Breakfast Topic: The trading card game
by Mike Schramm 
Jun 18th 2007 at 8:01AM
No, this isn't an announcement of a new TCG about our Breakfast Topics (but wouldn't that be fun? I see your flamebait, and raise you an intelligent comment!!). But I would like to get all your thoughts on the collectible card game based on World of Warcraft.Personally, I haven't really gotten that much into it, but since the Darkmoon Faire was in Chicago this past weekend, I went out there and obtained some photos and an interview or two for those interested to peruse. I learned to play the game and got to go one-on-one with one of the creators (his interview will be up today), and I have to say that the game itself is pretty fun-- lots of strategy, and plenty of inside jokes about our own little world of Azeroth.
I don't see it taking over my life, however, mostly because I don't have anyone around to play with-- even my boardgaming and roleplaying friends haven't picked it up yet, and probably won't any time soon. But I can definitely see the draw, not only of learning all the strategies of different decks, but actually collecting the cards that make them up.
So is it your thing or not? And why? If not, have you tried it and not liked it or just not tried it at all?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jim. Jun 18th 2007 8:46AM
We have a group of about six of us who play regularly. It's a lot of fun. We try to make it out to as many tournaments as we can, but in my area the scene is not very big.
rgoff31 Jun 18th 2007 8:52AM
I got into it just before the dark portal came out.
I've got several starter kits and I bought a big box of Dark Portal Cards. Ended up getting the picnic basket. The problem is I am working my way to 70 so I don't remember to play the card game. It takes more mental energy than playing the game so I don't feel like playing after I get out of work. None of my WoW friends are into it so I mostly play the TCG with my family.
finalforeman Jun 18th 2007 8:52AM
I am 28 years old, I have may fond memories from my childhood of collecting sport cards, but missed out on the TCG craze. I have however dabbled in Magic Online and this caused me to buy a few boxes of the WoW TCG.
Long story short, as just a collectible I have enjoyed these cards immensely, and also received a few cool in game items. My biggest complaint is I have nobody to play with. I have friends who played magic but the hassle of getting together and throwing down cards on a regular basis is a bit too much.
For this reason I hope very much that they take this online as Magic is. In MTGO you can redeem your virtual card for sets of the real cards. Honestly Magic Online lacks polish to me, I get a woody thinking about what Blizzard could do. I think this could be a serious cash cow (Like Blizzard really needs another).
Paw Jun 18th 2007 9:39AM
I am married. I have been with the woman I married for 12 years. My wife is not remotely a gamer.
Most of my local-area friends, whom I could play with because they live in the same neighborhood or town, are husbands of my wife's friends.
[---sidebar---Sociologists and psychologists state that it is quite normal for men to forgo personal relationships with other men they would prefer to hang out with in order to associate more with their female partner. Thus husbands typically become friends by association when their wives are friends.---]
Most of these men who are married to my wfie's friends are sports guys. They couldn't remotely be considered gamers, nor are they much adept at what to do with a computer beyond email, internet and spreadsheets...in fact most think when you delete a file from your PC desktop, it is gone forever...and video games are what their kids play on their video game machines (yes, I had a 36yo American male call it a "video game machine"). SO...the odds that I will actually get to play the card game are slim to none, as my gaming buddies (those men whose friendship I have hung onto for my personal sanity as I moved from place to place) are scattered around the country.
I have, however, picked up some as collectables. I would hope that I could actually sit down with some of my gaming buddies and play someday.
Zuty Jun 18th 2007 9:48AM
I've played lots of TCGs, but the one that stuck with me was Magic. When I heard of a WoW TCG I was skeptic at first, I didn't know if it would be a flop or become very popular. So I signed up on some of the TCG fourms and waited until the game was available to buy.
The first day it came out I managed to get several people into playing it and we had a tournament at the TCG store. Eventually my Mage and Hunter decks were unbeatable, I knew the reason was that the players I versed didn't have any deck building skills so remade all 7 of there decks and that put us all on level and some of them even beat me once or twice.
I later picked up an Ony raid deck and we had a raid team set up to take her down. It was alot more fun then people would think it would be, but it does help if you have ever played a TCG before.
Currently everyone I played with took a break until DP came out, but when it did they still didn't get back into it. Most of them were more interested in DnD and Vampire RPG type stuff. So we went from having weekly tournaments to nothing, which sucks.
Overall, It is a great TCG and alot better then people would think when you would say 'WoW TCG'.
The online community for it seem to primarily be non-WoW players or played maybe WC1, but wowcards.org has a solid community for new and old TCG and WoW players.
gokufencer Jun 18th 2007 9:50AM
I wasted enough time and money with the Pokemon TCG, so I'm not going to even think of getting into the WoW TCG. Well, I did buy my friend 2 packs in hopes of getting one of those special items.
Braz Jun 18th 2007 10:02AM
I received all of the TCG experience that I want in one lifetime from playing Magic for years. If the WoW TCG is like every other collectible card game (as they were called in the old days), then it essentially comes down to a card buying arms race, in which the person who spends the most money buying boxes wins by having access to the best cards. I prefer regular WoW, where the only arms race is in the amount of time that each person is willing to spend playing the game.
As a TCG, I am sure that the WoW TCG is a good as any other; however, I am personally finished with TCGs as a mode of gaming.
potatowedge Jun 18th 2007 10:03AM
At my college, there is a group of kids I sometimes hang out with who are completely obsessed with CCGs of any kind, typically Magic. (I call them kids - they're only about three years younger than me.) Anyway, lately they all picked up the WoW TCG, which is awesome except for one thing: none of them play WoW, and I kinda doubt any of them ever will. It disappoints me that they are only somewhat familliar with the MMO, if only through me.
I might pick up a pack if I can find it at Wal-Mart. I'm a sucker for pretty pictures.
Hank Jun 18th 2007 10:06AM
@7-THANK YOU!
Sylythn Jun 18th 2007 11:06AM
After having been really active in Star Trek CCG, I've pretty much given up on TCGs and the like. I spent TONS of cash on my collection, had a lot of fun, but in the end the once every other month expansion broke the bank, and the "2nd Edition" broke the game.
However, I'm going to pick up some starter packs for our August Guild Meet and see if we can't have some fun with the out-of-the-box experience and a bunch of noobs. :)
Rich Jun 18th 2007 11:22AM
Burned out on MtG many many many years ago and have not looked at another TCG since.
Zuty Jun 18th 2007 11:31AM
@ 7 -
Its more of a money race if you want the loot card for the WoW ingame stuff. Even the epic cards in the game can be beaten by commons and uncommons (Which can not be said about yugioh and pokemon TCGs)
Since cards are resticted to classes that your hero is it makes it hard to get infinite combos or auto wins. So since it is split in two ways (Horde or Alliance then Class) money means nothing.
Unless you want the loot cards. (Which has no effect on the actual TCG)
Braz Jun 18th 2007 11:39AM
@12- You say that a common or uncommon can beat an epic card. So where does deck design come into play? Where is the incentive to collect and trade if the common cards are as good as the rares? I find these statements hard to believe, as they imply that the WoW TCG is different from virtually every other successful TCG ever made.
While I have played Magic, Marvel Overpower, Pokemon, Star Wars, and a handful of more obscure TCGs, I will admit that I haven't played the WoW TCG (if that wasn't clear from my first post). Perhaps you can explain the game mechanics more fully to substantiate your claims. I imagine that I am not the only person on WoW Insider who has never played the TCG, so some details would be appreciated.
Obiah Jun 18th 2007 1:20PM
Actually they have competitive formats called "Lazy Peon" that only allow decks made up of commons and uncommons to avoid the "Arms Race" as you call it.
If you want to learn how to play the WoW TCG, there's an online demo at. http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/wow/en/howtoplay/default.aspx
BuddhaPhi Jun 19th 2007 9:04AM
I told myself I was done with collectable games after years of playing Magic the Gathering and investing somewhat heavily in other collectables that no one around me seems to wants to play (such as LoTR, CoH, Clout Fantasy and Dreamblade). Well, I got bit by the CCG bug again and purchased my first batch of WoW TCG cards after finding an awesome deal on eBay that not only had multiple boxes of cards but a BC collector's edition as well. I like the card game so far though I doubt I'd be paying retail prices for yet another hobby. There's a lot of strategy and I'm sure I'd be able to find lots of people who also play. My major complaint is about the large size of each edition (300+ cards every 4 months sounds excessive) and I could see it getting expensive if you were a collector or always trying to keep up on the latest deck archtypes.
Mask Jun 18th 2007 6:02PM
Having Rares and Epics gives you more deck building options, but is not a necessity to doing well. I have many decks in my play testing gauntlent that have only a couple rare cards in them. They are mostly made up of commons and uncommons and do very well against the rare heavy decks.
Yes TCG's do cost money. They are not a good game to get into if you are super poor. However, if you are willing to invest a little bit of money and have the passion to tune your decks and play skills, you can find success in the game even without having 100's of epic cards.