More cards. More penalties. Absolutely no mercy!
Think you know UNO? Think again! UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy takes the classic card game and turns up the chaos with brutal action cards, stacking penalties and a special rule that can knock players out of the game entirely.
THE AIM OF THE GAME
The Aim of the Game
Be the first player to get rid of all your cards — or be the last player standing!
Players: 2–6
🃏 Getting Started
- Shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player.
- Place the remaining cards face down to create the Draw Pile.
- Turn over the top card to start the Discard Pile. If it’s an action card, ignore it and flip another.
- The player to the left of the dealer goes first. Play continues clockwise.
▶️ How to Play
On your turn, play one card that matches the top card of the Discard Pile by:
- Colour – Match the colour.
- Number – Match the number.
- Symbol – Match the action symbol.
- Wild Card – Play a Wild card to change the colour.
Can’t play a card?
Keep drawing cards until you find one you can play. You must then play that card!
⚡ Special Cards
- Skip: The next player misses their turn.
- Reverse: Changes the direction of play.
- Draw Two (+2): The next player draws two cards and misses their turn, unless they can stack.
- Draw Four (+4): The next player draws four cards and misses their turn, unless they can stack.
- Skip Everyone: Skip all other players and take another turn.
- Discard All: Discard every card in your hand matching the colour of this card.
- Wild Reverse Draw Four (+4): Reverse the direction of play and make the next player in the new direction draw four cards, unless they can stack. In a two-player game, you draw four cards yourself unless you can stack the penalty.
- Wild Draw Six (+6): The next player draws six cards and misses their turn, unless they can stack.
- Wild Draw Ten (+10): The next player draws ten cards and misses their turn, unless they can stack.
- Wild Colour Roulette: The next player chooses a colour, then reveals cards from the Draw Pile until they find one of that colour. They must pick up all the revealed cards and miss their turn. Wild cards don’t count as a colour match.
🔥 The No Mercy Rules
Stacking Penalties
If someone plays a draw card against you, you can stack another draw card of equal or higher value.
For example, if someone plays a +4, you can stack a +4, +6 or +10.
The penalties keep adding up until someone can’t stack another card. That player must draw the entire total!
💀 The Mercy Rule
If you ever have 25 or more cards in your hand, you’re eliminated from the game!
🔄 The 7–0 Rule
- Play a 7: You must swap your entire hand with another player of your choice.
- Play a 0: Everyone passes their entire hand to the next player in the current direction of play.
📣 Don’t Forget to Shout UNO!
When you’re down to one card, shout “UNO!”
If another player catches you before the next player begins their turn, you must draw 2 penalty cards.
🏆 How to Win
There are two ways to win:
- Be the first player to get rid of all your cards.
- Be the last player remaining after everyone else has been eliminated by the Mercy Rule.
Remember: In this version of UNO, friendships are optional. Mercy isn’t!
📖 Official Game Rules
Need to settle a rule dispute? Check out the official instructions from Mattel!
👉 View the Official UNO Show ‘Em No Mercy Rules – Mattel (PDF)
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