CCDD 040520 - Trainer's Orb

This is a very top-down design. By that I mean: first I designed the name and mana cost... then the type line and rarity... and then the abilities.

Legends of Runeterra

Riot just released the beta for the League of Legends CCG, Legends of Runeterra. I thought I'd share my reactions:

Eternal Card Game (IV—Conclusion)

What else is unique about Eternal?

Eternal Card Game (III—Mechanics)

What mechanics make Eternal tick?

Eternal Card Game (II—Card Types)

What kinds of cards will you see in Eternal?

Eternal Card Game (I—Factions & Resources)

A few weeks ago I tried out Eternal, a digital card game in the style of Hearthstone and Duelyst, and it's the only one I enjoy anywhere near as much as Magic, so I'd be remiss not to write about it. At a high level, its implementation is the closest to Magic's I've seen, differentiating itself primarily in two ways: First, it sets into action many of the "If we could re-create Magic knowing what we know now" refinements, and second, it makes delightful use of the platform in its mechanics.

Learning Duel Masters (4) - Evolution

[ Part 1 ][ Part 2 ][ Part 3 ]

Evolution is the next big Duel Masters mechanic I'd like to discuss. It wasn't printed until the second set but we know that was intentional because it's mentioned in the rules released with the original set. It adds depth to the game, but it also adds complexity, so saving it until players were accustomed to the core game was pretty wise.

Learning Duel Masters (2)

I've spent some time learning, reading about and playing Duel Masters and I'm pleased to say that my optimism has been satisfied instead of my skepticism: it really is a great game. I'm not suggesting all you Magic players switch over, because it's a considerably different game and will not likely fill the same needs for you that Magic does, but make no mistake, Duel Masters is very very good. Whether you choose to try it out or not, there are a lot of parallels between DM and Magic and the differences in their execution can inform Magic Design quite a bit.

(Here's part one, if you need the very basic introduction to DM).

Learning Duel Masters (3) - Combat and Mana

[ Part 1 ][ Part 2 ]

I couldn't decide whether to go in depth into combat or the mana system next so I'm doing them together. That actually works quite well since both will require in-game examples to properly discuss.

Suppose you're running a Nature/Water deck, won the flip and decided to go first. This is your opening hand…

Learning Duel Masters (1)

I've been curious about Duel Masters since I first heard it existed, but I've already got a CCG addiction and how could anything compete with Magic? So I've never checked it out. Even so, little nuggets have dribbled down through Magic articles highlighting some interesting differences.

This biggest is that there is no land, you can play any spell in your hand upside-down in place of a land. In Magic terms, all spells have "Exile CARDNAME from your hand: Put a basic land card that produces mana of this card's color onto the battlefield from outside the game." That's huge. You will never be land-screwed or land-flooded (though mana-screw is still possible, if you try real hard or get particularly unlucky). I'm concentrating on differences, but it's helpful context to know that Duel Masters has five colors that align directly to Magic's.