Are you looking for a Solitaire game that will challenge your intellectual ability? Then, you won't get wrong with Scorpion. It is dubbed as one of the toughest Solitaire card games to-date. So, if you're ready to spice up your skills, continue reading below.
Overview of Scorpion Solitaire
First of all, Scorpion is a variation of the classic Solitaire game. It has the features of both Spider and Yukon, hence a higher level of difficulty. Even so, the odds of winning can raise due to strategic planning and cognitive thinking.
But before we get into details, it's essential that we know the history of this prominent game. So, where did Scorpion begin? Actually, there's no definite answer to this, since it is an offspring of other top-notch Solitaire versions. Because of its increasing popularity, quite a lot of variants have been developed, including Scorpion II, Three Blind Mice, Wasp, and Curds and Whey. Each of these follows the primary rulings of Scorpion, but with added twists. Still, let's first get familiar with the most basic layout.Scorpion Gameplay
Scorpion uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards that will then be dealt into the tableau. The initial set-up has 7 piles, each of which featuring 7 cards. The three piles from the right will all have face-up cards while the remaining piles (all four columns from the left) will have a combination of 4 face-down and 3 face-up cards. In addition, there will be a stock of three cards on the upper left, which you can use if you no longer have available moves. And completing the initial set-up are the foundation piles on the upper right. This is where the correct suit sequences will be transferred.
If you watch the layout carefully, it resembles that of a scorpion. The seven piles serve as its body while the three reserve cards from the stock become its tail. Just like the real scorpions, they use their tail to ultimately strike down the enemy, and thus it gives you a better chance to win. Then, the foundation piles outline the head of the scorpion.
Main Objective
Playing Scorpion is quite similar to Yukon as it requires you to complete the suits and transfer them to the four foundation piles. However, its setup of tableau and stock is akin to Spider Solitaire. To make it easier to understand, just focus on the main goal and that is to accomplish the proper sequences in the tableau, from Kings to Aces. In most cases, once completed, the suit will be directly transferred to its specific foundation. Still, note that on some websites with online card games, these final sequences will be left in the tableau, so check the rules beforehand.
Allowable Moves
After familiarizing yourself with the main goal you need to gain to win and the three types of piles, let's get on with the allowable moves.
1. Transferring one or more face-up cards
When playing Scorpion, you can move a card considering it has the same suit and one rank lower to the card on the bottom of the other pile. For instance, the last card of a pile has a red seven of hearts. This means you can transfer it to a pile with a bottom card having eight of hearts.
Moreover, the game does not limit you to transferring only one card. You are allowed to move several of them even if they are not following the right sequence. However, this can be done as long as you take into account the top card of the pile you want to transfer and the last card of the pile where it will be transferred. For example, a red queen of diamonds can be moved to a pile with a bottom card of a red king of diamonds even if it's “blocked” with a black five of spades or others.
2. Maximizing the kings and thinking of strategies
If you have a king, you can automatically transfer it to the empty pile so you can start creating a complete suit. If there are many face-up kings, it's recommended that you move the one from a pile with more face-down cards. This way, you can reveal the cards and easily plan for the next moves.
3. Flipping the face-down cards
It's very important that you expose all the cards as soon as possible. For your convenience, a face-down card will be automatically flipped once you successfully transfer a card or a sequence that is blocking it to another pile.
4. Dealing reserved cards
The tail of the Scorpion holds a key role in the game. If you are stuck with no available moves, then you can make use of the remaining cards from the stock. These three cards will be placed on the first three piles from the left. When playing traditional Scorpion, you can only utilize the reserved cards when you've exhausted all your moves. But sometimes, you are given the chance to deal from the tail at any moment.
5. Utilizing the undo button
The undo button can be used as many times as you prefer. The downside, however, is that each undo corresponds to one move. So, make sure that you utilize this opportunity properly. It's because winning a Scorpion game is not just about completing the foundation piles but also beating your time record and number of moves. If these aspects are not so important for you, then enjoy the gaming experience with lots of chances to try different approaches and strategies within one game.
Conclusion
Scorpion Solitaire is certainly a fun game that can also exercise your brain. Though it has the same objective as most Solitaire versions, its unique gameplay makes it more special and challenging. However, with a variety of allowable moves (including the ability to transfer the “blocked” cards) and three extra cards you can use when the game seems to be unsolvable, you can win for sure. So, start studying the guidelines, try diverse strategies, practice a lot, and become a Scorpion expert in no time!