Ark Nova Final Scoring Cards: Choosing and Steering Yours

At setup you draw 2 Final Scoring cards and keep them hidden. At some point, one goes away. The one you keep scores at the end of the game, worth 1 to 4 conservation points. That sounds small next to a project. But late in the game, when each conservation point past 10 covers 3 appeal spaces, 4 points close 12 spaces of gap. Games are often decided by less.

How they work

There are 11 Final Scoring cards in the base game. Each one uses a table or a line of text to show how you earn 1 to 4 conservation at the end. You can never earn more than 4 from a single card. For scoring, the rulebook says to consider your universities and the cards in front of you, with their icons.

The rulebook shows two examples. One, Sponsored Zoo, pays for sponsor cards in your zoo. Another compares your animal category icons with the player to your right. That one has a different version for solo play, since there is no player to your right.

The discard moment

You hold 2 cards until one of two things happens:

• The first time any player reaches 10 conservation, every player chooses one Final Scoring card and discards it face down under the pile.
• If nobody reaches 10 during the game, everyone discards one before final scoring.

So someone else may force your choice early. If a rival races to 10 by the second break, you must commit before your zoo has taken shape. If you are the one racing to 10, you force rivals to commit early, which is a small edge in itself.

Which card to keep

Ask three questions about each card.

1. Where am I on its scale now? Count it as if the game ended today. A card already at 2 steps beats one at 0.

2. Does it fit what I am doing anyway? The best Final Scoring card rewards something your zoo is already building toward: a category you collect, sponsors you play, buildings you place. A card that needs a separate plan costs actions you would spend elsewhere.

3. Can a rival block it? Cards that compare you with other players can move against you on their turns. Cards that count only your own zoo are safer.

If the cards are close, keep the one that needs fewer extra actions to reach its next step.

Steering toward the next step

Once you know your card, it should nudge your choices, especially in the last few turns:

• Count the step. Know exactly what you need for the next conservation point on the card.
• Break ties with it. When two animals or sponsors are close in value, take the one that also moves your card.
• Plan the last turn around it. If one more card or building reaches the next step, that can be worth 3 appeal spaces after 10, more than many small animals.

The endgame lesson counts your Final Scoring card as part of the checklist before you cross. Remember that its points come after the trigger, so they never end the game early. They push you past the crossing once the game ends.

Cards that change the rules

Some cards give you more Final Scoring cards. The Resistance ability adds one to your hand. Play it before anyone reaches 10 conservation, and the glossary says you still discard only one at that moment and score all the cards you keep at the end. So value it most early, before the discard.

Reading a rival’s card

You cannot see a rival’s Final Scoring card, but their zoo often gives it away. A player who keeps choosing sponsors over equal animals, or chasing one category past what their projects need, is often steering a card. Add a guess of 2 to 4 conservation to their final turn when you judge whether it is safe to cross.

Expansion note

Ark Nova: Marine Worlds adds new Final Scoring cards. If you play with it, the same method works: count where you are, keep the fit, and steer the last step.