Bakugan Battle Brawlers

Some damn web site I just read described Bakugan Battle Brawlers  as a cross between marbles and Pokemon.  That's kind of like saying that hand grenades are a cross between baseballs and firecrackers.  Actually, it's a lot less accurate.  Plus it's just plain retarded.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers are the most badass toys since the monsters from Voltron back in the 80s.  Those monsters were like holding a little piece of Jack Vance cartoon right in your hand.

Like all of us, the Battle Brawlers come from balls.  Unlike the balls we came from, these balls get rolled across a playing field and open up when they pass over metal gateway cards.  Then they fight!

Each player gets three Brawlers, three Gate Cards, and three Ability Cards.  Each player can also get one trap to bring a little chaos to the situation--always a good idea.

Each of the Bakugan has a point value.  Gat cards add to that value, depending on the type of bakugan that is on it.  As you've probably guessed, gate cards are pretty vital do the game.

Once two of them land on the same card, they get to slingin.  You add each Brawler's card to the gate and ability cards and then pit them off against each other.  Sometimes the cards have text that override the normal rules; again, chaos is always a good thing.

There is a whopping century of Bakugans out there (i.e. there's a hundred of'em).  There is also a cartoon, talks of a movie, video games, etc etc which is all just another way of saying that kids are hyped about this stuff, they love it, and they'll pee all over themselves with joy (don't worry--not literally) if you just buy the damn toys!