Getting Card Ideas

Do you have trouble with new ideas for making cards? Or do you want to improve your overall card making?

I've noticed there are two kinds of ways to approach card making. One type uses inspiration, or modeling ideas based off the physical world. Scenario: You're walking by a lake and throw a rock into it. You notice the ripples and think "hey, that's cool". Then you go home and make a card called "The Ripple Effect". It could also be a unique concept you had for the game, like Field Spell Traps, etc.

Another type uses need in the game for certain cards to exist. You might in the deck editor say "I have this great idea for a deck but there's not enough good cards to support it." Or you might constantly duel against the same kinds of decks and say "I need a way to counter this stuff".

These two are approaches, but they don't make up the entire card. You may have an inspiration and try to mold it to be playable and/or good for the game. Or you may find a need in the game and spruce up your idea with a more creative atmosphere.

So, some questions to consider. Which approach do you do more often? Are you effective in making the other part in the card? By approaching cardmaking from your non-dominant side, you can gain a new perspective and obtain more card ideas.

I made some "exercises" to help one or the other side. If you want to post your results (which would be cards) here, someone else could review them. Just remember, ultimately this is a subjective topic - there's no real "right" or "wrong" answer.


Inspiration Exercises

Exercise #1:

Exercise #2:

Exercise #3:

After you're done you should go back and edit the card so that it accompanies any Need in the game that you see fit.

Game Need Exercises

Exercise #1:

Exercise #2:

After you do one of these you should go back, edit your card with a creative flair, new concept, or a reference to something in the world.

Inspiration Exercise 1:
Cleaner Air
Continuous Spell Card
Activate this card while your opponent controls 1 or more WIND monsters. Destroy all face-up non-WIND monsters . If a non-WIND monster is Summoned, they are destroyed at the End Phase.

Raster Burn
Trap Card
Activate this card when a monster your opponent controls, that has been face-up on the field for 3 or more turns, declares an attack. Negate the attack, and return the monster to its owners deck.

Pinky
Spell Card
Activate this card while you control 5 level 4 or lower monsters. Return the lowest level monster to your deck (pick one if there is a tie) and Special Summon 1 monster in your hand.

Cleaner Air is a humorous card that does its job pretty well. I can see how the effect and name are related (get out all the "impurities"), and this has use in CCG. Nice.

Raster Burn (had to look this up) is nice. Simple, yet creative, you bounce a stale monster that's been on the field for 3 or more turns. However it can be improved in the usability department, the monster would have to be on the field for at least 2 of your opponent's turns before you can use this. If you lowered it to 2 or more turns, i think it would be better.

Pinky is probably my favorite, creatively speaking. 5 zones = 5 digits The lowest level one probably means the shortest finger, i.e. pinky. Props for this reference Unfortunately it isn't so easy transposing references to be usable in a deck. Controlling 5 level 4 or lowers is situational, and returns a monster to the deck (deck fattening, usually bad) to SS a monster from your hand (which doesn't offset the cost and condition).

Gonna bump this, in case anyone else wants to try.

Two things of note when looking at the game need exercises: For #1, keep in mind that sometimes an archetype intentionally has a certain weakness, and for #2, keep in mind that cards that completely shred another deck are really, really boring: For example, a Macro deck versus a Zombie deck. Soft counters are generally better design than hard counters.