Back to Wizbits Elemenstor Battle

Gameplay

The following are basic rules for play. For the officially sanctioned tournament ruleset and exact formatting guidelines, see Rules Text Formats.

Welcome

Welcome to the world of Wizbits! I hope you enjoy your stay in Battal. My name is Skip, and I'll be showing you around the rules to this game. You'd better keep up, this gets important! This is the Official Comprehensive Rulebook for the Fly: Step Forward expansion set. It's got a lot of great cards in it, so if you want to get playing, you should definitely go out and buy some cards.

To Play

To play this game, you need a few things. First, you need a deck of sixty cards or more. You can build this yourself by buying cards from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set; it's got a lot of great cards in it, so you should definitely go out and buy some cards. Once you have this, you need an opponent to play against. That opponent also needs a deck of sixty cards or more; I would recommend using cards from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set, it's got a lot of great cards in it, so he should definitely go out and buy some cards. Each player will also need dice to perform certain actions in the game; you can do this all with a twenty-sided die if you want, but it'd definitely be better if you got a Wizbits brand Dice Set, which has 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sided dice; these are really nice ones designed especially to go with the game, so you should really go out and buy some dice.

Categories of Cards

Each card you can buy is in two categories; these are known as Superlevel Categories. The two categories are Characters and Variants. Characters represent those people, monsters, furniliars, familiars, and whatever other talking and fun character you can imagine. These Characters often have their own action figure, which is really cool; you should go check out if there's an action figure for your favorite character. Variants are everything else, the cards representing magic, equipment, items, or thoughts. Variants are divided into two main categories as well; these are known as Level Categories. The two categories are Elements and Non-Elements. Elements usually represent thoughts or magical spells, things that you can't really draw a picture of. Non-Elements are items and other physical things; many of the most powerful Non-Element cards are based off of toys or other merchandise that you can buy now! Each of the three categories we've talked about this far are broken up into different Sublevel Categories, but you don't need to know about that just yet.

Parts of a Card

Every card has several different neat abilities. The most important section is the name; this tells you what card you're playing, and what name to remember if you like a card; if it's a character, you can probably get an action figure version of it. Each card also has an art section so you can see what you're playing. Keep this in mind if you're wondering which action figure to buy: if you like a card, you'll know which one is best! To play the game, each card also has five other sections: the cost, the attributes, the main points, the abilities gametext, and the flip abilities. Cost tells you how much you need to pay to play a card, and the rest tell you what a card can do.

Elements

The frame of a card tells you what Element best represents a card. Often, this is obvious (for instance, gears or spells that use an Element will almost always be that element), but sometimes, it's more subtle. This is a very interesting process. To understand better how to define the element of a character, you can buy lots of cards for Wizbits Elemenstor Battle, especially from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set, and compare what they are.

Paying Costs

To pay a cost for a card, you need to spend Secession points equal to the cost. Secession points can be gained by three different ways: the most common is to discard a card from the top of your deck; this gives you one Secession point. You can also Secede a card you control that's in play; this gives you two Secession points. Finally, some cards have abilities that give you Secession points to spend. These are pretty good cards and you should try and get them by buying Wizbits Elemenstor Battle cards, especially from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set.

Secession

When you Secede a card, you flip that card over; it remains the same as it used to, except that it may not participate in Conflict (if it is a character) and its normal Abilities phase out of play, being replaced by its Flip abilities. At the end of the turn a card is Seceded, it is discarded. Some of the most important strategy of a card occurs when it is seceded, especially really cool cards from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set.

Attributes

Attributes are small symbols. These symbols represent the most important and widely-used abilities in the game, or an ability which is too complex and requires too much wording to be put on multiple cards efficiently. This means that there are even more cards for you to choose from when purchasing Wizbits Elemenstor Battle cards! For the purposes of the game, attributes function exactly as static abilities.

Abilities

Abilities are hierarchical in nature, and fall into four types. The way to tell these types apart varies based on the Rules Text Format (RTF) used when the card was printed. The four are known as Trigger, Trigger-Continue, Continue, and Income abilities. Trigger abilities have two sections, a cost and an effect. To use this ability, you must pay the cost, then the effect is placed on the Pillar. Trigger-Continue abilities have a Trigger and an effect. Once the Trigger happens at any point in the game, the effect is placed on the Pillar. Continue abilities are constantly affecting the game environment, and as such do not have to be resolved (See: Pillar Resolution). In most tournament formats, Continue Abilities are considered to be under the Foundation of the Pillar and thus have a Height of -1 for gameplay purposes. Some tournament formats (notably all variants of Limited, including Extended-Limited, Expanded-Limited, Standard-Limited, Block-Limited, Constructed-Limited, and Original-Limited) do not have Continue abilities on the Pillar at all; they simply effect the gameplay without ever being resolved. The final form of abilities are Income abilities. These abilities trigger when the card is resolved, and are immediately resolved on that card's Reverse Pillar.

Flip Abilities

Some abilities are known as Flip Abilities. These abilities function exactly as normal Abilities, but are only in play when the card is Seceded. Their Income abilities take effect not when a card is played, but when it is Seceded.

Main Points

Every character also has four Main Points. These are crucial to the game, especially for your Main Character, so you should be sure and get cards with good Main Points, especially the really great cards from the Fly: Step Forward expansion set. The Main Points are hierarchical and divided into two groups: Main Points and the Special Check Number. The three Main Points are Strength, Will, and Magic; these represent a character's physical, mental, and Elemenstational or otherwise magical ability, respectively. They are used at various points in the game for abilities, and the Strength Main Point is used in conflicts. The Special Check number is used more often than any of the other three, and is important for just about every phase of the game. Your main character's Special Check Number is of even higher importance because if your Main Character fails a Special Check Break Global Check, you lose the game.

Checks

Checks are a huge part of the game. Checks are what decide just about everything you do. To perform a check, you use a die with sides equal to the Die Level of the ability you are checking. To understand what Die Level you are checking, you must first know the Standard Die Levels; these are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20. For a Die Level 1, you roll a d1; for a Die Level 2, you roll a d2; for a Die Level 3, you roll a d3; for a Die Level 4, you roll a d4; and so on through the Standard Die Levels. If the ability you are checking has a non-Standard Die Level (for instance, 13), you round down to the nearest Standard Die Level (for the previous instance, 12). A Check always gives a number with it; for you to succeed at that Check, you must roll higher than that number. If you roll equal to or less than that number, you fail the Check. A Check will be designated as such: “__Ability__ Check __Number__” (for instance, Will Check 8; in this instance, you must roll a die equal to the Die Level of the targeted character's Will, and if you roll higher than an 8, you succeed). If a Check has the word “Break” after it (such as “Will Check Break” or “Special Check Break”), it means that it must target your Main Character (for instance, for a “Strength Check Break 4”, you would need to roll a die equal to the Die Level of your Main Character, and if you roll higher than a 4, you succeed). A Check designated as Global is a Check of all three Main Points; you must make a Strength Check, a Will Check, and Magic Check, then add together the three totals. If it is higher than the Check Number, you succeed. A Special Check always uses the targeted Character's Special Check number as the number you check; for instance, a “Special Magic Check” would require you to roll a die equal to the Die Level of the targeted character's Magic, and if you roll higher than that character's Special Check number, you succeed. A Special Check Break Global Check is the most important Check in the game; if at any point in the game you fail a Special Check Break Global Check, you lose the game. If a character fails a Special Check Global Check, they are Seceded for no Secession Points. You must roll a Special Check Break Global Check at the beginning and end of each of your turns, in the Test Phases.

The Pillar

To truly become an expert player, you must understand the Pillar. The Pillar is the most fundamental part of the game, as it decides how everything happens. When you play a card, it does not simply “appear”; instead, it is placed on the Pillar. At the start of every turn, there is a Base Foundation to the Pillar; this is the footprint of where the Pillar will be built. The Turn Base Foundation, as it is known, has no abilities, and exists solely to show where a Pillar is built. Some tournament formats allow Continue Abilities to be below the Turn Base Foundation. These Abilities are in play at the start of the turn as well. The Pillar is built by Units-these Units can be any of a number of different types, but are usually Cards and Abilities. Only the Player who has Priority can add Units. At the start of a player's turn, that player has Priority. Whenever a Unit is played, it is placed upon the Current Foundation (this is the Turn Base Foundation at the start of the turn). If the Unit played was a Card, then that Unit becomes the new Current Foundation. Any other Unit that is played is put onto the Current Foundation, but does not become the Current Foundation-instead, it forms a Subpillar (or a Spire, if you are playing under certain Rules Text Formats). These Subpillars cause a new Secondary Foundation to be created. Units that are played while a Subpillar is in play must declare which Foundation (Current or Secondary) it is being built on, and in turn becomes the Current Foundation for that Pillar or Subpillar.

Pillar Resolution

These Pillars continue to be built until the player who has been building on them declares that they are finished, at which point Priority shifts to the opponent. That player can then add any Units they wish to the existing Pillar, at which point they declare themselves finished, and Priority once again shifts to the other player. This back-and-forth action continues until both players consecutively pass Priority without adding a Unit to the Pillar. Then, the Pillar is Resolved. The Unit (or Units) at the greatest Height resolves (if more than one Unit is resolved at once, both resolve simultaneously; these abilities do not affect each other; if this would cause a contradiction of abilities, the Unit on the Pillar with the greatest Individual Pillar Height (IPH) takes priority. Once those Units are played, the Units at the greatest Height are removed from the Pillar and the process is repeated indefinitely until only the Turn Base Foundation (and, in certain tournament formats, Continue Abilities) remains.

Reverse Pillars

Individual Units with multiple abilities resolve using what is known as a Reverse Pillar. These are known as such because it can be conceptualized that within each Unit lies a chandelier-like Subpillar of its own, going down instead of up. The ability which has the fastest speed is at the top of this Reverse Pillar, and the next ability “hangs” from that ability, and so on. While a unit is resolved, the unit with the fastest speed (the greatest height) is resolved, then the next, and so on.

Height

Height is simple to determine. The Turn Base Foundation has a Height of 0. In some tournament formats, Continue Abilities are statically placed below the Turn Base Foundation, with a Height of -1. Each Unit played has a Height of one plus the Height of the Current Foundation that it is built on. If a Subpillar is formed, it retains the Height it would normally have but gains a new Individual Pillar Height, assuming the Current Foundation when the Subpillar is formed has a Height of 0 for the Individual Pillar Height and working identically otherwise to normal Height rules.

Damage Pillars

Damage Pillars are resolved exactly the same as normal Pillars, but Damage from Conflict is a Unit on the Pillar, and the Base Foundation, instead of being a Turn Base Foundation, is a Damage Base Foundation and resolves as a Special Check Global Check for each character involved in the Conflict. This Special Check Global Check counts as a Special Check Break Global Check if a Main Character is involved in Conflict, and if the Main Character fails a Special Check Break Global Check, that Character's owner loses the game. Only cards with Conflict Speed may be played on a Damage Pillar.

Turn Structure

The game is divided into turns. Each Turn is broken up into a specific series of strictly defined phases. Although not required by rules, it is unofficially accepted as required by the player culture to do the signifying "ear tug" at the end of each phase, and then officially ending ones turn with the pointer finger touching the top of your forehead.

Reconcile (Up) Phase

At the start of your turn, draw or discard cards to or from your hand until you have exactly seven cards in your hand.

Test Phase

At the start of your turn, your Main Character makes a Special Check Break Global Check. If you fail, you lose the game.

Elements Phase

During this phase, you have Priority and begin a new Pillar; the only Cards that may be played are Elements. Basic Pillar rules apply. Resolve the Pillar and move to the Non-Elements Phase.

Non-Elements Phase

During this phase, you have Priority and begin a new Pillar; the only Cards that may be played are Non-Elements. Basic Pillar rules apply. Resolve the Pillar and move to the Elements Phase. This cycling of Elements and Non-Elements Phases continues until both players consecutively pass both the Elements and Non-Elements Phases, and the cycle is known as a Play Phase.

Characters Phase

During this phase, you have Priority and begin a new Pillar; the only Cards that may be played are Characters. Basic Pillar rules apply. Resolve the Pillar and begin a new Play Phase.

Conflict Phase

The Conflict Phase is the first phase in the Battle Cycle of phases, a pair of two sections: the first being the Conflict Phase and the second being a series of Battle Phases. In the Conflict Phase, the first step is for you to declare which of your Characters are attacking. You can choose any number of them (even zero), unless a card in play says otherwise. Your opponent then chooses which of your Characters he wants to Battle. He chooses which of his Characters battle which of yours. Sides can have unequal numbers of combatants. After he has chosen how he wishes to block, you may assign any remaining attacking Characters as you wish to other Characters of his, or choose for them not to attack. Each individual Conflict gets its own Battle Phase cycle, as follows.

Battle (Respond) Phase

A new Pillar is built with any Conflict Speed Units. Resolve the Pillar and move to the Damage Phase.

Battle (Damage) Phase

Each side combines the total Strength of their Characters, then divides that total Strength as they wish among the characters on the other side, converting it to Damage. Begin a Damage Pillar with the damage dealt resolving simultaneously. For each point of Damage given to a character, that character's Special Check Number goes up by one. At the end of a Damage Pillar, each character involved in the Battle makes a Special Check Global Check, and if they fail, they are destroyed.

Play Phase

A Play Phase begins after all Battles have been resolved. Once it is done, move on to the Second Test Phase

Second Test Phase

Your Main Character makes a Special Check Break Global Check.

Reconcile (Down) Phase

To end your turn, your hand must have a maximum of seven cards in it. If you have eight or more cards in your hand, discard cards until you reach seven.

The turn ends. Your opponent begins his turn.

Winning the Game

You win the game when your opponent's Main Character fails a Special Check Break Global Check. If at any point your opponent has no deck and they attempt to draw a card, they lose the game.

Tables

List of Moon Phases

If none of these is on a card's art, it must be assumed from a card's tone. If the tone is cyan, yellow, white, or green, it is a day card with no Moon Phase. If the tone is red, hazel, black, or blue, it is a night card with no Moon Phase. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish a New Moon (an image with no moon) from a card art with no Moon phase. One has only no moon, with an absence of a sun, while the other has neither a moon nor a sun. The exact method can be found in the "Tone and Affiliation II" Handbook addendum.

List of Attributes