A full guide: the goal of the round, dealing, the effects of all eight cards from the Spy to the Heiress, how to eliminate opponents and earn affection, and the controls on muta.pro.
Love Letter is a game of palace intrigue on a tiny deck of 16 cards. A round is won by whoever remains in the game last, when all opponents are eliminated, or by whoever holds the highest card in hand when the deck runs out. Winning a round earns an affection token. Play continues to the required number of affection tokens: 7 with two players, 5 with three and 4 with four.
The deck is shuffled, one card is set aside in secret face down — it takes no part in the round and lets no one peek at it. Then each player is dealt one card to their hand. The winner of the previous round goes first (in the first round — the "You" player). On their turn a player will hold two cards, one of which they will play.
Eight ranks: Spy (1, ×5), Priest (2, ×2), Duelist (3, ×2), Shield (4, ×2), Messenger (5, ×2), Noble (6, ×1), Lady (7, ×1) and Heiress (8, ×1). The higher the number, the more valuable — but the more dangerous — the card.
On your turn, draw a second card from the deck — now you hold two. Choose one and play it: it goes to the discard pile and its effect triggers immediately. The other card stays in your hand.
Spy — name the rank of an opponent's card (except the Spy): guess right and they are eliminated. Priest — secretly look at an opponent's hand. Duelist — compare hands, the lower rank is eliminated. Messenger — a player discards their hand and draws a new one. Noble — swap hands. The Shield and the Lady have no effect on opponents.
By playing the Shield (4), you are protected until the start of your next turn: you cannot be chosen as the target of any effect. If every living opponent is under a Shield, the targeted card is played to no effect.
If you hold the Lady (7) together with the Noble (6) or the Messenger (5), you must discard the Lady. The Lady has no effect on its own — it is a safeguard against dangerous combinations.
An eliminated player reveals their hand into the discard and waits for the next round. You can lose by having your card guessed by the Spy, by losing a duel to the Duelist, or by discarding the Heiress (8) — discarding it for any reason means you immediately lose the round.
The round ends when one living player remains — they win. If the deck is exhausted, a showdown happens: everyone remaining reveals their hands, and the highest rank wins (in a tie, the sum of discarded cards is counted). The winner gets an affection token and starts the next round. Whoever is first to reach the required number of affection tokens wins the whole game.
Played cards are visible to everyone. Count what is no longer in the deck — it makes guessing with the Spy easier.
Holding the 8 is dangerous: the Messenger or Duelist can force you to discard it. Don't get stuck with it if you're at risk.
Play the Shield when you sense a threat, but remember: it reveals that all you had was protection.
The Duelist is good when your second card is high — otherwise the comparison may knock you out yourself.
In Love Letter there are just 16 cards, and almost all of them are in plain sight: every card played lands in the discard face up. A strong player doesn't guess with the Spy at random — they subtract from the known set what has already come out, and see what remains in the opponent's hand.
Five Spies, two each of the Priest, Duelist, Shield and Messenger, one each of the Noble, Lady and Heiress. One card is set aside blind before the deal — remember that it's gone too.
If both Duelists and both Ladies lie in the discard while the Heiress hasn't shown up yet, the chance that your opponent holds the 8 has jumped sharply. That is the basis for a Spy guess.
Having peeked at a hand with the Priest, don't forget it: even after playing something else, you know the target's card for several more turns until they play it themselves.
One Heiress left, both Ladies in the discard — the Spy boldly names "eight".
Every turn is a choice between two cards: you play one and hide the other. It's the hidden card that decides whether you survive, so you should play not the strongest card but the safest one.
With the Messenger (5) and the Priest (2) it pays to play the Messenger, keeping the low, inconspicuous two in hand.
A Spy or Priest kept in hand hardly attracts the opponent's Spy — no one gains from spending a guess on a "one" or a "two".
High cards (Noble, Messenger) are better played by yourself to good use than held until an opponent's effect knocks them out of you.
With equal hands the Duelist eliminates no one, but shows both players the cards are equal — sometimes that's more valuable than the elimination itself.
The same deck plays completely differently with two players and with four. On muta.pro a game runs to 7 affection tokens with two players, 5 with three and 4 with four — the more players, the shorter the path to victory and the more it matters not to be eliminated first.
The blindly set-aside card and your opponent's hand are already almost the whole deck. Here Love Letter turns into a game of pure deduction: count both, and the Spy becomes almost a sniper.
Politics appear: strike the affection leader rather than your nearest neighbor. Effects can be aimed at any living player not under a Shield.
The more players, the more useful the Shield: it wins you a whole round of invulnerability while opponents strike each other.
The Shield (gold frame) grants invulnerability while two opponents are forced to aim at someone else.
Love Letter forgives a beginner one or two mistakes per round, but not per game. Here are the slips that most often cost an affection token.
If the deck runs out, the highest rank wins — so toward the finish it pays to keep a high (but safe) card rather than discard it earlier.
When an opponent plays a targeted card into the void while players are still alive, it often means they're sparing you or bluffing — draw your conclusions.