Star Wars Trading Card Game

This article is about Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars card game. For the card game published by Decipher, see Star Wars Customizable Card Game.

Star Wars: The Trading Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Wizards of the Coast (WotC). The original game was created by game designer Richard Garfield, the creator of the first modern trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. After its initial release in April 2002, the game was 'put on indefinite hold' by WotC in late 2005. The Star Wars Trading Card Game Independent Development Committee was created by a group of fans to continue development of the game. They design new cards that are available as free downloads at their website.

Star Wars Trading Card Game

Cardback of the Star Wars Trading Card Game.
Designers	Richard Garfield
Publishers	Wizards of the Coast
Players	2
Setup time	under 1 minute
Playing time	10–40 Minutes
Chance	High
Age range	6 and up
Skills	Deck manipulation, deck optimization, planning

Gameplay

The Star Wars: TCG focuses on gaining control of in-game arenas. In this two-player game, each player controls units which battle in the arenas. The main way to win is to take control of two of the three arenas. Some cards also add new win conditions for the game.

The three arenas are Space, Ground and Character, and feature units from the Star Wars films, such as Star Destroyers, starfighters, AT-ATs, armies, and characters like Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala, Mara Jade, and Darth Vader. There is also a build zone, a draw pile (for your deck), and a discard pile. The two sides to the game are the Dark side and the Light side, representing the two sides of the Force. There are also neutral cards, which can be used by either side.

There are several types of cards. They are:

• Units: these can control arenas and are the most plentiful card in any deck. Each unit can only be placed in a certain arena designated by color and subtype. All units have several statistics including: build cost, speed, power, health, alignment. Units must be built.
  • Space: These units have a blue border and represent the space ships throughout the Star Wars films and books.
  • Ground: These units have a green border and represent the ground forces in the Star Wars films and books.
  • Character: These units have a purple border and represent the people and aliens found throughout the Star Wars films and books.
• Battle: These cards have special one time use effects and can only be used while your units are doing battle. They don't need to be built and some can be enhanced for an extra cost to give the user a better effect.
• Mission: These cards are like battle cards, but must be built. Their effects differ and must be played in the build step.
• Location: This type of card affects its arena until it is replaced with another Location card. Most location cards are colored like units and can only be placed in specific arenas. Some locations can be placed in any arena and are not colored like any normal unit.
• Equipment:This card type represents the weapons and vehicle upgrades in the Star Wars universe. These cards have a silver border and enhance the unit they are equipped to.

Abilities

• Activated Abilities

These are abilities that units have on them and are used by paying a cost (usually force).

• Static Abilities

These abilities are on as long as the unit is in its arena (e.g. A unit has "Each of your other characters get +10 speed", as long as that unit is in its arena, all your characters gain 10 speed).

• Triggered Abilities

These abilities contain a "when" or "whenever" (e.g. a unit has "When this unit is discarded draw three cards." "When this unit is discarded" is the trigger, and "draw three cards" is the ability).

TCG Sets

Sets produced by Wizards of the Coast

Set Name	Release Date	Number of Cards	Based on	Introduces
Attack of the Clones	April 2002	180	Episode II – Attack of the Clones	New keywords: Evade, Deflect, Bombard, Ion Cannon, Shields, Critical Hit
Sith Rising	July 2002	90	Episode II – Attack of the Clones	New keywords: Stun, Overload
A New Hope	October 2002	180	Episode IV - A New Hope	New keywords: Accuracy, Intercept, Pilot
Battle of Yavin	February 2003	105	Episode IV - A New Hope	New keyword: Retaliate
Jedi Guardians	June 2003	105	Episode II – Attack of the Clones	New keywords: Overkill, Reserves
The Empire Strikes Back	October 2003	210	Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back	New card type: Locations New keywords: Armor, Enhance
Rogues and Scoundrels	March 2004	105	Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Legends	New keywords: Bounty, Upkeep
The Phantom Menace	May 2004	90	Episode I – The Phantom Menace	New keyword: Lucky
Return of the Jedi	October 2004	110	Episode VI - Return of the Jedi	New card type: Multi-arena Locations New keyword: Hidden Cost
Revenge of the Sith	March 2005	110	Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	New card type: Equipment

Sets produced by the Independent Development Committee

Set Name	Release Date	Number of Cards	Based on	Introduces
Fall of the Republic	June 2006	120	Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	New keyword: Parry
Scum and Villainy	October 2006	90	Episodes I-VI Star Wars Legends	New keyword: Stealth
Battle of Endor	June 2007	180	Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Clone Wars: Republic at War	April 2008	120	Clone Wars: Volume I (2003 TV series)	New keywords: Fury, Double Strike
Invasion of Naboo	May 2009	180	Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Battle of Hoth	September 2009	60	Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back	New card type: Multi-arena Units
Legacy of the Force: Bounty Hunters	December 2010	75	Episodes I-VI TV series Star Wars Legends	New card types: Equipment - Skill, Resources
Legacy of the Force: Mandalorians	April 2011	75	Episodes I-VI TV series Star Wars Legends
Legacy of the Force: Sith	September 2011	75	Episodes I-VI TV series Star Wars Legends	New keyword: INSERT
Legacy of the Force: Smugglers	February 2013	75	Episodes I-VI TV series Star Wars Legends	New keyword: Stack
Legacy of the Force: Jedi	December 2013	76	Episodes I-VI TV series Star Wars Legends	New keywords: Foresight, Precision
Rule of Two	July 2014	90	Jedi vs. Sith Darth Bane Trilogy
The Old Republic	December 2014	120	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (series)	New card type: Subordinates New keyword: Meditate
Clone Wars: Separatist Offensive	September 2015	90	Clone Wars: Volume II (2003 TV series)
Rogue Squadron	October 2015	180	X-wing (book series) X-wing Rogue Squadron (comics)
Empire Rising	November 2015	120	Thrawn trilogy	New keyword: Alternative Cost
Empire Eternal	December 2015	90	Dark Empire Crimson Empire	New keyword: Inspiration
The Clone Wars: A Galaxy Divided	March 2016	270	The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) (Seasons 1-3)
The Dark Times	May 2016	300	Star Wars Legends	New counter type: Captivity counters
Clones and Droids	July 2016	120	Episode II – Attack of the Clones Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	New keywords: Double Damage, Damage Control
10th Anniversary	August 2016	40
The Force Awakens	September 2016	180	Episode VII - The Force Awakens	New card type: Event
The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime	November 2016	180	The New Jedi Order Books 1-6	New side: Yuuzhan Vong New card type: Mission - Trap New keyword: Avenge
The Old Republic: Tales and Legends	January 2017	240	Dawn of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi Lost Tribe of the Sith	New card type: Mission - Campaign
The New Jedi Order: Star By Star	June 2017	120	The New Jedi Order Books 7-12	New keyword: Focus
The Old Republic: Days and Nights	December 2017	150	Knights of the Old Republic (comics)	New keyword: Forewarning
The Clone Wars: Battle Lines	April 2018	270	The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) (Seasons 4-6)	New keywords: Ambush, Protect
Rogue One	June 2018	180	Rogue One	New card type: Equipment - Trait New keyword: Resilience
Battle of Starkiller Base	August 2018	105	Episode VII - The Force Awakens	New keyword: Ferocity
The Last Jedi	December 2018	210	Episode VIII - The Last Jedi	New keywords: Backfire, Fortitude
Spark of Rebellion	July 2019	180	Star Wars Rebels (seasons 1 and 2)
Battlefront	August 2019	90	Star Wars: Battlefront	New abilities: Reduced Cost X and Area Damage X
Jedi Knight	October 2019	90	Jedi Knight video games	New ability: Riposte X
The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force	December 2019	120	New Jedi Order books 13-19	New abilities: Intimidation and Redirect
Battle of Crait	April 2020	150	The Last Jedi (second half)
Solo	September 2020	180	Solo: A Star Wars Story	New ability: Cunning
The Old Republic: Knights and Exiles	December 2020	180	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (series)	New counter type: Redemption counters
The Mandalorian	April 2021	240	The Mandalorian (season 1)
The Rise of Skywalker	May 2021	210	Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker	New ability: Absorb
Apprentices and Assassins	September 2021	150	Episode I - The Phantom MenaceStar Wars: Jedi Apprentice (books) Jedi Quest (books)	New ability: Persuade
Fires of Rebellion	November 2021	180	Star Wars Rebels (seasons 3 and 4)
Battle of the Sarlacc	December 2021	120	Episode VI - Return of the Jedi	New ability: Surge

Non-Star Wars sets produced by the Independent Development Committee

Set Name	Release Date	Number of Cards	Based on
Marvel Cinematic Universe	December 2019	90	Marvel Cinematic Universe
Avengers: Endgame	April 2020	300	Avengers: Endgame

Playing the game

This is a two-player game. The following is recommended for each player, but can be shared among friends and opponents in casual play:

• two sixty-card decks (one Light side, one Dark side)
• several dice (six sided)
• a method of tracking Force points (counters, pen and paper, or a twenty sided die)
• damage counters
• build counters (can be the same as damage counters)

Reviews

• Pyramid

Further reading

• Strategy in Scrye #58
• Strategy in Scrye #68

External links

• Star Wars TCG website
• SWTCG Independent Development Committee
• SWTCG French Site / Edité par joueurs
• Play Star Wars TCG Online
• Star Wars Trading Card Game on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki