Much like many other card games, Weiss Schwarz follows a set turn based order where players must follow. However, it is the choices and which actions that you take during each turn, both yours and your opponents, while predicting/altering plays in the following turns, that ultimately decides how your deck may or may not succeed.
There are seven phases that occur in the game of Weiss Schwarz. They cannot be manipulated in any order, and the player must proceed through each of the steps (even if they choose to skip one entirely).
- Upkeep Phase
- Draw Phase
- Standby Phase/Clock Phase
- Main Phase
- Climax Phase
- Combat Phase
- Encore/Resolution Phase
- Upkeep Phase – In the upkeep phase, all cards that are rested (tapped) may stand upright if they are allowed to do so. After all cards stand that are able to, players may resolve any effect that happens at the beginning of the next phase, draw phase.
- Draw Phase – In the draw phase, the turn player draws a card from the top of their deck and adds it to hand (mandatory).
- Standby Phase/Clock Phase – During this phase, the turn player has the option to place a card from their hand into their clock zone, and if they do so, they may draw two cards from the top of their deck (This act is not considered damage, thus it cannot be canceled). Any effect that resolves at the beginning of the main phase will resolve now just before entering the next phase.
- Main Phase – During this phase, the turn player may manipulate their board (rearranging cards on the stage), play cards from hand onto the stage, resolve events and activate any active effects on cards. These actions may be done in any order and multiple times as long as the player can fulfill the conditions set out by the cards.
Furthermore, cards can only be played from hand if a card of their colour is in the clock zone or level zone and the level of the card is equal or less than the number of cards in the player’s level zone. Additionally, the stock costs of a card must be paid before the resolving card may hit the field. Climax cards whom do not possess a level must still fulfill the colour requirement. - Climax Phase – Climax phase occurs in two steps. There is a before climax phase where the turn player may activate any effects that occur at the start of climax phase. Afterwards, the player may, if they wish, play a climax from hand to the climax zone and resolve all resulting effects. However, if there is an effect that reads when a climax is placed from hand to stage, the turn player may choose to stack the order by which they resolve effects.** Afterwards, the turn moves automatically into combat phase where any pre-combat effects resolve.
- Combat Phase – During combat phase, the turn player may choose the attack order of their combat ready cards (standing) in the front. The order by which they are set is not locked, meaning the turn player may change the order of their second attack, or if they wish, not to swing in at all with all their attacks or specific attackers. Each combat instance is independent, meaning the turn player may for instance, attack with the center card and then choose whether or not proceed with combat for either the left or right stage cards.
- Encore/Resolution Phase – At the start of this phase, all reversed cards must be placed one by one into the waiting room. Both players may choose the order by which cards enter the waiting room, and if they so wish, activate encore effects for cards to bring them back from the waiting room.*** Afterwards, the turn player checks to see if they possess more than seven cards in hand (hand limit), and if they do, they must place cards from hand into waiting room (turn player’s choice) until they reach the hand limit.
**If effects in Weiss Schwarz happen simultaneously, the player in command of the effects may choose how they would wish to resolve the effects and in what order. For instance, if an effect would say when a climax is played from hand to stage, if the condition of the climax is fulfilled, the player may choose to either resolve the effect of the card that has the climax played from hand to stage condition first or the climax’s own effects first.
***Encore effects dictate that the card must have stepped into the waiting room and returned back to stage. This means that effects where the card enters the waiting room but the waiting room is disrupted such as the player is refreshing the deck, the encore effect fizzles, meaning the encore cost is paid, but the card does not return to field as it is no longer in the waiting room, negating the encore condition. There is also an innate 3-stock cost encore for every card unless stated otherwise by a condition.
Note: If two effects activate simultaneously from both the turn player and opposing player, the turn player will always resolve their effects first.