Weiss Schwarz: the card game built on anime and games

Weiss Schwarz, written Weiß Schwarz on the game's own site, is a two-player card game where the cards are drawn from licensed anime and game worlds. The game is released title by title in trial decks and boosters, and in the Neo-Standard format a code in the card number decides which cards may be played in the same deck. You lose when you reach level 4.

Quick facts

Publisher	Bushiroad
Launch	2008, in Japan
Number of players	2
Deck size	50 cards, at most 8 climax
Max per card	4 copies with the same name
Loss	When you reach level 4
Neo-Standard	The deck is built from a single title
Card size	Standard, 63 × 88 mm

What makes the game different

Damage is counted in cards. Each point of damage becomes a card from the top of the deck that is placed in your clock, and when the clock reaches seven cards you move one of them to your level and the rest to the waiting room. Four cards in level means a loss. In the clock phase you may also place a card from your hand in the clock yourself and draw two.

Damage can also be cancelled. When you take damage, cards are flipped from the top of the deck one at a time, and if a climax comes up, all cards flipped for that damage go to the waiting room instead of the clock. The share of climax cards in what remains of the deck therefore decides how likely it is that the damage is stopped. When the deck runs out, the waiting room is shuffled into a new deck and you put the top card in the clock. This is called refresh.

Level also controls what you may play. A card requires at least as many cards in your level as the card's own level, and cards of level 1 and higher, as well as climax cards, also require the card's colour to be among the cards in your level or clock. The player who has taken more damage therefore gets access to higher-level cards earlier. Costs are paid from stock, which is filled with the cards from the trigger check during your attacks.

The card types

Characters are the figures from the title. They stand on your stage, which has three spots in center stage and two in back stage, and their soul shows how much damage they deal when they attack. Events are one-time effects that go to the waiting room once resolved. Climax cards are played in the climax phase to the climax zone, which holds one card, and the card text only applies there. Some characters have abilities tied to a named climax.

The formats

In Neo-Standard the deck may only contain cards from one title, and Bushiroad's English Theme Cup tournaments have required that format. In Standard all officially released cards may be used. The Side format allows cards from either the Weiß side or the Schwarz side, and the frame at the bottom of the card is white for Weiß and black for Schwarz. In Title Restricted only one designated title may be played.

The title code in the card number

The title a card belongs to is shown at the start of the card number, before the slash. SPY/S106-E001 is a card from SPY x FAMILY, and cards starting with NIK/ belong to GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE. A title can cover several codes, such as Persona with P3, P4 and P5, and Bushiroad's deck-building rules list which codes belong together. The letter right after the slash usually shows the side, W or S. Special versions of a card have a suffix at the end of the number, such as SP or SEC.

English or Japanese cards

The English and Japanese editions have the same rules and largely the same cards, but some titles have only been released in one of the languages. English cards also carry the card's Japanese name, except when the card did not exist in Japanese when it was printed. The restriction lists are separate: a card restricted in the Japanese edition is not automatically restricted in the English one. In Bushiroad's English tournaments, such as the BCS championship series and Theme Cup, only cards from the English edition have been allowed.

Weiss Schwarz Blau

Weiss Schwarz Blau is a Japanese sister series that Bushiroad started in 2022. The basic rules are the same, but the card texts are shorter and written so that beginners can play. The name is German for blue, a third colour after Weiß for white and Schwarz for black. The series has its own rules and its own products, separate from Weiss Schwarz. In 2026 Bushiroad decided to end Blau. According to the announcement, the last booster would be released in October and official tournaments held up to and including December of the same year.

The sets

The releases are listed one by one, and under each one is what sets it apart from the others.

Disney CHARACTERS

Disney CHARACTERS is a Japanese booster for Weiss Schwarz Blau with characters from some 25 Disney films and series, from Mickey Mouse and his friends and Snow White to Frozen, Zootopia and Moana. Each pack has four cards, at least one of them foil, and a display has ten packs. The set has 60 base cards and 61 parallel cards, among them the Mickey Rare rarity.

The chase cards are the cards in the set's own Mickey Rare rarity.

SPY x FAMILY

The SPY x FAMILY set has its own SPY Rare cards with new illustrations of well-known scenes from the series, and every pack has a chance of containing a signed card. Among the voice actors with signature cards are Takuya Eguchi (Loid), Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya) and Saori Hayami (Yor). Packs have nine cards and a display 16 packs, and the English edition has a stitched playmat in every case.

The chase cards are the signed cards of Loid (Takuya Eguchi), Anya (Atsumi Tanezaki) and Yor (Saori Hayami).

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Vol.3

Vol.3 is based on the anime's second season and has seven newly drawn illustrations: two each of Emilia and Rem, plus Ram, Beatrice and Echidna. There are cards with the voice actors' signatures, including for Frederica, Petra and Fortuna, and two cards found only in the English edition. Each display has twelve packs and one of four exclusive cards showing who goes first and who goes second.

The chase cards are the signature cards, among them Frederica, Petra and Fortuna.

GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE Vol.2

Vol.2 has signature cards from 40 voice actors and 14 newly drawn illustrations. The first edition also has an Autograph Rare card signed by Aoi Yūki, the voice of Cinderella. The cards can be played together with all cards whose numbers start with NIK/ in the Neo-Standard format.

The chase card is the first edition's Autograph Rare card, signed by Aoi Yūki, the voice of Cinderella.

Rascal Does Not Dream Vol.4

Vol.4 has illustrations from Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus and newly drawn images of Mai Sakurajima, Tomoe Koga, Rio Futaba, Kaede Azusagawa and Mini Skirt Santa, among others. In addition to the voice actors' signatures there are cards signed by the original author. The cards can be combined with cards whose numbers start with SBY/ or Gby/.

The chase card is the signature card of Mai Sakurajima, signed by Asami Seto.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era

The set is based on the film Beginning of a New Era, the first film adaptation in the Umamusume series. Eight cards have new illustrations, among them Jungle Pocket, Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe and Fuji Kiseki, and the cards can be played together with all cards whose numbers start with UMA/.

The chase cards are the SP signature cards, where nearly every Uma character has its own signed variant.

Kaiju No.8

The Kaiju No.8 set has signature cards from six voice actors, among them Masaya Fukunishi as Kaiju No. 8 and Fairouz Ai as Kikoru Shinomiya, as well as serial-numbered signature cards. The set has 12 newly drawn illustrations, and it comes with a trial deck, a ready-made starter deck with the same release date.

The chase cards are the signature cards of Kaiju No.8, signed by Masaya Fukunishi, and Kikoru Shinomiya, signed by Fairouz Ai.

Rent-A-Girlfriend Vol.2

Vol.2 is based on the anime's second and third seasons, centred on the heroines Mami, Chizuru, Sumi and Ruka. Eight older cards are reprinted, among them Ex-Girlfriend, Mami and Treasured Moment, Chizuru, and the cards can be played together with earlier cards with the number prefix KNK/.

The chase cards are the voice actors' signature cards. Among the eight reprinted older cards are fan favourites such as “Ex-Girlfriend, Mami” and “Treasured Moment, Chizuru”.

Tales of SERIES

The set is released for the Tales of series' 30th anniversary and gathers characters and memorable moments from the whole game series. It has 125 card types plus 141 parallel versions, and six cards with new illustrations are found only in the English edition. The set also comes with a trial deck, a ready-made starter deck with the same release date.

The chase cards are the SP signature cards and the six cards with new illustrations found only in the English edition.

Trial deck or booster

A trial deck is a ready-made 50-card deck from one title, built to be played right away, and Bushiroad suggests it as the first purchase in a title you like. Some cards are only found in trial decks. In a Trial Deck+ the contents are the same in every box except the parallel cards, which are randomly inserted. Booster packs contain random cards, and the number of cards per pack and packs per display varies between releases. Premium boosters have only a few cards per pack, and in some of them a foil card is guaranteed in every pack. Boosters in the same title build on the trial deck, since the cards share a code and may be played together in Neo-Standard.

The cards are standard size, 63 × 88 mm. More about sizes is in the sleeve guide.

Signed cards

Signature cards carry the signature of the voice actor behind the character, foil-printed and thus not handwritten. Depending on the title they are found in boosters and in some trial decks, and in boosters they come in rarities such as SP. Not all products have them.

Terms you will come across

Clock	The damage zone. At seven cards one of them moves to level
Level	The zone that counts towards a loss. Four cards here means a loss
Stock	The resources costs are paid with
Waiting room	The discard pile, which becomes the new deck at refresh
Trigger check	The top card of the deck is flipped at each attack and then placed in stock
Soul	How much damage an attack deals
Encore	Paying to put back a character that has just left the stage
Counter	Cards with a counter icon, which may be played when one of your characters is attacked from the front

More terms are in the glossary.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I mix titles in the same deck? Not in Neo-Standard. In Standard all officially released cards may be used.
• Can I mix English and Japanese cards? The rules are the same, but in Bushiroad's English tournaments only English cards have been allowed.
• Are the signatures handwritten? No, they are printed in foil on the card.
• Which sleeves fit? Standard size. The cards are 63 × 88 mm.
• Is Blau the same game as Weiss Schwarz? No, it is a Japanese sister series with the same basic rules but its own rules and its own products.

Read more about the rarities, the pack types and English or Japanese cards.

Shop: Weiss Schwarz at Bangerpack.

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