How to Play

Click for downloadable version of the complete rules guide

CREATURE CARDS EXPLAINED

These are the driving force behind Ward battles. Creatures are summoned during your turn and used to battle and destroy your opponent’s creatures. Let’s explain the creature card from top to bottom.

Armor Level: The Armor level or (AL) of your creature is their ability to resist getting Hit in battle. This value is the total your opponent must beat during their Hit roll. Max AL can never exceed 12, even with AL buffs.

Speed: The speed or (SPD) of your creature decides which creature attacks first during battle. There is no max limit to speed. Tied speed stats require a dice roll to determine who goes first in each battle.

Health Points: The health points or (HP) is amount of damage your creature can sustain before being sent to the cemetery. Creatures cannot be healed above their original HP value, unless specifically mentioned by a card. There is no limit to max HP.

Card Generation: The card generation is the family of other cards it is associated with and when the card was released.

Card Biography: A creature’s biography is a bit of additional information about this specific creature. Some bios unlock additional WARD lore.

Modifier: Modifiers are the bonuses that are added to a creature’s Hit and Damage Rolls. These allow for greater chance of Hitting your opponent’s creature and doing extra damage as well. Be aware, some magic cards only add additional Hit or Damage bonuses.

Creature Effect Area: Creature special effects vary greatly. They add additional elements to some creatures to give them a unique advantage. Creature effects can only be used once per turn, unless otherwise stated.

Attack Name: This is name of the attack the creature performs when they are battling other creatures.

Attack Dice Rolls: The amount of dice the creature can roll after it has successfully hit an opposing creature. The attack is the specific number of dice a creature is allowed to roll during the Damage step to inflict damage to your opponent’s creatures. Attack dice along with its modifier and other card buffs determine how much damage the creature specific attack will do to the opposing creature. See Battle section for additional information.

CREATURE TYPES

Creature Name: This is the name of the creature. These can vary greatly from general creature names such as “Demon” or they can be specific names of an individual creature such as “Zanj the Hunter”. The name of the card is important as certain cards may only affect creatures with specific names.

Creature Type: This is the category of type that the creature calls into. Certain card effects or magic cards may affect creatures based on their creature type.

Creature Photo: An artistic representation of what the creature looks like in the Ward trading card game universe. Creature photos are important as the nature of the creature or environment the creature is in may have an effect on other creatures. Example- A magic card or creature effect that only affects creatures with wings.

CARD RARITY

Card rarity is the availability of a card and the chances to obtain that card. There are 7 different tiers of rarity in Ward trading card game.

Downloadable Rarity Lists

Gen 1 Edition 2

Generation 2

Common

Cards that are readily available and frequently found in booster packs or starter packs. These cards typically have common artwork and gameplay attributes. The symbol is a grey circle.

Uncommon

Cards that are available but less likely to appear than common cards in booster and starter packs. They often feature slightly more unique abilities or artwork than common cards. The symbol is a green rectangle.

Rare

Cards that are relatively scarce compared to commons and uncommons. They possess unique abilities, special artwork, or are crucial to specific strategies. The symbol is a blue delta-shaped symbol.

Epic

Cards that are difficult to obtain and highly sought after by collectors and players alike. They often feature powerful abilities and stunning artwork. The symbol is a purple diamond.

Legendary

Cards that are exceptionally difficult to obtain and are highly sought after by collectors and players alike. They are often the center piece cards of most players decks or collections due to their abilities, stunning artwork, or unique game mechanics. The symbol is a yellow-orange 4-pointed start.

Mythic

Only 1 mythic card will exist per Ward TCG generation. This card is the keynote card for that generation’s release. The symbol is a red circle with the Ward “W” in the center.

Promotional

N/A

Cards that are only available through special promotions, events, or limited-time releases. These cards are typically highly collectible and may feature exclusive artwork or abilities. These cards will be identifiable as they will have “Promo” on the cards.

MAGIC CARDS EXPLAINED

Magic cards are just as important as creature cards. They can take a seemingly weak creature and power them up to be almost unstoppable or Turn the Tides of Ward in unpredictable ways. Magic cards have a variety of effects. These include but are not limited to weakening other creatures, returning creatures from the cemetery, allowing you to draw more cards, and so much more. Choose the magic cards that will help your deck best.

Magic Card Name: This is the name of the magic card. These can vary greatly as the name is a reflection of the art on the card and the effect that goes with the card.

Magic Card Photo: An artistic representation of magic card effects in Ward trading card game universe. Magic card photos are important as they show the nature of the magical effect and allow for the theater of the mind. Some images give a glimpse into the landscapes and magical effects of Ward as well as show easter eggs of lore found nowhere else in the Ward universe.

Magic Use Effect: This identifier dictates what this card’s effect with affect.

Field: The Field identifier indicates this card may affect multiple creatures on the field. This can include both sides of the playing field, or a single side. The scope of coverage will be identified by the specific details on the card.
Equip: The Equip identifier indicates this card will attach to a single card. Only the equipped creature will be affected by the effects from the card attached to it. Cards that are equipped to a creature are destroyed and sent to the cemetery if the attached creature is killed, changes control, or leaves the field for any reason.

Magic Card Type: This identifier indicates the type of magic card. Magic cards come in three different varieties: Standard, Infinite, and Lightning.

Card Generation: The card generation is the family of other cards it is associated with and when the card was released.

HOW TO PLAY

To start a game of WARD you will need thirty WARD playing cards per person, at least one 6-sided (D6) die, and a calculator or pen & paper. The more dice you have, the easier. You can build your own deck from any combination of official Ward trading cards.

To determine who starts the game each player rolls one die. The player with the lower number gets to choose if they want to go first or second. If tied, roll again.

Ater deciding who will go first player 1 will draw 5 cards from their deck. You do not have to show your opponent your hand. During the first turn cycle of the game neither you nor your opponent may initiate battle. Both players must play one monster during their first turn. Magic cards may be played as well.

Turn Cycle: A turn cycle consists of both players completing all 1-4 phases of play (Draw, Magic/ Summoning, Combat, Wrap-up).
Players must always have a creature on the field. If their creature dies you must immediately replace the creature on the field with another. Normal sacrificing rules apply. Magic cards cannot be played during this time.
If you have no creature on the field and you cannot play a creature from your hand, show your opponent your hand and place your hand back into your deck. Shuffle your deck and draw the same number of cards. Repeat this process until a creature can be played. Normal sacrificing rules apply. If you have no playable creatures in your deck you lose. If you have no cards in your hand when your creature dies on the field draw 1 card from your deck, then continue as stated previously in this section as if you have a 1 card hand.

During official gameplay, the final say on any rulings that are ambiguous and not explicitly stated in the official rules guide are at the discretion of the referee overseeing the game play during that event.

GAME SETUP / REQUIREMENTS

All you need to play your first game of WARD is three simple things.

30 WARD cards for your deck.
At least one, 6- sided die. (The More dice, the better!!)
A calculator, pen & paper, or others applications to keep track of creature’s Health Points.

BUILDING YOUR DECK

Deck building is one of the most important aspects of WARD. A well-balanced deck can be a matter of winning or losing.

Creatures are used to battle your opponent. (Recommended 10-20 creature cards)
Magic cards vary greatly. They can buff, de-buff, damage, or heal. (Recommended 10-20 magic cards)
A Ward deck can only have 3 of any specific card in their deck.
- Some cards are limited or banned during official Ward game play due to time restriction and fairness. Reference current limited/banned list at www.ward-cardgame.com. These cards can still be used in any fashion you deem when playing in an unofficial capacity.

HOW TO WIN

To achieve victory in WARD, your opponent must have 300 or more Health Points in their card cemetery. This number can be increased or decreased prior to battle for longer, or shorter games.

Place defeated and sacrificed creatures in the card cemetery. The total HP of all creatures in the cemetery, regardless of how they got there, is counted toward a player’s total cemetery HP. Once the total HP of all creature cards in the cemetery is 300 or more, they lose, and the game is over.

If a creature is removed from the cemetery by a magic card or creatures’ effect, the Health Points that were being counted toward the total are removed. Any creature sent from your hand, or the field, for any reason still counts toward your total cemetery health points.

It is up to you to keep track of how many points are in your opponent’s cemetery. Your opponent must show you their cards in the cemetery when requested. Cards in the cemetery are available to both players to view.

Carding out is not an immediate loss. If you run out of cards in your deck, finish the game with your current hand. If you cannot play a creature to the field, you lose. If you have a card that is returned to your hand, or your card deck rather than the cemetery and you have no other creatures or magic cards in your deck or hand you lose the game.

TURNS EXPLAINED

There are two different terms that should be noted when talking about the flow of a game, Turn Cycle and “Your Turn”. “Your Turn” and “Your Opponents Turn” is as it sounds. This includes all 4 phases mentioned below. A Turn Cycle is one complete turn of the game. This consists of both you and your opponent’s turn.

1st Phase: Draw phase, at the beginning of your turn, draw one card from the top of your deck; this does not apply to the first turn of the game for both players.

During the draw phase, after drawing a card the player may only have a maximum of eight cards in their hand. If you draw a card and have more than eight cards in your hand, you must discard cards to the cemetery until you have eight cards in your hand before continuing. You may not play cards at this time to reduce the number of cards in your hand.

2nd Phase: Summoning phase, this phase is for summoning creatures and using magic cards. You can use as many magic cards as you please, but only 5 “Infinite” cards can be on the field at once.

If you have all 5 magic card slots filled, you cannot play any magic cards until a slot opens up. (This does not include “Lightning Bolt” and “standard use” cards.

Here is an example of how your side of the field could look.

3rd Phase: Combat phase, battle is where the Tides of WARD are decided. During this phase you may engage in battle with your opponent’s creature. To attack your opponent’s creature, you must initiate battle. See section 10 for how battles are performed. During the Combat phase if you or your opponent’s primary creature dies the combat phase ends immediately.

4th Phase: Wrap-up phase, this is the last phase before the end of your turn. During this phase, additional magic cards can be played. There is no creature sacrificing or summoning during this phase. To end your turn, you must say your turn is over. This will then trigger your opponent’s turn, beginning with their draw phase.

BATTLE

1st step, Battle initiation: To do this, you must declare you are initiating battle.

Not all creatures on the field must attack. You may choose to only attack with a specific creature and leave others out of battle.

2nd step, Speed determination: Once combat has been initiated the creature with the higher speed goes first. This can be identified by the speed (SPD) stat.

If both creatures have the same speed stat, each player must roll a 6-sided die, whoever has the higher roll attacks first. This only determines the speed for this single battle. For each new battle where the SPD stat is tied a die roll off must be performed.

3rd step, faster creature Hit Rolls: After speed has been determined the player with the faster creature will roll two 6-sided dice. If the total of both dice (plus any Hit modifier boosts) is equal to or greater than your opponent’s Armor Level (plus any AL boosts) then you score a Hit.

Example: The “Water Eleotoid” attacks the “Snow Man” creature. The “Water Eleotoid” is faster and would attack first. You would roll the two Hit dice (Dice result: 2 and 6) then add your +1 Modifier for a total Hit roll of 9. This exceeds the AL of the “Snow Man”, which is only 6, allowing for the “Water Eleotoid” to now perform its Attack roll on the “Snow Man”.

Double sixes on the Hit dice roll are a critical Hit and does double damage. The critical hit damage multiplier is applied after all Attack dice, Modifiers, creature effects, and magic cards damage calculations have been applied.
- If additional dice are rolled on the Hit Roll all dice must be 6s for a critical hit to occur. If less than 2 dice are rolled for a Hit Roll then a critical hit cannot occur.

If you roll two ones (snake eyes) this is a critical miss, and you must roll a single die of damage to yourself (no bonuses are added to this roll) you also miss your target regardless of their AL.

If additional dice are rolled on the Hit Roll all dice must be 1s for a critical miss to occur. If less than 2 dice are rolled for a Hit Roll then a critical miss cannot occur.

4th step, faster creature Damage Rolls: If the creature has made a Hit, next is the Damage step. If the creature missed its Hit Roll, they do not get to roll for damage, continue to step 5. During the Damage step the attacking creature will utilize their creature specific attack, this can be seen as the “Attack Name” in figure 2. The creature’s attack allows the creature to roll that specific number of attack dice plus the modifier for damage calculation. This damage is removed from the opposing creatures Health Points (HP).

Example: The “Water Eleotoid” rolls three dice for damage with a +1 modifier. The total result of the Attack Dice Roll (Dice result: 1, 4, and 2) is a 7 plus the +1 modifier for a total of 8 (7+1) damage. Your opponent’s creature would then lose 8 points from their Health Points.
If a creature reaches 0 HP, they are dead and sent to the cemetery.
If the creature did not Hit, it is now the slower creature’s Hit Roll step followed by their Damage step.
During every combat phase each creature involved in the battle will have a Hit step and a possible Damage step, depending on if they hit or not.

5th Step, slower creatures Hit Rolls: This step is performed similarly to step 3.

6th Step, slower creatures Damage Rolls: This step is performed similarly to step 4.

SACRIFICING

To summon stronger creatures, you will first need to sacrifice other creatures to the cemetery. Sacrificing levels are based on the creatures base Armor Level (AL) as noted on the card.

Armor Level 1-6: These creatures can be summoned to the field without any sacrifices.
Armor Level 7-11: These creatures require 1 sacrifice to be played on the field. Sacrificed creatures can be on the field or in your hand.
Armor Level 12: These creatures require 2 sacrifices to be played on the field. Sacrificed creatures can be on the field or in your hand.

Some exceptions exist for creatures with higher Armor Levels to be summoned with extra summoning costs or lower summoning costs. These creatures will have this summoning requirement noted in their creature effect area. However, these creatures are not considered “Effect Creatures”.

Only 1 creature can be summoned to the field at a time by standard summing methods. If there is already a primary creature on the field, the creature must be sacrificed or killed in order to summon another creature.

During your 2nd phase: magic/summoning phase, you may choose to kill your current primary creature sending it to your cemetery, then summon a new creature. However, this counts towards your summoning limit of 1 creature per turn and therefore you cannot summon/kill another creature until your next turn. This creature also counts towards your total cemetery health points as if it were killed in battle.

CARD ACTIVATION / EFFECT RESOLUTION

Card effects on Creature and magic cards have an order in which the card effect is resolved. Card effects have the following activation steps:

Step 1: Play/Activate card
- This is when the player “plays” the card from their hand, deck, or cemetery. Card effects are not activated at this time.

Step 2: Lighting card / Effect response(s)
- Based on the conditions set on the cards, Lightning cards may respond instantly from either player’s hand to the activation of a card. Creature effects already on the field can also respond to card activation. Lightning cards can respond to other lightning cards played. This can result in multiple lightning cards / card effects being played in a single chain. If there are no responses to a card played/activated, skip step 2.

Step 3: Chain resolution
- Once all cards in the response chain have been played, resolve card effects in the order that they were played, lightning cards/ already active creature effects first. Once the chain is resolved, the card is considered played, and the effect is now activated.
- During events when cards, or all cards, are cleared from the field. The player whose card triggered the event must play their cards to the field first.

DAMAGE OVER TIME / HEALTH OVER TIME

Damage Over Time effects, or DOT’s for short, are effects that cause damage each Turn Cycle. Damage over time occurs at the end of the combat in which it was applied. DOT’s are initially applied at the end of the combat in which it was applied. This counts as the first Turn Cycle. The subsequent damage is applied at the end of the combat phase 1 Turn Cycle from the initial attack that applied it. If a player chooses not to attack and begin their combat phase the DOT is applied between phase 2 and 4. Some specific cards apply DOT’s at different times throughout the players turn phases. See these specific cards for when to apply the effects of those cards.

Burned: The target creature takes Fire Damage once per turn cycle until the effect ends. See specific card effects for details.
Poisoned: The target creature takes Poison Damage once per turn cycle until the effect ends. See specific card effects for details.
Bleed: Target creature takes Bleed Damage. The target creature takes bleed damage once per turn cycle until the effect ends. See specific card effects for details.
Wrap: Target creature is wrapped and takes continuous damage, once per turn cycle. Creature must meet the conditions of the card to be released.

Healing Over Time effects, or HOT’s for short, are effects that cause healing each Turn Cycle. Healing over time occurs at the end of the combat in which it was applied. HOT’s are initially applied at the end of the combat in which it was applied. This counts as the first Turn Cycle. The subsequent healing is applied at the end of the combat phase 1 Turn Cycle from the initial effect that applied it. If a player chooses not to attack and begin their combat phase the HOT is applied between phase 2 and 4. Some specific cards apply HOT’s at different times throughout the players turn phases. See these specific cards for when to apply the effects of those cards.

STATUS EFFECTS

Status effects vary greatly. These often have negative effects that can diminish your creature’s ability to fight effectively.

Fear: Fear causes the effected creature to have to roll a die prior to each time they are going to attack or return attack. See card effect for additional details.
Frozen: Frozen creatures must roll to try and unfreeze themselves. A frozen creature cannot battle, return attack, or be sacrificed until unfrozen. See card effect for additional details.
Stunned: Stunned creatures lose their ability to perform a return attack and battle. See card effect for additional details.

LIMITED SUMMONS

Limited Summons are any creatures that are summoned to the field while you have a primary creature already on the field. This type of summoning cannot be performed through traditional sacrificing/playing to field methods. Limited Summons must be summoned through various magic card effects and creature effects.

Limited Summons lose any card effects they have while they are on the field.
Limited Summons also lose their health pool while they are on the field and cannot take damage.
Limited summons cannot be used as a resource for sacrificing other creatures to the field.

Limited Summons may not attack the primary creature under the same control as itself. Exceptions may exist due to magic cards or creature effects.

Anchoring Effect: Limited Summons are held on the field by an “Anchoring effect”. Anchoring effects come in many different forms, such as magic card effects and creature card effects. Anchoring effects are the effect that is holding the Limited Summoned creature, or in rare situations the primary creature on the field. Examples include:

Necromancer summons a creature. The effect of the necromancer is the “Anchoring Effect”. If the effect of the Necromancer would be stopped for any reason the Limited Summoned creature would be removed from the field.
Squire is summoned to the field. The effect of the magic card “The Squire” is its own “Anchoring Effect”.

After being brought to the field Limited Summons cannot be killed by the controlling player and removed from the field in a similar fashion that standard summoned creatures can. Limited summons can only be removed from the field through creature card effects and magic card effects.

If you kill your opponent’s primary creature or your primary creature dies during combat the combat phase ends. You may not attack with any additional creatures.

If your primary creature dies while you have a Limited Summon on the field, then your Limited Summon slides into the primary creature slot. If you have more than 1 Limited Summon on the field when your primary creature dies you may choose which creature becomes the primary creature. This creature now regains any creature effects it has and regains its health pool as well. Limited summons must have their anchoring effect on the field in order to slide over to the main creature slot.

During the combat phase, each creature on the field is treated as its own separate battle between the two creatures who are engaged in combat. You may choose to attack with each creature in whichever order you prefer. You may also choose not to attack with all of your creatures during the combat phase as well.

DEFINITIONS

Armor Level: The Armor level or (AL) of your creature is their ability to resist getting Hit in battle. This value is the total your opponent must beat during their Hit Roll. Max AL can never exceed 12, even with AL buffs.

Limited Summon: Limited Summons are any creature(s) that are summoned to the field while you have a primary creature already on the field.

Magic Card: Ward magic cards have a blue tablet background and are supplementary cards that vary greatly and have a variety of effects. These cards are played to the magic section slots on the battlefield.

Creature Card: Ward creature cards have a brownish parchment background and are the driving force behind Ward battles. Creatures are summoned during your turn and used to battle and destroy your opponent’s creatures.

Hit Roll: The process of rolling two dice to determine if you have successfully beaten the armor level of the target.

Attack Roll: The process to determine how much damage is performed on the target.

Draw Phase: The beginning of the player turn cycle. During this turn the player draws 1 card.

Summoning: Process of bringing creatures to the field.

Sacrifice: The process of discarding a creature from the field and/or your hand to the cemetery to bring a stronger creature to the field.

Damage over time: Damage that occurs over the course of multiple turn cycles.

Healing over time: Healing that occurs over multiple turn cycles.

Turn Cycle: Is 1 full revolution of the game from any specific time. Consisting of both players turns.

Turn: A turn cycle consists of both players completing all 1-4 phases of play (Draw, Magic/Summing, Combat, Wrap-up).

Critical Hit: During your Hit Roll, rolling two 6’s (Boxcars). This is a critical hit and the final damage result is multiplied by 2. This can be overruled by creature and magic effects.

Critical Miss: During your Hit Roll, rolling two 1’s (Snake Eyes). This is a critical miss, and you miss your target regardless if the value of that roll was higher than or equal to the AL of the targeted creature. After rolling two 1’s the player who rolled the attack will roll 1 dice of damage against the creature who attacked. This can be overruled by creature and magic effects.

Banned Cards: These cards are game breaking and are not allowed in your deck at any time during official game play.

Limited Cards: These cards only allow one copy of that particular card in your deck at a time during official game play.

GAME TYPES

1v1 PVP - Standard Ward Rules

This is original, official, and standard way to play Ward Trading Card Game.

Rules

Style: 1v1
Standard Ward rules apply
Ward official limited/banned list applies

Multiplayer PVP - Modified Ward Rules

This variant of the standard Ward tcg rules is played with nearly the same rules as a traditional 1v1 PVP Ward Trading Card Game. When playing other than 1v1, use the same Ward standard rules as close as possible plus the below mentioned supplemental rules.

Rules

Style: 1v1, 2v2, 1v2, etc.
Standard Ward rules apply
Ward official limited/banned list applies
Turns alternate between the teams
One turn cycle is the once all players have completed their turn
Player is out of the game when they hit 300hp
Game is over when all players from one team are out
Teammates may sacrifice their teammates creatures

Free For All PVP - Modified Ward Rules

Rules

Style: 3+ Players FFA
Standard Ward rules apply
Ward official limited/banned list applies
Turns alternate between the players
One turn cycle is the once all players have completed their turn
Player is out of the game when they hit 300hp
Game is over when only 1 player remains

AL Ladder PVP - Modified Ward Rules

When playing with the Ward AL Ladder rule variant use the Ward standard rules as a guide and use plus the below mentioned supplemental rules.

Rules

Style: 1v1
Reference applicable standard Ward rules not covered here
Ward official limited/banned list applies
Each player chooses 1 creature from each Armor Level Class, 1, 5, 11, etc.
There are 12 rounds, 1 for each AL class
Players face off by playing their chosen creature from an AL class against their opponents chosen creature from the same AL class
When a creature is killed the round is over and the player who wins gets 1 point. Send all cards on the field to the cemetery and begin the next round.
No summoning costs for creatures
Creature revival cards are not allowed
Limited summoned "Creature cards" are allowed
- Limited summoned magic cards are allowed
Creatures cannot be removed from the field via effect or magic
- Creatures summoned to the field as the primary AL class creature must be killed to leave the field
Each player plays 1 creature at a time of the same Armor Level
Game is over after all 12 rounds have been completed
Players with the most points wins
- In the event of a tie each player rolls 1 die. The sum of both dice is equal to the creature the players will summon. The winner of this fight wins the game.
Each player will have 18 magic cards in their deck
Creatures are not considered in the players deck or in the players cemetery

Ward: Boss Battles - Standard Ward: Boss Battles Rules

This Mode allows player to face off against Ward Boss's in a Cooperative, PVE style.

Rules

Style: Cooperative, PVE
Standard Ward Boss Battles rules apply
Ward official limited/banned list applies

Ward: RPG - DM Rules

When playing with the Ward: RPG rule variant use the Ward standard rules as a guide and use the below mentioned supplemental rules.

Rules

Style: RPG game play
One player acts as a DM and runs a rpg style table-top rpg campaign
- In this style the Ward rules guide is used as more of a guide rather than strict rules. Follow the DM's guidance on how the rules of the game will work.
Ward official limited/banned list do not apply
Players choose a Common AL 1 creature to begin the campaign/session
Magic cards can be issued by the DM as Loot for the players
Magic cards can be used by the players as spells and abilities for their creatures
When the players creatures would "level up" they may choose another creature to play as. DM may set how to level up within the campaign.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I’m a beginner, where should I start with Ward?

As a beginner to Ward, we would recommend starting with reviewing the game guide for the rules, watching the tutorial videos, and then the card library.

To create a deck, we recommend 1-2 starter packs

How often is your site updated with new content?

Ward is regularly coming out with new and exciting content which is reflected here at the official website for the card game Ward.

I need help with the game on matters not covered in the guide page, can I reach out for help?

Yes! Reaching out through the contact information page, or email contactus@ward-cardgame.com directly, and one of our staff would be glad to help.

LIMITED / BANNED CARDS

Updated 1/30/25

Limited Cards: Only 1 card of this type is allowed in a 30 card deck.

Banned Cards: These cards are not allowed in official Ward events.

Limited Cards:

Gen 1

Angel
Dragon Rage
Epic Loot
Ghost of the Past
Giant Rat
Holy Light
Junk Scarecrow
Magic Steal
Mysterious Door
Psychic Toad
Revival Priest
Stone Golem
Turn Coat
Visitor from Beyond
Watcher in the Wall

Gen 2

None

Banned Cards:

Gen 1

Time Dragon

Gen 2

None

Promotional Cards:

All Promotional cards are considered limited. Only 1 card of each promo is allowed in a 30 card deck.

CASE LAW RULINGS

Case law rulings are a series of scenarios that have played out and how the rules of Ward have been interpreted to help guide its Warlords on how to play Ward. Each case law will try to best describe the current Ward battlefield, events of each ruling, and how the scenario played out.

Jesse v Eric- Tournament of Iron (6/13/23)

Battlefield: A necromancer was summoned to the field and a creature was summon back to the field from the cemetery as a limited summon. The Necromancer was Mindsap'd and lost its effect.
Challenge: The effect of the Necromancer revived the creature bringing it to the field as a limited summon but was not responsible for keeping it on the field. Therefore, the revived creature should remain on the field even though the Necromancer no longer has its effect.
Ruling: The revived creature can remain on the field as the card necromancer says nothing about it being sent to the cemetery if the Necromancer loses its effect.
Overturned: This ruling was later overturned as the intent of the card was always that the effect of the Necromancer was keeping the creature on the field. This was overturned via an update to rules guide v1.2 and the release of the Limited Summoned video tutorial guide.

Jeesse v James- Memorial Day Mayhem Tournament (5/25/24)

Battlefield: A Kraken was on the field with a Flame of the Infinite. The opponents side of the field had a creature that was killed. Zanj the Hunter was summoned. The Armor level of Kraken was reduced from 11 to 5. Dragon Power was then played on Kraken.
Challenge: Krakens Armor Level was brought to 12. Does the effect of Zanj still reduce the Armor Level down to 6 since the Kraken+Dragon power would make the Armor Level 12.
Ruling: Due to order of operations the Dragon power would increase the Armor Level of Kraken to 12 as Zanj's effect is already being performed on the initial reduction of the Kraken+Flame of the Infinite. Additionally, Dragon Power does not specifically increase the Armor Level by an amount but sets the Armor at Level 12.

BOSS BATTLE RULES GUIDE

Click for downloadable version of the complete Boss Battle rules guide

DOWNLOAD

Introduction

Introducing Ward Boss Battles! Ward Boss Battles are a PvE experience to work with your friends to take down the most challenging creatures Ward has to offer. So, gather your army and enlist your allies to Turn the Tides of Ward!

Ward Boss Battles offers a team combat battling system using Wards unique hybrid dice rolling combat system that beautifully fuses the dice rolling combat systems of your favorite Table-Top rpgs with the strategy of Trading Card Games.

Game Set Up/Requirements

All you need to play your first game of WARD is three simple things.

30 Ward cards for your deck.
1 Ward Boss challenge deck.
At least one, 6- sided die. (The More dice, the better!!)
A calculator, pen & paper, or others application to keep track of creature’s Health Points.

Building your Deck

Deck building is one of the most important aspects of Ward. A well-balanced deck can be a matter of winning or losing.

Creatures are used to battle your opponent. (Recommended 5-15 creature cards)
Magic cards vary greatly. They can buff, de-buff, damage, or heal. (Recommended 15-25 magic cards)
A Ward deck can only have 3 of any specific card in their deck.
- Some cards are limited or banned during official Ward game play due to time restriction and fairness. Reference current Banned/Limited lists at www.ward-cardgame.com. These cards can still be used in any fashion you deem when playing in an unofficial capacity.

How to Win/Lose

To achieve victory in Ward Boss Battles, you must defeat the Ward boss creature.

The game is over when all players have 300 creature hp in their cemetery or no creatures left to place. Once a player has 300 hp in their cemetery or no playable creatures in their deck they lose and are out of the game. They may not reenter the game after this point.

Prior to a player losing and being removed from the game, if a creature is removed from the cemetery by a magic card or creatures’ effect, the Health Points that were being counted toward the total are removed.

It is up to you to keep track of how many points there are in your cemetery. You must show the other players the cards in your cemetery if requested. Cards in the cemetery are available to all players to view.

How to Play

All standard rules from the standard Ward PvP apply during Ward Boss Battles. For further detail on the how to play Ward PvP please see “Ward rules Guide”.

Boss challenge deck cards may not be used in the player(s) deck. In the event a boss card gets placed in the players deck, or were to be used by the players deck, that card is instead destroyed and send to the boss’s cemetery instead.

Creature Cards Explained

For an in-depth description on how creature in Ward tcg work please reference Ward Rules Guide.

Magic Cards Explained

For an in-depth description on how magic cards in Ward tcg work please reference Ward Rules Guide.

Setting the Field

Ward boss battles are intended to have no one directly controlling the Boss Deck.

You may have a player control the Boss deck.

If there is no one playing the boss deck then determine a player who will flip cards and roll for the bosses’ actions.

The boss always starts the game by drawing 1 card. The player counterclockwise then goes and so on.

Turns Explained

In Ward: Boss Battles players and the boss always alternate between turns. The pattern of alternating goes: Boss, player, Boss Mini Turn, Player, Boss Mini Turn, Player, Boss. This pattern will scale with more or less players. If playing 1 vs 1 against a boss the boss will not receive Mini-Turns.

Player Turn

Player turns perform the same as during standard Ward gameplay. For an in-depth description on how player turns work in Ward tcg work please reference “Ward Rules Guide”.

Boss Turn

Boss Primary Turn
- The boss has a primary turn. This is similar to the player turns and including 3 phases: Draw, Magic/summoning, and Combat. The boss unlike the players does not get a 4th phase to play additional magic cards.
Boss Mini Turn
- The boss also has mini phases as well. These consist of a draw phase between each player’s turn. If there is only one player, then there is no mini phase. If there are 3 players, then there will be 2 mini phases.

The Boss

Many different scenarios may arise while battling a Ward boss creature. In the event that a situation is not clear how the boss or the boss’s magic card will work the boss will always perform the smartest tactic. Use your own discretion about these scenarios, what would you do if you were the boss?

The boss has some of its own specific rules. Some cards in the Ward standard PvP sets do not affect the boss.

The boss cannot be removed from the field by any means other than death.

The boss is not affected by magic cards or creature effects that reduce hp by fractions or percents. Only flat damage can harm the boss.

The boss may never have a hand of cards. All cards drawn are immediately played to the field. If a magic card effect does not make sense when played it is instead sent to the cemetery.

The boss may only have 5 magic cards on the field at any given time. Any additional cards drawn or that would be played to the field are sent to the cemetery without their effects being activated in any way.

When the bosses deck runs out of cards it reshuffles the cemetery back into the deck and resets. The boss’s deck can never run out of cards. All magic cards in the boss’s cemetery, regardless of what their card descriptions say, are reshuffled during this instance and the deck is reset.

The boss will always try to roll/get out of negative effects that are currently affecting it.

When the players use any magic card that would affect the boss they must roll a 4-6 otherwise the boss resists the magic and that magic card is sent to the player cemetery.

When the players use any creature effects that would affect the boss they must roll a 4-6 otherwise the boss resists the effect. The creature may attempt to reapply the effect if the effect allows it. These effects cannot be attempted to affect the boss more than once per turn.

Attacking with the Boss

The boss will always attack on its turn.

When the boss attacks it determines which creature on the field to attack by each player rolling a die. The player with the lowest result is the player the boss will target. If two players tie with the lowest value, reroll until one player has a lower value than the other.

The boss may only attack primary creatures, unless otherwise specified by a magic card.

Boss Magic

Boss magic cards will describe what the card is targeting and how the effect works. When the boss uses a magic card that would target a creature or another magic card specifically, each player will roll a die to determine which players cards are being targeted. The player with the lowest result is the one who is targeted.

If a player has more than 1 magic card or creature on the field that a magic card may target the player should designate each creature/magic card with a number, or set of numbers, for each card then roll a die to determine which card, the boss’s magic card is targeting.

Game Conclusion

The game is over when either the boss has been defeated and its health points are reduced to 0, or all players have been defeated.

Additional Rules

If there is an act that the rules do not explicitly permit or exhibit then the act is prohibited.

Quick Notes

Creatures can never go over and AL of 12. Even with the aid of magic or other creature cards.

Carding out is not an immediate loss. If you run out of cards in your deck, finish the game with your current hand. If you cannot play a creature to the field, you lose.

Any creature sent from your hand, or the field, for any reason still counts toward your total cemetery health points.

If both creatures in battle have the same speed, roll one die for each player, the highest roll goes first. This is repeated every battle while speed is equal.

Limited Summon creatures become your main creature if your main creature dies from battle while the limited summon is on the field. If you have more than 1 Limited Summon on the field and your primary creature dies you may choose which Limited Summon becomes the primary creature.

If you have a card that is returned to your hand, or your card deck rather than the cemetery and you have no other creatures or magic cards in your deck or hand you lose the game.

Some Creatures require more than the normal number of sacrifices to be made. See card effect for specifics on summoning requirements.

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