Swish
Swish Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 60 Transparent Cards
- Storage Bag
Game Objective
Race to win the most cards by making the most Swishes.
What Is a Swish?
Create a Swish by layering two or more cards so that every ball swishes perfectly in a matching hoop. Rotate or flip the cards as needed, but remember - each ball must find its hoop, with no mismatches! The more cards you use in a Swish, the more points you score, so go big and stack up those points!
Example of a correct Swish: a card with a blue ball and a red hoop, layered with a card showing a blue hoop and a red ball, produces a combined card where the blue ball sits inside the blue hoop and the red ball sits inside the red hoop - every ball has found its matching hoop, so the Swish is correct.
Examples of incorrect Swishes:
- A card with a red hoop and a green ball, layered with a card showing a blue hoop and a red ball, produces a combined card where the green ball has no hoop of its own color and the blue hoop has no ball of its own color - the Swish is incorrect.
- A card with a green hoop and a yellow ball, layered with a card showing a yellow hoop and a green ball, but with the cards offset rather than fully aligned so the balls and hoops do not sit on top of each other - the Swish is incorrect.
Examples of multiple-card Swishes:
| Cards used | Points scored |
|---|---|
| 3 cards | 3 points |
| 4 cards | 4 points |
| 5 cards | 5 points |
Setup
- Choose a flat playing area that everyone can easily see.
- Select one player to be the dealer and have them shuffle the card deck in a single pile.
Tip: Playing on a light-colored surface makes it easier to see the images on the transparent cards.
How to Play
- The dealer lays out 16 cards (four rows of four) in the playing area. Once the last card is placed, the dealer shouts "GO!" and everyone begins searching for Swishes.
- Players cannot touch the cards while searching for a Swish. They must mentally flip and rotate them to find a match!
- When a player spots a Swish, they call out "Swish!"
- To confirm the Swish, the player layers the selected cards on top of each other to prove the match.
- If the Swish is valid, the player adds those cards to their score pile, and the dealer replaces the cards with new ones from the deck.
- If the Swish is invalid, the cards go back into the playing area, and the player must discard one card from their score pile as a penalty. If they haven't scored any Swishes yet, there's no penalty. All discarded cards are placed in a discard pile and are out of play.
- Players must wait until there are 16 cards in the playing area before calling a Swish, except at the end of the game when fewer than 16 cards remain in play.
Note: If all players agree that no Swish exists, the dealer may replace 4 of the 16 cards with new cards from the deck. The 4 old cards are shuffled back into the deck. This situation is uncommon, so be sure to look carefully!
Game End
Game ends when the deck is empty and that all players agree that no more Swishes can be made with the cards on the table. The player with the most cards is declared the winner!
Game Variants
Beginner Swish: Players look only for Swishes with 2 cards, not for larger Swishes of 3 or more cards. The rules otherwise are identical; this version lets beginners get accustomed to the structure of the game as well as the rotation and flipping of the cards.
Mixed Level Swish: If there are players of varying abilities, you can level the playing field by limiting more experienced players to find only Swishes of 3 or more cards. Less experienced players may call Swishes with any number of cards.
Expert Swish: Experienced players may want to move on to the challenge of only 3, 4 or 5 card Swishes. Players can start at mastering 3 and then move up from there. The rules are identical to the basic game - simply eliminate Swishes of fewer cards.
Solitaire Swish: A solitaire game enables a player to reach higher levels of proficiency and concentration. Using the basic game rules, try making as many Swishes as possible as quickly as possible. Set a timer so that you can try to beat your time on the next game! If at any time you feel that no Swish exists, replace 4 out of the 16 cards with new cards from the deck. Have fun making Swishes until you can't find any more! As you get more advanced, limit yourself to making Swishes with only 3 cards, then 4 cards. You can make a Swish with up to 12 cards, but it's tricky!