The Abyss 2026

The Abyss is a mix of a tempo and combo card game for 2 to 4 players set in the depths of the ocean where every draw is a gamble. On your turn, grab a card from the discard pile or push your luck by drawing two from the deck and keeping one. The only cards that score are the ones safely in your hand, so every combo you play is a sacrifice of points. Rounds end when a player holding 25 or more points calls "Stop" or only one player is left standing. First to 70+ total points wins the game.

Combos (2 cards of the same type):

Eyes cards let you look at the cards in the deck Hooks cards force other players (or yourself) to take a risk and draw a card Swords cards let you steal cards from another player or gift them one of your Panic cards.

The real tension comes from Panic cards, dangerous cards that land face-up in front of you the moment they're drawn. Collect three and you're instantly eliminated from the round, scoring 0. There is no way to get rid of them except by sacrificing 15 points' worth of cards from your hand or using a Sword to gift one to an opponent.

So every decision is a trade-off: hoard points and stay quiet or burn points to play combos and mess with your opponents?

—description from the designer