Top Trumps
| This article is about the Top Trumps card games. For the Top Trumps Transformers book, see Top Trumps: Transformers. |
Top Trumps is a type of card game produced by Winning Moves UK Ltd. Each pack consists of a number of cards with a series of statistics on each. Players get a randomised set of cards, and the active player reads one of the stats from their top card. The player with the highest value for that stat on their top card wins, and collects all of the top cards for that round.
Unsurprisingly, Transformers lends itself to being adapted to this concept.
Transformers (2007)
A pack of Top Trumps was released in 2007 to tie in with Transformers. Each card has six statistics (power, height (m), disguise, heart, courage, mission), a brief description of the character or object, and an image of the subject.
Cards
Notes
- Blackout has the least power of all the Decepticons.
- Ron and Judy Witwicky are both braver than Optimus Prime and Megatron.
- In fact, Megatron has the lowest courage score in the game, and is therefore more cowardly than Glen Whitman.
- Miles is more powerful than Sam and Mikaela.
- The picture used for Donnelly is not Zack Ward.
- Frenzy's alternate mode is a tape deck instead of a CD player.
- Additional "Super Top Trumps" cards were available separately in the UK and Germany, available when buying toys from certain stores, or with magazines [1]:
- Bonecrusher
- Jorge Figueroa
- Ironhide
- Maggie Madsen
- Megatron
Revenge of the Fallen
A second pack was released in 2009, to tie in with Revenge of the Fallen. This pack included special markings on the back of selected cards which, combined with a webcam and some 3D software downloadable from the Top Trumps website, allowed you to "interact" with a 3D Optimus Prime in the form of a four question game. This time around, the six statistics given are "Height (ft)", "Firepower", "Disguise", "Speed", "Bravery" and "Intelligence".
Cards
- Autobots
- Decepticons
- Humans
- Other
Notes
- The Autobots having separate cards for their vehicle and robot modes leads to some oddities, such as Ironhide actually being one point faster in robot mode, and Optimus Prime's intelligence going up one point when he turns into a truck.
- Wheelie is shown in his toy truck mode, unlike the other Decepticons who are all in robot mode.
- In general, the height for returning characters is consistent with the first set, though in feet rather than metres.
- The AllSpark shard is 3 feet tall. It's also smarter than Sam and Mikaela.
- Megatron's description refers to him being frozen in ice and not dead.
- N.E.S.T stands for Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, as in The Last Prime.
Transformers: Prime
A third pack was released in October 2012, this time focusing on Transformers: Prime rather than the movieverse, Winning Moves having eschewed releasing a pack for Dark of the Moon. Each card has five stats—Intelligence, Rank, Strength, Speed and Fireblast. Unlike the movie packs, it avoids sticking to strictly on-screen characters and uses a number of toy-only characters and even a couple from Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.
Cards
- Autobots
- Decepticons
- Humans
- Other
Notes
- Knock Out's card erroneously has an Autobot symbol.
- Thundertron's lacks a faction insignia altogether.
- Pictures are a mix of promotional images from the show, toy package art, and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron images (Swindle and Vortex).
- The kids have intelligence stats of 8 and 9, making, for instance, Miko 3 points smarter than Bulkhead.
- The Energon Driller also has an intelligence of 8.
Transformers Annual 2015
The Transformers Annual 2015 came with six exclusive Age of Extinction Top Trumps cards. The five statistics listed are Size, Strength, Terror, Speed, and Disguise.
Cards
Notes
- The description on Bumblebee's card misspells his name "Bumblee".
- Lockdown is listed as a Decepticon bounty hunter.
- Grimlock has a disguise stat of 1. Giant metal dinosaur is not a good disguise.
30 Blasts from the Past!
Released in 2015, this pack celebrated 30 years of Transformers by featuring characters from the first couple of years of Generation 1. The cards featured reproductions of the original box art, and the five statistics included were Size, Speed, Power, Disguise, and the enigmatic "Top Trumps Rating".
Cards
Notes
- Cosmos has the highest "Size" stat at 6, making him bigger than Devastator. Cosmos also has the highest "Power" stat possible at 50, making him equal to both Optimus and Devastator.
- The disguise stat ranges from 1 (Cosmos and Grimlock) to 20 (Ransack, Ironhide, Barrage and... Devastator?!)
- Seaspray and Skywarp only get a Top Trumps Rating of 2, while Optimus and Grimlock get the maximum rating of 15.
- Grapple's bio notes that he turns into a "construction site roadhauler".
- Shockwave's bio notes that he is an Action Master partnered with Fistfight.
- Topspin's bio calls out his membership in the Wreckers.
