recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Ariane 5

## Ability

### Ability

**Vulcain Engine****(Play)** If you have played Oxygen this game, this card gains +50 Power this turn. **(Draw)** If you have played Hydrogen this game, this card costs -4 Energy until played.

## Did You Know?

Developed by launch services company Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA), the **Ariane 5** is a cutting-edge heavy-lift launcher capable of carrying payloads weighing over 10 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit and 20 metric tons into low Earth orbit. Although the maiden flight of the Ariane 5 in 1996 resulted in failure due to a system software design error, the launcher has since been refined to become one of the most reliable launchers in the world.

In fact, between April 2003 and December 2017, the rocket had a streak of 82 consecutive successful launches. It’s easy to see why Ariane 5 is the cornerstone of Europe’s independent access to space and is usually launched six to seven times a year.

'Raumfrachter ATV-4 "Albert Einstein" Ariane 5ES mit "OCAM"-Kamerasystem' by DLR German Aerospace Center (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Antiguan Carpets

## Ability

### Ability

**Flower Carpet****(Play)** If your deck has 6 or more Plant Life cards, this card gains +40 Power.

## Did You Know?

The city of Antigua takes Easter to the next level. As part of Guatemala's Semana Santa - the Easter Festival, local families and businesses begin creating Alfombras - large intricate carpets made from dyed sawdust, grass, flowers and vegetables.

This is no cake walk (or should we say, egg hunt): sawdust dyeing takes incredible patience. First, it gets run through a screen to weed out the rough bits. Then, small bags of dye are poured in and stirred carefully by hand. Later, a procession of Roman centurions march over the **Antiguan carpets**, destroying them in the process.

Given the amount of time and detail that goes into crafting them, this art of making Alfombras only for them to be ruined underfoot is seen as a sacrificial tradition.
Barnstorming

## Ability

### Ability

**The Inside Loop****(Draw)** Your Awesome Aviation cards, wherever they are, gain +15 Power until played. **(Play)** The card opposite this loses -50 Power this turn. **(Return)** Your remaining Awesome Aviation cards in hand lose -5 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Ever wonder what people did for entertainment before the invention of the internet? Apparently, performing stunts on planes mid-flight (known as **Barnstorming**) was a big one. Stunt pilots and aerialists performed almost any trick or feat with planes that you could imagine - flips, loops, flying under bridges - they quite literally threw caution to the wind in the name of showmanship.

Typically, barnstormers would set up a base nearby a town, usually on a farm - hence how the activity got its name. The first ever barnstormer was one Charles Foster Willard, who was the 10th person to ever receive an official pilot’s licence, and later became the first to be shot down in a plane when a disgruntled farmer broke his propeller firing a squirrel gun.
Aye-Aye

## Ability

### Ability

**Percussive Foraging****(Play)** All cards in both player's hands lose -15 Power this turn but if you are not losing the round, your cards in hand gain +30 Power back.

## Did You Know?

The **Aye-Aye** is an adorable, squirrel-like primate of Madagascar and the sole living descendent of the family Daubentoniidae. They are nocturnal and spend their days curled up in a ball-like nest made of leaves and branches. At night, they’ll perch on trees and use their long middle finger to tap the bark and listen for wood-boring insect larvae – their favourite snack.

Sadly, many people native to Madagascar consider the Aye-Aye an omen of bad luck and have been known to kill them on sight for that reason. Today, they are protected by law, so if you lose at the casino after spotting one of these creatures, your best bet is to leave them alone and curb the habit.
Basset Hound

## Ability

### Ability

**Social Butterflies****(Draw)** Your Dogs cards, wherever they are, cost -1 Energy until played and your Cute Cats cards, wherever they are, gain +12 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Famous for their short legs, affectionate personalities and their uncanny ability to pick up on scents, the **Basset Hound** was bred to be highly alert and independent. But fear not: although they can be stubborn, once trained, Basset Hounds can make for excellent companions or hired scent detectors.

Their sense of smell is second only to the Bloodhound’s – and it’s not just their nose that they use to sniff out food (or illicit substances). Their long ears help to stir the smells up to the nose and the droopy skin on their face holds the smell close for maximum impact.

They say give a dog a bone, but the Basset Hound is probably good in that department since this species has more bone per pound than any other dog.
180-Degree Rule

## Ability

### Ability

**Frame Right****(Play)** If played in the right slot and next to any Stage and Screen, your cards adjacent to this gain +40 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

Welcome to CUE film school! First rule of CUE film school is to always obey the **180 Degree Rule!** Okay, but what is it?

Imagine a scene in a film where two people are talking. You want your audience to follow the conversation and not get lost or confused about who is talking to whom. Enter the 180 Degree Rule. This places an invisible eye line between your characters and as you cut between the two shots of the conversation, each character will maintain this eye line and your audience will be able to follow along with ease. This also works with a character and an object too. (Or even two rocks in the case of *Everything Everywhere All At Once!*)

Now there are times when it’s okay to break this rule but it’s best to save that for scenes where you’re trying to create chaos or confusion. For the most part, this rule will save you hassle, stress and keep your audience on side.

The downside to this rule is that we’ve now ruined watching movies for you and you now won’t be able to unsee this eye line. Sorrynotsorry.
Anchisaurus

## Ability

### Ability

**Survive the Blast****(Return)** If you lost the turn, gain +35 Power/Turn next turn and your Paleontology cards, wherever they are, gain +10 Power next turn.

## Did You Know?

In 1855, the geologist Edward Hitchcock discovered a dinosaur. By "discovered", we mean "was given some bits of bones that survived an industrial explosion and was asked to see if he could do anything with them". He managed to construct a skeleton and named it "Megadactylus", a name so awesome that it was already taken. A colleague of his suggested "Amphisaurus", and the name stuck...

... for a little while, until it was discovered that was taken too. They finally landed on **Anchisaurus**, which actually stuck.
Ahuna Mons

## Ability

### Ability

**Cryovolcanic****(Play)** If your deck contains Absolute Zero and any Volcanoes card, your Planetside cards, wherever they are, gain +26 Power for 3 turns.

## Did You Know?

Approximately 211 years after Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid, the Dawn mission launched so we humans could have a gander on its surface. Later, that asteroid was found to be a dwarf planet and named Ceres. So, what did we learn?

Well, it turns out that a briny, muddy ‘slurry’ exists below Ceres’ surface, and that slurry is surging up towards the crust to create a mountain. Reaching a height of around five kilometres at its steepest side, **Ahuna Mons** is the largest mountain on the planet, dwarfing both Matterhorn and Mount Fuji. The benefit of climbing this Ahuna Mons? No tourists taking selfies. The challenge? It’s about 422,311,423 kilometres away from Earth.
Apep

## Did You Know?

If Egyptian Mythology holds any truth, **Apep** has clearly been unleashed on the world in recent years. Also called Apopis, this spirit was the Egyptian demon of chaos, who took the form of a serpent. You might think a serpent would be easy to kill, especially for the Sun God, Ra. Alas, no.

This wasn’t just a friendly backyard snake (if there is such a thing.) This was a gigantic beast with massive coils capable of lifting boats out of the ocean. One does not simply shoo Apep away with a rake, because Apep was a malevolent force who could never be entirely vanquished. Naturally, this demon was feared by the Egyptians and associated with frightening natural events like solar eclipses, storms and earthquakes.
Basking Shark

## Did You Know?

Basking Sharks are the size of a bus and the real big mouth of the sea, - their gaping maws can measure up to 3 ft in width. The good news is they have no interest in humans and, despite their size, prefer to eat minuscule organisms that happen to be in the path of their swim.

Boaters beware; scientists have no idea why, but basking sharks sometimes launch themselves out of the water, "Free Willy" style, and come crashing down with an almighty force. Some say this could be to impress members of the opposite sex - feels like you could probably put a bit more effort in, lads.
Atomic Theory

## Ability

### Ability

**Nature Fundamental****(Draw)** If this is the only Science card in your deck, your Life on Land cards, wherever they are, gain +20 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Dolphins. Paperclips. Monster trucks. What do these have in common? They, like all matter, are composed of particles called atoms.

What are atoms? Well, although the word ‘atom’ comes from a Greek word that means “indivisible,” we now know that atoms themselves are made of smaller parts called subatomic particles - namely, electrons, protons and neutrons. This is the basis of **Atomic Theory**, first stated by John Dalton, an English scientist, in the early 1800s.

John Dalton didn’t specifically focus on dolphins or paperclips (and certainly not monster trucks as they were yet to be invented.) But he did propose that all matter is made of atoms, that a chemical reaction is a rearrangement of these atoms and that compounds are formed by a combination of two or more different kinds of atoms.
Banana Split

## Did You Know?

In 1904, a 23-year-old employee at the Tassel Pharmacy soda fountain in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, split a banana in half lengthways. Not an impressive act in itself, but when combined with scoops of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, three kinds of flavoured toppings and whipped cream, David Evans Strickler hit the jackpot.

His creation was a hit with the local students, and Strickler soon had enough money to buy the drug store outright. However, he wasn’t the only one with a claim to the **Banana Split** invention. In 1907, Ernest R. Hazard of Wilmington, Ohio concocted the banana-based dessert independently at the dairy counter of his shop.

Given Strickler technically got there first, the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA) certified the city of Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split.
Annie Oakley

## Ability

### Ability

**Oakley Dokey****(Draw)** Your Legends of the Old West cards in hand cost -2 Energy until played.

## Did You Know?

There's no business like show business folks and Annie Oakley personified this, which is probably why Irving Berlin wrote the song for Annie Get Your Gun.

Born Phoebe Ann Mosey in 1860 her path to fame started when she began trapping, shooting and hunting to support her family and later to supply to locals in Greenville Ohio.

Annie soon became well known throughout the area when hotelier Jack Frost (yes, that was his name) arranged a shooting competition between travelling show marksman Frank E. Butler and as you have probably guessed the uneducated 15-year-old won. What you may not have guessed is she subsequently married Frank at the ripe old age of 16.

Performing under the name Oakley, the pair of them joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in 1885 where she went on to perform for Queen Victoria, King Umberto I of Italy and World War 1 runner-up Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Balthasar

## Ability

### Ability

**We Three Kings****(Draw)** A random card in your hand gains +30 Power this turn. **(Play)** If played next to Caspar, give that card +30 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

When he heard that the son of God was soon to be born, **Balthasar** didn’t waste any time. Together with his Magi brethren, he trekked to the stable in Bethlehem to give Jesus a sacred gift. While the identity of the three wise men isn’t confirmed, Balthasar is traditionally thought to be the King of Macedonia.

In the 8th century, Saint Bede described him as having a “heavy beard” with the "myrrh he held in his hands prefigured the death of the Son of man". Symbolism aside, Myrrh is an odd gift for a baby. And considering Balthasar’s gift was supposed to represent death and mourning, it’s even weirder. One can only assume there was no Toys R Us on the way to the stable.
Alice Ball

## Ability

### Ability

**The Ball Method****(Play)** Your Marvellous Medicine cards, wherever they are, gain +15 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

In 1915, **Alice Ball** made history when she became the first African American and the first woman to graduate with a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. Following her passion for pharmaceutical science, Ball produced a thesis on the chemical properties of the Kava plant species and its potential as a treatment for leprosy, a disease that was prevalent in Hawaii at the time. Although Chaulmoogra oil had been identified for its pharmaceutical properties, it was Ball who developed a much more effective injectable form.

Sadly, Ball died young at the age of 24, and her achievement was not acknowledged until many years later, when her work was rediscovered. Nevertheless, Alice Ball is recognised today as a pioneering chemist and a key figure in the history of medicine.
Anhanguera

## Did You Know?

At 4 feet tall, 50 pounds in weight in with a wingspan of 15 feet, the Anhanguera was one of prehistory's less imposing flying reptiles. Then you look at its jaw, with those teeth that point outwards and put the correct amount of respect on its name.

All that power in its wings and teeth had to come from somewhere, and its seems like it's been sapped from its legs - they were particularly weak, meaning the creature probably spent most of its time in the air and would have had a peculiar gait if it went onto the ground.
Artificial Heart

## Did You Know?

**Artificial Hearts** may sound like something from science fiction but they've been in clinical use to help end-stage heart failure patients for over 35 years!

Recognizing the need for an effective and immediately available alternative to a donor heart, surgeons, medical researchers and inventors began developing early versions of artificial hearts during the first part of the 20th century.

Now for the science bit. A natural human heart has four chambers – two atria and two ventricles. The right atrium collects blood and the right ventricle then pumps it to the lungs where it is oxygenated. The blood is then picked up by the left atrium and distributed around the body and brain by the left ventricle. Each side of the heart has a pair of valves – one pair per lung – controlling the flow of blood.

Artificial hearts can completely, if temporarily, replace the ventricles and valves with a device made of plastic or other man-made materials, which does the job of pumping blood around - cool huh?

The device maintains blood circulation and oxygenation in the human body for varying periods of time. The two main types of artificial hearts are the heart-lung machine and the mechanical heart.

The artificial heart is used during open-heart surgery and sometimes after heart surgery to give the natural heart time to heal. It can also be used to temporarily replace a damaged heart in a patient awaiting transplantation of another natural heart.

Developing an artificial heart that can permanently replace a natural heart has been the goal of continuing research.

'Soft Total Artificial Heart, developed in the functional material laboratory at ETH Zürich' by Smile111222 (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Ballet

## Ability

### Ability

**Pointe Work****(Play)** If played in the left slot, your Good Sports cards, wherever they are, gain +24 Power until played, if played in the middle slot, this card gains +40 Power permanently and if played in the right slot, your History cards in hand gain +22 Power for 2 turns.

## Did You Know?

**Ballet** has a long and storied history, tracing its roots back to the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. But the French really made it their own when Catherine de' Medici brought it over after she married Henry II of France. A century later, King Louis XIV used ballet to distract his noble subjects from political activities, forcing them to focus on their pliés and pirouettes instead of plotting against him!

The performance dance has come a long way since the 1700s - back then, ballet was performed by men only, with women's roles being played by men dressed in drag. However, by the 19th century, several wars saw a shortage of male dancers, leading to the rise of the ballerina.
African Pygmy Mouse

## Ability

### Ability

**Pygmy Party****(Draw)** Your cards with "Pygmy" in the name, wherever they are, gain +15 Power permanently. If your deck has exactly 4 cards with "Pygmy" in the name, give them an additional +15 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Measuring an average of 2 inches long, the **African Pygmy Mouse** is one of the smallest rodents in the world. Don't let its size fool you though - it can still jump to an impressive 50cm!

These miniscule mice can be found living in colonies or pairs, making their homes in grassy areas near water. They are excellent climbers, effortlessly navigating their way through branches. Sporting a delightful grey to brick-red fur, the African pygmy mouse has a pale underside and the most adorable triangular ears you've ever seen.

Every night, this productive little critter stacks pebbles in front of its burrow. Overnight, the pebbles gather dew, and in the morning, the mouse ventures outside to drink the fresh dew from the pebbles before returning to the den.
Amun

## Ability

### Ability

**The Hidden One****(Return)** Gain +12 Power/Turn permanently. **(Draw)** Lose -6 Power/Turn permanently.

## Did You Know?

Often depicted as a goose, snake, or ram, and also as a man with the head of a ram, frog, royal cobra, crocodile, or ape, **Amun** was one of the eight primordial Egyptian deities. It was also thought that he could regenerate himself by becoming a snake and shedding his skin.

Although ancient texts suggest Amun created himself and then everything else in the universe, it seems this God wasn’t into the glory and distanced himself from his creation. It figures that Amun’s name is generally translated as “the hidden one” or “the secret one”. He was originally the God of the air, but eventually, Amun and the Sun God, Ra, decided a partnership would make logical sense – so, they merged to form Amun-Ra.
Aquila Alcohol Cloud

## Did You Know?

What's that? There's a giant cloud of alcohol in the Aquila constellation - why are we not funding an intergalactic booze cruise RIGHT NOW?

Because it's not drinkable, sadly - it's in pure ethyl form. It's also mixed in with nasty, kinda lethal stuff like carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.

If you distilled the whole thing and distributed it so it was safe for humans to drink, you would have enough to make 400 trillion TRILLION pints of beer. That's enough for everyone on the planet to have 300,000 pints, every day, for the next billion years.
Aldabra Giant Tortoise

## Ability

### Ability

**Tortoise Turf****(Draw)** For every Reptiles card in your deck, your Reptiles cards, wherever they are, gain +1 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Holding the title of second largest species of tortoise in the world, the carapace of the male **Aldabra Giant Tortoise** can reach 1.22 metres in length, and they can weigh up to 250 kilograms. Compared to the weight of the <link="https:>Speckled Tortoise</link> (95 grams), that’s colossal. But they’re also among the world’s longest living animals, with one individual reaching the grand old age of 255 years old.

Sadly, this species is the only Indian ocean giant tortoise alive today, as all others became extinct due to human settlers. Although it’s primarily vegetarian, the Aldabra tortoise is flexible and opportunistic. In order to survive, it will supplement its diet with small invertebrates, and even carrion (including dead tortoises.) You read it here first: the secret to living longer is eating our dead.
Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson

## Ability

### Ability

**Partisan Persecution****(Return)** Your opponent loses -20 Power/Turn next turn.

## Did You Know?

When **Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson** eloped to Mississippi, it didn’t go down well with her abusive husband, Lewis Robards. Although Rachel was much happier with Andrew, their history would hang over the couple like a dark cloud.

40 years later, Andrew Jackson triumphed in the 1828 presidential election – but his win was tainted with sorrow. After surviving a ruthless campaign from the opposition who publicly called her an adulteress, Rachel tragically died. You happy now, Lewis?

'A portrait of Andrew Jackson, A portrait of Rachel Donelson Jackson' by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under Public Domain (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Athena

## Ability

### Ability

**Wisdom in War****(Play)** If you are losing the round, this card gains +10 Power.

## Did You Know?

The Goddess of wisdom and warfare (among myriad other things), Athena was allegedly born from Zeus. The King of the Gods had an almighty headache, and Athena is said to have sprung fully-formed from his forehead, ready for battle. If that's not a metaphor for parenthood, we don't know what is.
Alexei Leonov

## Did You Know?

Michael Jackson may have popularised the Moonwalk, but he did not complete the first spacewalk - that accolade belongs to **Alexei Leonov**.

Born in Siberia in 1934, Leonov graduated from a selection of air force academies with honours and was quickly picked to be one of the first 20 cosmonauts for the Soviet space program.

In a strange twist of fate, Leonov had actually wanted to become a professional artist, but his life took a pretty different turn and he put those paintbrushes down once and for all as he became a hugely important cosmonaut. As you do.

After launching the first satellite, animal, man and woman into space, the Soviet Union was already well ahead of the U.S. in the race to land humans on the moon. In 1965 they launched Voskhod 2, the world's 17th human spaceflight and Leonov made history as the first person to exit his spacecraft for extravehicular activity (EVA).

We know you all want to know what he said on this epic mission, so here goes: "The Earth is round!" he exclaimed, as he caught his first view of the world. So, take it from a man who's seen the curvature for himself - it's not flat.

Later in an interview, he said that what remained etched in his memory was an extraordinary silence. Now we all know where to go if we want a bit of peace and quiet!

'Astronaut Donald K. "Deke" Slayton and cosmonaut Alexey A. Leonov in the Soyuz Orbital Module during the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project.' by NASA (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under Public Domain (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Aquilops

## Did You Know?

When we think about dinosaurs, we usually picture the colossal beasts that could chomp bones like popcorn. But the **Aquilops** is the opposite. Being the size of a raven with the mass of a bunny (3.5 pounds, 24 inches long), this herbivorous dinosaur was neither big nor scary (unless you were a plant, of course.)

Found in southern Montana, the fossil was initially thought to be that of a <link="https:>Zephyrosaurus.</link>. However, on closer inspection, palaeontologist Scott Madsen realised he’d found a new species altogether.

The name ‘Aquilops’ comes from the Latin word “aquila”, meaning ‘eagle’ and the Greek “ops” meaning ‘face’, in reference to its beaked snout. Although it has no horns or neck frill, Aquilops is an early form of horned dinosaur, living 40 million years before the Triceratops.

'Cloverly formation environment with Gobiconodon pursuing juvenile Aquilops while adults attempt to protect them' by Brian Engh (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Army Ant

## Did You Know?

Ants are annoying, especially when they're crawling all over your feet or ruining a summer picnic. That’s as far as we normally go when thinking about ants, but when it comes to **Army Ants**, maybe we should be giving them a little more air time.

These ants are (to put it mildly) like wild hordes of angry swarming locust barbarians. Not only do these barbarian savage Army Ants generally bulldoze and wipe out anything in their path by killing and dismembering, they also have much more developed mandibles than typical ants.

Their massive, terrifying jaws are not for chewing though, they're for WARFARE. As the Army Ants attack their prey, they secrete an enzyme that breaks down the tissue for easier dismemberment…while the prey is still alive! We’ll just leave this fact here while we run (screaming inside) and build some tiny ant-sized defences...
Arctic Ground Squirrel

## Ability

### Ability

**Freezing Up****(Play)** If your deck has 14 or more Paleontology cards, your Ice Age cards, wherever they are, gain +14 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Ahh, look at it!! Look at it! We’ll give you a few minutes to go and image search the **Arctic Ground Squirrel** to really soak up its cute little sleeping face, swishy little tail and weeny little paws and maybe douse yourself in some ice water to calm down. BRB.

These little (well, not so little, as they’re about 15 inches long) squirrels can be found in the Arctic tundra in the sandy soil there which is great for drainage and digging, and is one of the few Arctic animals that bother with hibernation - for a whole 8 months of the year! Dream!

Take a deep breath now, because communication between them is as cute as all heck. When meeting, they press their little bodies together and (remember to exhale) rub their little nosies together. They even have their own vocal language, with deep sounds to warn their friends of land-based predators, and high pitched chatter to warn of sky-based threats.

If you’re as in love with their chubby little cheeks as we are, this is a warning to turn the card over with your happy memories of the time you spent together…

These adorable little creatures are unfortunately also known as “parka” squirrels, thanks to their usage in… well… yeah. :(
Banded Mongoose

## Ability

### Ability

**Band Together****(Play)** Your Life on Land cards in hand gain +19 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

For a **Banded Mongoose**, there’s nothing more succulent than a sun-baked beetle coated in elephant dung, especially when paired with an unsuspecting earthworm. But it’s first come, first serve for this species, who have no defined pecking order. As a result, mongooses may squabble over food like toilet paper in lockdown.

Still, they need to be careful, because to other predators in the savannas of Africa, a banded mongoose is a hearty meal. To protect their young from jackals, hyenas, snakes and birds of prey, the adult mongooses move the babies from den to den (usually a termite mound) every two to three days. When no refuse is available, the group will form a compact arrangement in which they lie on each other with their heads facing outwards and upwards.
1914 Christmas Truce

## Ability

### Ability

**Ceasefire****(Play)** All cards in both player's hands lose -40 Power this turn. **(Return)** A random card in your hand gains +120 Power next turn and an opponent's random card in hand gains +120 Power next turn.

## Did You Know?

On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested that the war that had started five months prior be paused for the celebration of Christmas. The countries at war rejected the idea – however, in the week leading up to December 25th, the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial cease-fire.

On Christmas Day, wooden signs could be seen on the German parapet that read ‘Merry Christmas’, and German soldiers emerged into No Man’s Land, calling for a truce. The British were sceptical, to begin with, but eventually crossed trenches to take part in the **1914 Christmas Truce** to exchange season’s greetings, swap prisoners, hold joint burial ceremonies and take part in carol singing.

German soldiers even brought a barrel of beer to the men of 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, for which they gave plum puddings in return.
Amaterasu

## Ability

### Ability

**Naiku****(Start)** Your Ise Grand Shrine card, wherever it is, gains +15 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Japanese folklore is full of fantastical stories, but perhaps one of the strangest is the tale of **Amaterasu** and Tsukuyomi. According to mythology, Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun. Along with her siblings, the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the storm god Susanoo, she is one of the “Three Precious Children” – the most important offspring of the god Izanagi.

One day, Amaterasu ordered Tsukuyomi to go down to the terrestrial world and visit the goddess of food, Ukemochi. But when Ukemochi vomited up some food and presented it at a banquet, Tsukuyomi was disgusted and killed her. This upset Ameterasu, so she split away from Tsukuyomi, causing the separation of day and night. Next time darkness falls at your window, think of Ukemochi’s vomit and be thankful.
Augury

## Ability

### Ability

**The Fall of a Sparrow****(Draw)** If your opponent's deck contains no Birds cards, give this card +30 Power until played. Otherwise, give this card -30 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

What does it mean when a pigeon cocks its head at you, or when a seagull pecks incessantly on your window? What about when one steals food from right out of your hand?

Possibly the best job in the Roman Empire was the role of the augur - someone who was trained to interpret the behaviour of birds in the context of omens from the Gods. Naturally, only the elite members of the ruling class were granted membership into the priesthood of augurs.

**Augury** was really important to the Romans - even the founding myth of Rome involves Romulus and Remus performing augury to decide where Rome should be built. Depending upon the birds, the auspices from the gods could be favourable or unfavourable. For example, bird steals chip = probably unfavourable.
Agapornis

## Ability

### Ability

**Red In The Face****(Draw)** If your deck has 3 or more Arts & Culture cards, your Life on Land cards in hand gain +20 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

They may be one of the smallest parrot species, but what the **Agapornis** – also known as the lovebird - lacks in size, it makes up for in smarts. Apparently, this species has the intelligence of a 4-year-old human!

When it reaches sexual maturity at around ten months old, the Agapornis starts putting itself out there in search for a mate for life. When it finally finds The One, there’s no playing away – this species is fully monogamous. In fact, after long periods of separation, breeding pairs tend to feed each other to re-establish their bond. Think of it as going for pizza with a long-distance partner. As a pet, a solitary lovebird will bond with a person if they dedicate time to its care and training.
Amber Phantom Butterfly

## Ability

### Ability

**The Phantom Menace****(Return)** If this card matches the Arena, Steal 2 Energy from your opponent.

## Did You Know?

"Haetera piera", AKA the Amber Phantom, is a species of butterfly found in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia. For such a beautiful creature - look at those almost perfectly transparent wings! - it does love to spend its time skulking around in the undergrowth.

It's crepuscular, which means you're more likely to see it around dusk searching for rotting fruits to eat #LivingYourBestLife #YOLO
Atlantic White-Spotted Octopus

## Ability

### Ability

**Lurker****(Play)** If played next to any Around the Reef card, your cards in hand gain +22 Power for 2 turns.

## Did You Know?

In the shallow waters of the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, the **Atlantic White-Spotted Octopus** shares its habitat with its cousin, the common octopus. Appearances aside, the two have a few key differences.

For starters, the Atlantic White-Spotted Octopus is more a night owl (if owls had eight squishy tentacles and lived underwater). It’s also a bit more of a fussy eater, favouring the small organisms that lurk on coral branches.

Its unique hunting technique involves wrapping its mantle around a coral head and using its arms to prod for prey. And it seems to have attracted quite the entourage of small fish who follow it around like groupies, hoping to snag a snack from the octopus's hard work.
Andronikos II Palaiologos

## Ability

### Ability

**Sins of the Grandfather****(Play)** Your cards in hand gain +21 Power for 9 turns. **(Draw)** If it's after Round 3, your cards, wherever they are, lose -10 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

It was supposed to be so easy… Just boost revenue by raising taxes and dismantling the Byzantine fleet to lower expenses. What could possibly go wrong? Judging by the rest of **Andronikos II Palaiologos**’ reign as the Byzantine emperor, literally everything.

Neither a statesman nor a military strategist, Andronikos II weakened Byzantium by reducing its land forces to just a few thousand cavalry and infantry and eliminating the navy entirely. This move proved disastrous. Soon, the Ottoman Turks had gained control of nearly all of Anatolia.

Plus, his plan to employ Catalan mercenaries totally backfired as they saw a greater incentive to pillage Byzantine cities than fight the Turks. They say hate makes you great, but for Andronikos II, it just resulted in the first Palaiologan Civil War.
Ace of Cups

## Ability

### Ability

**Overflowing Emotion****(Play)** Your cards adjacent to this gain +20 Power permanently. **(Return)** Your cards adjacent to this cost +1 Energy permanently.

## Did You Know?

Notice the imagery on the **Ace of Cups** card: a hand coming from the clouds, holding out a cup. That’s God offering you a beer in the bar of life. Drink up. Okay, it’s not God. And it’s not a beer. It’s sparkling water so pure that drinking it will bring you emotional fulfilment, harmony and happiness. So, kind of like a beer, but better.

As the first in the suit of cups, mystics say this card signifies beginnings in your social and emotional world. So, if this card comes up in a reading, you can look forward to a new friendship, family connection or even a budding romance. Hey, we told you the fizzy water was good.
Abacus

## Did You Know?

You know that smartphone or tablet that you're looking at right now? Well, say a quick thank you to the Abacus, which is where it all started.

The Abacus is the oldest known calculating device, and was first invented around 500 B.C. in China, with the version we know today being first used in China around 1300 A.D. In a time before written numbers existed, Abacuses allowed merchants to keep count, and they could be used for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

CRAFTING CLUE BELOW!

- Termites? Shell out for an exterminator!
Aerogel

## Ability

### Ability

**Low Density****(Draw)** Your Space cards in hand with 4 or less Base Energy gain +7 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

When American scientists Samuel Stephens Kistler and Charles Learned made a bet about who could replace the liquid in a gel with gas without causing shrinkage, they didn’t know they were on the cusp of creating a piece of revolutionary space technology.

But that’s exactly what happened: as a result of their experiment, the two chemical engineers created **Aerogel** – a synthetic porous ultralight material that has been used by NASA for cryogenic applications such as launch vehicles, space shuttle applications, life support equipment and rocket engine test stands.

Although Aerogel is actually 99% air, it’s very strong: apparently, a block of Aerogel as large as a human may weigh less than a pound and yet can support the weight of 1000 pounds. Mind = blown.
African Grey Parrot

## Ability

### Ability

**World's Smartest Bird****(Draw)** For every Mega Math card in your hand, your Birds cards, wherever they are, gain +9 Power for 3 turns.

## Did You Know?

For the longest time, scientists believed that a large primate brain was needed to solve complex problems related to language and understanding. But then came Alex. An **African Grey Parrot**, Alex was bought by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg from a pet shop and Pepperberg soon discovered that Alex was a highly intelligent bird.

At just two years old, he was compared to Albert Einstein (huge accolade for a human, let alone a parrot) and was answering questions made for a six year old human. The parrot reportedly identified 50 different objects and could understand concepts of “bigger”, “smaller”, “same” and “different".

Still, they’re only the second most iconic parrot/human duo after that girl and her (missing) <link="https:>bird named Chanel.</link>
Aquarius

## Ability

### Ability

**Sign of the Water Bearer****(Play)** Your Water-Holding Frog and Greenbottle Blue Tarantula cards in hand gain +36 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

You know that saying about following your heart or going with your gut? That sentiment is basically alien to those born under the **Aquarius** star sign.

Highly rational in nature, Aquarians tend to be ruled by logic rather than emotion. That can make them seem cold to others, and while they may not show their emotions much, Aquarians do have feelings – they just happen to express them in a more calm and internal way. And that’s understandable: just ask famous Aquarius Michael Jordan what happens when you cry in public. Nobody wants to become a meme.

Born between January 20th and February 18th, Aquarians won’t hesitate to rebel against rules and carve a new path if they see a more logical way of doing things.
Rock

Currently, the oldest commoner in Caer Westphal and a local historian, he lives his life peacefully, enjoying the company of adventurers that wish to share stories.

Some rumours claim he used to be an adventurer as well, and some magical event put a stop to his career, before settling in Caer Westphal. This might explain his unnaturally long age - over 120 years already.
Amber Fort

## Ability

### Ability

**Artistic Elements****(Play)** If played next to any Arts & Culture card, your Exciting Exploration cards, wherever they are, gain +24 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

In the vibrant city of Jaipur lies the magnificent **Amber Fort**, once the capital of the Kachhawa Rajputs. This 17th-century palace, commissioned by Raja Man Singh, boasts stunning architecture influenced by Hindu design.

While tourism is always welcome in Jaipur city, locals worry that Amber Fort has become over-commercialised in recent years. It certainly didn’t help matters when a film crew damaged a 500-year-old-canopy and demolished the old limestone roof of Chand Mahal.

So, when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas asked to use the fort for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Indian government refused. Apparently, when they caught wind of what the writer and director had planned for the <link="https:>dinner scene</link>, they felt it didn’t really represent delicious Indian cuisine. You don’t say…
Amedeo Avogadro

## Ability

### Ability

**Rock Me Amadeo****(Play)** If played next to any Under the Microscope card, your Science cards in hand gain +20 Power for 2 turns.

## Did You Know?

Most of us can only hope to become experts in one subject matter. But despite having been awarded a doctorate in canon law at age 20, **Amedeo Avogadro** switched his focus to science - specifically gas volumes.

In 1811, he wrote that two equal volumes of gas, under the same temperature and pressure, contain an equal number of particles, be it atoms or molecules. He was the brains behind the ‘Avogadro Number, a fundamental constant he used to compare the different atoms or molecules of given substances.

This discovery laid the foundation for understanding the relationship between the volume and quantity of gases. So, while he didn't end up ruling on legal matters, Amedeo Avogadro crafted a remarkable "law" that forever changed the field of chemistry.
Adrenaline

## Did You Know?

Whether you choose fight or flight in a moment of panic, your next actions will likely be fuelled by **Adrenaline**. This is a hormone produced in the human body that prepares your sympathetic nervous system when you are under threat. It increases heart rate, alertness, blood flow and dilates your pupils to improve vision. It also decreases sensitivity to pain, but we wouldn’t go testing that one out.

Skydiving, bungee jumping and even watching a horror film can trigger your adrenal glands to pump this hormone around your body. That’s why a trip to the toilet after a horror film can cause palpitations and lead you to screaming at your own reflection in the mirror. Mind you, I had that after Avengers: Endgame.
Ame-no-Uzume

## Ability

### Ability

**Goddess of the Arts****(Play)** If your deck contains The Sun, your Prominent Painters cards, wherever they are, gain +22 Power this round.

## Did You Know?

Goddess of dawn, meditation, revelry and the arts in the Shinto religion of Japan, **Ame-no-Uzume** is known for merry-making and bringing joy to the world.

If not for her, the earth may have succumbed to an eternal winter. The story goes that the sun goddess Amaterasu had gone into hiding, and so Ame-no-Uzume, a young maiden, made a plan to bring her back by performing a deliberately funny striptease dance. Was it an odd strategy? Yes. But was it successful? 100%. All of the Shinto gods laughed so hard that Amaterasu emerged from her cave to see what was so funny, and the sun returned to the world.

Ame-no-Uzume’s name can be translated a number of ways, two of which are “The great goddess, shining Uzume,” and the “Heavenly Alarming Female.”

'Uzume dancing to lure out Amaterasu' by Yoshitoshi (Source: Wikimedia Commons) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (original image resized, cropped and altered)
Aucasaurus

## Ability

### Ability

**That Auc-ward Moment****(Return)** All remaining cards in both player's hands lose -50 Power next turn and if you are losing the round, yours get it back.

## Did You Know?

You may laugh at its tiny, almost useless arms or find its size and weight not too impressive compared with other carnivores of its time, but the **Aucasaurus** was still a fearsome beast – particularly when hunting in packs. Together, a group of these dinosaurs could bring down much larger prey. Discovered in the Patagonia region of Argentina in 1999, the Aucasaurus didn’t have much to fear (except natural disasters, of course.)

Nevertheless, the only specimen of the species that was discovered showed damage to the skull, suggesting that this dinosaur was involved in a fight with another dinosaur prior to its death. That, or the aucasaurus refused to pay for something and got into trouble. You know what they say: short arms, deep pockets.
Baby's-Breath

## Ability

### Ability

**Heart-Shaped Box****(Play)** Your Casa di Giulietta, Passerelle des Arts and The Skull of St. Valentine cards, wherever they are, gain +25 Power until played.

## Did You Know?

Bouquet makers love it because it's so versatile and easy to work with, gardeners love it because it's low-maintenance and spreads quickly, and bees love it because, well, it's covered in nectar!

**Baby’s-Breath** is a true crowd-pleaser - specifically, the crowds at baby showers, where they are gifted to new mothers for luck. Native to Eurasia, the Gypsophila paniculata grows in tall spikes and blooms in the summer.

Although some swear that the delicate blossoms smell like a newborn's breath, the nickname simply reflects the flowering plant’s connotations with purity, innocence, hope and new beginnings. As for its scientific name, “gypsophila” literally means “gypsum loving” in Greek - a reference to the type of soil that this plant thrives in.
Alan B. Shepard Jr.

## Ability

### Ability

**FORE!****(Play)** If it's the first turn of a round, this card gains +18 Power this turn.

## Did You Know?

**Alan B. Shepard Jr.** is known for being the first American in space - a mission he flew a mere 23 days after Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.

After serving in the United States Navy during the Second World War, **Shepard** began pilot training in the Air Force. Years of test piloting and instruction followed before, in 1959, he was selected by NASA and became one of the "Mercury 7" - seven astronaut candidates, including Gus Grissom and John Glenn.

**Shepard's** first space flight took place on May 5th 1961 - He piloted the Freedom 7 spacecraft into Earth's upper atmosphere. he was up there for 15 minutes and traveled more than 300 miles, and was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal by President John. F Kennedy.

He would be grounded shortly after that due to an ear condition that made it unsafe for him to fly. He had surgery to fix it, and returned to NASA in 1971 for one more mission - as part of the Apollo 14 crew, he became the fifth man to step foot on the Moon on January 31st of that year.

He also became the first man to play golf in space on that mission. He had a club specially designed for it, a modified 6-iron, and just before they were about to leave (i.e. after the mission was a success) he hit a ball about 200 metres. The ball is still there on the moon, to this day, although finding it will prove tricky as it's likely covered up by lunar dust.
Red Eyes (TV Story)

***Red Eyes*** was the first serial of Season 45 of *Doctor Who*. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Adam Smith and starred Robert Carlyle as the Twelfth Doctor & Sheridan Smith as Sally Ryder.

## Synopsis

Sally Ryder, typical Earth girl from the 21st Century. While going out with her friend Nikki Williams, she bumps into a man named the Doctor, who strangely seems to know everything about her. From that day on, her life will never be the same again as she comes into contact with aliens in a scheme involving alien prisoners from another universe & the future of the Earth.

## Cast

* The Doctor - Robert Carlyle
* Sally Ryder - Sheridan Smith
* Nikki Williams - Georgia Moffett

To be added.

## Home video releases

### DVD

* This story along with the other stories in Season 45 were released as *Doctor Who: The Complete Forty-Fifth Season* in 2009.

### Blu-ray

* This story along with the other stories in Season 45 were later released as *Doctor Who: The Complete Forty-Fifth Season* on Blu-ray in 2009.
Alexandre Dumas

## Ability

### Ability

**One for All****(Play)** Your cards, wherever they are, gain +1 Power permanently.

## Did You Know?

Celebrated French author **Alexandre Dumas** liked to keep busy. Although he is best known for his historical adventure novels including *‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’*, Dumas apparently penned over 100,000 pages over his lifetime!

Despite earning a great deal of money from his successful writing career, Dumas was frequently broke from living a life of luxury and spending lavishly on women. The large Chateau de Monte Cristo that he built was often filled with acquaintances and people he didn’t know who took advantage of his generosity.

Still, the popularity of Dumas’ stories made him a household name in France, and his works have been translated into almost 100 languages and inspired nearly 200 films.