WGP Player Info
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Important Things to Know Before You Go:
0. Your proper conduct is vital to a successful event. Don't break the law, be unsportsmanlike, sloppy, late, unattentive, or act out. Be there before the start time of the event. Don't give your Deck an inappropriate name. HotC reserves the right to modify your deck name if they feel it is inappropriate. Extreme violations of this rule can lead to Game Loss and/or Disqualification.
1. Know how to play properly. The How to Play has a long, detailed Comprehensive Manual. Read it. Print it out and bring it with you, if you want. This includes knowing how to treat your opponent's cards with respect. No hitting them with your nails, bending or crushing sleeves when you have control of any of them, and so on. Also, you should take care to not skip steps. Activate triggers before moving them to Stock. Clearly reveal triggers by playing them flat to the Resolution Zone (which is any area not touching any other zone, that becomes the resolution zone the moment you move a card to it via rule process) and letting go of them, so your opponent sees them. Playing Damage to the resolution zone, and not directly to clock. This will not only allow for a more easily-followable game, but is crucial if a Judge has to unravel an issue.
2. Your deck must have HotC translations and be legal. (either translation slips in the cardsleeves or the physical reference cards provided under the individual card pages on HotC (example, under the "Reference Card" link on that card's page), and only translations that directly pertain to the cards in your deck - electronic translations, such as having them on your mobile phone, are not allowed. More info below)
CLICK HERE for the current card restrictions. Keep a list with you so you can make sure your opponent isn't using banned cards. Should you have a legal card that is not yet translated on HotC, please contact us, and we will give you a temporary translation, and contact your Regional saying it is legit. You give the translation of your card to your opponent when A: you play it to the stage, B: you activate its ability, or C: when it is in an open zone or referenced on a card in an open zone, is also in an open zone, and your opponent asks for it. (in case A and B you give it to them whether or not they ask) If a card is not in any open zone, and not currently resolving, your opponent does not require the translation - however, you cannot take back any translation while they are reading it. (It is the equivalent of your opponent asking you to wait while they read one of your cards)
3. Your sleeves / cards can't be marked. Marked means a lot of things. There's more info below on what to look out for.
4. Learn how to randomize a deck. 'Stick your 8 climaxes in at equal intervals and do a five-second overhand shuffle' is not randomizing. When you shuffle, you should shuffle well enough that if doesn't matter what you started with. More info on Shuffling below.
5. You should Pre-register, and pre-fill out a Decklist. The person running your regionals is not allowed to look at your Decklist without the Head Judge's permission. Should you win, they will be looking at it to perform a deck check, but they are not allowed to discuss the contents of anyone's deck - as the only people that will have seen it are you, the advisor, and us at HotC. Decklists may be made public by HotC after Nationals.
Click here for the Blank Deck List. Print one and fill it out in advance. If your Decklist is incorrect, you can get Disqualified - it has happened at the National Level before. Yes, we need the whole name and whole number. Yes, you have to put the card down as both the TD and BP versions if you have both in your deck. Yes, SPs are different numbers from the regular versions.
6. The National Winner goes to Japan sometime in December-January. We pay flight and hotel, and will be your guide for getting to/from the tournament and playing in it. You need to handle getting proper ID to get there (passport, for example). Travelling to US Regionals and US Nationals is your responsibility. So we can have as fair a tournament as possible, please don't enter a Regional if you aren't planning on going to the National if you win - regional invites do not 'filter down'.
7. Anyone can enter, even if they aren't a US citizen. You must be able to travel to Japan from the US via plane.
8. Once you qualify for an invitation, you cannot play in any other Regional. Be sure to read the Advisor / Winner Manual to see what you need to do!
9. If an advisor tells you to "Hold", freeze. Do not under any circumstances touch your deck - if after a "Hold" was called because you have been assigned a deck check due to somone saying you had tapped sleeves, and you tap your deck down before the Judge or advisor takes it, you could be immediately Disqualified.
10. The person running your regionals is not the Head Judge. The Head Judge is available via Skype or Cell Phone during the tournament. Ask the advisor to talk to them if you need to. Don't ask a question that can be answered by the info on this website, they have a lot of tournaments to look over. To ask for the Judge / an Advisor, raise your hand and say "Judge". When you win a match, raise your hand and say "Report".
11. If you don't like a ruling that your advisor makes, you can appeal to the Head Judge. This is only if you feel they are in error - if you screw up, and you actually screwed up, the Head Judge is not going to overturn what the advisor said.
Tournament Checklist:
__ Did you preregister and bring your Confirmation Number?
__ Did you bring your properly sleeved, legal deck, extra sleeves, translations, and completed decklist?
__ Did you read all and understand all of the information in the Manual and on this page?
Decks / Sleeves / Mats
Decks must either have 100% translation sleeves, or the player must either have a sheet or set of index cards (or other multi-sheet device) to allow the opposing player to understand the cards in English. You cannot simply print out the translation of your entire set and circle the ones that matter (you also cannot X out ones that aren't used). You cannot print out just the sleeve inserts and hand them to your opponent. We suggest printing the english translation card (available on each card's translation page) and placing them on 3x5 cards. These translations must be revealed for every card as it is first played to the stage, or for any card in an open zone at the opponent's request. Reference cards are available on the individual card translation pages of this site. Should a card not yet have a translation, and you have not contacted HotC for it, an authorized judge will translate it on-the-spot. Note that willingly misrepresenting a card is cheating.
Deck randomization is a serious matter. A shuffle is a randomization followed by an opponent cut. Simply 'fanning in' Climaxes on Deck Refresh and performing a few overhand shuffles is not sufficient - randomization must be done to a point that it does not matter if climaxes or other cards were placed in deliberately prior to shuffling. Players must use at least one full table/riffle/bridge shuffle when they randomize a deck, and if the opponent is not satisfied, the opponent may request to randomize the deck themselves (and they are responsible for the safey of those cards while doing so). According to comprehensive rules, an opponent may instead 'shuffle' a deck as opposed to 'cut' it. You must be able to randomize a deck without damaging the sleeves in order to enter the tournament. If you cannot due to physical disability, please contact your Tournament Organizer in advance so you can bring someone to help you shuffle. Players must take care to preserve the quality of all cards they touch. The shuffle taught to Judges is a 7x Faro + Bulk (non-single card, over and under) Monhegan, followed by a cut. You may not request a Judge Shuffle for no reason. In cases like this, a judge may choose to watch the opponent shuffle the deck to be sure they do not damage the cards. Damaging cards through carelessness can warrant Game Loss or Disqualification penalties, as well as reporting to proper authorities for destruction of property.
A 'cut' is a single 0-50 card removal as a pile from the top of a deck in order at once, then the remain cards placed on top. It is not a three-pile shuffle, it is not a bridge, it is not anything but a single cut. If you do more than this, you did not cut, you shuffled - which means your opponent then gets to cut their own deck. If you do not trust the randomization, ask them to do it again. If you still are not satisfied, call for a Judge. If all you have is an advisor, ask them to watch you and your opponent randomize the deck, and to be careful. Don't ever hurt another player's cards, you are responsible for damage (this includes hard side-tapping with your fingernail).
If your opponent must choose / view your cards from a hidden zone (this is exceedingly rare), you must use a capable neutral third-party to show translations for each to your opponent. Use the Advisor. If the advisor is in the match, the two of you must agree on a third party. If you cannot, contact the Head Judge.
The deck you play in a Regional does not have to be the same in any way to what you bring to other Regionals, Nationals or even Worlds. You cannot, however, change your deck mid-Tourney, or between any Swiss / Double-Elim and Top Cut within the same Tourney.
Sleeves:
- three sleeves per card max (example: "penny", sleeve, oversleeve)
- must be sleeved
- sleeves cannot be damaged
- all cards must be identically sleeved
- 1 card per sleeve
- sleeves must be transparent over all areas of card text and information (this means no printed matte finish on the face-up side, and any holographic stickers or other opaque areas must not cover any card information).
- cannot use sleeves that unnecessary slow / impede shuffling (if hard sleeving, you better be good at shuffling)
- Note that purchased sleeves are not necessarily uniform. You may buy sleeves that have some that are shorter than others, or have a fold in the corner. In Regional and greater events, it is your responsibility to use uniform sleeves.
- Oversleeves with printing of any sort will be very thoroughly examined, as we have had instances of players hiding marks underneath the printed parts of oversleeves before. We strongly suggest that if you use oversleeves, you only use 100% clear oversleeves, so as to avoid any possible miscommunications.
- These rules are also enforced by the Deck Check. If you make it through an entire tournament with a winning position (a high enough ranking to receive a prize / invitation), you should expect as least one. Decks and their sleeves are checked thoroughly for any evidence of deceit. For example, if all of your sleeves are slightly worn, but the four cards with the most wear in the upper-left corners are the Grade 1 part of your Ride chain (Cardfight!! Vanguard) or your Door Trigger Climax (WeiB Schwarz), you should expect at least a Game Loss. For example, if all of your Climaxes (WS) are at the top of your sleeves (so they can be noted when looking at the top of the sleeve from the side) or perhaps have an identical crinkle on the right side, that is an equal penalty.
What are marked sleeves / cards?
Marked sleeves are cards that someone can identify while they are face down as being different than other cards. This is the most common form of cheating at HotC tournaments, and as such we are very strict on our sleeve rules.
- "My sleeves are scuffed from playing" Change them.
- "My sleeves were slightly different lengths when I bought them I did not shave them" Change them.
- "That is some dirt on the edges from my deck box" Change them.
- "These are just reflective because that is the sleeve material" Change them.
- "My cards just happen to be tapped in at different lengths from casual play" Tap all cards in to the same depth.
- "How do people cheat" We have personally seen the following at events: Climax cards put in slightly shorter sleeves. L0s tapped to a higher sleeve depth than the rest of the cards. Well worn sleeves with crumples in the corner for L3s, side for climax. Patterned sleeves with tiny scratches to show climaxes. Reversed oversleeves on climaxes. Players with tapped decks 'tapping them back to normal' when a judge asks for them to check / at the end of a game. Players putting their climaxes in their WR upside down so they are reversed on refresh. Players heating their deck so the RRR climaxes bend slightly more so they can tell which is which. And so, so much more.
- "So does that mean I should have extra sleeves on me just in case" Yes.
- "But I use all RRR climaxes and they naturally bend I can't help it" Flatten them or change them.
- "So what do you officially recommend for the WGP" Sleeving your tournament deck in new sleeves with new oversleeves, and bringing a pack of extras of each layer. Before the tournament 'deck checking yourself' to make sure that it doesn't just happen that all your Climaxes are in shorter sleeves. Making absolutely sure your cards look the same from all four sides, flattening any cards bent due to foiling, or simply changing them out for the non-foil versions if you cannot.
- "That is crazy, no one would do these things, that is silly" It happens in every card game, all the time. The judge team for HotC has a combined thirty years of official TCG judge experience, and we have seen everything here happen so many times it isn't even surprising any more. While we strive to have a fun and engaging experience, and we have found that WS players are some of the most friendly and welcoming players in the TCG world, there are bad apples in every competition where prizes or pride is on the line.
Marked cards are cards where defacement covers an active area of the card, or allows it to be picked out while face down. The only non-active area of a card is the artwork. So, if someone has signed your card, and it is covering the card text area, or the trigger, or the power, or name, or soul, or anything like that, it is not allowed. Regarding teling the card as different face down, this includes but is not limited to a dark marker 'inking' the edge of a card, or a hard press pushing through to the back, leaving an impression that can be seen through sleeves.
JUDGE RECOMMENDATION: either single-sleeved in new opaque solid color sleeves or double-sleeved in new character sleeves and new oversleeves, 'tapped' in to the same level, individual reference cards for opponent translations, and extra sleeves ready for the possibility of a 'busted' sleeve. Please note we take marked decks very, very seriously, and a player who does not take proper care of their deck in a tournament environment is only hurting themselves. Things that can get you penalized: shaved sleeves, certain cards 'tapped to the top of the sleeve', crumples that allow us to pick out any individual cards / tech combinations / level 0s / etc, certain combinations of sleeves reversed in a deck so they can be recognized (reversing climaxes, etc).
Note that printed matte finish (screentone) is different than matte plastic (which is just non-shiny clear plastic). See-through matte plastic is fine for the front / back of cards, and is considered 'transparent' for ruling purposes.
Playmats:
- cannot be bootleg (if character picture / logo / etc., must be from legitimate rights holder - printing copyrighted designs / images on mats is not allowed. If you bought a mat from an auction site and it did not come in official packaging / official logos, or sent someone a custom picture to print that includes copyrighted images, it is probably no good)
- cannot be reflective
- if not official bushiroad WS/non-specific product (points mat, paper mat from trial deck, universal Bushiroad rubber mat without any game markings, Bushiroad mat with WS markings etc), opponent must approve of mat for you to use it
- If the judge decides for any reason that your mat is inappropriate, it is inappropriate and cannot be used.
Translations:
- all cards must have official HotC translations made available by the player.
- inserts, if used, must be identically sized and oriented within sleeves
- translations must be presented to the opposing player upon the card being chosen as a target for an effect or played / activation of an effect on them (for example - when targeted for a Bond, or played to stage).
- translations must be provided on request for any card in an open (temporarily or otherwise) zone. (for example, your opponent sees a card in your clock, and asks what it does)
Language and Card Legality (Applies to US WS WGP Regionals and Nationals only):
Decks must be built according to the Tournament Deck Construction and Restriction List, available in our How to Play section. Only Japanese-language cards may be used at all Regionals and the Nationals. Please bring all proper translations. Japanese Edition (Japanese Language) cards only.
Gameplay
Closed zones (stock, deck, etc) must have face-down cards stored in a uniform matter. This means no 'flipping around' climax cards in your deck so you can tell when a Cancel is coming up, no turning them in Stock so you know which ones in Stock are Climaxes, etc. This is ruled in HotC-run events as 'Notetaking' or 'Marking Cards', both of which are against the rules.
Mandatory actions cannot be 'skipped'. Should you draw before you stand all of your Characters, you must go back and stand them. Players should call a judge if they feel their opponent is pressuring or 'sharking' them.
Non-mandatory actions can be skipped. If you move a Gate Trigger to Stock before salvaging, you have chosen not to use it. If you attack with another character after your Level 0 Reverser loses a battle without saying anything, you've passed on activating that ability. If your opponent attacks one of your characters that has a "when this is attacked" ability, asks if you want to do anything, you say no, and they trigger, you don't get to use that ability. (Note that if they just say 'Front' and flip the trigger, you can still use the ability - they were rushing. If you counter or start taking damage, though, you've passed on any optional actions up to that point). If it says "may", and you don't do it, and you keep going, you didn't do it. This is a very specific rule in the Tournament Floor Rules, and we have to keep to it.
You can be penalized if you fail to follow appropriate 'manner' rules. This includes, but is not limited to: hygiene issues, inappropriate dress or actions, threatening your opponent, grabbing your opponent's collar, taking insufficient care of their cards (tapping on them strongly with a pointed nail, bending them, etc), making excessive / annoying noises (loudly flipping through the cards in your hand while they are thinking, talking to them, etc), rushing them (if you feel someone is slow playing, call a judge), and so on. These rules exist to make sure everyone at the tournaments has a fair time.
No spectating. We have found through speaking with players and advisors that there is no appropriate penalty to a player who gets useful information without requesting it from a third party (someone watching saying "That is their 8th Climax" for example), and as such dishonest players may use that to their advantage. Persons not directly involved in the judging of the match, or who in any way are involved in playing, may not watch other matches.
Notetaking / Equipment
Players may not create any record of information gathered in-game during game, nor reference outside information gathered other than official rules and translations. Note that this covered using your cards and play area to store data (turning cards in your clock upside down to denote Climaxes remaining, etc). No outside equipment, electronic or otherwise (paper, pencil, watch, clock, phone, timer, etc) may be used during or for your match. Should outside equipment or an assistant be required, contact HotC in advance so we can accomodate you.
Player Problems
I lost my confirmation number!
Use the confirmation to email your number to you. Can't get to that email / used a throwaway? Register again, and write it down this time. Your new number is your new 'place in line'. If you don't have your confirmation number, you aren't registered, and are treated as such by the Judges when it comes to promos and whatnot.
I never got my promo at my event!
If the event did not have their promos in time (customs issues are a continual issue in overseas Organized Play), the person assisting should have told you about the WGP Promo Promotion. Make sure you know your Player Number, and then read more here.
Tournament Format
Regional / Last-Chance Tournaments are Best-of-1 Swiss, with rounds until there are less X-0 players than invites available (or 3 rounds minimum). At this point, Strength of Schedule determines the Top Cut, equal to the number of invites, into an unseeded Best-of-1 Single Elimination. Strength of schedule is based on wins, losses via Slow play, opponent's win percentage (minimum 1/3 wins), opponent's opponent's win percentage (minimum 1/3 wins), and playoff. Nationals is a Swiss Double Elimination with a specialized Top Cut selection to a randomized Top 8 - more information is available here: Nationals Tournament Format.
Time Limits
WS Best of one matches are 40 minutes. This includes time taken to present translations to the opponent. Time starts when the round starts, which is after the "Final five" (which is 1. shuffle and cut 2. RPS, winner is the turn player and goes first 3. both sides draw five 4. turn player discards up to five and draws to five 5. opponent discards up to five and draws to five). You are told when 20, 10, and 5 minutes remain. In WS, games that go to time without Slow Play calls are Double Losses, there is no sudden death. In the Swiss format, a Double Loss is worth zero points (the same as a loss), so it is in both players' best interests to play expediently and watch for slow play. Should you believe your opponent is playing in a manner that will not allow you to reach a match conclusion, notify a Judge of Slow Play immediately (during game). That Judge will view your actions, tell any players that are playing too slow to speed up, and grant your match additional time to offset the Slow Play. Should your opponent continue to Slow Play after the second warning, no more time extensions will be given - and if the game goes to time, the Slow Playing player will lose (and the non-Slow Playing player wins). In the Top Cut, games that go to time are wins for the turn player - however, the non-turn player should have called Slow Play by then. Doing so is their responsibility. Note that if you make it to Worlds, the time limit there is 30 minutes, and in the many years we've gone, we've never seen a match at the Worlds level come even close to time.
Why this format? This is Bushiroad's official format.
Why Best of One?
We use Best of One tournaments for multiple reasons:
1. Tournament time limits. A Best of Three Tournament takes three times as long as a Best of One. This may limit venues from running tournaments for large numbers of players.
2. It preserves the Japanese 'meta'. In a Best of One tournament structure, techs that work two out of three times are much more potent overall. It allows players to 'get away' with more variance, as they will have a free 'loss' in every matchup. As such, certain builds are more powerful in a Best of Three structure - perhaps in a way that differs from the original imagining of those cards in the overall game.
3. It prepares the eventual winner for the World level. Players who build and are victorious in a Best of Three structure will not fare as well with similar deck and playstyle in a Best of One tournament. We want our National Representatives to be as well-prepared as possible - and as our representative was won Worlds, we feel this shows that our format works.
4. Players learn to counter decks as they play them, not after they lose to them. Instead of losing to a deck, then adjusting their play, they must adjust their play within the bounds of the game they are playing. This leads to a higher degree of skill required to succeed.
5. It does not necessarily change the eventual match victor in an individual match. While this is not a stand-alone reason, but we wanted to show that we have done our 'homework'. We ran a number of mid-range events in 2011 with Best of Three rules, and only 25% of the games went to the third match, which resulted in the winner of the second game winning the match only 30% of the time. This shows that, for our results, the Best of Three winner was different than the Best of One only 8% of the time. While this is 8%, be aware that statistically, for every win you 'should' have gotten because of a Best of Three, you lose one that you 'should' have gotten because of a Best of One.
What sort of judging do you perform?
We perform Passive Judging. This means that our judges are not responsible for pointing out flaws in player games without a judge being called to that game. Now, this does not mean that judges are not constantly on the lookout for cheating / incorrect play - they are, and will call them accordingly. It means that if a player makes an in-game error and a judge does not see it, it is the opposing player's responsibility to actively call a judge over to rectify the situation. If someone slow plays, call them on it. If they told you a card's power was X and it was Y, call them on it. If they are intimidating you or otherwise being unsportsmanlike, call them on it. If you think they stacked their deck, call them on it. It is a player's responsibility to keep an eye on the state of the game. After a game is almost always too late to get a ruling that will change that game's outcome (for example, there is an exception for verified cheating - all directly-run HotC events are often recorded).
Why is the only pairing software for Regionals allowed from HotC?
- Most pairing software does not account for certain things (like avoiding double-pairups and downs), and the Head Judge cannot guarantee that the pairing software used is not compromised in some way. Pairing software is provided to Regionals due to multiple incidents of Tournament Organizers failing to follow instructions, and in some cases willingly editing tournament structer to some players' benefit. Tournaments in Japan are paired and ranking calculations are all done by hand (Bushiroad Japan does not use tournament software, while Bushiroad USA does, our tournaments are under the Japan tournament organization, not the US). We regularly pair 40-60 person tournaments by hand with less than 10 min downtime between rounds, including Top Cut calculation - It is simple math and proper record keeping. It is not difficult, provided the instructions are followed. However, Regionals are to use the HotC Tournament Software, as it disallows T.O.s from modifying the pairings. Regionals must have verifiable, repeatable results that can be researched by HotC, and Nationals must have repeatable, verifiable results to report up the chain, and as such are paired according to those specifics.
Why do you run the National tournament manually?
We do this because we strive for openness, all possible fair actions are done by hand and then checked by all judges present. We realize this takes a slightly longer time, especially during topcuts, but we feel the openness leads to a better tournament experience. The only thing we do via computer is the pairing shuffle, wihch is done via an atmospheric random shuffle (such as one from random.org). During this shuffle, should an illegal pair arise (previous matchup, double pair-down, etc), the two are set aside and the first legal pair is then matched with the first set aside player, second with the second, and so on. Should this not be possible due to all legal matches paired, that entire section of pairing is re-randomized. While there are a number of great pairing systems available, there is always a chance that someone may create a flawed / loaded version of that program unbeknownst to all tournament persons. Our manual system has multiple layers of checking and redundancy, and all information is easily viewable.
What is Tiebreaker priority?
In descending order:
Largest Number of (Wins + Byes)
Smallest Number of Rounds played with a non-Slow Play Timeout
Strength of Schedule: All players have a 'Personal Strength' (PS) of (Number of non-Bye Wins / Number of non-Bye Rounds played), minimum 1/3. Strength of Schedule is the average of the PS of all non-bye opponents you have faced.
Strength of Strength of Schedule: Strength of Strength of Schedule is the average of the Strength of Schedule of all non-bye opponents you have faced.
Previous Head to Head Winner: If two players are tied at this point, and have played each other previously, the previous winner is ranked higher.
1-Game Single Elimination Match (this game does not affect any other schedule)
Coin Flip (Player registered first in the lineup is Heads, selected player is ranked higher)
Please note that Ties are, for all scoring purposes, a Loss for each Tied player, it is vitally important you call Slow Play.
Click here for the Event Advisor / Invitation Winner Manual.
Why did X get more/less Invitations than Y?
Every player in the US that properly requested an event received one in their town - we had a 100% approval rate. If you wanted a regional where you were, and asked us, and followed instructions, you got one.
We only had so many invitations, and we had to pick them based on how many other Regionals nearby, how many of the tournaments are done simultaneously, convention tournaments that may draw players from farther away, and sales levels (and therefore players) via US distributors we have information for. We can't make everyone happy.
In the future, we will be reaching out to properly-run, high attendance locations for setting up regionals before opening requests.
- "But how am I supposed to qualify?" For players that are confident in their abilities, we suggest you simply come to the Last Chance Regional the day before Nationals - if you truly are a Nationals-Level player, if you have any chance at winning Nationals you should have no problem qualifying there. The Last-Chance is designed for everyone across the country who is confident to come and play at a National Level - players should not assume it is 'another local regional', we get people from all across the country. The Last-Chance has spots based on the number of 'empty' spots from all other regionals, minimum 4. So far, over 75% of people who have come to a Last-Chance Regional have qualified for Nationals.
Why don't Invitations pass down?
Passing down invitations allows players to bargain with them, play to support other players to the detriment of solo players, increases overhead and opens the door to double-booking. Should an X place player not intend to go, that does not mean that the X+1 place player is the next strongest, and would allow players 'just outside the bubble' to influence those who are going. To avoid all of these complications, invitations do not pass down. Do not enter the regional tournaments unless you plan on going to the National event if you qualify.
Common Rulings
Note that cards from damage / Brainstorm / trigger are moved to the
Resolving Zone in full, with Deck Refreshes done immediately upon
having 0 cards in Library; then only after the current complete effect is applied is Refresh Point
Resolution resolved. Revealed cards not moved via these effects ('revealed' as opposed to 'flipped over') never leave their zone. As a few full examples:
EXAMPLE 1:
A player has 4 cards in Library, 2 of which are Climaxes, 1 is an Event, 1
is a Character. They use an ability that states "Brainstorm 4 cards: for
each Climax, choose one character in the Waiting Room and move it to
hand".
- they activate the ability.
- one card at a time is moved from Library to the Resolving Zone.
- when the fourth card is moved, the Waiting Room is shuffled and made
into a new Library.
- the number of Climaxes (2) is counted.
- the 4 cards in the Resolving Zone are moved to Waiting Room.
- the effect goes off, and now the player is compelled to move 2 Characters from
the Waiting Room to hand.
- as there is only 1 Character in Waiting Room, only 1 is taken. (if there were 2 or more Characters, as an extenstion of this example, the player is forced to take two of them)
EXAMPLE 2:
A player has four cards left in their Library, and the last card is a
Climax. They take four damage.
- the cards are moved one at a time to the Resolving Zone.
- the fourth card is moved to the Resolving Zone. The Waiting Room is
refreshed into a new Library.
- the fourth card, being a Climax card, stops the damage.
- all cards in resolve zone are moved to WR.
- Refresh Point Resolution occurs (move top card of deck to clock)
EXAMPLE 3:
A player has four cards left in their Library, no Climax, six cards in
Clock. They take four damage.
- the cards are moved one at a time to the Resolving Zone.
- the fourth card is moved to the Resolving Zone. The Waiting Room is
refreshed into a new Library.
- damage is moved to Clock.
- Level Up occurs (moving 6 cards to WR)
- Refresh Point Resolution occurs (move top card of deck to clock)
EXAMPLE 4:
A player has one card left in their Library - a Climax Card with a Door
Trigger, and six cards in Clock. They Front Attack.
- The player reveals their Trigger. It moves to the Resolving Zone.
- The Waiting Room is refreshed.
- The Trigger activates. There are no cards in WR, so no Character can be
taken.
- Trigger card is moved to Stock.
- Refresh Point Resolution occurs (move top card of deck to clock)
- Level Up occurs (moving 6 cards to WR)
Note that cards that move cards directly from the top of library to Clock
- no resolving zone - allow the activating player to choose the order of
effects. (this is exceedingly rare)
EXAMPLE 5:
A player has 1 card in Library, 6 in clock. They play a Character that
says "when this Character comes into play from Hand, move the top card of
your library to Clock."
- The character comes into play.
- the top card of the library is moved to clock. Now the player may choose
the order of the next two steps (A and B).
A: - Level Up occurs.
B: the WR is shuffled and made into a new Library.
- After both A and B are done in the chosen order, Refresh Point
Resolution occurs (move top card of deck to clock)
EXAMPLE 6:
A player has one card in deck. Their reversed Character with "ENCORE: move top card of library to clock" moves to Waiting Room. They activated the 'clock-encore' effect.
- the effect is activated, the character moved to waiting room, and the top card of library is moved to clock.
- the library is refreshed.
- the character is not returned to play, as it is no longer in the waiting room.
- refresh penalty is applied.
various Brainstorms with similar outcomes have different effects. If a brainstorm says "for each CX, search for 1 card and shuffle your deck", you would not shuffle on 0 CX. If it said "for each CX, search 1 card. shuffle." you would shuffle if 0 CX. (note the comma-vs-period).
all targets are chosen before any outcomes is determined. If a brainstorm says "search for X cards, where X is the number of CX", and you get 2 CX, and 1 card is in deck, you'd only get 1 card. If it said "for each CX, search for 1 card and shuffle your deck", and you had 1 card in deck, and you hit 2 CX, you'd search for 1, find and take, refresh, shuffle, search for another, find and take, shuffle, refresh penalty. Please note the difference.
As a final note: "Shot" Trigger Damage happens *after* Refresh Point
Resolution. Shot is a separate activated Auto ability, so Refresh penalty happens before it. The entire act of Cancelling, Refresh, move cancelled cards to the Waiting Room
is considered "Damage Cancelling". During this single, entire Damage Cancelling process, both Refresh Penalty and Shot primed. Refresh is a Rule Process, and Shot is an Auto Abiltity. All primed, waiting Rule Processes are resolved before any Auto Abilties, so the Refresh Point is paid before the Shot resolves and does 1 further Damage.
Are BACKUP abilities color-restricted? Climaxes?
The BACKUP abilities on characters (not to be confused with Event cards with the punching "Counter" symbol)
are being activated while they are in your hand, and one of the costs of that activation is to discard that card.
As such, they are not being 'played to the stage', and do not need to match color. Note that the ability itself
has a Level Restriction on it, which must be followed. Events with the Counter symbol are, however, played to the stage,
and must follow all color and level restriction rules, as do Climax cards (which only require color restrictions).
An event has a Counter symbol. Can I play it on my turn?
You may play events with Counter symbols at the same time you can play regular events on your own turn, assuming the ability itself does not restict you. A Counter event that gives a character +2500 until the end of turn can, for example, be played during your Main Phase, or when your character is Front Attacked.
My opponent Side Attacked. Can I play a BACKUP/Counter?
If an attack is declared as side attack, then the counter step is skipped and thus the defending player does not gain a play timing in order to play BACKUP/Counter. Please check Comprehensive Rule 7.3.1.3, which advances the game to damage step if it's not a front attack.
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