My Toxic relationship with Trading Card Games

Growing up, games have always been a safe haven. A new world to experience, to express yourself in, to connect with others and importantly feel something you otherwise wouldn't. While I've been working on some version of this game in some capacity since I was a child, it's most current form is a response to the experience myself and many others have had with trading card games over the last decade.

I think we all share those memories of our first time buying an intro deck, getting a few foil cards from a cousin, opening a booster pack and feeling nothing but bliss thinking of the journey ahead. A game I can not only play with friends, but allows me to build what I think is cool, collect some amazing art. Though every time I felt this feeling it was a warning of the one to come next, dissapointment.

We've all been there. You've played your first game at your LGS or with someone outside of your friend group, you're shocked at how deep the water truly is. Turns out you're decks value is a few hundred to a grand short of being viable, your favourite cards? they're objectively bad... not only that but if you expect a fair game you'll need to get a university degree on mana curves or at least play a meta deck, preferably something that does infinite unblockable damage on turn 3.

You're at a crossroads.
You take the blue pill, the story ends and you wake up in your bed with your cool dragon deck, you keep playing eventually getting fatigue of the game.
You take the red pill, like I did. You see how far things truly go.

So you get good, really good.
It all seems wonderful until you sit down for a casual game in your loungeroom with your friend.
With a hand full of bolts, you pretend you've drawn your 3rd useless card in a row.

The magic you once enjoyed from the game, is gone.

You begin to ask yourself
What's the point of a game you can't play with your friends?
What's the point of building a deck when most of the cards out there are bad?
What's the point of a game that requires a thousand hours (and dollars) so your 15 minutes isn't a punish?
What's the point of playing someone in a game that encourages non interaction?
What's the point?

I got into these games to play my friends, to build decks and most importantly share moments were everyone in the room had a good time.
For a long time I thought this was a problem purely with TCGs, competitive games and even card games in general.

I found out through creating this game that it wasn't.
I found trading card games could do all the cool stuff we've come to love.
With none of the bs.