Card Wars (episode)

"Card Wars" is the fourteenth episode in season four of Adventure Time.

Synopsis
Finn and Jake play Card Wars, an "epic" card game.

Plot
The episode starts with Finn eating some sandwiches and drinking juice on the couch. Jake momentarily walks in with a box and sighs obnoxiously to get Finn's attention. Finn asks what's in the box, and Jake eventually explains that the box contains the cards to play "card wars." Jake explains that Lady Rainicorn didn't want to play with him anymore because he always beats her, and Finn tells Jake that he wants to play. They begin setting up a table with snacks and BMO walks by. Jake asks if BMO wants to play with them, and he ominously replies that he does "not play such games with Jake." Finn and Jake then decide the stakes will be that the winner will be a cool guy and the loser will be a dweeb. Jake fills a cup with a gross concoction and labels it the "dweeb" cup, and he fills another cup with soda, and labels it the "cool guy" cup. Jake then explains the rules, and the scene cuts to a "two hours later transition."

Jake then sets up each player's kingdom and prepares to start the game, noticing Finn is asleep from the longwinded explanation of the rules. Finn says to start anyway despite Jake's protests, and the two begin playing. Both players "floop" their land cards. Jake then says to Finn to keep his cards hidden, or Jake will get a strategic advantage - and then begins his turn by activating a card that shows him all of Finn's cards. Jake then takes one of Finn's cards, Cerebral Blood Storm, and it magically flies into his hand. Jake then sets up what appears to be a devastating attack using Cerebral Blood Storm and Husker Knights. Finn asks if his cool dog and ancient scholar can defend against the husker knights, which Jake laughs off as obviously impossible. Finn then tries to "floop" his pig card to defend, and Jake explains that he can't floop the pig because creatures are "activated." Finn then points out that he can floop the card, reading it as he says so, and his pig marches into Jake's side where it begins to eat corn.

This is devastating to Jake's army, which is powered by corn fields. Furthermore, Jake's Cerebral Blood Storm only does damage to himself because Finn isn't attacking. Jake is upset at how Finn is dealing with the fight so well without knowing the cards. Finn explains that it is "just logic" and excitedly states that Finn's "beginner's luck ends" on that turn. Finn then starts his own battle phase and uses his turn to send his pig to the cave of solitude where it will take a nap, as well as to send his ancient scholar to study. Jake surprisedly asks if that is all that Finn was doing for his turn, and he said that was all. Jake plays a card in order to scare Finn's Pig to death, but it isn't affected because it's napping in the Cave of Solitude. Jake then tries to teleport Finn's pig into danger, but Finn points out that Jake can only teleport his own creatures. Finn taunts Jake by saying that he is the "cool guy," but Jake excitedly plays a card that destroys both sides of the field and all creatures on the board with a volcano.

Happy that he finally killed the pig, Jake plays the "reconstitute landscape" card and grows back all of his corn with the extra effect of reviving his husker knights. He also moves his Useless Swamp card and reveals the Immortal Mazewalker, a powerful looking card that can do triple damage with cornfields in its kingdom. Jake then prepares to attack, and Finn explains that his Ancient Scholar (who had not been killed in the volcano as he was in a building) had been studying the raise the dead ability. Finn revitalizes his pig and once again manages to completely refute Jake's attack by sending his pig to eat Jake's corn fields. Finn then notices that his tower is "doing a thing" and it takes over Jake's Immortal Mazewalker. Jake walks away and angrily grumbles to himself in frustration. Finn suggests that they might take a break, and Jake grows to a huge size and picks Finn up to growl "play the game" at him. Finn has a brief flashback of BMO saying that he did not play Card Wars with Jake, and says he needs to go to the bathroom to get away from the table.

He then goes to find BMO, who explains that the last time BMO beat Jake in Card Wars, Jake wouldn't talk to him for a month. Jake then pulls Finn from all the way upstairs back to the table and repeats "play the game." Finn then decides the only thing he can do is intentionally lose, and instead of sending the Immortal Mazewalker to finish the game, he chooses to attack with his pig a third time. The Pig moves into a mud landscape to attack Jake's Wandering Bald Man, and a pathetic, but suspenseful battle ensues. Finn's pig wins the battle, and as it begins to return to Finn's side, it changes alliances. Jake then exclaims that pigs can't leave mud landscapes once they enter, and says "the pig is mine!" He then plays reclaim landscape which brings back all the corn he originally had in his kingdom. Jake then plays two monsters, one destroys all of Finn's infrastructure and the other one hit kills every creature on Finn's side. Jake then says that he has won the game, because Finn has no creatures left. He hands Finn the "dweeb" cup filled with Jake's gross drink from earlier, and starts to drink it. He says it's good and asks if Jake wants to try it, and a surprised Jake obliges. He then immediately spits it out because it's disgusting, and Finn jokingly calls him a dweeb. The scene then closes with the two of them still sipping the gross drink.

Characters

 * Finn
 * Jake (antagonist)
 * BMO
 * Snail
 * Lady Rainicorn (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This episode's long preview is the first to use actual people in the preview.
 * On the card table, there are two mugs. One says "dweeb" and the other says "cool guy."
 * A preview of this episode was shown on July 14 during Cartoon Network's Big Fan Weekend 2012.
 * BMO is revealed to be able to skateboard.
 * Only thirteen of the cards in the game were used.
 * This is the first episode where Jake is an antagonist.

Episode connections

 * The flame explosion in the long preview before the "Card Wars" title was also used in the "Princess Cookie" preview.

Production notes

 * This episode was originally titled "Card Quest."

Videos
Adventure Time - Card Wars (short preview)|Short preview. Adventure Time - Card Wars (long preview)|Long preview. Adventure Time - Card Wars (sneak peak)|Big Fan Weekend preview.