General Rules - Starting the Game

Steps taken to start a game of Grand Archive, including Turn One

Step 1: Each player places their material deck and main deck in the appropriate zones

Step 2: Each player shuffles their main deck to ensure it is sufficiently randomized

Step 3: Players present their main decks to their opponents to shuffle and/or cut

Step 4: Players determine the first turn player. This may be done through any random method that all players agree to.

Step 5: In turn order, players perform any pre-game actions.

Step 6: All players will reveal their starting Lv 0 champion from their respective material decks and place them onto the field. In turn order, players will resolve the On Enter abilities for obtaining their starting hands. Players can't gain the Opportunity to perform player actions until all of these abilities are resolved.

Step 7: The first player takes their first turn.

E.g., Cards like The Looking Glass have abilities that allow players to begin the game with it on the field. Before a player would take their first turn, they would be allowed to acknowledge the ability as a special game action and place this card on the field. When the game begins, it will treat this card as having been in play before the first turn.

Turn One

1. Each player’s first turn follows a modified turn order: The turn player skips their Wake Up, Materialize, and Recollection phases.

   1. Unless the turn player is the last one in the first turn cycle, they may not attack. E.g., in a two-player game, the second player is the last player in that first turn cycle and therefore may declare attacks.

2. In two-player game, the first turn player also skips their Draw Phase.