What’s better than zapping your enemies with lightning from your fingertips? Summoning something else to do it for you! Munchkin Mages are great at distracting their foes by dropping monsters on their heads. Surprise!
- - Smash Up: Munchkin rulebook
The Mages are one of the 8 factions from the Smash Up: Munchkin set.
The Mages focus on discarding cards for good effects.
Other factions from the same set: Clerics, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Orcs, Thieves, Warriors.
Cards
The Mages have the usual 10 minions and 10 actions. The total minion base power (not counting any abilities) is unusually low at only 28 or an average of 2.8 per minion compared to the usual 30 and 3.
Among their actions, there are:
- 0 play-on-minion actions,
- 1 play-on-base action: Portal to Beyond,
- 9 standard actions (4 that affect one or more minions, in bold): Charm, Embiggen, Mass Summoning, Recover Arcane Wisdom (2x), Some Enchanted Evening, Speed Reading, Zzzzzap! (2x),
- 1 action that directly increases a minion's power: Embiggen.
Minions
1x Blaster Master - power 5 - Talent: Discard a card to destroy a minion of power 2 or less. FAQ
2x Happy Zapper - power 3 - Talent: Discard a card to give this minion +2 power until the end of the turn. Special: Before this base scores, you may use this minion’s talent. FAQ
3x Wand Whiz - power 3 - You may discard a card to play an extra minion or action. FAQ
4x Scroll Shuffler - power 2 - Discard a card. Draw a card. FAQ
Actions
1x Charm - Take control of a monster and treat it as one of your minions until the end of the turn. FAQ
1x Embiggen - Choose a minion. Discard any number of cards. The minion gets +1 power until the end of the turn for each card you discarded. FAQ
1x Mass Summoning - Play a monster on each base. FAQ
1x Portal to Beyond - Play on a base. Talent: Discard a card to play a monster here. FAQ
2x Recover Arcane Wisdom - Draw until you have five cards in your hand. FAQ
1x Some Enchanted Evening - Discard any number of cards. Play an extra minion of power 3 or less for each card you discard. FAQ
1x Speed Reading - Discard a card. Draw three cards. FAQ
2x Zzzzzap! - Discard a card to destroy a minion of power 3 or less. FAQ
Bases
Clarifications
Here are the official clarifications as they appear in the Smash Up: Munchkin rulebook:
Charm: If a monster is controlled when a base breaks, its treasures still go into the general pot.
Happy Zapper: Its ability triggers when its base scores even if it was used earlier that turn. If this minion gains additional talents, you can only use one of them before the base scores. (updated by The Bigger Geekier Box)
Mechanics
Mages specialize in discarding cards to do things, especially gaining power, playing extra cards or destroying minions.
They also have some interaction with the monsters, being able to summon them into play and temporarily take control of them.
External Strategy Guides
FAQ
Questions on Blaster Master
Q: If I use its talent, do I have to discard a card?
A: No. It's a "Do X to do Y" type of ability, so while it doesn't say "you may", doing X is actually optional![1] However, if you don't do it, you won't be able to destroy a minion, obviously.
Rule: When a card says "Do X to do Y" or "You may do X to do Y", doing X is optional in both cases.
Q: Can you destroy a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Questions on Happy Zapper
Q: The card says "Special" so I can play it outside of my turn, right?
A: "Special" does not mean the card can be played out of turn. "Special" simply means that it's an ability that can be used when its condition is met. Whether it can be used out of turn, activated straight from your hand/discard pile, or if it can only be used when it's already in play (essentially being a synonym of Ongoing), it entirely depends on the wording. In the case of Happy Zapper, the condition is "before this base scores", this means that you can only activate it before its base is scored, "its base" being the base it is currently on. Obviously, if Happy Zapper isn't in play, there's no "this base" that the condition can refer to. So Happy Zapper is actually a Special card that can only be used when it is in play.
Q: If I use its talent, do I have to discard a card?
A: No. It's a "Do X to do Y" type of ability, so while it doesn't say "you may", doing X is actually optional![1]
Rule: When a card says "Do X to do Y" or "You may do X to do Y", doing X is optional in both cases.
Q: Does increasing this minion's power before its base scores change anything at all? Don't we only get VPs based on the power we had at the start of scoring?
A: Actually, the amount of VPs each player gets is determined by the power each player currently has when you are handing out VPs, so any before-scoring abilities (including this one) that affect how much power you have on the base will affect the amount of VPs you'll eventually get.
Rule: VPs are awarded according to the current power totals.
Q: If I give this minion an extra talent (e.g. Potion of Redundancy Potion, Flighterizer), which talent can I use before the base scores?
A: Any talent, but you can only use one of them before the scoring of the base, not each one.
Questions on Wand Whiz
Q: If I play a Wand Whiz and discard a card with its ability, do I have to immediately play an extra minion or action?
A: If Wand Whiz is played during your Play Cards phase (phase 2), then no, you choose whether you want to play the extra card immediately or save it for later during the same phase. Otherwise, you indeed have to play it immediately or not at all.
Rule: Extra cards gained outside of your Play Cards phase must be played immediately or not at all.
Q: If I play a Wand Whiz and discard a card with its ability, do I have to immediately decide if I'll play a minion or an action, or can I decide later?
A: You must immediately decide which type of card you want to play, even if you play it later.
Rule: When you play a card, resolve the played card's ability immediately and completely.
Q: Can Wand Whiz work with Spirit of the Forest?
A: No, Spirit of the Forest only works with abilities that say "OR" in upper case. Besides, "OR" abilities allow a clear distinction between its two parts; each can be taken separately and still make sense. Here, "or" separates "You may discard a card to play an extra minion" and "action". Doing "action" doesn't mean anything. You could argue that the player has to try and make sense of how to "use both parts" of its ability, but how would they decide between "discarding one card to play both an extra minion and an extra action", and "discarding a card for the minion and discarding another card for the action". Besides, the player trying to make sense of an ability goes against a fundamental rule of Smash Up that they just have to do what the cards say, and the Spirit of the Forest says "OR", while Wand Whiz says "or".
Rule: Specific words are not synonymous no matter how similar they seem.
Questions on Scroll Shuffler
Q: What if Scroll Shuffler is my only card in hand and I play it? Is Scroll Shuffler itself discarded? Or do I discard the card that I draw? Or do I not draw any card because I don't have a card to discard?
A: Actually, you simply draw a card. Indeed, when you play it, you have to resolve it entirely in order, so you discard a card (you have none to discard) and then draw a card. Drawing a card is independent from discarding one (it says "Discard a card. Draw a card", not "Discard a card to draw a card), so you have to draw one even though you didn't discard one, and you don't go back and discard it because that part has already been resolved.
Rule: Multiple parts of a card’s ability must be done in their stated order.
Questions on Charm
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and its control is taken by the action player, even though Diva is not a monster.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and its control is taken by the action player, even if the minion is not a monster.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and its control is taken by the action player, even if the minion is not a monster.
- Funky Town doesn't interact with it because you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if you directly target a monster you already control, but then Charm wouldn't do anything.
Questions on Embiggen
Q: Can I choose a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be chosen by cards that do not explicitly state cards in stasis can be chosen.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it, Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power. Note that you won't discard additional cards from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the amount of power is already set.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power. Note that you won't discard additional cards from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the amount of power is already set.
- If We are Family copies it, the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power. Note that you won't discard additional cards from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the amount of power is already set.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it directly affects one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it, the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and gets the same amount of +1 power. Note that you won't discard additional cards from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and so the amount of power is already set.
Questions on Mass Summoning
Q: If I play a Web Troll, does its ability trigger?
A: Yes.
Rule: When you play a card, resolve the played card's ability immediately and completely.
Q: What if a monster is played on a base where it cannot be played? (e.g. Tsar’s Palace)
A: The monster is discarded without resolving its effect.
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: Is the monster played with this card affected by Flame Trap, Leprechaun, Pay the Piper, and other cards like Leprechaun because logically, that's what the card should be saying?
A: Yes. You're considered to have played the monster, so you're treated by those cards as another player playing a minion.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Note that playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it.
Questions on Portal to Beyond
Q: An opponent plays this card on a base, so on my turn, I can use its talent, right?
A: No. Your opponent played the action, so they control it, and therefore only they can use the talent on their turns.
Rule: A play-on-base action doesn't give an ability to the base that any player can use.
Rule: A card's talent can only be used by that card's controller.
Q: If I play a Web Troll, does its ability trigger?
A: Yes.
Rule: When you play a card, resolve the played card's ability immediately and completely.
Q: What if a monster is played on a base where it cannot be played? (e.g. Tsar’s Palace)
A: The monster is discarded without resolving its effect.
Rule: If conditions prohibit playing a chosen card, discard it instead.
Q: Is the monster played with this card affected by Flame Trap, Leprechaun, Pay the Piper, and other cards like Leprechaun because logically, that's what the card should be saying?
A: Yes. You're considered to have played the monster, so you're treated by those cards as another player playing a minion.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it says "Play on a base", which means that it is not a standard action.
Rule: Definition of "standard".
Questions on Recover Arcane Wisdom
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Some Enchanted Evening
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied. Note that merely playing a minion doesn't count as affecting it.
Questions on Speed Reading
Q: After playing this card, I have more than 10 cards in hand. Do I immediately discard down to 10?
A: You don't discard any card until your next Draw 2 Cards phase (so not any Draw 2 Cards phase!). At that point, you will indeed need to draw two cards and discard down to 10 if you have more than 10. That's the only moment where you must discard down to 10. At any other time, you keep your hand of cards.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: It doesn't interact with them at all, because it doesn't affect any minions in play and so its effect can't be copied.
Questions on Zzzzzap!
Q: If I play this card, do I have to discard a card?
A: No. It's a "Do X to do Y" type of ability, so while it doesn't say "you may", doing X is actually optional![1]
Rule: When a card says "Do X to do Y" or "You may do X to do Y", doing X is optional in both cases.
Q: Can you destroy a minion in stasis?
A: No, cards in stasis cannot be affected by cards that do not explicitly state they work on cards in stasis.
Q: How does this interact with the Disco Dancers' mechanic and Funky Town's ability?
A: - If Diva copies it (and it can copy it even if its power is more than 3), Diva is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that you won't discard an additional card from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and is what led you to destroy a minion in the first place.
- If Dancing King copies it onto a minion (it can be itself and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 3), that minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that you won't discard an additional card from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and is what led you to destroy a minion in the first place.
- If We are Family copies it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion it is on is more than 3), the minion it is on is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that you won't discard an additional card from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and is what led you to destroy a minion in the first place.
- With Funky Town, you can only copy it if you're the one who played the action and if it destroys one of your minions, but if Funky Town does copy it (and it can copy it even if the power of the minion that gets the copy is more than 3), the minion is considered as indirectly affected by the action and is destroyed. Note that you won't discard an additional card from your hand for affecting a second minion; that part was already resolved before the part that can be copied and is what led you to destroy a minion in the first place.
Trivia
- The artists are John Kovalic, who is well-known for drawing the art of many boardgames including Munchkin and several of its expansions, and Gong Studios, who also designed the art of many other factions.
- Their divider features Blaster Master.
- The font used for the Mage cards is Quasimodo.
- An Orc is present on Embiggen.
- Warriors are present on Wand Whiz, Recover Arcane Wisdom and Blaster Master
- A Halfling is on Zzzzzap!
- A Web Troll is present on Charm, Mass Summoning and Portal to Beyond.
In other languages
| Language | Name | Translation (if different) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Magiciens | Magicians | |
| German | Zauberer | Wizards | Same name as the Wizards from the Core Set |
| Russian | Маги | ||
| Spanish | Magos | Same name as the Wizards from the Core Set |
| ||||||