Can you Skip, Nope or Shuffle away an Exploding Kitten?
No. Once you draw an Exploding Kitten, the only card that saves you is a Defuse. A Nope can't cancel an Exploding Kitten, and a Skip or Shuffle comes too late because the draw has already happened. With no Defuse, you're out.
The rule:
In Exploding Kittens, no: once you draw an Exploding Kitten, only a Defuse can save you. A Nope can’t cancel the Kitten, and a Skip or Shuffle comes too late because the draw has already happened, so without a Defuse you’re out.
When you draw an Exploding Kitten:
- Show it straight away.
- Play a Defuse, or you’re out.
If you’re out: your exploded Kitten goes face up on the table in front of you, with your remaining cards face down beside it.
Why the other cards don’t help:
- Nope: works on every other card, but not on an Exploding Kitten or a Defuse.
- Skip: ends your turn without drawing, so it only helps before you draw.
- Shuffle: mixes up the draw pile, which also only helps before you draw.
Can someone Nope your Defuse? No. A Nope can’t stop a Defuse either, so once you play it you’re safe.
Example:
Lena draws an Exploding Kitten holding a Skip and two Nopes but no Defuse. None of those cards help at this point, so she explodes. Her Skip could only have saved her if she'd played it before drawing.
Why players argue about it:
Players holding a Skip or a Nope when they draw a Kitten want to use it. The sheet is clear that only a Defuse works.