Study: What makes a great card suggestion?

[OldTrees]

This thread is where is identify and discuss what characteristics improve a card suggestion. I wrote a long introductory piece but I expect following posts including my own to be much smaller.

What makes a valuable card suggestion?

Warning: I write very concisely. If I take up a page that is because there is enough information hidden in the words that it required that length to completely communicate. I would suggest rereading this post a couple of times looking for deeper understanding each time. This following post took days to fully flesh out, the average reader should not expect to see everything in one passing.

      One of the characteristics of a great game is the variety in play experiences. This creates a greater depth to the game. This greater depth makes the game attractive to a larger audience and makes the game last longer for each player's enjoyment. Since variety is such a central characteristic for a game it is an important and potent area for collaborative improvements.
 
      As you can probably guess the main source for new variety in a Collectible Card Game is new cards. The variable play experience in Elements the Game originates in the many different resulting games that occur when pitting two out of the many possible decks together. Each deck is made out of synergistic combinations of cards from the game's card bank. Hence the variety added with each additional card is incredible to begin with.
 
      However when a card is very similar to another card (Horned Frog and Cockatrice) there is not as much added variety with the second card. This is to be expected from the original cards because more cards had to be added at once to make the game playable many very similar cards were created including the dragon series. However you would not see Zanz make the same kind of an addition now. Since he can add cards slower than at the start he can work on adding cards that help diversify the play experience the most.
 
      Cards suggestions are good if they add variety to the game. The main inhibitors of variety are imbalance, repetition and nonsense distractions. Thus the characteristics of a good card suggestion are being balanceable, creative and thematic.
 
      The first characteristic of a good card is being balanceable. What do we mean by balanceable? Balanceable means that some adaption of the idea if added to the game, after the dust settles from the metagame adapting, there is a distribution of power between the strategies that is even enough for the target audience to accept. The easiest way to know if something is balanceable is to balance it.
 
      The second characteristic of a good card is being creative. What do we mean by creative? Creative means that it adds something new to the game and that it does not resemble a card in game too closely either in mechanic or effect. Adding something new typically involves breaking a previous preconception. In my opinion the best example of this is when the card fractal shattered the idea that you can only play 6 of a creature. While breaking a preconception is typically a good idea there are some taboo idea based on rules that are meant to remain or have hidden reasons for existing. Taboos can still be broken but in those cases you should give a very good argument for why the game is better off without that rule.
 
      The third characteristic of a good card is being thematic. What do we mean by thematic? Thematic means that the card has a single unifying theme that is present throughout the card. Each of the 4 parts of a card (Name, Effect, Image, and Element) is part of a theme. If they disagree with each other about what the uniting theme is then the card ends up with 2+ competing themes and no unifying theme. A good card will have all 4 parts of a card synchronized in thematic agreement ending up with a single unifying theme. A good way to check this it to verify each of the 6 pairs of parts of the card makes sense linked in that way.
 
      A subnote about thematic is that good Effects are mechanically thematic. This means that all the parts of the mechanic agree that it is the best way to implement that idea. This is known as the vehicle/rider factor. A vehicle is a term describing a mechanic that is a modifier for another mechanic. A rider is a term describing a mechanic that is being modified. An example of this is Growth from Lava Golem. In Growth we have 2 vehicle rider pairs. The first pair is the "+2|+2" effect as the rider being modified by the "creature skill" mechanic. The second pair is the "creature skill" mechanic being modified by the duo  activation cost. When the core of an idea starts with an effect, be careful to choose the vehicle wisely for some effects are wiser than others. (Photosynthesis as a Spell card instead of Rustler's skill would be a terrible design)
 
      These three characteristic are very important because they provide cards that can work, are new and make sense. This is the minimum requirements for a card suggestion to be beneficial to the game by adding variety. However card suggestions that add more variety are great cards. The main restrictors of variety are requiring other cards, being a one trick pony or being overshadowed. Thus the characteristics of a great card are working by as a standalone card, having varied uses and having a niche.
 
      The first characteristic of a great card is working by as a standalone card. If a card requires another card for it to work at a balanced level then the number of decks it can be used in just dropped dramatically.
 
      The second characteristic of a great card is having varied uses. If a card only has one use then it will only make one deck type. If a card has multiple varied uses like Rage Potion is both Fire Rush and Fire Stall then it will make more deck types.
 
      The third characteristic of a great card having a niche. Even if a card has diverse uses and works by itself it can still be overshadowed. Massive Dragon is inefficient in attack compared to Elite Charger and inefficient in hp compared to Elite Armagio. If this occurs then the card would only be included as a 7-12th copy of the better version like Elite Cockatrice in USEM.
 
      A card suggestion that is balanceable, creative, thematic, works as a standalone, has varied uses and has its niche would add a great deal of variety to the game. The card suggestion Crusader is a prime example of a card that follows all of these (although it is limited in when it can act as a standalone card).

[moomoose]

I think you pretty much covered it with your post in a spelled-out kind of way.  I tend to lean more towards the established legal definition of "obscene" being "I know it when I see it".  It almost always make me think "man, I wish I had thought of that!". 


My personal evaluation process while viewing ideas goes something along these lines:

The first thing I look for is a logical connection between the card's name, theme, ability (if applicable) and its element.  Taboos such as "instant kill" or a super high cost/powered trump card usually jump out at this point.

Next, does it bring anything new to the table?  Sometimes making a carbon copy/slightly modified version of an existing card for a different element can work, and be desired, but it isn't particularly interesting.

Finally, I consider if the card is something worth using, and to what extent.

[Flayne]

I shall attempt to summarize and add to OTs version:

What makes a good card idea?

Index:

-Concept

-Creativity

-Mechanic balancing

-Mechanic themes


Concept:

 A card concept has to sync with the concept of Elements fantasy genre.
For example: A card based on a Car is not related the fantasy genre in anyway
one could argue that Steam machine and Voodoo dolls have a similar case, yes and no.
Steam machine is associated with the fantasy genre "Steam Punk" which is mostly associated with Alchemy and/or Fantasy races building the mechanism. A car is soley built by humans and can't be associated with Fanatasy genre.
The other card is Voodoo, while it is human related, it is also associated with "Black magic", magic alone is compatible with the Fantasy theme of Elements.

Creativity:

Basically, It associates with the creation of something new or being innovative. A card design's mechanic that has a very similar or overall is identical to another mechanic, it does not contribute a variety  possibilities to elements, it just creates repetition.
The same goes for creating a card mechanic that can only sync with one element and/or a single card in the game.
Cards like that are very limited on its uses and don't allow again a variety of possible syncronizations with other elements.
Also, the mechanic should create an identity for the card.
example: Its name is poison ivy but the mechanic is based on healing and is of  element.
the healing is not very compatible with the concept/mechanic.

It's best to check the existing cards and think:

-What does the game need?
-Is it possible to sync with other elements and/or cards of the same element?
- Is it similar to another mechanic? and how similar is it?
-Does the mechanic relate with the idea and element?

Mechanic Balancing

The mechanic must be balancable, how?
The following should be considered about the design:
-Cost
The cost has to be appropriate for the abilities potential.
For instance: A card that can heal all hp, should certainly cost above 10, not lower thanks to miracle which is in the game and costs higher than 10. the card "heal" which heals 20 hp, costs 2, upgraded. 5x2 = 10 quanta for 5x20= 100hp. however heal is not instant all hp heal, it needs time and luck, thats why it only costs 2 .

-Comparison
The cards mechanic should be compared with other abilities that pose the same kind or similar potential.
For instance: Im developing a card that can instantly deal 10 damage.
A similar card can be Unstable gas. Unstable gas causes 20 damage and 1 damage to all creatures on field, it costs 5  + 1  for activation cost.
My card does 10 damage, half the potential of Unstable gas damage output.
So, My card could cost 3-4 plus 1 quanta activation. so it can be managed.


Mechanic themes:

Mechanic themes are based on how effective and applicable is the mechanic of the card in relation to the type of ability it has.
For example, there are:

-Creature skills that are either active or passive (active requires activation, Passive means its already activated)

-Permanent Skills, with active or passive skills

Spells are instantaneous cards that basically always require quanta to play from hand.

A creature card with ability should be thought through carefully.
A creature ability can either be active or passive.
those two need to be balanced in different ways.
If the effect is strong and/or direct it should possibly require a cost and activation cost.
If the effect is mild and/or non-direct ability such as "Obsession", it is better left off as a passive ability
example is lava golem. It can easily keep increasing its attack, which is why it needs an activation cost which is  , therefore it is a duo.


I'm not sure if this was much shorter than OTs version but at least I tried 

[Hyroen]

From personal experience I've noticed a few things make a great card suggestion, and I'll be trying to speak from a more psychological viewpoint.

Great art. One of the top selling points! If it represents the card theme and element well it puts the card miles ahead of others.[/li]A card with an elemental cost of 3 - 8

. When one sees (balanced) cards of low quanta value, they tend to do little as well. People want to see cards they can play decently fast with a strong effect and you're not going to get that from really cheap cards or really expensive cards.
[/li]Organized format. Seeing things in an orderly fashion allows community members to take your card idea seriously. I don't think any disorganized threads have made it to the Armory thus far.[/li]Dedication. When people see time and effort put into an idea, there will be more empathy to help your idea get far. Includes but not limited to all previous points.[/li]Respectable reputation. The respect you have for yourself translates into the respect people will have for you. Being well known does not hurt either.[/li][/list]

Any further thoughts?

[EvaRia]

These are the steps that I use to craft an idea.
In general, when I follow the steps in this order, the cards are the best.
In this example I'll use my newest card idea, Mirror Golem.

Step 1 - Concept

The first step is to think of a concept. This is basically an idea of a single effect that is unique and different.
In this case, the first thing I thought of was the "Reflective" passive. When your concept is unique and interesting, and provides something new to the game, people will like it.

Step 2 - Delivery

There are several ways to bring the "Reflective" mechanic in the game. The goal of figuring out your delivery is finding out which card type will create the least redundancy in the game.
I had 3 options:
Spell: A spell that would give the Reflective effect to a creature. I chose to avoid this route because it would be too similar to Quintessence.
Permanent: A permanent that grants your creatures Reflective. I chose to avoid this because it is redundant to Cloak and is more difficult to balance.
Creature: A creature that already has Reflective. I chose this route because it gave me the most options and lets me fill a unique niche.

General Pros and Cons of the three routes:

Spell: Spells are the most versatile route. When a spell does something, you can use it on anything, and it has the bonus of being unstoppable except by Silence. Most of my favourite ideas are spells.
Permanent: Permanents are remains in play abilities. They generally affect the whole field. They are also very fragile to any kind of permanent control. However, many abilities may become overpowered if they affect the whole field indefinitely, so you need to be careful.
Creatures: Creatures have the most room to work with, with many different balanceable variables, but they are generally fragile. Many creatures may become too complicated, however, if you take it overboard in mechanics.

Step 3 - Theme

At this point I have decided that I am creating a Creature that has the passive ability Reflective.
Now I must work on the theme of the card.

There are several sub-parts, especially in creatures.

A) Name
The name dictates what the rest of the creature will be based upon, so be careful. I chose "Mirror Golem" because that was what came to mind when I thought of a creature that reflects. If I chose a different name it would be a different card. In spells and permanents the name is less important, but make sure to pick something thematically appropriate.

B) Element
Now that I have a Mirror Golem, what element does it belong to? I decided that I somehow attribute glass and mirrors to Aether, so that's what I picked. If I picked an element like Death however, it would have been thematically out of place. If I wanted to make a Reflective Death creature, I would have to consider changing the name.

C) Art
Even if it's a filler, at least make something that looks vaguely like it. This makes the card look more complete and thought out, and enhances the theme.

D) Thematic Support Abilities
More for creatures, you may want to add abilities secondary to your original concept. An easy pick is Airborne.
Since Reflective is passive, I chose to give it a growth ability to match Lava Golem. Thematically, A Mirror creature would become stronger with , so I chose that as the cost.

Step 4 - Balancing

The next thing you do is to balance your card to the current metagame. Basically you change a variety of factors to reach a target cost.

A) Cost/Play Speed

Cost of 0-2 is "Splashable" or "Quick".
They can be easily powered off mark or off Novas, and are generally weak to compensate for it. If you don't splash them,m then generally they are designed to hit the field quickly or whenever they need to, since you always have the quanta for them.

Cost of 3-5 is "Standard"
They can no longer be easily splashed into decks, but fit easily into any duos that already exist with them for some extra damage or support. This is my favourite range, and this is where Mirror Golem fits.

Cost of 6+ is "Dedicated" or "Late-Game"
At this point you aren't just adding it for support, there's a specific function the card plays. At this range you need to either dedicate a large amount of your deck into getting this out quickly, or you add only a few copies for late-game quanta usage.

B) Fragility
How easily should it die?
Usually this means the HP amount.
The less HP it has, the more things can kill it in one hit. Since Mirror Golem has reflective already, I chose to make it fragile with only 2 HP. Likewise, I made it's growth ability not give HP so that it doesn't become excessively difficult to get rid of later.

C) Power Niche

This should be adjusted to match the Cost.
1-3 ATK: Weak. Usually there's an ability that makes these worth playing. Usually they are not there for damage but rather have an ability that needs to hit the field as soon as possible. 3 attack however has an Adrenaline niche so it makes them playable in Life duos.
4-7 ATK: Midrange. These are the general damage cards that fit into decks the easiest. Most popular for rushes.
8+ ATK: Heavy hitters. Sacrificing play speed for damage potential, these are the kinds of cards the bust past Stalls.

You generally want to put your creature in a niche that isn't yet filled.

D) Ability Strength/Cost.
I could've made Ashine cost 3 and give like +5/+0. But that kind of ability is pointlessly powerful.
Make sure your ability is well balanced in that sense.

Step 5 - Community Feedback

Post your idea! get some feedback on how it could be improved. Even if you think it's perfect there's always something to work on.