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Great! However, there's something you need to understand about Bakugan: "Bakugan" is not quite a game. By that I mean, there are actually several distinct games you can play with Bakugan. The Bakugan franchise has had different rulesets over time, and in some cases the same Bakugan sets were made to be played as more than one game. Not only that, but occasionally the rules included with the toys are extremely vague, and you had to turn to things like official Youtube videos to learn the details. Luckily these days more detailed written versions of the rules are available online on places like the Bakugan Wiki.
In order to decide how you want to play Bakugan, you need to know a little bit more about Bakugan and how they have been released over the years. Even though Bakugan are currently still being produced, depending on what you find appealing in a game you may find it better to buy older Bakugan sets. If you simply go to a store, buy some Bakugan, go home, Google some rules, and try to play, you may find yourself completely lost and confused. Rule sets are generally written for a specific generation of the toys, and many rulesets are not compatible with other generations. The next section of the guide will go into more detail about how to tell the toy generations apart. Though it is fairly long, it is a useful reference tool.
Generation 1 of Bakugan, sometimes just referred to as "Legacy", is the original run of toys starting from the late 2000s and ending in 2012. There's a lot of variation in the toys during this time. The Bakugan started off incredibly small at first, then went up to a slightly bigger size. They introduced things like "Bakugan Traps", which were Bakugan that folded up into various non-ball geometric shapes that could be summoned onto the play field for gameplay effects. Thematically, the monsters were a bit different than the current Bakugan lineup. You did have your typical dragons and bugs, but there was also a lot of influence from mythology and some more alien-like designs than we see now. Bakugan in Gen 1 are broken up into six elemental themed groups referred to as "Attributes", which can be seen in the color schemes of the Bakugan. For example, a blue Bakugan belongs to "Aquos", the water themed Attribute.
Generation 2 was the return of Bakugan (and seen as the start of "modern" Bakugan) and launched in 2018. Gen 2 brought a second size increase that has so far remained to the current day, bringing Bakugan to 36mm. Gen 2 also brought about new target pieces (small magnetic hex tiles instead of full sized cards) and the addition of the TCG. This generation ran for several sets before transitioning to Generation 3 in 2023 without much of a gap between them. Bakugan in Gen 2 have the same elemental Attributes as Gen 1 except that Subterra (tan) has been replaced with Aurelus (gold), and they are now referred to as Factions instead of Attributes.
Generation 3 is the current (as of writing this in early 2024) generation of Bakugan. Generation 3 in its current state feels like a soft reboot of the franchise. The TCG has not yet returned, and we are back to a pure rolling game. Gen 3 introduced "Special Attack" Bakugan that have spinning bases and a ripcord, essentially to compete with Beyblade. All Generation 3 Bakugan can be split into top and bottom halves to allow you to mix and match them. Also, Bakugan had previously in Gen 1 and Gen 2 been broken up into Attributes or Factions based on the color. For example, you could have a red Pegatrix of the Pyrus (Fire) Faction, or you could have a blue one of the Aquos (Water) Faction. Now renamed to Clans, and no longer using the names from Gen 1 and Gen 2, Bakugan have Clans independent of their color based on the symbol printed on them and their card. So Butterclaw is part of the Aquatic clan regardless of whether you have a green one, a red one, a blue one, etc.
Even though there are a lot of different Bakugan rulesets, Bakugan can basically be broken down into two types of games: "toy battling" or "rolling" games, and the TCG. The toy battling game rules differ from ruleset to ruleset, but they're all more or less the same general concept, and the TCG is a variant of the toy battling game that adds on a full deck of cards that alter the gameplay outcome. So though it is very much its own thing, it does still follow the basic concept of the toy battling game. The Bakugan Wiki has a list of different official rulesets broken down by generation, which you can look through, but this guide is going to go more into which ones I recommend for adults getting into Bakugan now, who should try what, and what you need to buy for each.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - List of Rulesets
The flow of most Bakugan rulesets is this: each player has a set team of Bakugan (usually 3). The field is assembled with pieces that will open Bakugan--either Gate Cards or BakuCore tiles. Players will roll their Bakugan (sometimes in turns, sometimes simultaneously) onto the cards/tiles with the goal of opening them via the magnet, and a Bakugan Battle occurs when they open. If only one player opens their Bakugan, they are the defacto winner of the battle. If both Bakugan open their Bakugan, there is a process for calculating their power to determine which Bakugan wins. In some rules, you simply flip over the Gate Card or BakuCore, look at the color corresponding to your Bakugan, and add the number there to your Bakugan's base power, with the largest number winning. Some rulesets and generations include Bakugan abilities or cards that can be played to alter the game, and in some games players are able to use these abilities and cards to counter each other back and forth. Exact win conditions also vary with the ruleset, but all of them rely on you opening your Bakugan and winning battles.
I definitely have my own preferences on what rulesets are best for playing Bakugan, but what game you should play honestly depends on more than just what rules I personally think are best. People want different things out of a game for one thing. But even more importantly, there are different amounts of hassle involved in purchasing the stuff required to play each of these games. Some will be no big deal for some folks and way too much work for others. So I want to break things down into some scenarios. I will also talk a bit about homebrewing/house rules, and when you can and can not make a game work for a gen other than the one it was designed for.
With Bakugan being a franchise primarily targeting children, a lot of Bakugan rulesets are going to be a little too simple for an adult to care. Others are going to be in a middle ground. But there are going to be a lot of folks, especially those who are board game or TCG veterans who want something with a lot of mechanical effects and strategy. For these folks, I wholeheartedly recommend learning the TCG. The TCG seems to be the most popular play style amongst adults.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - How to Play TCG
If you are already a TCG player, then Bakugan is going to feel like a lot of the Japanese TCGs of its era, instead of the older, more popular TCGs more people are familiar with (Magic, Pokemon, Yugioh, etc.). It's fairly snappy, there is no slowdown with lack of energy/mana like older TCGs (such as Magic) as any card in the deck can be used as energy each turn. You also have an extra element to the deck building with the BakuCores. The BakuCores you can use are determined by which Bakugan you choose, but each type of BakuCore has different variants with different abilities, and there are various ability cards that trigger based on which BakuCores your Bakugan has attached to it (gathered by opening the Bakugan on them), so finding a good synergy between the Bakugan, the BakuCores and the deck is a fun deckbuilding experience.
The TCG only existed for Gen 2, which means you will want to buy Gen 2 sets to play it. You and your opponent will each need a deck of 40 cards, 3 Bakugan and their character cards, and the 6 BakuCores that correspond to the symbols on your Bakugan character cards. For getting started, your best bet is to purchase a starter deck set (or two, if your opponent won't be providing their own), which comes with all of these parts. I will go into more detail about buying cards in a later section.
If you find it difficult to obtain the cards, there is an alternative option for playing the TCG. As long as you have your 3 Bakugan and 6 corresponding BakuCores, you can either use a digital simulator for your card deck, or you can print proxies of the cards from card scans online. If you need a starting point for deck building, the Bakugan Wiki has a list of starter deck sets that includes a list of the cards included. You need to select a deck with cards the same color as your Bakugan, as a card can only be in your deck if you have a Bakugan of that color. In theory Evo cards would also need to be swapped to Bakugan you are using, but I don't think any of the starter deck has Evo cards. If you prefer a digital simulator to printing proxy cards, you can use a site called Bakugan Deck Master. There is also a simulator called HeroSphere that simulates the entire game. You will lose out on the dexterity aspect, but if you're more interested in the cards or just want to remotely test out new deck builds, this is another option for you.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - Starter Sets
Let's say you want a challenging ruleset, but you aren't too enthused with a TCG. What's the next most complicated version of the game?
During Gen 1, Bakugan released a Japan-exclusive set called "BakuTech". This set was intended to be a more "technical" Bakugan set, hence the name. Japan-exclusive Bakugan are fairly expensive, especially if you are buying them from outside of Japan, so I am not suggesting you buy BakuTech Bakugan. However, the rule set that came along with BakuTech does not require you own these specific Bakugan. This game is typically referred to as just "BakuTech", or in some cases "Gachi" (referring to the second season of the BakuTech anime, BakuTech Gachi). Sometimes it is even just known as "Japanese rules". I have not found many good written explanations of this ruleset (and may write one up myself), but this video covers the rules pretty well:
[http] Youtube - How to play BAKUTECH BAKUGAN / BAKUGAN rule explanation
BakuTech's main difference from other Bakugan rulesets is the "double stand" aspect. In most forms of Bakugan, you are simply seeking to open your Bakugan to progress. However, in BakuTech, you must either open your Bakugan on the same card as your opponent, then beat them in battle to win points, or you need to open two of your Bakugan on the same card to win points. This is also one of the few variants where players take turns rolling their Bakugan instead of doing so simultaneously. This makes BakuTech a more challenging dexterity game, because your target for rolling is much smaller, and unlike most variants you have the opportunity of having Bakugan sitting in your way. This also makes for more interesting team building, because instead of purely picking Bakugan for their stats, you may choose them for their physical form. There are some Bakugan that unfurl into long horizontal creatures that can be used to block your opponent (or yourself if you aren't careful), or there are some that are skinny and more vertical that could sneak into smaller spaces.
Traditionally speaking, for BakuTech you would need three Bakugan, three Gate Cards (1 of each color: copper, silver and gold) and six ability cards (2 of each color: red, green and blue). As seen in the above video, there are some restrictions against some non-Japanese Bakugan for the sake of balance. However, like I said, it's not likely you will be buying any BakuTech toys and cards. So, you have three options for playing with this ruleset.
Your first option is to buy Gen 1 Bakugan and cards, which are the same format as the Japanese BakuTech toys for the most part. You'll have the same sized toys and the same types of cards. This is the easiest in terms of conforming to the rules, but because of the age of Gen 1 toys will be the hardest to come by.
Your second option is to tweak the rules to work with the cards in the newer generations. In Gen 3, the only cards to really speak of are the Brawler cards, so you could each select 6 Brawler cards that could be played throughout the game. In Gen 2 you may be able to use some of the action cards from the TCG, or Bakugan character card abilities. You would most likely need to avoid cards and abilities that involve BakuCores or specific TCG mechanics (such as cards that involve searching your deck, since you will have a hand of one time use cards, not a deck). You also won't have energy costs, so you may want to decide on some ground rules for that, such as having 2 cards with a low energy cost, 2 cards with a medium energy cost and 2 cards with a high energy cost. Getting into these details would be better for players who already have cards from the TCG however, as it might get complicated for those who would need to buy cards just for this purpose. You could potentially also get gen 1 ability cards online, as there are many card-only eBay listings for fairly cheap, and use them with modern Gate Cards and modern Bakugan, but again you will want to check the cards to make sure their abilities make sense with newer toys.
The third option is to use Gen 2 or Gen 3 Bakugan and Gate Cards, and just ditch the ability cards. You will still have the more strategic of the dexterity game options, just without any external ways to influence the outcome of battles. If all you are concerned with is the dexterity aspect, this option is fine, although you may want to make sure you and your opponent don't have Bakugan with a massive difference in power levels.
One more recommendation for BakuTech: though you don't have to have this, BakuTech was originally designed to be played with a long arena that was fairly narrow and had walls on the sides. The official arena is, like the toys, expensive and Japan exclusive, but it is trivial to DIY a similar experience. I use two pieces of wood on either side of the play area on my table, set them a little more than 4 card widths apart. This will allow the possibilty of bouncing Bakugan off the walls, which if done well can help get around Bakugan in the play area that are in your way.
If you don't want something as hardcore in dexterity as BakuTech, and also don't want something as complex as the TCG, then each generation has a fairly "standard" ruleset that you can play with that would be better suited to you. This is also a good option for playing with younger kids.
For Gen 1, you have a choice between "HSP" (high speed play) rules, which as the name implies is a quick and simple game, and "Arena Play", which is the more standard game. Either one would suit you, and the rules can be found below. These do not utilize the ability cards, and thus you just need 3 Bakugan and ideally 2 Gate Cards. HSP is not quite clear on how many cards should be used, but I would recommend at least 2 per player.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - Gen 1 HSP and Arena Play Rules
For Gen 2, I would recommend the original Toy Battling Game, which uses the BakuCore hex tiles. Though they seem intimidating if you are not the best roller, Bakugan kind of grab the hex tiles as they roll over them instead of having to perfectly rest on top of them, so they can actually be easier sometime. However, if you prefer to use the Gate Cards, the same rules can be used with those. So, you will need 3 Bakugan, and either the corresponding 6 BakuCore tiles for those Bakugan, or three Gate Cards.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - Gen 2 Toy Battling Game Rules
For Gen 3, you should use the standard rules, selecting between Intermediate or Master rules. The only difference between the two is the inclusion of Brawler Cards, which currently you can only get through starter sets, meaning each player would need to purchase two starter sets to get 6 Brawler cards--this might be more investment than you would prefer. You can use the Master Rules with just 3 Brawler cards each, as you can use "up to" 6 Brawler cards, but they don't add much value unless you have more of them. Aside from the Brawler cards, you need a team of 3 Bakugan. Your team can include Special Attack Bakugan, but must have at least one non-Special Attack on the team. This is personal preference, but I prefer to not use Special Attack Bakugan at all, as I don't care for them mechanically. You never have to have one on your team, but you may want to consider whether or not you and your opponent will want to use them, as if you use them you may want to either use a Bakugan Arena or set up your own barriers on the sides of the table to prevent them from spinning off the table.
[http] Bakugan Wiki - Gen 3 Toy Battling Game Rules
One more consideration here: if you intend to play the game with children, it may be a good idea to stick with Gen 3 Bakugan. Kids will likely want to buy and collect the Bakugan, and it will be easier for them to do that with the currently running generation rather than trying to hunt down older toys.
If you don't want to spend your time tracking down Gen 1 or Gen 2 Bakugan, then your best options are to either modify Bakutech/Gachi rules to work with Gen 3 (as I described above in the "I want the most complex/strategic version of the game, and I don't like TCGs" section, or you can play the Intermediate/Master rules for Gen 3 as described above in the "I'm not that great at rolling Bakugan, or I want to play with younger family members" section, depending on what level of difficulty you want.
Nearly all of the toy battling games can be altered to accomodate more than 2 players. Some games accomodate 4 players by default, and will have their rules for more than 2 players described in the ruleset. For the most part with other rulesets, you simply need to add more Gate Cards/BakuCores to the field and give yourselves a little more space around the play area for everyone. If you choose to play in teams of 2, you can choose to have teams combine their power levels into one number, for each Bakugan that opened (so if only one team member's Bakugan opens, only that number is used). If you choose to have it be a free for all, you could compare everyone's power to find a single winner.
Two specific notes to make here: One is that though I have heard of playing the TCG in teams of 2, I was not able to find specific rules for doing this. So it is likely possible, but you may have to experiment with the logistics of doing so. Two is that if you are playing Bakutech rules in teams of two, a Bakugan that opens on the same card as an allied Bakugan is treated as if it did not open (so this does not count as opening both of your Bakugan on the same card).
At this point, hopefully you know which game is right for you, and what you need in hand to play it. Next is some information on how to buy Bakugan.