Clean Cut has 2 decks of 6 cards (the same set of 6 for each player), and those cards are used to construct a small time track. The cards quickly cycle back into the players' hands, with most of the game spent holding 4 cards. The timing of card effects is based on the orientation of the cards, using markings on them to determine the order in which they take effect. Every card has 2 options for how it can be played, with changes to the effect of the card alongside the change in timing. Matches play out fast, because it can potentially only take 2 hits to land a "clean cut" and achieve victory. —description from the designer