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Frequently Asked Questions for Shaman King TCG
Updated on July 3rd, 2005
Compiled by CotD reviewer, andysislands

Below is the latest and largest official FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). The format has been redone and cleaned up compared to the old version. I have taken the FAQ found on this website( http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/op/skop/ ) and combined it with the old FAQ that was hosted here at Pojo.com. I removed any repeated questions. Some questions on this FAQ have not came from UDE (Upperdeck Entertainment). Those questions were asked from this topic on the Pojo Message Boards ( http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=126352 ). Unofficial answers in this document are marked with "**" in front of the question. For the sake of making this FAQ simple, I have removed the "*" from the front of questions found on the UDE website FAQ. The questions still remain in tact. Also you may notice some questions that were not found the UDE website FAQ and are not marked with a "**" here. This is not a mistake. Those questions were answered by an UDE official via Pojo Message Board.

NOTICE: Questions marked with "**" did not directly come from UDE but were viewed over by a UDE official. These rulings can be trusted.

i) Beginning and Winning the Game

How much furyoku should I start the game with?

Each player starts the game with two furyoku in each zone, and then flips four cards from his deck into the discard pile. You are now ready to start. The first thing you need to determine who is sending the opening attack. (see below).

What’s the “opening attack”? Can I choose not to play the “opening attack”?

The opening attack is the first strike of any given point in Shaman King. At the

beginning of the game, the player with the highest Force total in their discard pile gets to choose to attack or defend, and during the game the player who just lost the last point gets to choose. The opening attack is a free 4 Force strike, and the player who is defending the opening attack adds a free Green furyoku before attempting to return the opening serve.

If you are the attacker, you can’t choose not to play the opening attack. The only choice you can make is to attack or defend.

**How do you win?
You try to Strike (Attack) your opponent you do this when he cant counter one of your moves after you Strike (Attack) your opponent 3 times you win the game.

ii) Focus, Pitch, Tactical, Discard and the Deck

What happens when I run out of a discard pile? Do I focus from the deck?

Whenever your discard pile becomes empty, you immediately refill it by flipping the top four cards of your deck into your discard pile. Focusing always happens from the discard pile.

Can I choose which card in my discard pile to focus?

You must always focus the top card of your discard pile – this shouldn’t ever really make a difference (there are some obscure situations that it might).

What happens when I run out of cards in my deck?

When you run out of cards, note down what your current furyoku (how much and what

color) and what zones are charged, then shuffle all the cards in your discard pile and

furyoku piles together and then place them in the Deck Zone. Refill your furyoku to the levels you had before shuffling, flip four cards from your deck into your discard pile, charge the zones that were charged before, and then continue the game as normal.

If a card effect would cause you to look at or flip more cards than you have, first put the remaining cards aside before you go through the reshuffle, then put those cards back on top of your deck.

What options do I have when I can’t (or don’t want to) play a card?

If you can’t (or don’t want to) play a card, there are two things open to you:

a) You can focus the card, by placing it face down in the furyoku pile of the same

zone, and at that point you start defending a zone lower; or

b) You can discard the card, and place it in the discard pile. You won’t usually do this, but there are situations where you might choose to or are forced to (e.g. Broomcorn Beatdown doesn’t allow you to focus or pitch).

If you do either of these in the Red Zone, your opponent scores a point (and celebrates) and if a player has not scored three points, we continue the game.

What cards do you reshuffle with if you have to reshuffle?
You reshuffle ALL of your cards, including your furyoku, (be sure to write those totals down!) but you don't reshuffle Teamworks and Advantages.

**If I pay for a Tactical effect do I still have to pay the base card cost?
Since the tactical ability is a special ability you use it before you pay the cost of a card. Therefore if you tactical a card you do not have to pay the cost of the card because it will no longer be eligible to counterattack (it will be in you discard pile).

**I flip a card with Pitch in the Red Zone. If I want to use the pitch effect, does my opponent get a point?
Pitching is the same as focusing in that if you do it in your red zone your opponent scores.

**What is pitch?
If a card has "Pitch" in the text box, then you can send it to the discard to use the effect that's after the "Pitch" word, but you have to start defending in the next zone. Also, if you Pitch in your red zone, your opponent gets a point because if you Pitch in the red zone, it's like Focusing in the red zone.

iii) Generating and Paying Furyoku

If I don’t have the correct furyoku for my costs, can I “overpay”?

For any cost, (any time it says "yellow", "green" etc.) you can always overpay. When it comes to payments, whether in payment powers or sidebar costs, furyoku functions pretty much like money. You can always use red furyoku to pay for any yellow or green costs,and yellow furyoku to pay for any green costs.

However, when it refers directly to the furyoku (e.g. move a yellow furyoku to your red

zone, or eliminate a red furyoku), then this does not count as payment, and you have to actually use only that type. For example, you cannot use Ponchi Punch to eliminate your opponent's yellow furyoku.

What is “celebration”? When does it happen?

When a player scores a point, he or she gets to celebrate. What this means is that the player that scored gets to add one furyoku to each of his or her zones that has a teamwork.

When something refers to moving furyoku, can I move my opponents’ furyoku?

Unless stated specifically, you can only affect your opponents’ furyoku if the card specifically says so. This includes but is not exclusive to: moving, eliminating and adding.

Can you use any furyoku from one zone to pay for somthing, or just the furyoku on top?
There is no specific rule about which furyoku you pay with, but the current ettiquette is to take the top (or rightmost) card. Since you shuffle all of your cards when you reshuffle, it should not matter which cards end up in your discard pile.

iv) Strikes, Counterattacking and Signature Moves

Can I use payment power of strikes before I pay the cost of the strike? How about using the payment power, but choosing not to counterattack?

You may play any payment power or effect of a strike happens when you flip the card into a zone. You can even do this even if you do not intend on counterattacking. At that point, if the Intercept of the strike is equal or greater than the incoming strike, you may pay the cost of the strike (in the sidebar, unless stated otherwise), and counterattack with it. Then all effects the happen when you counterattack happen, in any order that the player that is counterattacking wishes.

How do I use a Signature Move?

A Signature Move is a special strike that a Shaman has that can be used when he is fully charged up (i.e. he has all three zones charged). After you replenish your furyoku at the beginning of the turn, you can choose to use your Signature Move. You do so by opening your Shaman’s chamber card, uncharging all your zones, and then paying any additional costs of the strike. A chamber card strike functions the same as any other strike, except that it comes from no zone (so your opponent does not replenish any furyoku from a chamber strike). During the next Cleanup step, you close the chamber, and flip your Shaman over to the other side.

Can my Signature Move be affected by any of my teamworks?

No. A Signature Move is considered to come from no zone, and so teamworks cannot affect its costs, stats or anything else about the strike.

When multiple cards say, “When you counterattack…”, what order do I do the effects? What if one ability would create another effect (eg. Counterattacking with Director’s Cut and moving Amidamaru, Legendary Samurai to its zone)?

Shaman King has a few checkpoints which “trigger” at different points in the game.

When a trigger causes multiple effects, they are all “activated” and happen in any order that the player whose turn it is wishes. If one of these effects would cause another “triggered” effect, its too late for that effect, as we have already gone past the point that we can activate that trigger. So in the specific situation mentioned, you wouldn’t be able to charge the zone from which you attacked with Director’s Cut.

I am counterattacking with Crackback (Strike 5/5 Crackback starts in your

opponent’s yellow zone). Can my opponent use his signature move to defend against it? If he is able to, why is that the case? You said earlier that the signature move comes from “no zone”!

The short answer is yes, he is allowed to play his Signature Move. The underlying reason is that you do not start “defending” until you choose to decline to pay for you Signature Move. Therefore, Crackback’s ability will not happen until the fourth phase, which you don’t even get to!

What if you use a shamans signature move and its intercept isnt equal to or greater than the opponents force?
If you try to play your signature move illegally (e.g. you cannot pay its sidebar cost, or it doesnt have enough intercept), the only consequence is that you must push it back in. You do not uncharge, and you do not flip over. It simply fails to go off, and you are now defending in the green zone.

**If you have a card that "punishes," does it get the boost for the card it just countered or the card that will counter it?
As for punisher cards, it gets the boosts for the card it just countered.

v) Teamworks, Advantages and Charging

Can I have the same teamwork out in different zones? Can I play a teamwork of the same name as my Shaman? (eg. Can I play a Jeanne Teamwork if I’m playing the Jeanne Shaman?)

You can have the same named teamwork in different zones. You can also have teamworks with the same name as the Shaman you are playing. If you want to think about it thematically, just think that your friends are helping you out for longer, or that the Shaman is using another aspect of their power.

Can I “steal” a teamwork (for example, with Lyserg’s Captivate spectergram) if it doesn’t share a trait with my Shaman?

Yes. You do not need to have the same trait as the teamwork you are “stealing”. This applies for advantages you “steal” as well! Remember that if the stolen teamwork leaves play (i.e. to the discard pile or on top of a deck) it goes to its owner’s pile or deck. Also, if the teamwork is still in your zone at the end of the game, remember to return the card to him or her.

When do I charge when I play an Advantage?

When you play an advantage, there is a specific order to the effects and charging the zone. Firstly, when you flip the Advantage into the zone, you may pay any costs for that Advantage. If you do, you now charge the zone that the Advantage has been played from (ignore this if the card specifically says to not charge), then you place the card into the Advantage area (or the discard pile if it is an Immediate advantage). The final thing that happens is that the advantage has its effect.

Can I play the ability of a teamwork when I’m not in it’s zone?

No. Teamwork cards only affect the zone in which they are in. Just to clarify, both Silva, Impartial Judge and Lililala, Keeper of Memories happen just before you flip a card in THEIR zone.

What happens when I play an Advantage in a charged zone? Can I still charge? Do I get any benefit from charging a charged zone?

You still can play an advantage in a charged zone. When you do this, skip the charging effect and continue with the rest of the Advantage effect. Any card that checks charging will not happen. (e.g. “When you charge a zone…” abilities won’t happen).

What is considered a “non-strike”? If I use the tactical ability of a card, is it considered as playing a “non-strike”?

Playing an advantage or playing a teamwork is considered a “non-strike”. Also, if you play a teamwork in a zone that already has one (even if it is just to stay in the zone), it also counts as a non-strike. Using the Tactical or Pitch ability of a card is NOT considered to be playing a non-strike, though.

If I have an empty teamwork zone and I play a teamwork in its zone, can I choose for it not to go into the teamwork zone? For example, I flipped a Tao En, Dark Dictator in my red zone, but I don’t want to play it (but I still want to remain in the red zone).

No. If you play the cost of a teamwork and the zone beside it is empty, you must play it in the empty zone. You only get the choice to discard it if the zone is already occupied.

**Does it matter how many Advantages you have in your Advantage zone?
There is no limit to the number of advantages you can play each turn.

vi) Deckbuilding and Tournament Formats

Can I play four spectergrams in my deck? Are there any sort of card restrictions?

You can play four spectergrams if you want. There are no current card restrictions other than a limit of four of any one named card (different versions of teamworks are

considered different names), and that you must have a Shaman card. You must have a minimum of sixty (60) in your deck (not including your Shaman) if your are playing Constructed Format (see below for more information about playing the exciting Sealed Deck variant).

I want to have cards in my deck that are not in my trait (or are not for my Shaman). Can I do this? My Shaman is Yoh (Melee, Soul, Yoh), but I want to have Trey’s Icicle Assault spectergram in my deck (so I can use the pitch ability).

You can only have cards in your deck which have no trait, match the symbols on the front of your Shaman’s chamber card OR are the specific Spectergrams for you Shaman. You can’t play other Shaman’s spectergrams or cards not in your trait. So no, you can’t play Icicle Assault in your Yoh deck.

What is Sealed Deck? How do I play Sealed Deck Shaman King?

Sealed Deck is a fun format to play with friends (and even in tournaments!), as it allows you to play with cards that you wouldn’t usually try, as well as a chance to outwit your opponent by using some strategies that usually aren’t available when you make your own deck.

The way you play Sealed Deck in Shaman King is you either get one Starter Deck and two boosters (or two Starter Decks if you want a few more cards to work with), choose one of the four Shamans you opened, and build a 40 card deck using only the traits of your chosen Shaman. With fewer cards than usual, you have to be careful – some cards might be better than normal when your opponent has fewer tools to work with. Once you have built your deck, you are ready to go. Find your opponent, and its time to duel!