Every TCG Has a Story: Weiss Schwarz

In 2021, CGC Cards™ announced that it would begin grading many new TCGs and non-sports cards in addition to Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. One of the new games announced in December 2021 was Weiss Schwarz — a unique TCG that brings together several anime and video game franchises into one large battle royale.

Weiss Schwarz is developed by Bushiroad, the same developer responsible for the hit TCG Cardfight!! Vanguard and popular idol games BanG! Dream and Love Live! The game takes the world’s most popular anime, cartoons and video games and puts them all together in a single card game for players to enjoy. In addition to using its own franchises — including the aforementioned BanG! Dream and Love Live! games — Weiss Schwarz incorporates other popular media franchises into the game, including hits such as Sword Art Online, Adventure Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender and even Disney.

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Bushiroad released Weiss Schwarz in Japan in 2007, with two decks featuring cards from the Little Busters! and D.C. D.C. II series. The first release was a hit with anime and manga fans, so Bushiroad continued to release sets into the 2010s and beyond. Weiss Schwarz came to the international market in 2009 with the Disgaea Trial Deck; the first official booster set was released in 2013 and was based on Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Today, the card game is still immensely popular in Japan and has a large following in the United States. Weiss Schwarz boasts over 10,000 total cards and dozens of sets to choose from.

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In the world of Weiss Schwarz, players are split between the “Weiss” and “Schwarz” (“Light” and “Dark” in German, respectively) sides. After choosing a side, players use their favorite characters to battle their opponent in a game of strategy and skill. The goal of the game is to deal seven damage to your opponent to make them “level up.” The first player to reach Level 4 (or take 28 total damage) loses.

The game features three types of cards: Character, Event and Climax. Character cards show a large portrait of a character or multiple characters and are the main vanguard of a deck. Event cards allow the player to relive their favorite scenes from a show or game in the form of an attack card. Finally, Climax cards turn the tide of the game by implementing an instant effect.

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Each deck consists of characters from the same show or franchise. Characters, events and climaxes cannot be mixed. For example, if someone wants to build a deck with Adventure Time characters, they must also use Event and Climax cards from Adventure Time.

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While some collect Weiss Schwarz cards to play the game, others purchase Weiss Schwarz cards with the intent of building a collection of their favorite characters or scenes from their favorite franchises. Weiss Schwarz is incredibly unique in this way, because it involves several popular series from a range of genres, allowing just about anyone to enjoy it.

Are you ready to partner up with your favorite anime, cartoon and video game characters in Weiss Schwarz? CGC Cards is here to help! The company has already certified over 16,000 Weiss Schwarz cards, showing its dedication to third-party grading of TCGs and non-sports cards. Learn how to submit by clicking here.