Both the Sensei actions and certain cards allow you to place tiles in your pond (in some cases even directly from the supply). The Placement Rules shown in the table below must be followed any time you add tiles to your pond.

Remember that tiles may consist of 1 or more hexes, and each hex can show water—marked in blue—on one or more hex-sides . This is important for both placement and end-game scoring, see End of the Game.

6 water hex-sides

6 water hex-sides

3 water hex-sides

For example, the points granted by a koi vary depending on whether it is surrounded by other tiles that have water hex-sides.

Name: SPRING

Size: 5

Features:

Starting pond. It is made up of 5 water hexes. A water hex is said to be “empty” if it has no other tiles on it. Can hold koi and/or Goals. It can also be used to surround koi.

Name: WATER

Size: 1

Features:

Must be placed adjacent to at least 1 water hex-side of another tile. A water hex is said to be “empty” if it has no other tiles on it. Can hold koi and/or Goals.

Name: FOLIAGE

Size: 1

Features:

Must be placed adjacent to at least 1 water hex-side of another tile. Cannot hold koi or Goals except for a water-lily. It can be used to surround koi.

Name: SHORE

Size: 3

Features:

Must be placed so that the water hex-side at the center of the shore tile is adjacent to a water hex-side of another tile. Cannot hold koi or Goals except for a lantern. The water hex-sides count for surrounding koi.

Name: WATER-LILY

Size: -

Features:

Upgrade for the foliage tile.

Thanks to a Sensei action or a Helper, you may take 1 water-lily tile from the supply and place it on a foliage tile.

Each foliage tile can be upgraded with a water-lily only once.

Name: LANTERN

Size: -

Features:

Upgrade for the shore tile.

Thanks to a Sensei action or a Helper, you may take 1 lantern tile from the supply and place it on the symbol of a shore tile.

Each shore tile can be upgraded with a lantern only once.

Name: SMALL KOI

Size: 1

Features:

Must be placed on top of an empty water hex.

Name: MEDIUM KOI

Size: 2

Features:

Must be placed on top of 2 adjacent empty water hexes.

Name: LARGE KOI

Size: 3

Features:

Must be placed on top of 3 adjacent empty water hexes.