Creation Quality Improvement: Playtesting

[Shinobi Phoenix]

Ok, this is a big one I hope people discuss.


[u][b]PLAYTESTING[/b][/u]


Actually taking your own and putting it through trials; and after said trials, do you change the card or leave it as is or scrap it?

Let us remember how the real game is with this basic scenario:

[i]- Players seen spoiler of cards for a set before set release[/i].
[i]- After reading set, player judge various cards solely by the text as good/crap/powerful/broken/utter garbage/unplayable/playable only by this *insert player or archetype or deck*/is ignored by numerous players[/i].
[i]- After set release and actual plays, post-release opinions of cards are radically different or changed vs. the pre-release opinions.[/i]
[i]- Repeat scenario for next set.[/i]

We all agree this happens EVERY SINGLE TIME! I can't even count the number of cards that were hated before release and loved after and vice-versa. Or the cards that are called broken by some, crap by others and ignored by numerous or only used by certain numbers because of their individual playstyles.

Super Demonic Lord - Id is a good experience from my own sphere of Duelist friends. Many big headliners or cover cards are another example.

People who don't play a card because of what they heard from others usually are the ones who don't change their opinions on it because they have no actual experience to base it on in the first place.


Playing the card just flips everything we thought about a card on its head no matter what the text said when we first laid eyes on it.

Among my own circle of friends who discuss and make their own cards as a hobby, we often discuss if a card is too much, but the usual opinion is that "it's hard to pin an accurate opinion on it without getting to play it." They are just different if we get to play it. One of them started having Anime Tournament Duels where we print out the decks of Anime Characters (usually villains) and play them with paper in real sleeves (using actual cards as backing) and just enjoy a few rounds, the same was done for his own work.


You find out a lot about it your cards (as well as understanding yourself better) when you playtest.

[b][u]You find out:[/u][/b]
[b]- ...a card you thought was balanced wasn't or was just fine before you changed it.[/b]
[b]- ...a theme you thought was just-for-fun/strong/powerful/broken was in fact much stronger/not that strong/unbalanced.[/b]
[b]-... a card/theme you thought of yourself (or for yourself) doesn't work very well for you and your playstyle but works very well for someone else or a different playstyle than you use.[/b]
[b]-... a card you made with balance in mind (in text) is in fact almost unplayable in a real duel due to your nerfs.[/b]


All this can empower you or crush you.

So what is the community's opinion on Playtesting?

Would there be interest in forming a group to actually do just that and figure out ways to do it?