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The term deck optimization (or deck tuning) refers to iteratively improving a play deck in a collectible card game. This is usually done through test or trial play sessions, during which the deck's performance is evaluated. After observation and consideration, changes are made to the deck, and its new performance can then be judged. This cycle can be repeated as needed.
When adjusting the cards in a deck, the following items should be considered:
While players can completely re-design a play deck, most optimizations involve relatively minor changes to the deck. This typically involves selecting a card (of which multiple copies may be present) and replacing it with another card which is similar, but slightly better for one or more reasons. The reasons may include: lower cost, better synergy with existing cards, more flexible alternate uses, or increased effectiveness against known opponent strategies.
In addition to manually poring over card text, the Internet has also become a popular source for those seeking deck optimization information. Players can either directly consult existing deck lists for inspiration, or can ask on online forums for advice or recommendations.
In some cases, effective optimization requires the purchase of additional cards, since the cards a player might like to use may not currently be in his or her possession. This can drive up the cost of the overall gaming experience, and can in some cases initiate an arms race in local circles, where other players must in turn purchase cards to continue to compete.
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific.
Cheating in poker is any behavior outside the rules that is intended to give an unfair advantage to one or more players.
The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Decipher, Inc. Released November 2001, it is based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and the J. R. R. Tolkien novel on which the films were based. Decipher also had the rights to The Hobbit novel but did not release any cards based on it. In addition to images taken from the films, in 2004 Weta Workshop produced artwork depicting characters and items from the novel absent from the films for use on cards. In 2002, LOTR TCG won the Origins Awards for Best Trading Card Game of 2001 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Card Game 2001. Decipher's license to The Lord of the Rings expired on July 30, 2007, after which all official promotion and distribution of the game had stopped.
The Star Trek Customizable Card Game is an out-of-print collectible card game based on the Star Trek universe. The name is commonly abbreviated as STCCG or ST:CCG. It was first introduced in 1994 by Decipher, Inc., under the name Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game. The game now has two distinct editions, though both forms of the game have many common elements.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game, abbreviated to PTCG or Pokémon TCG, is a collectible card game based on the Pokémon franchise. It was first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan. In the US, it was initially published by Wizards of the Coast; Nintendo eventually transferred the rights to The Pokémon Company which has published the game since June 2003. As of March 2021, the game has sold over 34.1 billion cards worldwide.
Card counting is a blackjack strategy used to determine whether the player or the dealer has an advantage on the next hand. Card counters are advantage players who try to overcome the casino house edge by keeping a running count of high and low valued cards dealt. They generally bet more when they have an advantage and less when the dealer has an advantage. They also change playing decisions based on the composition of the deck.
Metagame, Hypergame, or game about the game, is an approach to a game that transcends or operates outside of the prescribed rules of the game, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game.
Gameplay of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering is fueled by each player's deck of cards, which constitute the resources that player can call upon to battle their opponents in any given game. With more than 20,000 unique cards in the game, a considerable number of different decks can be constructed. Each card is designed to have certain strengths and therefore a significant part of the game is determined by which cards a player chooses to include in their deck. Broadly speaking, decks can be loosely classified based on their play style and mode of victory. The game's designers often explicitly create cards which are intended to fuel one or more of these given archetypes, in order to create competitive balance and diversity.
Three-Dragon Ante (ISBN 0-7869-4072-7) is a card game developed by Rob Heinsoo, and published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2005. The game is a combination of luck and skill, and blends concepts from traditional card games such as poker, hearts, and rummy.
The Last Crusade is an out-of-print collectible card game originally published in December 1995 by Virginia-based Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment until the company closed in early 1999 at which time Pinnacle Entertainment Group took over production.
Magic: The Gathering formats are various ways in which the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game can be played. Each format provides rules for deck construction and gameplay, with many confining the pool of permitted cards to those released in a specified group of Magic card sets. The Wizards Play Network, the governing body that oversees official Magic competitive play, categorizes its tournament formats into Constructed and Limited. Additionally, there are many casual formats with the Commander format being one of the most popular formats of the game.
Card advantage is a term used in collectible card game strategy to describe the state of one player having access to more cards than another player, usually by drawing more cards through in-game effects to increase the size of their hand. Although it applies to several collectible card games, the concept was first described early in the evolution of Magic: The Gathering strategy, where many early decks relied on a player drawing more cards than their opponent, and then using this advantage to play more cards and advance their position faster than their opponent. By 2007 it was recognized as one of the most important indicators of who is ahead in a game and has been utilized in the development of strategy for nearly every collectible card game created.
Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers is a video game based on the popular collectible card game of the same name, published by Wizards of the Coast. It was released on June 17, 2009.
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are different from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work or art.
Jack Change It is a simple card game of the Crazy Eights family that is popular among children. It is usually played by two to six players, although theoretically it can be played with up to ten. This game is a shedding-type card game, the purpose being for a player to be the first to discard all of their cards. Jack Change It appears to be the same game as Jacks, Twos and Eights.
Dominion is a deck-building game created by Donald X. Vaccarino and published by Rio Grande Games. It was the first game of its kind, and inspired a genre of games building on its central mechanic. Each player begins with a small deck of cards, which they improve by purchasing cards from a common supply that varies from game to game. Cards can help the player's deck function, impede their opponents, or provide victory points.
Ten Pennies is a multi-player, multi-round Rummy-style card game involving money with possible origins in Chicago. The major features different from most Rummy-style games are the limited purchasing of additional cards (10) and the winner wins all the money used in the game. The rules and strategy are simple enough for all ages to play while still exciting and challenging for an adults only game. Playing with money is not required and anything such as chips or toothpicks may be used.
The Rules of Magic: The Gathering are the rules governing the play of the card game Magic: The Gathering. The original rules were developed by the game's creator, Richard Garfield, and accompanied the first version of the game in 1993. The rules of Magic have been changed frequently over the years by the manufacturer, Wizards of the Coast, mostly in minor ways. However, major rules overhauls have also been done a few times. Furthermore with the introduction of new cards and mechanics the rules governing these are constantly added to the rulebook.
Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in the form of gamification. Game designer and developer Robert Zubek defines game design by breaking it down into its elements, which he says are the following:
A Magic: The Gatheringcontrol deck is a type of deck or archetype that focuses on dominating the game using some or all of the following kinds of strategies: long term card advantage, resource denial, permission, and inevitability. Control decks are based around efficiency and controlling the board, which is where the name comes from. Control decks have been prominent throughout the history of Magic, and by design of the game, will always be, to varying degrees of success.