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 Yugioh Reader Tips, Rants and Raves

From: Nick Sinnett [mailto:chaos_spawn_of_ikana@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 7:47 AM

Subject: How to Make Create-A-Cards Work - Nick S.

Create-A-Cards... This is the result when someone becomes very deeply immersed in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, or even if someone is aspiring to be a Yu-Gi-Oh! card designer, although it's usually just for fun. I'm going to give some tips on how to make your own card concepts actually work, instead of being ridiculous and/or too unfair.




Here's an example of an unfair Create-A-Card:

Name: Maelstrom of Terror
Type: Normal Trap Card
Description: You can only activate this card during your opponent's Draw Phase. After your opponent draws 1 card for his/her Draw Phase, remove from

play all cards in your opponent's Deck and Graveyard. Your opponent takes 300 points of damage for each card removed from play by this effect. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated by any other card.


See what I mean by "unfair"?

This card would almost certainly mean that your opponent would lose the Duel

during either the turn this card is activated, or at the start of his/her next turn, unless he/she is using Pot of Generosity (very unlikely), flips a

Fiber Jar (wouldn't save him/her for long in most circumstances), or loses even sooner (Morphing Jar or Bistro Butcher, anybody?). Now, let's see a more fair and balanced Create-A-Card.




Name: Kingpin Smash
Type: Continuous Spell Card
Description: You can only have 1 "Kingpin Smash" face-up on your side of the

field. When a Level 5 monster on your side of the field attacks with an ATK

that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as battle damage to your opponent's Life Points, and then draw 1 card from your Deck.


Remind you of a certain Airknight? I thought it would. This card is more
balanced out, in that it essentially turns all of your Level 5 monsters into

Airknight Parshaths, instead of pretty much having an "I win, you lose"
effect, like the Maelstrom of Terror card that I made above does, or an effect that inflicts 2000 points of damage to your opponent during each of his/her Standby Phases. This card would often see play alongside Vampire Lords and Cyber Dragons, and even with Airknight Parshath itself (Actually, I should take this Kingpin Smash idea to Upper Deck).




With your Create-A-Cards, use these tips:

* Don't be afraid to build on existing ideas. You don't have to make some wacked-out card with a strange new effect to make your Create-A-Card ideas seem good. Sometimes, just enhancing an old idea is even better, such as this -
"FLIP: Tribute this face-up card to destroy 1 monster on the field." (This is the effect of Exiled Force.) You could improve the effect like so - "Tribute this face-up card to destroy 1 monster on the field. Then, draw 1 card from your Deck."

* Don't make cards' effects too long. If a card has too many effects, this can make it extremely confusing to play it.

* Keep the ATK and DEF of your monsters reasonable. A Level 4 Normal Monster would not have 5400 ATK and 6750 DEF, okay? Keep it suitable for the Level. If its ATK or DEF is a little higher than the average for the Level, add a drawback effect, like Goblin Attack Force or Big Shield Gardna.

* Study real cards. This is a great way to get ideas, as well as a good way

to find out how the card descriptions for your Create-A-Cards should be worded. The latest releases are the best way to find out how to word your card descriptions. Yes, this means that you should not use a Legend of Blue-Eyes or Joey Starter Deck copy of Polymerization as a guide on how to word your card descriptions. Use the Dark Beginning Volume 1 copy instead.

* Add some history behind your monsters, or behind certain Spells and Traps.

Not essential, but a little background info can help determine how the card's effects function e.g. a godly sword that destroys demons is an Equip Spell that gives the equipped monster an advantage over Fiend-Types, and maybe it cannot be equipped to a Fiend-Type.

* Don't go inventing new Monster, Spell or Trap types. The game's got enough card types already.

* Be creative. Don't just remake a bunch of already-existing monsters, but give them new names and throw an additional 100 ATK points on them. Think up new ideas.



I hope you enjoyed my article.

- Nick S.



You can contact me at chaos_spawn_of_ikana@hotmail.com