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Last time, we defined design goals for the Safari Zone Pokémon TCG set. With this, we figured out how many cards there should be for each rarity, cards with draft abilities, Supporters, etc.
This helped us to be able to form a design skeleton, a living document that helps manage a card set’s design.
TL;DR: Here’s a Google sheet of the current design skeleton.
In this post, I’ll be illustrating the details of the Supporter cards of the design skeleton along with notes on these choices. …
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Last time, I ran a draft experiment using real Pokémon TCG packs. That experience was enough to confirm the draft format and proceed with further development of the Safari Zone Pokémon TCG set.
The test draft helped inform:
- Set size
- Rarity ratio across commons, uncommons, rares
- How many physical cards to print
- The card type ratio across pokémon & trainers
- How many draft ability cards there should be
This led to creating a coherent design skeleton. (However, said skeleton will be saved for sharing for the next blog post!) …
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I’m designing a draftable Pokémon TCG set, but the game doesn’t have an official draft format from what I can see. So, let’s figure out how drafting should work for this set.
I’m doing this sooner rather than later because it’ll inform how to design draft abilities and how to size my set properly.
There are many ways to do Limited drafting in trading card games. Magic has Winston, Rochester, Winchester, Solomon, Grid, and so on. What I call “traditional drafting” refers to the primary method that Magic: The Gathering is drafted:
- 8…
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I’ve researched and written down every pokémon that appears in a Safari Zone (or evolves from one such pokémon) across the video games, manga, anime, etc. (Modern Pokémon TCG sets can forgo using baby pokémon.) From here, I can start determining the monsters to use in the Safari Zone Pokémon TCG set.
It’s important to start with the pokémon themselves because that’s the least flexible part of the set design.
Getting the right pokémon is important for the following next step.
Goal: Curate a list of up to 150-ish monsters
Many of the Sword & Shield era sets have about 150 pokémon.
However, both Chilling…
I want to design a Pokémon TCG set. I’ve never done so before.
So, where to start?
1. Research (Game Mechanics)
I started playing the Pokémon TCG when the first set, Base Set, released. I stopped early into the Neo sets era. Then missed a WHOLE bunch of sets.
Unlike with Magic: The Gathering, I don’t know a lot about what the Pokémon TCG has done before in terms of game mechanics.
I’d be wise to learn the game’s history before or while I find my set’s mechanical hook(s).
The following are my two primary references for this task:
- https://pokemontcg.guru/ (card search database)
- https://jklaczpokemon.wordpress.com/…
TL;DR: I love Secret Rendezvous, I think it’s great for Commander, and I want to see more.
NOTE: Spoiler warning for Dragon Ball Super later in this article.
“It’s all connected
We’re all together in this life
Don’t you forget it”
— “Connected (Yours Forever)” by Hydelic, Tetris Effect
Strixhaven: School of Mages brings a new white card draw spell: Secret Rendezvous.
NOTE: Lutri, the Spellchaser is formally banned in Commander. Always ask for permission during Rule Zero before every game you play whether it’s OK to run Lutri as your commander. And make clear you’re enthusiastically willing and easily able to swap out Lutri for another legal commander or deck.
*loads up “99 Luftballons” on the playlist*
*presses PLAY*
Let’s cut to the chase. The spellchase? Anyway…
Decklist: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/pqey4tMxZkeoU520j00BhA
Still here and want to learn more? Well, I’ll be an otter’s friend — I appreciate your time! Enjoy the tech.
SPOILER WARNING: This blog post is written with details about WandaVision up until Episode 5.
WandaVision moving through television eras by the decade per episode is a wonderful shtick on its own. However, it’s also a great vehicle for tying in the X-Men films via a subtle nod. Magic-ally speaking, this is a short Vorthos observation piece.
The arrival of Evan Peters’ Pietro was, on its own, a momentous reveal. That’s not what I’d like to focus on here. Rather, the timing of introducing us to Pietro is the *chef kiss*. …
Conspiracy: Jumpstart began as a National Game Design Month project, where a game (or, in this case, a Magic: The Gathering product) is designed in one month, during November 2020. This is a continuation of what was left unfinished of that project.
Previous Devlog Updates:
- #00 — Conspiracy: Jumpstart kickoff
- #01 — Brago
- #02 — Selvala
- #03 — Muzzio
- #04 — Grenzo
- #05 — Marchesa
- #06 — Leovold
- #07 — Adriana
- #08 — Daretti
- #09 — Kaya
Product Updates
Journey’s end. This is the last of the ten character packs. This makes it so that there are two character packs per color.
…
Conspiracy: Jumpstart began as a National Game Design Month project, where a game (or, in this case, a Magic: The Gathering product) is designed in one month, during November 2020. This is a continuation of what was left unfinished of that project.
Previous Devlog Updates:
- #00 — Conspiracy: Jumpstart kickoff
- #01 — Brago
- #02 — Selvala
- #03 — Muzzio
- #04 — Grenzo
- #05 — Marchesa
- #06 — Leovold
- #07 — Adriana
- #08 — Daretti
Product Updates
Now that we’ve exited National Game Design Month, sweeping revisions across the product can occur. But, first, let’s finish the character packs. With that said…
Game…
