Expert tips on playing the UNO variant with stacking

A regular game of UNO is lots of fun—and turning up the heat with UNO No Mercy (or ‘Show ‘em No Mercy’) can be even more exciting! No Mercy is very similar to the original game, with a few extra rules and mechanics tossed in. Specifically, it adds stacking (which lets you overload players with “Draw” cards) and the Mercy rule (which knocks players out of the game when they have 25 cards in their hand or more). Read on for a complete guide to UNO No Mercy, with added advice from board game expert and reviewer Derek Pederson.

Shuffle the deck and deal seven cards to each player.

Flip over the top card of the deck, turning it into the discard pile.

On your turn, play a card matching the color, number, or symbol of the top card.

Draw cards from the deck until you find a matching card if you don’t have one already.

Call “UNO!” when you’re down to one card in your hand.

Win by getting rid of all your cards first or eliminating all other players.

Eliminate players by forcing them to draw cards until they have over 25 in their hand.

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Thankfully, the game’s setup is simple, just like the original UNO. “Shuffle up the deck of cards and deal seven to each player,” Pederson explains. “From there, you flip the top card over of the main deck, which becomes the discard pile.” The rest of the deck is laid facedown between the players, becoming the draw pile.