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Introduction to W.O.T.A
W.O.T.A. is a competitive 1v1 trading card game set in a world where sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, anime, and many more art styles and archetypes collide!
Players build custom decks, summon powerful creatures, cast magical runes, lay an ambush, and unleash devastating bosses to reduce their opponent's Heart Points (HP) to zero.
Victory is achieved through strategy, timing, and smart resource management—especially the use of your Stamina, the currency of this game.
What You Need to Play
Each player must have the following:
A Main Deck (50–60 cards)
A Boss Deck (up to 15 cards)
A six-sided die and a coin
A way to track Stamina (starts at 200 per player)
A way to track Heart Points (starts at 7 HP per player, max 10)
Objective of the Game
You win a game of W.O.T.A by meeting one of the following win conditions:
1. Reducing your opponent’s Heart Points to 0
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2. Your opponent runs out of cards in their deck and is unable to draw.
3. Causing your opponent to lose the game through specific card conditions or effect (e.g., failure to pay costs, a card with a win condition)
A "Game" is a single match.
A "War" is a best-of-three match—first to two victories.
Game Setup & Starting the Game
1. Determine Who Goes First
Before drawing any cards, players must decide who goes first. This can be done with a coin flip, die roll, or any mutually agreed method.
2. Draw Opening Hands
After deciding turn order, both players draw 6 cards from their Main Deck.
3. Mulligan Option (First Player Only)
The player going first has the option to mulligan once. To mulligan:
Return your entire hand to the deck
Shuffle
Draw a new hand of 6 cards
You cannot mulligan again
4. First Turn Rules
The first player skips their Draw Phase
The first player cannot enter the Attack Phase
The second player draws 1 card during their Draw Phase (they start with 7 cards in hand)
Turn Structure (Phases of Play)
Each player’s turn is divided into six structured phases:
1. Draw Phase
Draw 1 card from your Main Deck.
This is skipped on the first turn by the player who goes first.
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2. Stamina Phase
Gain +20 Stamina, up to a hard cap of 200. (Players always start with 200 Stamina)
If your Summon Cost (SC) Counter is at 0, it resets to 1.
You must pay any Payment or Maintenance costs from cards you control during this phase.
If you cannot pay a maintenance cost, the card is destroyed, and you lose 3 Heart Points, unless otherwise stated by card effect.
3. Build Phase 1
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Play Army or Mage cards from your hand.
Summon Boss cards from your boss deck.
Set or activate Rune, Ambush, and Field cards.
You may play as many cards as your Stamina allows.
You may only activate one Field Card per turn.
Battle cards that cost SC = 1 can only be summoned once per turn unless a card resets your SC Counter.
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4. Attack Phase/Stat Calculation
All Battle Cards (Army, Mage, Boss) in Attack Position may attack once.
To attack, the card must be face-up and vertical (Attack Position).
Combat follows two main scenarios:
Attack vs Attack: Higher AP wins. Equal AP = both destroyed.
Attack vs Shield: Your AP must be higher than the opponent's SP to destroy the defending card. Otherwise, nothing happens.
You may also attack directly if your opponent has no Battle Cards. This deals 1 Heart Point of damage unless otherwise stated.
*Stat Calculation is a phase of play within the Attack Phase, its sole purpose is for calculating AP or SP during battle. Certain card effects activated during this stage can cause huge detriments to your opponents! Such as an AP boost from a Quick Rune card during Stat Calculation is one smart way to make your opponent regret their attack*
5. Build Phase 2
This is another opportunity to summon, set, or activate cards.
Some effects or mechanics (like certain Rune cards) can only be used during this phase.
6. End Phase
Resolve any “End of Turn” effects.
Turn passes to your opponent.
Zones Explained
BattleZone:
Where Army, Mage, and Boss Cards are played. There are 10 spaces available for you to Summon Battle Cards. If all 10 spaces are full; you may not summon any more Battle Cards.
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Power Zone:
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Holds Rune and Ambush cards (face-up or face-down). There are 6 spaces for playing Rune and Ambush cards. If all 6 spaces are occupied you may not activate or set any more Rune or Ambush cards.
Field Zone:
Holds 1 Field Card per player. Effects only apply to your side unless stated otherwise.
Discard Pile:
Where destroyed or used cards go unless otherwise stated.
Void Zone:
Cards “sent to the void zone” are sent here. This zone is much more difficult to retrieve cards.
Deck Zone:
Where your Main Deck is placed.
Boss Zone:
Separate card pile holding up to 20 Boss Cards.
Card Types & Stamina vs Special Summon
Battle Cards (Army, Mage, Boss)
These are your attackers and defenders.
Army Cards: Army Cards are battle cards that reside in your deck, they are signified by their grey internal color. They can be summoned as much as you wish, so long as you have the STA and SC to pay for them. Certain Army Cards may have special conditions to Summon them. They can be Stamina Summoned or Special Summoned.
Mage Cards: Mage Cards are battle cards that reside in your deck, they are signified by their purple internal color. They can be summoned as much as you wish, so long as you have the STA and SC to pay for them. Certain Mage Cards may have special conditions to Summon them. They can be Stamina Summoned or Special Summoned.
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Boss Cards: Boss Cards are battle cards that reside in a separate Boss Deck. These cards come in a range of colors but have certain requirements or tributes from your side of the field to come forth. They typically require a specific type of Army or Mage battle card to be tributed on your side of the field to be summoned. They can't be set face down in shield position. They will always have an SC of 1. Boss cards are always to be considered as Special Summons.
Stamina Summon: A Stamina Summon is how you summon cards normally from your hand. You pay the cards STA and SC, if it has one, and summon it to your side of the field. You can Stamina Summon as much as you want during your Build Phase 1 and Build Phase 2 provided you have the STA and SC requirements.
Special Summon: A special summon occurs when a Battle Card is summoned due to a card effect or due to meeting the requirements to summon a Boss Card. Special Summons are a great tactic because in some cases you can end up summoning a Battle Card without having to pay STA or not having to pay SC or sometimes BOTH! However, some cards, like Boss Cards, will still require you to pay STA and SC to summon them.
Stats, Symbols, and Placement
All Battle Cards share the same symbols and layouts for their Stats.
The Stats are as follows:
AP = (Attack Power) Strength of the card
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SP = (Shield Power) Defense of the card
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STA = (Stamina Cost) Price of the card
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SC = (Summon Cost) Cost of the card
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Keyword Skills: Center of the card, gives the battle card additional effects
Type(s) Example: (Human) (Aqua)
Each Battle Card (Except for Boss Cards and Battle cards with the Titan keyword) can be placed in:
All Battle Attack Position (Face Up)
(vertical, can attack)
Shield Position (Face Up)
(horizontal, defensive)
Face-down Shield Position
(used for defense/reveal)
Boss Battle Cards and “Titan” keyword skill battle cards can only be played in face-up attack or shield position.
Rune Cards
Have a blue background.
Used for casting effects.
Can be played immediately.
Must be placed in the Power Zone.
Types: Normal, Quick, Equip, Infinity
Some have maintenance costs you must pay each turn, this is not optional, unless otherwise stated by the card itself.
Ambush Cards
Have an orange background.
Must be set facedown in the power zone a turn prior, before use.
Cannot be activated the turn they are set unless an effect allows it.
Types: Normal, Counter, Infinity
Some have maintenance costs you must pay each turn, this is not optional, unless otherwise stated by the card itself.
Field Cards
Have a green background.
Played into the Field Zone.
Only 1 Field card can be active on your side at a time.
You may only play 1 Field card per turn
Some have maintenance costs you must pay each turn, this is not optional, unless otherwise stated by the card itself.
Card Attributes & What they do
AP (Attack Power): Used to battle other Battle Cards.
SP (Shield Power): Used when in Shield Position to defend.
SC (Summon Cost): Indicates whether a card uses your one “Summon Cost” for the turn. Your SC resets to 1 at the beginning of a new turn.
Your SC meter is always maxed out at 1.
STA (Stamina Cost): The amount of Stamina you must pay to activate or summon the card.
Type(s): Defines faction identity (e.g., Dragon, Human).
Dual-typed cards (e.g., Elf-Wizard) count as unique types.
Cards can only be a max of two types.
All Card Types: Alien, Bard, Beast, Human, Saintly, Hero, Villain, Heat, Aqua, Winged, Ancient, Monster, Wizard, Soldier, Common, Elf, Reptile, Dragon
Combat & Summoning
Cards may only attack in Attack Position and are placed Face-Up vertically
Cards summoned in Face-up or Face-down Shield Position are placed horizontally.
Each card may attack once per Attack Phase, unless it has a keyword like Twice or Triple.
You can set Battle Cards face-down in Shield Position for tactical advantage, but you don’t pay their costs until revealed. You only have to pay the cost once, if the card is flipped face down by card effect, and is revealed again, you don’t have to pay STA or SC.
If you can’t pay STA or SC when a card is revealed, you either:
Lose 5 HP (if you can’t pay one of the two)
Lose the game (if you can’t pay either)
Keyword Skills
Bloodlust:
Deal 1 HP damage when you destroy an Attack Position card.
Nuisance:
Must be attacked before other cards. If multiple Nuisance cards exist on the field; your opponent gets to choose which card to attack.
BattleBorn:
Cannot attack directly. Can attack all enemy battle cards once per turn.
Blessed:
Cannot be targeted by Rune Cards
Savvy:
Cannot be targeted by Ambush Cards
Illusionary:
Returns to your hand at the end of turn when Stamina Summoned or Special Summoned
Twice/Triple:
Attacks 2/3 times per turn
Legend:
Only one Legend can be on your field at a time
Spy:
Can be summoned to either player’s field. Must be summoned in a face-up position if you’re summoning it to your opponent’s side.
Titan 1–3:
Requires 1–3 face-up Battle Cards as tribute. You may not tribute face-down shield position cards for a “Titan” card. “Titan” cards can't be set face-down in shield position.
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Payment 1-???:
Indicates the amount of STA a player must pay during the Stamina Phase.
Ritual:
A card with this keyword may attack as much as it wants, but you must tribute 1 battle card on your side of the field to attack.
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Reveal:
A card containing this skill can only activate its effect if it is initially set in a face-down shield position, and revealed either through it being attacked or of the player's own volition.
Spy and Titan:
A card with the rare “Spy and Titan” combination can summon itself to your opponent’s field by tributing their own cards.
Battleproof:
This card can't be destroyed by battle
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Battleproof Immortal:
This card can't be destroyed by battle or card effects
Attack Delay:
This card can’t attack the turn it is summoned
Boss Card Keyword Skills
There are certain Keyword Skills that are exclusive to Boss Cards. Boss Cards may also contain the traditional battle card keyword skills.
Ambush Repel: This card's summoning can't be negated by Ambush Cards.
Rune Repel: This card's summoning can't be negated by Rune cards.
Assured Summon: This card's summoning can't be negated.
Boss "Effect Keywords"
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Activation Rulings – Speed System & Chains
W.O.T.A. uses a card speed system to manage timing conflicts when multiple cards are activated in response to one another. This ensures a structured, fair resolution of effects, especially during high-stakes turns where Ambushes and Quick Runes are flying across the field.
Without a speed system, reactive cards could lead to chaotic, ambiguous gameplay where players constantly argue over what resolves first. Instead, W.O.T.A. categorizes all cards into clear Speed Tiers that define not only how fast a card can be played, but also what kinds of cards it can interrupt or respond to. This system gives players room for strategic counterplay, lets bluffing and prediction shine, and ensures that fast, tactical responses feel rewarding—while slower, powerful effects require better timing and planning.
Whether you're flipping an ambush to save your last battle card, or chaining runes in a desperate defense, understanding the speed system is key to mastering advanced plays and surviving the late-game onslaught.
Speed Tiers
Cards in W.O.T.A are divided into three activation speeds. These speeds determine what cards can respond to what, and how chains of effects resolve.
Speed 1 – Fastest
Quick Runes, Counter Ambush, Battle Card Effects
These cards are the only ones that can be used to respond to each other. They form the core of reactive play, especially during your opponent’s turn. If a Speed 1 card is played, only another Speed 1 can respond to it.
Speed 2 – Mid-Speed
Infinity Runes, Infinity Ambush
These are cards with persistent or lasting effects. They can respond to Speed 2 and Speed 3 cards but cannot interrupt Speed 1 activations.
Speed 3 – Slowest
Normal Runes, Equip Runes, Field Cards, Normal Ambush Cards
These are cards that require the most setup. Once played, they are the most vulnerable to interruption.
Chain Resolution Example
Here’s a sample chain in action:
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Chain 1 – You activate a Normal Rune to destroy a card (Speed 3).
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Chain 2 – Your opponent activates a Counter Ambush to negate your Rune (Speed 1).
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Chain 3 – You respond with a Quick Rune to negate the Ambush (Speed 1).
Resolution Order (Reverse):
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Chain 3 resolves first → negates the Counter Ambush.
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Chain 2 fizzles.
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Chain 1 goes through → the Rune destroys the target as intended.
Only Speed 1 cards can “fight each other” on timing. Speed 2 and Speed 3 cannot step into that arena.
Speed System Summary
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Speed 1 Cards include: (Fastest Card)
Quick Runes
Counter Ambush
Battle Card Effects
Speed 2 Cards include (Second Fastest)
Infinity Runes
Infinity Ambush
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Speed 3 Cards include (Slowest Cards)
Normal Ambush
Normal Rune
Equip Rune
Field Card Effects
The rulings of card speeds are very simple, Speed 1 cards can only be interrupted by other Speed 1 cards. Speed 2 cards can be interrupted by Speed 1 cards and other Speed 2 cards. Speed 3 cards can be interrupted by any cards, and are unable to interrupt Speed 2 and Speed 1 Cards.