Mattis rules

Mattis in five steps

1. Deal cards. Deal 3 cards to each player. Turn the bottom card face-up to reveal the trump suit.
2. Phase 1: Collection. Play cards to the center. Highest rank owns the pile. Match a rank to trigger War.
3. Win Wars. In War, each participant plays one card. Highest card wins all cards on the table.
4. Phase 2: Shedding. Pick up your collection pile. Follow suit and try to empty your hand. Trumps are now active.
5. Avoid being the Mattis. The last player with cards is the Mattis and loses. Go out first for the strongest result.

Phase 1: the Collection phase (Innsamlingsfasen)

Build the hand you'll use to win in Phase 2.

Setup

• Each player is dealt 3 cards.
• The bottom card of the deck is turned face-up—its suit becomes the Trump Suit for Phase 2.
• During Phase 1, only card rank matters. Trumps are not active yet.

Gameplay and turn flow

• Players lay one card at a time in the middle. No requirement to follow suit.
• The player with the highest rank on the table "owns" the pile.
• If no one challenges the owner, they automatically take the entire pile into their Collection Pile.
• After a pile is taken, all players draw back up to 3 cards.

Phase 2: the Shedding phase (Utspillingsfasen)

Empty your hand before everyone else. The last player with cards loses.

Setup

• Players pick up their Collection Piles—this is their hand for Phase 2.
• The player who received the last card from the deck starts the first trick.
• The Trump Suit is now fully active and beats any non-trump card.

Following suit and Rows

• You must follow suit and try to beat the cards played against you.
• You can play multiple cards at once if they form a Row (same suit, consecutive ranks, e.g., 7-8-9 of Hearts).
• To beat a card or row, play a higher card/row of the same suit, or a Trump.

Winning and going out

• A player is "Out" when they empty their hand and their last play isn't picked up.
• The first player to go out wins.
• The last player with cards is the Mattis and loses the game.

The legend of the Mattis (Mattishaetten)

In Norwegian tradition, the loser—the Mattis—would wear the "Mattishaetten" (Fool's Hat), a playful mark of shame. The game's name itself comes from this tradition: "Mattis" is an old Norwegian word for a simpleton or fool. The social pressure of avoiding this title makes every round tense and strategic.

Glossary of terms

Mattis

The loser of the game—the last player with cards in hand.

War (Krig / Støting)

Triggered when matching ranks appear on the table. Participants battle with one card each.

Blodmattis

Blood Mattis—instant loss for having zero cards after Phase 1.

Trump (Trumf)

The suit revealed at game start. Active in Phase 2, trumps beat all non-trump cards.

Row (Rad)

A sequence of consecutive cards in the same suit (e.g., 7-8-9 of Hearts).

Collection Pile (Kastebunke)

Cards won during Phase 1, which become your hand in Phase 2.

Bottom Index (Bunnindeks)

The pick-up rule: take only the oldest card/row on the table.