Drakerion TCG | Deep into the Mechanics: Card Pool Isolation “Good or Bad?”

Recently, the development team of Drakerion TCG has posted a kickstarter update detailing why they chose to implement card pool isolation in the game design.

Card pool isolation is something I always thought great design at first glance and in a long run, but I’ve personally experienced more games that I ended up leaving or disliking due to the card pool isolation. Just like everything in our life, there is always good and bad.

In this second episode of the series, let’s take a look at controversial design decision in my opinion, card pool isolation in Drakerion.

As in the first episode of this series, I am hoping this video guides you through the thinking process of card pool isolation as game design and see how it will be utilized in Drakerion’s. So you can make your own decision if this aspect of the game fit your style or not.

I will share my personal opinion, but that maybe the least important part in this series.

Let’s get started.

Card Pool Isolation

Card pool isolation refers the fundamental game rule where there are discrete card pools within the game. So when we build a deck in those games, there are cards that can never be in the same deck due to the game’s rule restriction.

In Drakerion, card pool isolation is occurring at the level kingdom/color. The game has relatively standard 5 color + no color system. So there are 5 discrete card pools.

The card pool isolation is fairly common practice, but may be implemented in a few different ways. If a game has a rule such as “you can only include 1 type of X in a deck” that is one of the smallest form of card pool isolation.

Set rotation system is a form of card pool isolation. For instance, Magic the gathering’s popular standard format rotates every 3 years.

Analogous to Drakerion is card pool isolation within each set based on faction, color or class-like. Some of the example I know using this system are World of Warcraft TCG, Hearthstone, and Flesh and Blood TCG.

The counterpart to card pool isolation game is “single card pool” system. Here the game rule allows any card from any set can be included in any combination in a single deck unless a card is banned, suspended or restricted. Magic the Gathering’s “legacy” format is a such example.

Pros

In spite of having the option of the legacy format, “standard” format remains far more popular in the game like Magic the Gathering. This illustrates there is certainly merits of using card pool isolation system. Let’s take a look at those merits.

New and casual friendly

More cards mean more options. The bigger is not always better here.

Too many cards in a card pool an be overwhelming to some, especially new player. If you’ve ever had an experience joining established TCG after several sets, you know the challenge of learning new cards as well as financially to get the cards you need. Here card pool isolation is very helpful.

Let’s say you’ve decided to join Drakerion couple years down the road. With currently announced 300 cards in the first set, 150 in future expansions, and 3 sets/year, you will be looking at over 1000’s cards.

You may still need to learn many of these cards as you immerse into the competitive meta, but you won’t necessary need to completely familiarize yourself to all these cards. You just pick one of five kingdoms that seems to be interesting to you, and start there.

Ignoring non-affiliated, color-less cards, you are suddenly looking at only 200 cards in your card pool for building your own deck. This of course will help financially for building competitive deck as well.

Reduce the risk of degenerate interaction

Statistically, the likelihood of unintentional synergy that may become degenerate increase as the card pool grows over the time. Although the risk is generally higher with more cards, I think the real issue is allowing certain types of mechanics together.

For example, recursion mechanics and free card mechanics are risky game design space on their own, but they are hard to be called degenerate on their own. However, if recursion of free card become an option, suddenly we are looking at red flag game design. Here card pool isolation maybe used to ensure above two mechanics are never happening in the same pool.

Widening design space

In the previous example, even though both recursion and free card mechanics are risky for potentially being overpowered, everything in card game are contextual. Under the right context, both mechanics could be very fun.

So having isolated card pool allows developer to implement them in separate card pool and use them as unique, feature defining element of each card pool. Essentially, knowing certain interaction is never possible, design option to developer would be wider.

Intentional playstyle variation

Deck building with different play style is one of the main appeal to the TCG genre. However, sometimes the playstyle variation may feel less noticeable to players when playing the game. I believe this happens due to the convergence of card selections when making competitive level decks.

What I referred to as Intentional play style variation is one solution to this problem. Here, designers semi-force or aid players to make various types of playstyle deck within the game. Card pool isolation is one of the obvious way to achieve this.

For example, designer could make one card pool specifically for Aggro archetype and the other for control. Independent of player’s experience and deck building skill, picking a card pool allow the player to experience the particular play style intended by the game designer. This ensures the game environment always consist of multiple distinct playstyles .

Cons

There is yin and yang for everything. So what are the potential drawback for card pool isolation? Let’s take a look at construct and limited format separately.

Playstyle restriction

In construct format, there is a potential risk of intentional playstyle variation by designer pushed too extreme and end up being choosing a card pool bin equates to choosing the playstyle. At this point, players no longer have practical experience of deck building. Because independent of player’s deck building skill/effort, essentially the deck plays similar to all the others because play style was defined at the time of card pool selection. In such circumstance, the process becomes picking card pool and deck refinement but no real deck building. Basically, if designer push too far, intentional playstyle variation could become playstyle restriction within each card pool.

Limited format challenge

By its nature, limited formats are card pool isolation system on its own. Adding another layer of card pool isolation result in smaller than designer’s originally intended card pool size. When a card pool size becomes too small, limited format deck construction becomes just putting all cards allowed by the rule. Again, as a result, there is no real deck building element left in this situation. Furthermore, the part of draft strategy such as signaling process is also gone. You just need to pick as many same color card as possible.

Drakerion TCG

Now let’s take a look at how card pool isolation is presented and affecting Drakerion TCG. Fortunately, as I prepare for this video, the development team has posted a Kickstarter update specifically addressing this topic. Additionally, I got one of the main missing information from the designer through discord. Let’s take a look.

Permanent 5 card pools

According to developer,

These five factions were meant to keep their distinct identities. It was intended to not be able to mix them.

Thus, each faction has its unique identity; you fight for your kingdom, you remain loyal to it, and you do not cherry pick amongst the best cards in the game to stack them in a single deck.

Drakerion TCG – Kickstarter Update #7 5 Kingdoms

Such statement confirms the primary intent of card pool isolation is to create the gaming environment with intentional play style variance in mind.

Now we understand why the team has decided to use card pool isolation in Drakerion, let’s take a look how their design address potential issues associated with card pool isolation.

Playstyle Restriction?

How is their design addressing playstyle restriction risk?

In contrast to game like Flesh and Blood TCG where number of card pool itself can expand, Drakerion team has decided to permanently remain at the card pool number of 5. Having less number of card pools will increase number of cards within each card pool over the time. So the risk should be lower.

The developer says,

Don’t be afraid that the game will become repetitive. Each kingdom has a rich history that we will reveal to you gradually, allowing for many sub-themes within the same faction. Each with its own unique mechanic, without preventing you from mixing several of these same themes for fun.

Drakerion TCG – Kickstarter Update #7 5 Kingdoms

This sounds like development team is aware of the risk, and specifically stating we don’t need to worry about it.

Degenerate combo potential

One of the gaming element allowing the game like Flesh and Blood’s card pool isolation system to be less restrictive and keeping all cards they release remain relevant is “no set rotation”. I was glad to hear that Drakerion TCG is also planning to take this approach.

With number of card pools limiting to 5, Drakerion will eventually reach more cards in a single card pool than Flesh and Blood even if they decided to release less number of cards per set. Initially, this s great thing. Because this means Drakerion will fill each kingdom more quickly; hence, giving more play style variance within each Kingdom.

However, this also means Drakerion will see potential risk of degenerate combo sooner due to more cards within each card pool.

So how are they going to address this?

I believe the answer lies on card’s subtype, which is a way to create a soft boundary within each Kingdom. In fact, we already see this in currently revealed starter set.

For example, “strike while the iron is hot” only works on Dwarf characters.

Prime Legion city counter only gets charged with Prime Legion characters.

In fact, the game has subtype on any card types including events, maneuver. So I think the game design is built for future proof with no set rotation system in mind.

However, one little things make me a bit wonder is the team decision of omitting default subtypes.

The development team has confirmed that they will not be putting subtypes that they consider “default”.

So we have fantasy world race such as dwarf, elf, skeleton as subtype but not a human.

Similarly, we will see captain, general, scout but not a mage.

Thematic consistency will suffer a little here, but it also mean no grouping of these card be allowed in the future expansion.

For those who had played Magic the Gathering knows race/trait based deck are not for real competition, but certainly kitchen table setting they are fun.

Another quote from development team.

Each card should be useful and is created with the intent to be played in a deck, out of respect for the players, but also for the artist who illustrated it. Any card of any rarity must find a place in a deck that makes you happy, whether you play in a relaxed way with your friends or to win tournaments.

Drakerion Kickstater

Limited format

Perhaps one of the main challenge with a game that uses card pool isolation within a set is the limited format. I really like Flesh and Blood and they are doing fantastic job. I am not a big limited format player, but I have heard multiple times even great Flesh and Blood players criticize about its limited format especially when comparing to the Magic. This is certainly a major challenge Drakerion will face.

At the time of this recording, we do not have official detail about the limited format in Drakerion, but it is publicly announced that Drakerion intends to support draft format.

Drakerion will have 10 cards in a booster pack. Assuming equal collation for each kingdom, there is max 1-2 kingdom card per pack.

If we assume typical 8 people draft and minimum 30 card deck requirement, 3 pack draft simply won’t work. Because you need to pick the same kingdom card every pack on every single draft pick.

One issue here is 10 cards per pack is rather small number. Magic has practically 14 cards per pack. Flesh and Blood latest draftable set booster pack has 16 cards. Furthermore, Flesh and Blood has only 3-4 card pool bins per draftable set. Drakerion has 5. So purely based on the number, Drakerion draft won’t work without different approach than conventional TCG drafts.

One simple answer is just increase number of packs opened during the draft. In sealed format, 6 packs are used rather than 3 in both Magic and Flesh and Blood. However, if this is the sole solution to the card pool isolation issue in draft format, Drakerion’s draft will be more restrictive than Flesh and Blood TCG, which is already more restrictive than the Magic the Gathering.

So I’ve reached out to the game designer what’s the plan here.

Q) What’s your plan for draft in this game? How are you trying to approach the challenge of enough cards.

A) Players will be able to play different kingdoms thanks to special draft cards (City/banner).

Discord chat with ecureuil01 (designer of Drakerion TCG)

There we have it. This is the most elegant and flexible solution. The developer will utilize its unique game design at full potential. It doesn’t take much to infer that these special banner will be dual or someday even tri-Kingdom. The double kingdom banner alone doubles the card pool size. Drakerion’s banner having setup cards also add some consistency in draft format. I can see this will create at least the equivalent amount of draft variation as in game like Flesh and Blood, and perhaps more potential depending on how far the designer here take those special banners and cities.

Conclusion

Card pool isolation when executed properly and the game is designed from ground up with that in mind, I think it has more benefits than drawbacks.

The main challenges are of course the longevity and frequency of the new expansion release in in other TCGs, but this is especially important for card pool isolated card game in early game stage to maintain freshness of the game. Also, designers must be careful not having their intentional playstyle assignment to each card pool results in loss player’s deck building flexibility.

Drakerion development team has decided to use card pool isolation in its game design with five distinct bins.

From the construct format stand point, without set rotation, fixed card pool numbers along with widely prevalent subtype use, Drakerion seem to have a good game design foundation; other than, my minor complaints of taking a way human race deck potential.

Most of their design decision and projected plan sounds inline with the teams goal of attaining all cards they release to have utility in both kitchen table and competitive environment.

If your primary interest is draft format, the team is planning draft specific banners and cities. Even though I am not a big draft format person, this actually excites me. This approach will make the draft environment to be entirely different from construct due to completely different set of card pool hence, new synergies.

In conclusion, I am fairly optimistic that Drakerion’s card pool isolation could work very well as long as the game can release new expansions as promised/planned interval. and developers continue striving to achieve their own set goals. In another word, if they can make everything as they are planning, I think card pool isolation in this game will be a strength in 2-3 years.