u/SeatReasonable8955

I think for the most part, people tend to pick the MTG / YGO chassis when creating their own tcg. A card battler with atk and def.

It's interesting how the differences between YGO and MTG battle mechanics actually free up or constrict their design in other places. That is why it is so important to test the implications of your mechanics through lots and lots of games.

YGO has a stat wall problem. They've had some interesting ways of solving it, but to state it simply:

In ATK mode cards compare the ATK stat when defending AND attacking. This means that the efficiency of the card is the same when it's your turn AND what it is their turn. This symmetry means that strong cards are just strong all the time.

So it really is a race to who gets the strongest monster on the field first. And let's think about what happens when there are no card effects. The core game loop. Once I have a 3k/3k monster on the field, I win if you don't have something with higher atk or def, because I will kill everything you summon when it hits the field.

YGO's core game loop is broken. This is why they've spent 15 years inventing 30 new summoning mechanics. I am not ragging on YGO though. I think it is elegant because it has no resource system. And tracking monster states with the def and face down positioning is truly a beautiful attempt at solving that stat wall problem. Kudos for sure.

MTG on the other hand bakes asymmetry into combat. You attack INTO their toughness AND they attack you at the same time, so if your def is not higher than their attack you will both die!

Not only that, but if you attack on your turn you cannot defend on their turn. So the game state actually is tracked into the next turn. Each combat choice creates several different questions.

And since you attack into their toughness it means that on YOUR turn your attack stat is very valuable and on THEIR turn the toughness stat is very valuable. So there is an asymmetry in WHEN your creature is strong. That is why a 6/6 is so good. It's equally efficient regardless of whose turn it is.

These approaches to combat have allowed MTG to exploit the decisions users have to make in just that one part of the game and make them endlessly expressive. That is why MTG is this infinitely complex game. They're just capitalizing on the MECHANICAL game loop and layer effects on top to make it better.

YGO on the other hand has been painting itself into a corner for 2 decades! Because the core loop is broken. They NEED effects on cards to make the game work. It's a fun game, but for it to grow they need to constantly reinvent the game but also make it play the same every time it is reinvented. It's hard work.

But my whole point is consider these types of things when you start out on your own design. Make sure that every decision is deliberate and that you test enough to understand the tradeoffs for certain choices to make sure they're worth it.

And for the love of Christ, please strip it down and know your game loop and decision tree!

Are there any choices you guys have made knowing that it constrained the game because the cost to benefit ratio was acceptable?