At age 12, **Mary Anning** unearthed a remarkable fossilised skull and painstakingly excavated a 5.2-meter-long skeleton, revealing what was thought to be a monstrous crocodile. The specimen, eventually named Ichthyosaurus, sparked scientific debate and fascination. At this point, the father of palaeontology himself Georges Cuvier had only just introduced the theory of extinction.

But the Ichthyosaurus wasn’t even her most famous discovery. In 1823, Anning became the first to discover the complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, meaning 'near to reptile'. Then in 1828, she made headlines once more with her find of a Dimorphodon’s remains. It was the first pterosaur ever discovered outside of Germany.

Despite her groundbreaking discoveries, the male-dominated scientific community wrote Anning out of research papers, and she still doesn’t receive the full recognition she fully deserves.
Peppered Moth

## Ability

### Ability

**Environmentally Aware****(Draw)** If your deck has 2 or more Climate Change cards, your Bugs cards, wherever they are, cost -2 Energy until played.

## Did You Know?

The **Peppered Moth** lives in England, and normal moths have a black-and-white speckled pattern that helps conceal them from predators when they rest on tree bark with lichen-covered surfaces. But during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, the smoke from burning coal in thousands of factories made the air so polluted that the tree trunks were coated with black soot.

Soon, the light-gray moth became conspicuous against the black tree bark, and birds ate them. A rare genetic variant arose that produced a black-colored moth, and soon only the black moths were common. Then when pollution laws came to Britain in the 1970s, the soot vanished from the air, the tree bark resumed its normal gray speckled color, and the speckled moths have returned, while the black variant is now rare again. This is one of the first and best demonstrations of natural selection ever documented.

Learn more at donaldprothero.com.

Donald Prothero has taught college geology and paleontology for 35 years at Caltech, Columbia among others. He earned his B.A. in geology and biology from the University of California Riverside in 1976, and his M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1979), and Ph.D. (1982) in geological sciences from Columbia University.

He is the author of over 40 books and over 300 scientific papers, mostly on the evolution of fossil mammals (especially rhinos, camels, and horses) and on using the earth's magnetic field changes to date fossil-bearing strata. He has also been on the editorial boards of journals such as Geology, Paleobiology, Journal of Paleontology, and Skeptic magazine.

In 2015 he received the Joseph T. Gregory Award for service to vertebrate paleontology and in 2016, he received the "Friend of Darwin" award from the National Center for Science Education.

He has been featured on numerous TV documentaries, including Paleoworld, Walking with Prehistoric Beasts, Prehistoric Monsters Revealed, Monsterquest, Prehistoric Predators: Entelodon and Hyaenodon, Conspiracy Road Trip: Creationism, as well as Jeopardy!
Red Panda

## Ability

### Ability

**Vegetarian... Carnivore?****(Return)** Your Curious Cuisine , Plant Life and Carnivores cards, wherever they are, gain +22 Power this round.

## Did You Know?

The first thing to say about the **Red Panda** is it should feel rather usurped by the showboating of its namesake the Giant Panda, who was 50 years late to the game when it came to being named. They're not even that closely related; the name panda is thought to derive from the Nepali word "ponya" which roughly translates to "bamboo eater.” This is not entirely accurate: they are classed as vegetarian carnivores (they descended from carnivores and retain many physical adaptions) but in most cases, they just eat bamboo. However, much like the Giant Panda, they occasionally indulge in meaty snacks, in this case, birds, rodents, eggs and insects. Just an FYI, but Giant Pandas occasionally eat pikas.

Awareness of this gorgeous-looking critter has increased massively over the last couple of decades, not least because of various memes, the *Firefox* logo and, purely by coincidence, the sound they make is called twittering. In captivity, it's nearly always about cancelling their keeper.
Pioneer 10

## Ability

### Ability

**Escape Velocity****(Play)** If your deck has 2 or more The Solar System cards, your Space Technology cards in hand gain +15 Power until played. Repeat if you have played Jupiter this game.

## Did You Know?

In January 2003, **Pioneer 10** sent its last signal to Earth from a distance of 7.6 billion miles. Originally launched in 1972 from Cape Canaveral, this American space probe completed the first mission to Jupiter. But that’s not all: on its way to Jupiter, Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to fly through the main asteroid belt and the first to fly beyond Mars.

When it reached its destination, the probe successfully charted Jupiter’s intense radiation belts, located the planet’s magnetic fields and found that Jupiter was predominantly a liquid planet. After all of these remarkable discoveries, Pioneer 10 wandered off into the dark, becoming the first human-made object to go beyond Neptune, and is now flying aimlessly in the constellation of Taurus.

Goodbye sweet probe, you served us well.
Plague Doctor

## Ability

### Ability

**Great Foreboding****(Return)** If you have played any card with Death in the name this game, your opponent loses -100 Power/Turn next turn.

## Did You Know?

Has a bird-masked person in a long black overcoat and a broad-brimmed hat appeared in your town? Might be a sign to beat it because if the **Plague Doctor** is here, it’s a sign that there’s sickness on the rise. First recorded during the 1619 plague outbreak in Paris, Plague Doctors were often hired by local officials to treat townspeople, regardless of whether they could afford treatment or not.

What’s the deal with the beak? The beak part of the Plague Doctor’s mask had a very practical purpose, rather than just looking a bit goth. These beaks were stuffed with herbs, spices and other strong-smelling substances and were thought to protect the Plague Doctor from getting sick themselves. Like mediaeval PPE. During these times, people believed that “miasma” - the smells of sickness or “bad air” - was what made you sick. While we do know that some contagions are airborne, people in these times thought you could also fight sickness off with nice smells that might balance your humors. If only.

Plague Doctors became so iconic at the time that in Italy, their image became synonymous with horror and death in Commedia dell’Arte and at carnivals. It really is a *look* and one that has held its place as an image of doom and sickness even today.
Parson's Chameleon

## Ability

### Ability

**Clutch****(Draw)** This card **Lock**s for 2 turns and gains +50 Power until played. **(Return)** This card gains +10 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Given that it can move at speeds of up to 21 miles per hour, the **Parson’s Chameleon** can run *and* it can hide. It’s also one of the world’s largest chameleons, reaching the same size as the average cat in maturity. Like all chameleons, it can change color in response to its surroundings, temperature or when it’s in the presence of other chameleons (especially when mating or fighting).

Although it can scurry off quickly when necessary, the Parson’s Chameleon can also move at a snail’s pace while in camouflage, allowing the predator to catch prey off guard. To capture its prey, this chameleon shoots out its long sticky tongue and uses it as a suction cup, which is a pretty grim way to die for an insect or small bird. Or for a human-sized creature, come to think of it. Just nasty.
Queen Bee

## Ability

### Ability

**Hive Mind****(Play)** Your Bugs cards, wherever they are, gain +8 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

The **Queen Bee** is a Queen in the tradition of Cersei rather than, say, Queen Victoria.

For a start, to become the queen she has to kill all the other contenders for the role. Then as she matures, she mates with up to 30 different bees (in just a couple of days!) Finally, once she’s laid all her eggs, the worker bees rise up and kill her, to make a new queen.

In other news - the Queen Bee hardly eats any honey, subsisting instead on Royal Jelly.

Jelly, you say? Yum!

Sadly, the marketing department got carried away here. Royal Jelly is actually a gooey substance secreted from glands in worker bees’ heads. If you’re still thinking ‘yum’, you might want to seek help.
Pink Moon

## Ability

### Ability

**Moon of April****(Play)** Your Plant Life cards in hand gain +20 Power for 2 turns.

## Did You Know?

April’s full moon is traditionally known as the **Pink Moon** - but don’t get too excited. The name has nothing to do with the actual colour of the Moon - it’s so called as it coincides with the flowering of a type of pink moss called Phlox Subulata in North America. However, under the right conditions (or through rose tinted glasses), it can appear to have a pink hue.

In Europe, common names for this full moon relate to the arrival of spring, with the Anglo-Saxons referring to it as Egg Moon and the Celts using names like Budding Moon, New Shoots Moon, Seed Moon, and Growing Moon. The April Full Moon can also be the Paschal Moon, used to calculate the date for Easter.
Rainbow Lorikeet

## Did You Know?

The Rainbow Lorikeet is a pretty bird that can be found in Australia and, in true Aussie style, don't mind a drink now and then. In 2017 they were observed in Adelaide's Botanic Gardens acting more rowdy and erratic than usual; it was traced back to them drinking the fermented nectar of the Weeping Boer-bean tree - AKA, the Drunk Parrot Tree.

No, I'm not making that up.
Proci

## Ability

### Ability

**The Suitors****(Draw)** Your Penelope card in hand gains +30 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

In Odysseus’ absence, Penelope racked up a lot of Tinder matches. Sometimes referred to as the **Proci**, these suitors weren’t the most forthcoming.

To them, the chances of Odysseus being alive were slim - either he had died fighting in Troy or on his journey home. So, they didn’t hesitate to make themselves at home in Odysseus’ palace, behaving recklessly, consuming his resources and tormenting his son, Telemachus, and the only way they would leave is if Penelope chose one of them as her husband.

Of the many suitors, three are particularly important to the narrative: Antinous (who plots to kill Telemachus), Eurymachus (a smarmy cheater) and Amphinomus (the most sympathetic of the lot). When Odysseus returned, he and his son murdered the Proci in a dramatic and bloody finale (sorry Amphinomus).
Rothschild's Slipper Orchid

## Ability

### Ability

**Gold of Kinabalu****(Draw)** Your Plant Life cards in hand with 6 or more Base Energy gain +15 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, also known as the 'Gold of Kinabalu' or **Rothschild's Slipper Orchid**, is a rare and beautiful species found in the rainforests around Mount Kinabalu in northern Borneo. This orchid grows at elevations between 500 to 1200 metres above sea level and has a unique appearance, holding its petals almost horizontally.

One of the rarest flowers in the world, Rothschild's slipper orchid resembles a tiny lady's slipper or moccasin - but only to the human eye. For parasitic flies, it looks like a crowd of aphids they lay eggs on. The flies rush to it, trying to lay their eggs, but end up getting covered in pollen and unknowingly assist in the orchid's reproduction. It's a clever little trick played by the orchid, and one can't help but admire its ingenuity.
Perseids

## Ability

### Ability

**What a Shower****(Play)** If your deck contains Perseus, your Space cards, wherever they are, gain +6 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Every year between July and August, professional and amateur astronomers alike gather to watch tiny burning rocks fall from the sky. Don’t worry - it’s not as threatening as it sounds.

Known as the **Perseids**, this is perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year and usually peaks between August 9th and the 13th. During this time, stargazers can theoretically catch between 60 - 100 meteors in a single hour from a dark place.

But don’t get your hopes up too high: you might camp out all night and bat off 100 mosquitos only to see less than 10 meteors. Made of space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus, because the direction from which the shower originates lies in the same direction as Perseus.
Redback Spider

## Ability

### Ability

**Complex Venom****(Play)** If your deck contains a card from each Album, your Venomous Creatures cards, wherever they are, gain +22 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Snakes ain't got nothing on the **Redback Spider.** Native to Australia, this eight-legged terror holds the prestigious record for causing more envenomations than any other critter down under. The female of the species is responsible for almost all bites to humans - but in her defence, she isn't \*trying\* to hurt people, and mostly keeps to dark spaces or wall cavities.

Bizarrely, the redback spider is one of only two animals known where the male actively assists the female in sexual cannibalism, somersaulting to place his abdomen over the female's mouthparts. Apparently, he does this knowing that a female who has eaten a male is more likely to reject subsequent males. Fellas, it feels like this might be an insecurity / jealousy thing. Still, we admire your commitment.
Queen Angelfish

## Ability

### Ability

**Something's Fishy****(Draw)** Your Oceans and Seas cards in hand cost -4 Energy this turn.

## Did You Know?

Queen Angelfish are a colourful bunch. With electric blue bodies, yellow fins and orange/purple highlights, all we can compare their colour palette to is David Bowie in his Life On Mars music video.

The royal name of these rock-star fish comes from their “crowns,” (round black-and-blue spots on the top of their heads). With a royal status comes a royal size; they can grow up to 18 inches in length and weigh nearly 2kg! Bow down to the royalty of the seas...

## Fusion

 Sailfish | 18
Partridge

## Did You Know?

Sorry to disappoint, but of the 92 known species of **Partridge**, not one nests in a pear tree. A relative of the quail, this bird is a ground nester and prefers to spend its time in the grasslands than the branches of a fruit tree. And its etymology is very unfortunate.

As it happens, partridges get their name from an Old French word ‘pertis’ which comes from the Greek word ‘pérdīx’. This word derives from the verb pérdomai, which literally means… “I fart”.

Name aside, these rotund birds lay the biggest clutches of any birds, with 14 to 15 eggs on average. Despite a full house, both parents are unusually attentive, and it's fairly common for all the chicks hatched to be reared with love. And farts.
Porcelain Crab

## Ability

### Ability

**Delicate Situation****(Play)** If this card matches the Arena, it gains +20 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

The Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculates) is also known as the Spotted Porcelain Crab. Although they resemble crabs, they are actually more closely related to squat lobsters. This is a fact we are fairly positive they use as some form of crustacean one-upmanship.

Why are they called Porcelain Crabs we hear you ask? Well, one school of thought is that they have extremely delicate body parts and their claws and legs can break off easily and smash, just like their namesake. Don’t panic though, these usually regenerate when they change shells as a form of resurrection. Another theory is that the white edges of the crab closely resemble porcelain.

These crabs live under rocks and sponges and in giant anemones where they can disappear inside the tentacles.
Richard Dadd

## Ability

### Ability

**Fairy Obsessive****(Return)** Your cards with "Fairy" in the name, wherever they are, gain +22 Power for 3 turns.

## Did You Know?

You might expect the life of a Victorian fairy painter to be full of light and whimsy but that certainly wasn’t the case for artist **Richard Dadd.** Dadd was a skilled painter who had studied at the Royal Academy of Art and had a bright future of painting in front of him.

However, after a trip to Egypt, Dadd’s mental health took a turn for the worse and he became convinced that the god Osiris was instructing him to rid the world of devils. Upon returning to England, he killed his father, convinced that he was possessed. He then spent the next 42 years of his life in institutions, including the notorious Bethlem (or Bedlam as it was nicknamed) and Broadmoor.

In spite of his lack of remorse and ongoing belief in his connection to Egyptian gods, Dadd continued to create amazing works. His doctors learned who he was and allowed him to paint and draw and, while institutionalised, he created some of his most detailed and intricate works. Many of these were fantastical scenes featuring fairies and goblins, including the impressive “The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke” and “Titania Sleeping.”
Rex Begonia

## Ability

### Ability

**Full Spectrum****(Play)** If 6 cards in your deck are from different Albums, this card gains +30 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

**Rex begonias** are a type of rhizomatous begonia, which are well-loved for their beautiful leaves of various sizes, colours and textures. From the Begonia ‘Fireworks’, with a silver, black and purple coloration, to the vibrant, ruby red ’Stained Glass’ with pewter edging, or the ‘Marmaduke’, with chocolate tones speckled across golden leaves, the Rex Begonia is a botanical collector’s dream.

Perhaps one of the most interesting cultivars, and a perfect example of the Golden Ratio in nature, is the **Begonia ‘Escargot’,** as shown on the front of this card. Five points if you can guess how it got its name!
Pelecanimimus

## Did You Know?

Do you know what a Hyoid bone is? You've got one in your throat right now, just between your neck and your chin, and it's there to support the tongue and elevate the larynx.

The Pelecanimimus, an omnivore that would have lived in what is now Spain, is the only ornithomimosaur to have been discovered with one. It's unknown if other ornithomimosaurs had them - they simply haven't found one among their remains - but Pelecanimimus definitely needed one to support the 220 teeth in their mouth. Since their extinction, business has been relatively slow for the Tooth Fairy...
Psittacosaurus

## Ability

### Ability

**Grounded****(Draw)** If your deck has exactly 10 Paleontology cards, your Herbivores cards, wherever they are, gain +15 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

**Psittacosaurus** wants a cracker? Big eyes and a parrot-like beak made this herbivore one of the cutest dinosaurs ever. Couple its adorable appearance with its temperament and plant-based diet and you have all the makings for a fantastic pet. Don’t get any ideas, though - we’ve all seen Jurassic Park. We know how that ends.

Named by the same man who named the tyrannosaurus rex (meaning ‘king of the tyrant lizards’), the Psittacosaurus’ name literally means ‘parrot lizard’. Although it lived over 100 million years ago, Psittacosaurus is one of the most completely known dinosaur genera. A distant relative of triceratops, up to 12 species of this herbivore are known, and the fossils of hundreds of individuals ranging in age have been found so far - many of which are complete skeletons.
Rhodonite

## Ability

### Ability

**Prismatic Cleavage****(Play)** If your deck has 5 or more Hidden Gems cards, your Hidden Gems cards, wherever they are, gain +18 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

As they tucked their babies to sleep in the 18th century Ural Mountains of Russia, mothers placed pink crystals in their cribs called Orletz for protection. Why? Legend has it that eagles (Orels) of the region had been doing the same thing in their nests to protect their young. If it’s good enough for the majestic eagle, they thought, it’s good enough for my baby.

By 1819, the mineral was officially renamed ‘**Rhodonite**’ by Christoph Friedrich Jasche, referring to the Greek word ‘rhodon’, meaning ‘rose’. Pretty soon, rhodonite crystals became synonymous with protection, and the custom was extended by giving the stone to travellers to keep them safe. 200 years later, and 7,740km away from the Ural Mountains, Rhodonite was named the official gem for Massachusetts, United States.
Pluto, Dwarf Planet

## Did You Know?

For anyone educated before the 1990s, Pluto is the ninth planet of the Solar System, and any attempt to convince them otherwise is likely to be met with a roll of the eyes.

If you're a young whippersnapper, however, you will simply know it as dwarf planet with five moons, named after Mickey Mouse's dog.

(Ahem. Not really. It was in fact named after the Roman God of the Underworld.)
Sagrada Família

## Did You Know?

They say you can't rush art. In the case of the **Sagrada Família**, a massive Roman Catholic basilica in Barcelona, you really can't - it's been under construction since 1882!

The **Sagrada Família** was designed by Antoni Gaudi (who radically overhauled an initial design to bring a more gothic style to it). He knew it wouldn't be completed within his lifetime, but that didn't bother him - he's said to have remarked: "my client is not in a hurry". Although you'd think that, by the time of his death in 1926, he'd have hoped to have more than 25% of it completed.

Construction was set back in 1936 at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War; Catalan anarchists destroyed parts of it, as well as Gaudi's original model and workshop. A series of architects picked up the pieces and tried to reconstruct Gaudi's vision, and construction continued uninterrupted until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the site to be closed for a few months.

Current estimates put the completion at some time in 2026, a century after Gaudi's death. Gaudi himself is buried underneath the basilica, so at least he'll be able to oversee the completion of his opus.
Space Needle

## Ability

### Ability

**The Age of Space****(Return)** Gain +1:energy/turn: this round and your Space cards, wherever they are, cost -1 Energy this round.

## Did You Know?

Seattle’s proud symbol, the iconic **Space Needle** opened in 1962 as part of the Seattle World Fair. Standing at approximately 184 metres, the impressive structure is your worst nightmare if you’re afraid of heights – just ask the first Space Needle Manager, Hoge Sullivan, whose deathly fear of heights makes you wonder why he took the job.

If you’re looking for expansive views of Mt Rainier, try the freight elevator: a design error led to the wrong elevator getting the best views.
Pharaoh Cuttlefish

## Ability

### Ability

**Pharoah-nough****(Play)** Your Ancient Egypt cards in hand gain +22 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

**Pharaoh Cuttlefish** are cephalopods that have eight short arms (yes, a fish with *arms*) and two long tentacles that are usually tucked neatly into said arms.

The tentacles are deployed to catch prey. The cuttlefish's flat body allows it to hang out and hover near the ocean floor where this bottom feeder finds its favourite foods.

Once upon a time, an outer shell once covered the cuttlefish's body, but thanks to evolution, they are now the proud owners of a porous internal shell called a cuttlebone.

Pharaoh cuttlefish are also the masters of imitation and disguise. In videos from a University of Ryukyus study, published in the Journal of Ethology, pharaoh cuttlefish are seen displaying a bizarre and niche arm-flapping behaviour that exactly resembles the movements of a crab, while also lightening areas of their skin at the same time.

Kohei Okamoto, from The University of Ryukyus and his research team hypothesized that the cuttlefish may be emulating and impersonating hermit crabs in order to inconspicuously approach their prey or protect themselves against predators.

Hermit crabs don’t pose a threat to the cuttlefish's prey, which include small fish and molluscs, so when they mimic the hermit crab, it could allow them to get closer to their prey without detection.

Mimicking crustaceans would also give off the impression of a hard shell, which might protect cuttlefish from other predators lurking in the deep. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all...
Raynham Hall

## Ability

### Ability

**The Brown Lady****(Draw)** If you have played Ghost this game, this card gains +20 Power this turn. Repeat if you have played Spirit Photography or Harry Price.

## Did You Know?

It’s been called "one of the outstanding country houses of the period” - but **Raynham Hall** isn’t famous for its architecture. In fact, this 400-year old country house is the scene for one of the most haunting ghost photos of all time - the famous Brown Lady descending the staircase.

Legend has it that the ghost haunting Raynham Hall is the spirit of Lady Dorothy Townshend, the wife of the 2nd Marquess Townshend. After discovering her infidelity, her husband locked her in a room and declared her dead, however, the legend suggests she remained alive in that room for much longer. Even after her death, Lady Townshend's ghost continued to appear and frighten guests, including King George IV.

Writer Frederick Marryat allegedly saw her on the stairs, shot at her, but she disappeared unharmed.

'Aerial view of Raynham Hall' by John Fielding (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Pegasus Constellation

## Did You Know?

Pegasus is the 7th largest constellation in the night sky. Named after Perseus' mythological horse that sprang from Medusa, it is located in the Perseus constellation family and has a meteor shower known as the July Pegasids.

This is one of the more tenuously named constellations in this writer's opinion - if you flip it upside down, it kind of looks like the front half of a horse rearing its front legs. It's a good thing it was discovered in antiquity really - if it were discovered today, there's a good chance it would be named for its resemblance to the squids in Minecraft.
Quaternary Extinction Event

## Ability

### Ability

**Diverse Collapse****(Draw)** For every album in your deck, this card loses -10 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Humans have this bad habit of ruining things. Apparently, having a species evolve far enough to start making drastic changes to the planet wasn’t really constructive for anything else *except* us. Hence, the **Quaternary Extinction Event**.

It started roughly 2.5 million years ago, with the first casualties occurring at 130,000 BCE. But the majority of extinctions happened when humans started to become more widespread, competing with mammals for territory and hunting them to high heavens. Literally.

Climate change didn’t help, either. During the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene periods, regions around the world suffered losses of megafauna species of a magnitude unprecedented. Next time you make yourself a drink, pour one out for woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, giant deer, cave lions and cave bears.

'Illustration of the late Pleistocene landscape' by Caitlin Sedwick, "What Killed the Woolly Mammoth?" (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY 2.5 (original image resized, cropped and altered)