Card Battler

About this template

Card battlers are games of perfect information and imperfect information at the same time. Players know their deck. They do not know their opponent's hand. Every play is a calculated risk. The genre rewards players who understand card interactions at a deep level.

Summer Engine helps you build the card system, mana economy, board state, combat resolution, and game modes through conversation. You design the card set and the win conditions. The AI scaffolds the systems that let 200 cards interact in non-trivial ways.

A great card battler has a small set of powerful interactions that experienced players discover and newer players get surprised by. Design your cards around enabling those moments. The discovery of a broken combo is a feature, not a bug.

Who it's for

  • Designers with a card set designed who need a game to play them in.
  • Teams building a competitive card game with ranked ladder and organized play aspirations.
  • Solo devs creating a single-player card battler with a progression system and AI opponents.
  • Studios building a living card game with regular set releases and digital play.

Highlights

  • Card Set Prototype

    Build a working game with 100-150 cards to start playtesting balance, synergies, and game feel.

  • Competitive Ranked Game

    Create a full card battler with a ranked ladder, deck builder, and meta diversity across three or more viable archetypes.

  • Story Mode Card Game

    Build a single-player card battler with a story campaign, boss encounters with unique mechanics, and card unlocks.

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