Do you remember the collectible card games that were once so popular that everyone wanted to become a part of this culture? It has transcended to be available in the digital medium today. Popular titles like Magic The Gathering are now available as Magic The Gathering Arena. You even have many other franchises like Pokemon and The Witcher’s Gwent among the top CCGs available today. This ‘Card Crazy’ doesn’t seem to end. It just kept growing, and we received many other variations of CCGs, like Trading Cards and more. Let’s explore the origin of the Card Craze, the mechanism of the CCGs, and more.

Casino Card Games Vs Collectible Card Games

Collectible card games are competitive in nature. This makes them similar to many casino-oriented card games like Poker and Blackjack. Another similarity is the themes. Even traditional cards tend to have themes today. You can find many themed AUS pokies recommended by OCA here. However, casino card games use traditional cards. Collectable card games (CCGs) have unique themes, storylines, and playing methods that are different from traditional cards. A few of the examples are:
  • Pokemon
  • Magic The Gathering
  • Gwenth
  • Duel Masters
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!
In short, traditional card games use the same four types (Spades, Diamond, Heart, Clove), and each type has 13 cards. Collectible Card Games have many different types of cards with unique stats, stories, and descriptions.

Mechanics of Card Craze Collectible Games

Each collectible card game is different from the others. Each offers a rich tapestry of mechanics, rules, and style of gameplay. However, the most fundamental aspects of the CCGs are:
  1. Building a deck and assembling cards strategically.
  2. Trading cards with other players or buying new cards to build the ultimate deck.
  3. Strategically play the cards in a competitive battle against another player.

Card Categories

Usually, CCGs have unique categories of cards like:
  • Monsters, Warriors, or Characters in general that you can summon.
  • Spell, Trap, and other similar cards that you can use in the card battle.
  • Equipment, boosters, and other types of affinity cards that can assist your forces in the battle.
Each category of card tends to have many different cards with unique effects and boosts. In CCGs like Yu-Gi-Oh! You will also come across various Card Types that can complement each other.

Gameplay

The gameplay style is usually similar across CCGs:
  1. You set the deck down, and each player draws a number of cards.
  2. Then, each player takes turns playing the cards in their hands according to the rules of that particular CCG.
You can’t just select and draw any card. It has to be random. Thus making the game more unpredictable.

Card Collection Adventures

There’s a reason that these games are called ‘Collectible Card Games’ and not ‘Deck Building Games.’ Apart from the strategic creation of decks and battles, there’s a collectable aspect that adds another unique and enthralling layer of experience.
  • Each time you visit the shop, you buy a specific pack of cards.
  • The pack contains an unknown number and a set of cards that may or may not be useful to you.
  • If you don’t want the cards you have, you can trade with other players.
Often, there are extra layers and components to this existing feature. For example, there can be rare cards, holographic, golden cards, or something entirely different. Collectors tend to get possessive about such cards and might even pay a fortune to own one.

Digital Transformation of CCGs

With the advent of the digital age, many people thought that collectible card games would be a relic of the past. However, modern technology, alongside developers, led to the online availability of the games. For example:
  • Magic The Gathering turned into Magic The Gathering Arena.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon and many other popular titles also found their unique CCGs online.
  • Even other popular franchises like The Witcher entered the CCG realm with games like Gwenth.

Reason for Online CCG Success

The major drawback of CCGs in the real world was the lack of accessibility. You couldn’t connect with global players to play with them as conveniently as today. Trading the cards and sending them to each other, even if you connect, was a challenge. The online games and digital presence changed all this.

Online Collectible Card Games Offered

  1. It is easier to purchase cards without relying on offline deck availability at some specific shop.
  2. Regular updates, fixes, and more to prevent exploitation or unfair gameplay.
  3. More content and cards, or unique events, tournaments, and more for the players to participate.
  4. Connectivity to the global players and worldwide accessibility.
  5. Animations, sound effects, and many other positive features enhance the player experience.
With modern technology, the immersive experience has led people to live the dreams and fantasies of playing their CCGs with other players.

Ever Evolving Card Craze

Buying, collecting, building, and trading cards have existed since the 1990s, even before that, when you had popular baseball cards and more. It has become imprinted in our DNA. Therefore, it is safe to say that the CCGs will always find a way to transcend, remain indulging, and be interesting for decades to come. Hence, we received the terminology ‘Card Craze’ to clearly show how much these collectable card games can impact people. And the best part about CCGs is that even if you’re a newcomer, you can understand the rules and play the game without worrying about levelling up. With the ever-evolving landscape of CCG, it will remain a rich part of the gaming history.