Shadowverse developer Cygames today dropped some absolutely huge news for fans of its anime-flavoured CCG. Shadowverse Producer Yuito Kimura announced that alongside the next expansion – the game’s 7th set of cards – Shadowverse will be introducing formats to constructed play, as well as a whole new class – Portalcraft.
The two formats for constructed will be Rotation and Unlimited. Rotation will include all cards released in the five latest card sets, as well as select basic cards, and the total card pool will be around 500. That may sound like a lot, but if you consider that the game’s sixth card set, Starforged Legends, which was released at the end of September, brought the total number of cards to over 900, which means that the next set, which will hit at the end of the year, will bring the total pool to more than 1000, the number seems a lot smaller.
It’s a necessary step for any CCG to take for a couple of reasons. Firstly, and especially for a game like Shadowverse that releases new sets of cards like clockwork every three months, it can feel completely daunting for new players to try and get into the game. Where do you even start when there’s seven expansions and a thousand cards? Rotation means that newer players can just focus on the smaller pool of cards and more easily get into the game.
The other key reason to introduce a format like this is simple mathematics. Each set is being added to a larger pool of cards, which means the cards have to work harder and harder to make an impact. Instead of a new set turning the game upside down, the risk is that the strong decks will simply remain super strong, and players will just build upon them with a handful of new cards.
The full presentation. Make sure you have subtitles on... unless you speak Japanese, of course.
I really love the way it’s being implemented too. Each time a new set comes out, the oldest set still allowed in the format until that point simply drops off. As Mr Kimura notes in the video embedded above, this keeps “the game environment competitive while providing a fresh experience with every update.”
I’m excited for the consistent change that Shadowverse’s take on formats will allow for.
It’s also a very different implementation to something like Hearthstone, which dumps an entire year of card sets from the pool then gradually builds the number of cards in the Standard format back up over the course of the year. Hearthstone also always retains all its Basic and Classic cards, whereas it sounds like Shadowverse will have a very small ongoing pool. Both approaches have their pros and cons, but I’m excited for the consistent change that Shadowverse’s take on formats will allow for.
The other format is Unlimited, which, as the name suggests, will allow any card from any set to be played. “However,” Mr Kimura notes in the video, “in order to balance the card pool and maintain a fun play environment, we may restrict or ban certain cards from Unlimited.”
The goal is for both formats to be competitive, and that’s already being reflected in the tournament schedule...
The goal, then, is for both formats to be competitive, and that’s already being reflected in the tournament schedule for early next year. The Shadowverse Premier Cup 2018 Tokyo in January next year, for instance, will utilise the Unlimited format, whereas RAGE 2018 Spring which goes across February and March, will utilise Rotation. It should make for a pretty vibrant tournament scene.
It’s also worth noting that when the formats come into effect - with the release of the 7th card set on December 29 (JST) – players’ ranks and scores will be copied to both Unlimited and Rotation, then additional scores and ranks will be earned separately. Players can now reach Grand Master in both Rotation and Unlimited. They can also claim Grand Master rewards in each format, with Mr Kimura saying that “Accumulated score rewards can be claimed using and combining points earned from both Rotation and Unlimited.”
It’s absolutely huge news and will inject a lot of life and longevity into Shadowverse, but – amazingly – that’s not all. At the same time as all of the above, the game will be introducing Yuwan, the leader of a brand new class - Portalcraft. This brings the total of classes to eight, and in keeping with Shadowverse’s approach, he has his own bespoke mechanic, Resonate.
“Resonate is when you have an even number of cards left in your deck, activating certain abilities and effects,” Mr Kimura explains. “Resonate abilities require you to keep track of your deck – a totally new mechanic." This then ties into a new card type and “trademark of the new Portalcraft class,” Artifacts.
“Resonate is when you have an even number of cards left in your deck, activating certain abilities and effects.” - Yuito Kimura.
Resonate promises to be a very interesting mechanic, and will bring turn-planning skills to the fore, particularly if the cards that utilise it are powerful enough. Neutral card draw will also have new dimensions for the class. You can see a handful of new Portalcraft cards in the slideshow a little further down.
More broadly, we’ve been told that Portalcraft can take command of puppets, artifacts, enchanted lifeforms and other otherworldly beings. “The new leader Yuwan is a vengeful warrior who has the power to traverse dimensions,” Mr Kimura elaborates. “He fights alongside Arisa and the others to save the world. Yuwan will have his own storyline, so look forward to seeing more of Yuwan, the vindictive contender, in action.”
So how will Portalcraft be integrated into the game, given there are no Portalcraft class cards in any of the existing sets? “As the Portalcraft class will be released along with the 7th card set, it might initially be difficult to use due to a lack of cards compared to other classes,” Mr Kimura admits. “But be assured that more Portalcraft cards will be coming with the 8th card set and on.” It’s a long term strategy, then, which in itself is pretty refreshing.
Plus, when Portalcraft hits the game, players will be given “a default Portalcraft deck that includes basic Portalcraft cards,” so at least we'll be able to muck around with it straight away.
It’s awesome to see a whole new class being added to the game, and in combination with the introduction of formats, the changes have the potential to basically flip the table on the Shadowverse we’ve been playing up until now.
There was one other announcement in the video, and that was of a Tournament Event for Arena. Details were a little sparse, but the basic idea is that anyone can take part, regardless of rank, with preliminary matches that then determine which players make it to the finals. Sounds very interesting, and when I find out more I’ll let you know.
Exciting times for Shadowverse fans!
Cam Shea is senior editor in IGN's Sydney office and tries to spend as much time as possible playing CCGs and/or in Japan. He's on Twitter.
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