Ok, I think I can explain how this game works in a way that might make sense.
1) There is a trump suit defined at the beginning. In this example, let's say it's Diamonds.
2) When the opponent puts out a card, you only have to beat that card, or "defend". Once you have defended, the pile goes to "covered" and is discarded.
3) To beat a card, you simply have to play a higher value card in the same suit, OR any value of the trump suit.
4) Once a card has been beaten, then if you have another of THAT VALUE, you can play that. For instance, if I start with a 5 of clubs, and Aqua puts out a 7 of clubs, I can now play a 7 of hearts. Likewise, if I play a King of clubs, and Aqua beats it with a trump 6 of diamonds, and I have a 6 of hearts, I can play that.
5) Aqua can play 3 7s at a time; we cannot. However, I can play my 7 of clubs, which she defends against, then I can play my 7 of hearts, which she can defend against, and then my 7 of spades, which she cannot. This is the same result as her playing all 3 at once. IDK why dev made it look different but you can actually get the same result.
6) When every card is paired up evenly, it goes to covered; this is a neutral result, as both have to draw to full hands anyways. However, if you wind up with an uneven pairing, whoever can't cover the card has to take. Taking is fine, as long as you can then dump the cards later. Sometimes you want to take a mid or high value trump card, especially in the earlier game where you might be able to dump the attacked card.
7) Near as I can tell, Pass is matching the rank of the played card and putting the onus of covering onto the opponent.
Basic strategy I've found is start by playing low cards, hoard high cards, hold onto trump cards (I'll take them if they're 8+ and there's double digits left in the draw pile). Try and keep your hand close to the minimum size. Holding duplicates is good to empty your hand at the end of things, especially if they're high (q/k/a/trump).
I'll play a game and break it down as I go. For the record, btw, you can save and reload, and while you have to restart the game every time, it's basically seed generated and thus will play out in the same order, so you can fuck around with different strategies and practice.
Dealt with King of Diamonds as trump.
I'm dealt J/A clubs, K/A Spades, 6/10 Diamonds. Dora has Q of diamonds for lowest trump, so I go first.
I'm going to start with Jack of clubs. She can't cover, so she takes, and I'm up next, and I've drawn a 10 of Clubs. I'll play the 10 of clubs expecting her to play the Jack she just took. She does. Now I could play any Jack that I had, or I can play my 10 of Diamonds. I won't do either of those; instead, I'll hit covered and let those cards get dumped, and I get a 7 of clubs.
She plays a 6 of spades. I can either play my 6 of diamonds to pass, or I can play my King (or ace) of spades to cover. I play my King, she covers, and it's back to me, and I draw a 7 of hearts. I play a 7 of hearts, she covers with a Jack of hearts. I can then play a 7 of clubs, which she covers with a 9 of clubs (this, if the computer does it, looks like them tossing them both out at the same time). I don't have any other 7, 9, or jack, so I cannot continue the attack; however, I have not lost, so I mark as covered, and move on, drawing a 6 of clubs and an 8 of spades.
She plays an 8 of hearts. I can cover with my 6 or 10 of diamonds, or I can play my 8 of spades and pass. I do that (mostly to see what the fuck it does) and she covers with a Jack of Spades, but has to use a trump 9 of diamonds on my 8 of hearts. I mark covered, and the turn is over, but she is back on the attack and I have to defend. I now draw a 7 of spades.
She plays a 6 of hearts. I put out my 6 of clubs and hit pass, and she now has to cover with a queen of clubs and a 9 of hearts. I mark covered and draw a queen of hearts, and she's back in the attacking spot.
She plays an 8 of clubs. I can play my A of clubs, or my 6/10 of diamonds, which I'm still hanging onto. There are only 8 cards left in the draw pile, and the last one is a king of diamonds, which will be tough to beat. I'll go with the Ace of clubs. It's covered, I draw a 10 of hearts, and it's my turn.
I want to dump my low card, so I play the 7 of spades. She covers with a 9 of spades. Covered, next, I draw an 8 of diamonds.
She plays a Queen of spades. I'll put out the queen of hearts, hit pass, and she can't cover them so she takes them both, and now has 7 in her hands. I've drawn a 10 of spades.
I put out my 10 of hearts, which she covers with the queen of hearts. I put out my 10 of spades, which she covers with the queen of spades. I *could* put out my 10 of diamonds here and make her waste a high trump, but I think I should hold onto that for now. We might return to this. For now, I'll hit covered.
I'm given a 7 and Jack of diamonds.
She plays three kings; clubs, hearts, diamonds. I can cover the two offsuits with my trumps, but I cannot beat the King of diamonds, so regardless, I have to take. She then plays an Ace of Hearts and of Diamonds, and I'm fucked. Even though she then only has 1 card left in her hand and I can cover it with what I had to take, I'm stuck, and I lose.
Reloading the game to play it again and try different tactics, I play it completely differently this time, and try and force high cards out at the beginning, especially because as I allowed for her to be on the offensive of drawing cards, it gave her the opportunity in the first game to seize both the King and the Ace of Diamonds and seal my fate.
Still start with: Jc Ks Ac As 6d 10d
Me:
Play Jc, she takes, draw 10c
Ac play, she takes, draw 7c
7c play, she covers 9c,
7 clubs play, she covers 9c, covered, draw 9d
Her :
play 6s, Ks, I cover, draw 7h, back to me.
Me:
7h, she covers jh, draw 6c.
Her:
8s, I cover As, draw Js.
Me:
6c, she covers Jc; Js, she has to take all 3. Draw 7s 9h.
Hand at this point: 7s 9h 10c 6d 9d 10d
Me:
7s, she covers Js, draw 6h
Her:
6c, I pass 6h, she covers 8h and Jc, I put out 6d, she takes all, I draw Qh Qc.
Me:
9h, she covers with 6d, I draw the Ad (the reason I lost last game).
Her:
6h 6c: I cover with Qh and 10c, draw 8c 9s
Hand at this point: 8c 9s Qc 9d 10d Ad
Me:
8c, she passes 8h; I cover with Qc and 9d, draw 10h, Ah.
My turn:
9s, she covers Qs. I draw 10s.
Her turn:
Jc, I cover 8d, draw the Kd.
Game is basically over at this point. I have 10 of H, S, and D; I have the A of hearts, the K and A of diamonds, and control the two highest trump cards.
I play 10h she covers Kh. 10s, she covers with 7d. 10d, she covers Jd, but since there's a King of hearts out there from her, I can play my King of diamonds, which she CANNOT cover (since I have A of diamonds), and she will have to take all. She takes all, has 10 in her hands, and I'm left with Ah and Ad, and we're done.
Ah, she covers 7d, and I play Ad for the win and force her to take.
I'm still certainly not an expert, but I can reliably win now, and at the very least, I'm not confused as fuck.
Hopefully this blow-by-blow breakdown helps
