Mighty

There is one absolute taboo for defenders in Mighty.

Never lead with a trump suit.

A trump suit is usually the suit held most heavily by the declarer, while the defenders typically hold only a few trumps. From the declarer's perspective, the ideal plan is to draw out the defenders' trumps as quickly as possible.

Therefore, when a defender leads a trump suit, they are effectively doing exactly what the declarer wants. Such a play can feel almost like a betrayal, as it relieves pressure on the declarer and accelerates their strategy. In general, once a defender gains the lead, they should avoid leading a trump suit.

Of course, there are exceptions. If a defender clearly holds more trumps than the declarer, and those trumps are high enough to remove all of the declarer's trumps with certainty, a so-called "reverse trump" play may be possible. However, this situation is rare and should only be attempted when the trump count is known precisely.

When defenders have the lead, they often choose to lead spades, since the Mighty's suit is usually a spade. It is called a Mighty attack. Because the Mighty has a suit, leading spades can pull it out if the declarer's only spade is ♠A. Similarly, if the declarer has shown a Joker signal, defenders may choose to lead clubs, since the Jocall is also a club. This play is sometimes referred to as a Jocall check.

The declarer cannot lead with a trump or the Joker on the opening trick. No such restriction applies to the other players. As a result, if defenders are unable to follow the opening lead suit, they may play a trump instead. This is called First Kan.

If the declarer leads the opening trick with a top card and defenders play a Kan, the declarer's original plan can be completely disrupted. Strategies such as drawing trumps or setting up a Jocall are suddenly interrupted by this first Kan.

That said, if the declarer opens with a low-rank card, should defenders always play a Kan? Although the probability is low, the Friend may accidentally win the trick, making a first Kan worthwhile.

Winning tricks as a defender is difficult. Defender trumps are often drawn out quickly, and the round can end with defenders merely surrendering points as other players take tricks. To resist this, defenders must identify the declarer's weak suit and focus on keeping only one suit in their hand.

Once you are confident about the declarer's weak suit, it may be necessary to discard point cards boldly, even if the declarer wins the trick. For example, if you hold heart point cards and the declarer plays a Kan on a heart lead, you should discard hearts first - whether they are point cards or not. Defending effectively often means consolidating into a single suit rather than trying to protect high cards across multiple suits.

Defenders also require teamwork. For example, if one defender has already captured points with ◆K and another defender holds ◆A and ◆10, it may be better to give ◆10 rather than waste ◆A. In this way, defenders should coordinate their play so that the top cards are not drawn out simultaneously.