The first part. That’s why we need a vanguard version of master duel. An online sim for vanguard would go crazy hard and will increase the player base and the spread of popularity. I know a lot of people who are interested in vanguard from me recommending them but can’t play cuz I live on a whole other island. With the sim I can teach them and they will have someone to play with. Not only that but we can play test decks without having to spend a lot of money if we don’t like the deck then we are safe from buying a bad deck. Then if we do and want to play it irl then we know what cards to get. Not only that but with the spread my friend then can spread it to his or her friends and they have people to play physical irl.
@@Rylek true whats funny is I heard that vanguard online was being created by the same person that developed vanguard zero but dropped vanguard online for zero. Its sad honestly we could have gotten both
@@allen2reckless676 That's sad, they probably saw the dollar signs of mobile with zero and couldn't resist. I mean it's the only official Vanguard sim and it's costs $29 usd for half an outdated structure deck...like seriously man wtf?
I think another big issue is just finding a place to play that hosts tournaments at a time that fits your schedule. The two shops I go to the most are about 25 minutes away in opposite directions making it easy to get to on weekends for Pokemon or Yugioh, but if I want to play Vanguard or Digimon I have to go out on a weekday during rush hour traffic since they don't host those games on weekends, which is tiring
This was my biggest barrier to entry. I can spend as much money as I want to on the cards but I'm not actually playing until I have someone to play with....
Agreed! For me I have to travel about 1+ hours to get to any card shops in general. Not to mention ones that play my games and host tourneys on weekends
That super convenient that you made this video. Yesterday I looked up my nearest card shop and was talking to friends about playing some more games (Gate Ruler being one of them) but they don't have much product for it.
I've always lurked on the edges of TCG communities - I collected Pokemon TCG cards as a kid when it first released because I was into Pokemon at the time, then watched YGO as it aired on television (for the first time!) on tv in the US. But Vanguard is the first one to really hook me and get me into it thanks to the anime (I binged all 400+ episodes of all 3 series in the space of 2 months last year lol) and Zero being so easy to get into. So here's what I think Bushiroad is doing that's helpful (as a newbie): 1) Card effects staying consistent between anime and TCG. Zero is a different beast, with adaptations made for mobile, so differences make sense. But knowing that combo I saw *insert character here* use in the anime will work the same irl is really helpful when you're starting out and learning your combos. 2) Gorgeous artwork - I've managed to get a friend into Zero with how pretty the Genesis cards are. 3) Variety in mechanics - I pulled another friend in with how Silver Thorns plays very similarly to their favorite Magic the Gathering deck. 4) Collabs with other franchises - the aforementioned friend in point 3 is what got me to go into Vanguard TCG because Bushi reprinted the Touken Ranbu collab for Standard. 5) Just reprinting older cards into the current format - I know I saw a lot of people say "not again" with D-BT05 and the DOTE/MLB/PBO reprints, but for a newbie and fan of the anime like me, who missed that era in *both* TCG and Zero? It's a blessing. But for all the good Bushiroad has done, the single biggest barrier for me (and I apologize in advance if this turns your comments into a total mess), even more than the fact the nearest local card shop that carries Vanguard is an hour plus away, is the fact I'm a girl. I've been in enough online gaming spaces (WoW, LoL, and more) over the past 20+ years to know that if I win, it's "luck". If I lose, "oh you're just a girl and you can't be as good as a guy". And that's before we get into what passes for "banter" (especially in competitive gaming spaces). I can, quite frankly, hide behind an anime avatar and ignore "banter" in Zero the way I can't irl - especially since Zero even lets me turn off emotes so I don't even have to deal with my opponent emote spamming me, so all that matters is my deck build and my skills against my opponent's, the way it should be. So if it wasn't for my one friend that made the jump to physical cards, I wouldn't even be playing physical Vanguard TCG, I'd be sticking to Zero. Maybe if Bushiroad did something like Master Duel where the cards are the same and I could play online without having to be on voice chat (like you'd have to for Bushi's Remote Fight), then I'd consider it - it'd just depend on how hard it'd be for me to rebuild my decks. Until then, it's Zero and the rare day where my friend and I have matching days off and we can spend an entire afternoon with the TCG over (phone) webcam - because it's never just *one* match with us lol.
Thank you very much for sharing! It's good to hear what things Bushi has done right that helps people get into the game, so I hope they see these kinds of remarks too. And I replied to a similar content about this as well, but it's unfortunate that the female TCG player space really hasn't been explored much in English - in Japan it's basically an industry standard that all major (and even smaller) TCGs run women-exclusive tournaments, especially for Vanguard in Japan which has a really big female playerbase there. Really hope the stigma and perspectives of people would change over time, since in the end we're all the same fans of the same game gathering together over our joint passion.
Trading card games are like puzzles with pieces that fit differently every time you use them. And puzzles that are shared with other people's puzzles at the same time. Everything has a barrier of entry, but card games are special in the way they seem so inexpensive or simple to collect cardboard and shuffle and go but every game has its own rules and they change between games. They're beautiful and fun bonding experiences to me, but outside looking in can always feel so daunting. I don't miss those early days when I thought Magic was intimidatingly complex or Vanguard AUTO skills could proc multiple times lol
I think a huge thing to mention is not only finding a community (which is hard in its own right) but keeping the community alive and stimulating growth. Both of those are incredibly difficult and I am currently struggling trying to keep my local community alive. I think a video talking about that subject would be amazing
Excellent video. I’m in the process of making a card game myself, and putting this inherent issue of card games in the limelight gives me a hurdle I’ll have to overcome to really make a splash. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect
personally i think the best way is through single player video games. learning magic through duels of the planeswalkers learning yugioh through the switch game that has a really long name learning shadowverse with their single player formats. it gives you the learning experiance and lets you learn at your own pace and then go into games against AI instead of real players to get more comforable with the experiance as a whole before hopping into master duel and taking on ranked play.
I love TCGs. I barely have any time to play but I still keep up with Overdress sets and buy cards that I like. Overdress having cheap decks was such a good idea, it got me to try out all these different styles and add cards to my collection for a low price! Great video, you raise good points!
Yeah the current overdress anime is more plot then it is with the card fights. Although i like it this way becuase its more anime then just hey you fight/duel me every episode
I got introduced in early G and didn't know there was an anime, so people would use character names or anime references and they'd go right over my head, and my two local (weebs) were like "how did you not watch the anime?"
Hi! I think the most interesting move for bringing TCG home is made by Bandai right now. They're creating the online lobby for remote play, and even encourage people to participate freely by sending promo packs straight to their home! And they also open a session to play with their talents! Definitely something I want to see Bushiroad doing with their cardgame (although their Discord remote play server is also good imo)
One of the most unique things about TCGs is that it's a very noticeable activity. It takes up an entire table, and people will occasionally come by to take a look at what's going on. When they see how much fun you and your friends are having, it sparks something in them to perhaps give it a try as well, and I feel that this image is sometimes lost when people think of card games.
One of my issues like others have mentioned is finding a place and people to play with in a social setting, while also considering schedule and how time gated it can be. Due to that I've considered just card collecting but that becomes an expensive hobby as well...
I likely would have never gotten into Vanguard had it not been for Zero. Lockdown started, friend was like "Oh hey this new Vanguard game came out" and with little to no initiative to the series prior I was like "Eh, why not? If I get into it I get into it, and if not at least I tried." Well, turns out I got into it lol. From Day 1 onward, Novas gave me a home in the game digitally and physically as a fan of fashionable aggression, and one of my finest memories is building my Spinning Valiant deck from scratch with merely singles and seeing what kind of high-damage plussing chaos I could ensue. Here's hoping others can grasp that curiosity as well!
As always, the way you explain concepts is amazing, even to me (I’m italian) i don’t need subtitles to understand for how clear you are. Anyway, I recently got into Vanguard, and I’m loving it so much that i somehow forced one of my friends to get into it (because in my area there is no one playing it)🤣. What I think is that Vanguard (i’m speaking of that) really needs an official virtual game to get people more into the game. I’m a Yu-Gi-Oh player (been playing since 10 years almost) and I would say that a game, or another way to sponsor the game, would considerably increase the player base. Sorry for my bad english, hope I’ve been clear and I’m curious to know what you guys think about it
Something that kept me coming back to trying online TCGs was my fascination for strategy and how important and powerful strategy is IRL. I always liked watching RTS games but they always seemed too finnicky being real-time with all the awkward controls and dull with the unit generation systems they use. I tried a lot of different ones but the only one I stuck with so far is Legends of Runeterra. That game is the exact opposite extreme of what I watched my best friend do years ago, which was dropping tens of thousands of $$$ on physical MTG cards.
As of right now its showcasing the game via the Anime and the Mobile format. I think how you introduce people to card games is to sell the characters/ creatures hard. People pick up Vanguard because "oh this girl looks cute" or "oh wow this Dragon looks cool!" Or "Ooh! This reminds me of this one thing I really like". Then needing readily accessible availability, such as being able to pick it up at any general store or hobby shop akin to Magic, Pokemon, and YGO. YGO had a solid enough anime to push its product, Pokemon had a Video Game AND anime, and MTG has just been around for so long. Perhaps we could look into expanding whay kind of media Vanguard has such as a Fighter, or an Action RPG. Imagine it (hue) A Vanguard themed fighter with the OverDress boss characters using iconography seen in the card game. Or an Action Adventure RPG that follows a cast of characters as they travel across cray and tying key locations and characters to the card game and even possibly influencing the card game as well.
@@DifferentFight i would say the designs of the Cross-Cray epic characters lend themselves to be replicatable enough to transfer into a Fighter (tho add a Lyrical representative or two to seal the deal maybe? uwu) It needs to emphasize the characters/units FROM Cray though. It makes Cray feel more like an actual world thay can connect to earth as to make the worlds bond through Vanguard all the more concrete in-universe.
Unfortunately Vanguard Zero is the only way for me to play vanguard. I've thought about getting into remote fight, but I have no way to play test decks. And it seems silly to invest in a bunch of decks and cards and not really get to test them to see if I even like them before trying to take it and duel strangers...
I'm going to my first shop tournament for Vanguard tomorrow, so I'm extremely excited. For me, I have a heavy problem getting motivated when the game is already many sets ahead. I really love joining in when the game first released. It gets really overwhelming.
This video is crazy convenient lol. I just talking to my friends about this recent tcg I've been playing called Gate Ruler. I was explaining how its cheap, has viable starter decks, and is very innovative... everything a lot of mainstream tcgs are lacking right now I feel. I definitely have been hopping over hurdles even spending my own money to promote the game and get stores/people to play it. Its definitely a game that saved me from giving up tcg's all together.
I like your view on this a lot and agree with most things you say. I must however state that I found LoL to be a weird example of a game that's easy to get into through watching it, regardless of whether you have friends who play it or not. The few times I have watched any MOBA game, I've just been sitting there, understanding absolutely nothing of what's happening. I definitely do agree with the fighting game point. Fighting games are like Othello: very easy to understand, but very difficult to master. Finally, As someone who has hosted card game tournaments of games that haven't even released in my own country, and has played card games for over 20 years: Yes. Card games are ridiculously difficult to get into. A lot of effort, little explanation, rotations, banlists, formats... It just goes on and on. But man, is it worth it. Card games are just soooo good. Man, I miss playing card games regularly...
We definitely need the digital simulator for Vanguard. It's definitely the future for Bushiroad to take. Plus, it could be revival for older TCGs *coughs* Buddyfight *coughs*
A friend and I are going to host a tutorial session for Vanguard this summer in hopes of getting more people into the game, and hopefully we can get our local game shop to stock some Vanguard products (which in turn could attract more to the game).
I'm playing Trading Card Games for 'bout 20+ years. It's such an amazing hobby, but I agree with every point in the video. I personally try to convince my friends to play TCG's especially Vanguard. If they came over the part of to get to know, they're love it. Best what we as regular player can do, show them what we do.
Great video! I thought all of your points were pretty spot on, and compounding those are factors like "Is there even a LGS near me that hosts events for this game?" I also think the social aspect, while one of the best parts of physical TCGs, can also be a barrier for entry, especially if you're alone. I think can be difficult to work up the confidence/effort to venture to a store (sometimes traveling an hour or more), knowing that you won't know anyone, and having no idea if those people will welcome you or not. And I think this is even more of a barrier for more underrepresented populations in the community, such as women. It can be even more intimidating for them to go alone into what is frequently a male-dominated space (and that may be perceived sexist or toxic, whether that's true or not for the specific location). For this reason, I think when new players show up at locals, it's super important for experienced players to welcome them, since a bad initial first experience can definitely turn someone off the game entirely. Semi-relatedly, in my experience as a cosplayer and in general fandom spaces, there's definitely a section of the fans of most TCGs that are more interested in the art, lore, anime, or other aspects, who don't play the TCG or interact with it only casually. I've been shocked at the number of people at cons who have recognized my VG cosplays who just watch the anime. It would be nice to foster more interaction between those communities, since they sometimes feel weirdly distinct despite enjoying the same franchise, though I'm not sure how you would go about that.
Oh that’s 100% true! Both in what you mentioned about being introduced to a local community, and the huge part of this community that just love the Vanguard franchise without necessarily going ham on the card game itself. Would be cool to see Bushiroad give a little something extra to those kinds of fans too!
An amazing game is FE Cipher(R.I.P.). Really wish it had an online client to be able to play it. Looking forward to more of your videos about that game as well
I don't think having to google to find what's currently meta is a unique barrier to entry for TCGs. You can apply that same train of thought to any of your examples that have any sort of competitive scene, from League to fighting games. Just as you don't need to know who's top tier in a fighting game to play it, you don't need to have any knowledge of what's top tier in a TCG.
Yeah for sure, but the difference is that in the other examples you've already started playing before you even think of searching that, whereas for TCGs you wanna try and save yourself from careless spending to maximise on your early purchases before you even get started (not for all players, but that kind of audience does exist)
As a kid I was quite the fan for Yugioh, though that only amounted to the anime. I wasn't interested in an actual cardgame until I got to know about Shadowverse, even then I had no intention of playing. Until I got to know about Vanguard because of the anime, then I was instantly hooked. The anime made me really want to play the game, and I also have the card designs & art to thank for my interest. I was in love. Unfortunately I live in Brazil, thanks to that I can't even play the mobile game through normal means. Sigh, so I'm just a lurker for now. And doesn't help that I got hooked to the New Digimon TCG and now Wixoss started crawling inside my interests as well. So many games xD
Yeah it's pretty rough for Brazilian players due to a lot of TCG companies not willing to export normally and invest into the LATAM scene, I've met quite a few players from the bigger cities in Brazil that do belong to some communities but I've heard that it's still a huge barrier of entry even then
@@mikxl2352 I get so mad everytime I think about it. Me and my brother we love Vanguard but it's soooooo expensive to try to get the cards in Brazil due to them not selling it here. Like, it's actually almost unviable to play even online games sometimes.
So recently I got into magic for the second time and I have been having fun but like I said this is the second time so how I got into it the first time was I went in to my local gamestore and they were doing an event where the gave out 2 half decks and you could pick the colors and they got some one to teach you how to play all for free and I know that vanguard isn't most likely gonna do this but that's how I got into magic the first time
Just sharing my experience of getting into cardgames, I wanted to try Digimon TGC and Battle Spirits for a long time but I don't have the time and energy to learn to use a simulator, make a deck in a not so intuitive way and after all of that try and look for someone on a random discord who would be down to play with a new player. Doing all of that takes a lot. Then Master Duel came out. I knew next to nothing of modern Yugioh and never even really considered trying to get into the game at all. I got 20 hours on the game on the first week and managed to get to gold 1 because it made playing and deckbuilding extremely convenient and intuitive.
Well Bushiroad can make a multi platform cardfight vanguard game that is only about the old era and old cards and similar to real game but just only old school cards like at the beginning of the game it will be good like they don't have to be afraid of losing player of the game
A lot of my IRL's are heavily into TCG's. I've been trying to get into higher level Yu-Gi-Oh, Vanguard, Weiss, Digimon and Magic but it can be rough sometimes.
I really loved vanguard when it came out, spent some money to get a starter deck, but as in introvert I don’t like going out much. Hence I drop the game. It’s only after vanguard zero is out where I finally get back to tcg game again
Vanguard already had their start with the online stuff with CFV EX on switch, only thing is that they don't update it nor they released it on the west. I mean sure, it was from years ago but it would be great if they take the idea of EX, implement it online and BAM, we have our own master duel.
I was already going to locals for yugioh, but my way into Vanguard was having my best friend's mate just approached me and a friend and asked if we played Vanguard, we replied that no, we did not. He sits 2 decks on the table and goes "now you do, pick which deck you'd like each and i'll show you" and that was super cool. I think the closest a card game has gotten to that that i've seen is Vanguard making the oD Starter Decks, buying those at 7AUD each was such a good way for new people to try it, but it tripped over itself because Australia got (and still gets) hardly any stock for overDress My experiences have almost always just been people (friends or randoms) asking if I do play a game, and offering a deck to try in order to introduce me
I think that in my city the community that plays vanguard on phisic is almost inexistent , there is a yugi-oh comunity ,and i was part of it like 7 years ago, but now i 'm feeling like wanna try vanguard on physic but more than the covid , the problem is that i dont have anyone or anywhere to play it
My problem getting into card games is not much the money but social anxiety I wish I can jump into it but I’m a 32 male who struggle approaching people
don't worry too much about age. I'm 30 yrs old and I literally don't even know the ages of the people I've been playing against at locals. I just want to play a card game. You're not too old or too young to just play with people. If you like the game, just play the game :) No one is who is serious about playing the game and having fun is going to be worrying about how old you are!
Just got my first weiss schwarz deck today, Mushoku tensei. Only because I love the anime, I;ve heard this game is dumb expensive sometimes and after playing some matches I'm not big on the gameplay anyway. but the fact I can have cards of these characters is awesome. Anyway I love the art work of cards and how I have to think to play a deck, pulling amazing cards. Pulled my first dsr in set 4 of overdress and was jumping about. I win locals and I'm as hell. Even bricking with a bad hand can be funny with how I top deck 4 heals sometimes and it's funny and ridiculous it is. Price is it's only problem but I save and save and the stuff I get out of it is worth it. Can't wait for my first spring fest in london
I always wanted to try weiss schwarz but could never get into it becuase idk honestly. Maybe cuz buddy fight came out that time and it was cooler cuz it uad an anime teaching me the game like what vanguard does for like every season lol. But yeah card games in general get expensive. Its one of those expensive hobbies
I feel player organized demo days and casual play days are the way to go. If you can have an lgs to advertise it on their social media you can attract lots of potential players that, of course, will mostly come from other tcgs. But sometimes they will bring a friend not familiar with any tcg, and that is when new people get to know the hobby. In 2019 we got a player organized demo day have 30 people wanting to try the game. Soon after the pandemic started and everything went south. In my experience, people from outside the hobby usually know what the hurdles of entry are, but they think they are not worth it, specially having to update the decks. It's definitely as hard as having someone learn a sport they never played before. This is extra problematic in small but really dedicated communities, where a small number of people play, but most of them are somewhat competitive. The bar is really high for new players.
I'm too sad I found this video one year too late, yet I still believe its content is current. For me, one of the main hurdles is to stay current in the meta. Sure, I can get good at handling my own deck, but the second the new expansion comes and makes my deck inviable, what am I supposed to do? Chuck another bunch of cash just to renew the deck? It's frustrating, just to say the least! The second hurdle is that in my experience, god forbid you don't have friends who are into TCGs. Stores and other players basically expect you to go full competitive - I literally had that said to my face one time. I like TCGs in theory. But in practice the effort and the entry barrier is so high I'd rather put my time into less stressful hobbies. I hope you find my comment insightful.
I play Yu-Gi-Oh and the biggest hurdle I've met in playing other toys is rotation. Don't know if yugioh has spoiled me but I like knowing that my 100$ + deck will be at least legal in three four years but magic and vanguard have these really cool decks but have rotated out.
I mean magic and vanguard both also have eternal formats, just like Yu-Gi-Oh. But just like in Yugioh Magic keeps power creeping to hells end and making an artificial rotation, even in an eternal format.
The biggest barrier is definitely having the people to play with to begin with - games that are already established have a very easy monopoly on the culture as there will always be someone to play with. I'd basically have to teach everyone in my local community how to play vanguard myself - which i can't afford to do or have the time for. Vanguard does exceptionally poorly in England with most starter decks just becoming clearance items very quickly. I love the game and recently picked up Zero because of you, which is useful for my commute to work on the bus etc - but in terms of transferring that to real life it would just be too difficult, I already feel too out of the loop with card game culture and its so increasingly expensive. All the rarity systems become so lost on me as the competition for gacha/pack opening games fight for the sparkliest and most expensive pulls and I just have no interest in it. Its bad enough that you currently need 50 RRRs to get the stride spheres for 1 GR in Zero too - Which is why I can't even suggest that to friends either. The zero app is too buggy and the G Era, while being amazing, is something people can't often fully experience due to the fact that you have to pour EVERYTHING into one clan to play one clan to play it solidly, and that's even with paying money to boost your GR pulls since you may need support from multiple different packs. I love you DF and thanks for always being here on my vanguard journey, it was a huge part of me growing up online and I'm glad to continue supporting you and your channel up to this day.
Really glad that you made this video ! It might be weird but I honestly think a Master Duel counterpart won't be that effective. It's a big investment for Bushiroad and from what I saw of Master Duel, lot of people playing the game online aren't interested in playing IRL (as the opposite of Duel Links or other simpler mobile version of existing TCG like you said) Playing a TCG is an investment so, good pricing could help gathering more people. I was surprised to see a lot of people wanting to try VG only due to the cheap price of the Start Decks were cheap (i could even afford to gift them some decks lmao) Also, saying to newcomers that it's fine to start with a trial deck and only do some fights with friends occasionaly is fine I think we should get rid of the "Your deck won't be viable in 5 months, dedicate your life to the game now" mentality Letting newcomers experimenting by themselves and not be bothered by the competitive aspect is perfectly fine I also feel like majority of new physical card games works because they are linked to an already existing franchise (Digimon, Dragon Ball, One Piece soon or Final Fantasy) A brand new IP for a TCG seems too risky and creating an online game à la Hearthstone or Shadowverse is easier and more rentable I do not like collab sets in VG but it seems to kinda work, if people starts trying card games due to a collab, I'm 100 % in As a non-native english speaker, the other turnoff is the langage restriction I heard so many people playing other card games not wanting to test VG due to the english (or jp) language exclusivity For me, that's one of the main reason explaining the gap of popularity between Magic / Pokemon / YGO and VG Otherwise, besides a simple but original gameplay, great arts and aestetic, a cool anime if it's possible and maybe collabs I can't think of smth else to bring others It still seems hard to get into this hobby but I keep seeing more people trying TCG right now so i have big hopes that it will keep evolving Great video otherwise, keep the good job chief and glory to TCGs !
Me and my brother once tried to show vanguard to our friend. Sadly nobody is interested in playing. One of the reasons is that vanguard isnt so popular in our contry and no shops here have it. So yeah its really hard to enjoy it.
I'm honestly puzzled why Bushiroad hasn't given Vanguard the Master Duel treatment. They could reuse some code from Zero, and just program in new cards. Even if it was just overdress cards, I'd be happy. Of course, I think another huge aspect is being free to play friendly. Master Duel famously lets you build at least one full powered deck in a few hours if you focus hard enough. Zero is a cool game and all, but it takes a new player much more time to get going, and they aren't having any fun when they're so far behind.
Heck they can reuse code from vanguard ex. They can literally do better then master duel by just adding onto the story and possibly give us overdress story mode instead of the ex story
Also agreed on zero being for those that started day 1. Cuz rn its hard to catch up and make a deck they want to try cuz they no longer give generic packs to open those clan specific sets
I do have this relatively popular LGS near my neighborhood but for years I've always been too shy to show up and play. And then the pandemic happened. I feel bad for the owners and the regulars. Seeing the shop's social media, they've got a nice community there.
@@DifferentFight yeah, I think I'm finally ready. Can't stay in my shell forever. The infection numbers are steadily decreasing so hopefully they can start having MTG and Vanguard events again 😊
I got into vanguard recently because of overdress. I play mtg and when I saw vanguard back in 2018, I was like "Meh". But when vanguard got the ride deck which prevents bricking of decks, I got interested. I got into vanguard when I saw the SRP for the starter decks were $4. I bought all 6 starter decks. The price is low enough that I can give my friends their own decks they can play with. I've taught friends how to play tcgs like mtg commander using my decks and they really liked it but the price of a deck is too high for them. But with the low cost of entry, I can teach them and give them a deck they can start with and own.
A local that finally opened up in my town. it's been very hard to get more people wanting to play vanguard. lots of decks have been bought. and yet it feels like I'm the only one who plays. I've been the one to help teach new people the game. they seem to enjoy the game. But then that's it. they go back to your main game, which is understandable. I do feel as I'm not doing a better job at teaching the game and would wish we had a more tutorial. Or online game that more people can try it.
Whilst not really a barrier to entry I'd say the Vanguard Promos are an issue for player retention. Pursuit Assault has Aqua Force Players caught in a Civil War xD He's now more expensive than most AquaForce VRs due to his lack of avalibility. Adelaide is coming up aswell and will be a staple in Thavas decks. The deck just keeps getting Promo Cards that are required if you want to keep up. I understand that Clan Collections have limited space in them so Promos are a way to get more support but they are too harshly limited in terms of physical printings IMO. I think we really need these promos to be reprinted more rapidly or up the initial release by doubling the amount or something. Make them Box Toppers or include them in Trial Decks (as well as shop promos) so that they are actaully availible would help as there are many local shops that don't get these promos to begin with or get promos months behind schedule. They've done it before, The Demensional Robo Legion Leader was in the first Gear Chronicle trial deck.
And it's just as hard to get out,unless you're aware that TCGs have one of the most aggresive forms of planned obsolescence as the cardpool's made irrelevant quarterly, which is kind of why I'm moving out of it after Clan Collection 5 to appease the Switch backlog I've built in the time I played Vanguard.
man..in my place there is no card shops and no one knows about the card game except for Uno and Pokemon...don't even get me started on how we bought the cards
Fighting games was hard to get into was the FGC being so negative towards me and most other newbies, it's kinda gotten so egotistical and competitive to a point I just only play with friends and just avoid randoms as much as possible.
It's way better than it ever has been, there's countless resources out there where people are happy to help (where before people purposefully hid tech). Sounds like you're taking a single experience and trying to overly generalize that.
I think it depends on the sub-community you're surrounded by - I actually had the opposite and was overall met with a very supportive community get into things with GBVS
I think a good investment is a localised promotions through mainstream media like local television. People have heard of TCG like Vanguard but they dont know that if they are interested to get into it. Show them some DAIGO ads and they will go crazy haha.
Agreed man. Card games be expensive. Between competitive Yu-Gi-Oh, vanguard overdress, premium and zero...my wallet looking pretty beat up. I think card games need to become more accessible.
It might of been said, but the biggest issue I've seen besides just scheduling not working out, is the local community. I'm lucky enough to have a chill group of people to play with but I've heard different communities are very toxic and not welcoming.
lol yeah you need to invest money to have a decent deck, watch hours and hours of gameplay from youtube to actually be good and find an actual card shop in your local area that play that specific card game
Speaking from my own perspective here as someone who quit physical TCGs but played competitively for several years here are things I think would help. - Product pricing remaining low for competitive play. - Creating events to bring in marginalized players (see Princess Cups for Yugioh in Japan which are women only events) - Frequent Hype Proucers (animes, video game spin offs, videos like league does for champions) - F2P or cheap Digital Simulation (like tje vanguard video games or YGOpro, etc) I quit cuz the card game space was very weird about women which sucked for me and my girlfriend and because trying to chase money and best decks I developed basically a gambling addiction from opening packs and stuff.
Yeah in Japan most card games have women-only events and VG's female community is huge there too, but that kind of space is really severely lacking in the English scene for sure
@@DifferentFight Ya, like I know Pokémon has had some women top worlds but only in younger divisions, seems like they fall put when they get older idk if it's LCS issue or something else but I do think that's a huge market that a lot of these games lose.
The first part. That’s why we need a vanguard version of master duel. An online sim for vanguard would go crazy hard and will increase the player base and the spread of popularity. I know a lot of people who are interested in vanguard from me recommending them but can’t play cuz I live on a whole other island. With the sim I can teach them and they will have someone to play with. Not only that but we can play test decks without having to spend a lot of money if we don’t like the deck then we are safe from buying a bad deck. Then if we do and want to play it irl then we know what cards to get. Not only that but with the spread my friend then can spread it to his or her friends and they have people to play physical irl.
Agree, the Zero version is not fun at all
Agreed! A master duel vanguard edition would be sick. If only Vanguard Zero was a regular sim would've been way better
@@Rylek true whats funny is I heard that vanguard online was being created by the same person that developed vanguard zero but dropped vanguard online for zero. Its sad honestly we could have gotten both
@@allen2reckless676 That's sad, they probably saw the dollar signs of mobile with zero and couldn't resist. I mean it's the only official Vanguard sim and it's costs $29 usd for half an outdated structure deck...like seriously man wtf?
@@Rylek oh yeah thats whats funny about it no one buts those things. The inly time people picked up one was when we got one for free.
I think another big issue is just finding a place to play that hosts tournaments at a time that fits your schedule. The two shops I go to the most are about 25 minutes away in opposite directions making it easy to get to on weekends for Pokemon or Yugioh, but if I want to play Vanguard or Digimon I have to go out on a weekday during rush hour traffic since they don't host those games on weekends, which is tiring
This was my biggest barrier to entry. I can spend as much money as I want to on the cards but I'm not actually playing until I have someone to play with....
Papasea hey what a surprise big fan love your videos
Yeah this is especially huge in rural areas, at a certain age folks just don't have the availability to travel out 1 hour+ to locals once a week
Agreed! For me I have to travel about 1+ hours to get to any card shops in general. Not to mention ones that play my games and host tourneys on weekends
Ayo the editing was CLEAN for this video
That super convenient that you made this video. Yesterday I looked up my nearest card shop and was talking to friends about playing some more games (Gate Ruler being one of them) but they don't have much product for it.
Gate Ruler is awesome! Get a couple of starters decks and show the game to them.
I was just about to make a a comment about gate ruler. It’s an amazing game which I really wish people would be open to playing.
I've always lurked on the edges of TCG communities - I collected Pokemon TCG cards as a kid when it first released because I was into Pokemon at the time, then watched YGO as it aired on television (for the first time!) on tv in the US. But Vanguard is the first one to really hook me and get me into it thanks to the anime (I binged all 400+ episodes of all 3 series in the space of 2 months last year lol) and Zero being so easy to get into. So here's what I think Bushiroad is doing that's helpful (as a newbie):
1) Card effects staying consistent between anime and TCG. Zero is a different beast, with adaptations made for mobile, so differences make sense. But knowing that combo I saw *insert character here* use in the anime will work the same irl is really helpful when you're starting out and learning your combos.
2) Gorgeous artwork - I've managed to get a friend into Zero with how pretty the Genesis cards are.
3) Variety in mechanics - I pulled another friend in with how Silver Thorns plays very similarly to their favorite Magic the Gathering deck.
4) Collabs with other franchises - the aforementioned friend in point 3 is what got me to go into Vanguard TCG because Bushi reprinted the Touken Ranbu collab for Standard.
5) Just reprinting older cards into the current format - I know I saw a lot of people say "not again" with D-BT05 and the DOTE/MLB/PBO reprints, but for a newbie and fan of the anime like me, who missed that era in *both* TCG and Zero? It's a blessing.
But for all the good Bushiroad has done, the single biggest barrier for me (and I apologize in advance if this turns your comments into a total mess), even more than the fact the nearest local card shop that carries Vanguard is an hour plus away, is the fact I'm a girl. I've been in enough online gaming spaces (WoW, LoL, and more) over the past 20+ years to know that if I win, it's "luck". If I lose, "oh you're just a girl and you can't be as good as a guy". And that's before we get into what passes for "banter" (especially in competitive gaming spaces). I can, quite frankly, hide behind an anime avatar and ignore "banter" in Zero the way I can't irl - especially since Zero even lets me turn off emotes so I don't even have to deal with my opponent emote spamming me, so all that matters is my deck build and my skills against my opponent's, the way it should be. So if it wasn't for my one friend that made the jump to physical cards, I wouldn't even be playing physical Vanguard TCG, I'd be sticking to Zero. Maybe if Bushiroad did something like Master Duel where the cards are the same and I could play online without having to be on voice chat (like you'd have to for Bushi's Remote Fight), then I'd consider it - it'd just depend on how hard it'd be for me to rebuild my decks. Until then, it's Zero and the rare day where my friend and I have matching days off and we can spend an entire afternoon with the TCG over (phone) webcam - because it's never just *one* match with us lol.
Thank you very much for sharing! It's good to hear what things Bushi has done right that helps people get into the game, so I hope they see these kinds of remarks too.
And I replied to a similar content about this as well, but it's unfortunate that the female TCG player space really hasn't been explored much in English - in Japan it's basically an industry standard that all major (and even smaller) TCGs run women-exclusive tournaments, especially for Vanguard in Japan which has a really big female playerbase there. Really hope the stigma and perspectives of people would change over time, since in the end we're all the same fans of the same game gathering together over our joint passion.
@@DifferentFight tell bushi to get some cardshops in India please
Trading card games are like puzzles with pieces that fit differently every time you use them. And puzzles that are shared with other people's puzzles at the same time.
Everything has a barrier of entry, but card games are special in the way they seem so inexpensive or simple to collect cardboard and shuffle and go but every game has its own rules and they change between games. They're beautiful and fun bonding experiences to me, but outside looking in can always feel so daunting. I don't miss those early days when I thought Magic was intimidatingly complex or Vanguard AUTO skills could proc multiple times lol
I think a huge thing to mention is not only finding a community (which is hard in its own right) but keeping the community alive and stimulating growth. Both of those are incredibly difficult and I am currently struggling trying to keep my local community alive. I think a video talking about that subject would be amazing
Yeah breathing life into a community and keeping people motivating is SO damn hard at times
Hopefully Bushi reads/sees this. It would make all their games more accessible and fun!
I agree
Great video! It does take more effort and time to get into a TCG. And the person has to be really willing to go through it.
Excellent video. I’m in the process of making a card game myself, and putting this inherent issue of card games in the limelight gives me a hurdle I’ll have to overcome to really make a splash. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect
Glad to hear!
Nice 👍👍👍👍
personally i think the best way is through single player video games. learning magic through duels of the planeswalkers learning yugioh through the switch game that has a really long name learning shadowverse with their single player formats. it gives you the learning experiance and lets you learn at your own pace and then go into games against AI instead of real players to get more comforable with the experiance as a whole before hopping into master duel and taking on ranked play.
Pretty good point actually! I guess this is Vanguard's strength in Japanese too
I love TCGs. I barely have any time to play but I still keep up with Overdress sets and buy cards that I like. Overdress having cheap decks was such a good idea, it got me to try out all these different styles and add cards to my collection for a low price! Great video, you raise good points!
I'm sure a lot of people get into YuGiOh and Vanguard because of the anime. I don't think that is as effective now as it was a decade ago.
Yeah for sure, unless the anime heavily markets itself online or appeals to mainstream somehow
Yeah the current overdress anime is more plot then it is with the card fights. Although i like it this way becuase its more anime then just hey you fight/duel me every episode
I got introduced in early G and didn't know there was an anime, so people would use character names or anime references and they'd go right over my head, and my two local (weebs) were like "how did you not watch the anime?"
@@Br0oham lmao dont worry the first season or anime is was prerty good although if u play zero u know how annoying he sounds when he takes damage.
Hi! I think the most interesting move for bringing TCG home is made by Bandai right now. They're creating the online lobby for remote play, and even encourage people to participate freely by sending promo packs straight to their home! And they also open a session to play with their talents! Definitely something I want to see Bushiroad doing with their cardgame (although their Discord remote play server is also good imo)
One of the most unique things about TCGs is that it's a very noticeable activity. It takes up an entire table, and people will occasionally come by to take a look at what's going on. When they see how much fun you and your friends are having, it sparks something in them to perhaps give it a try as well, and I feel that this image is sometimes lost when people think of card games.
One of my issues like others have mentioned is finding a place and people to play with in a social setting, while also considering schedule and how time gated it can be. Due to that I've considered just card collecting but that becomes an expensive hobby as well...
I likely would have never gotten into Vanguard had it not been for Zero. Lockdown started, friend was like "Oh hey this new Vanguard game came out" and with little to no initiative to the series prior I was like "Eh, why not? If I get into it I get into it, and if not at least I tried."
Well, turns out I got into it lol. From Day 1 onward, Novas gave me a home in the game digitally and physically as a fan of fashionable aggression, and one of my finest memories is building my Spinning Valiant deck from scratch with merely singles and seeing what kind of high-damage plussing chaos I could ensue. Here's hoping others can grasp that curiosity as well!
Bro same zero got me into the tcg version
That's genuinely awesome to hear, thank you for sharing!
As always, the way you explain concepts is amazing, even to me (I’m italian) i don’t need subtitles to understand for how clear you are. Anyway, I recently got into Vanguard, and I’m loving it so much that i somehow forced one of my friends to get into it (because in my area there is no one playing it)🤣. What I think is that Vanguard (i’m speaking of that) really needs an official virtual game to get people more into the game. I’m a Yu-Gi-Oh player (been playing since 10 years almost) and I would say that a game, or another way to sponsor the game, would considerably increase the player base. Sorry for my bad english, hope I’ve been clear and I’m curious to know what you guys think about it
Something that kept me coming back to trying online TCGs was my fascination for strategy and how important and powerful strategy is IRL.
I always liked watching RTS games but they always seemed too finnicky being real-time with all the awkward controls and dull with the unit generation systems they use.
I tried a lot of different ones but the only one I stuck with so far is Legends of Runeterra.
That game is the exact opposite extreme of what I watched my best friend do years ago, which was dropping tens of thousands of $$$ on physical MTG cards.
As of right now its showcasing the game via the Anime and the Mobile format.
I think how you introduce people to card games is to sell the characters/ creatures hard. People pick up Vanguard because "oh this girl looks cute" or "oh wow this Dragon looks cool!" Or "Ooh! This reminds me of this one thing I really like". Then needing readily accessible availability, such as being able to pick it up at any general store or hobby shop akin to Magic, Pokemon, and YGO.
YGO had a solid enough anime to push its product, Pokemon had a Video Game AND anime, and MTG has just been around for so long.
Perhaps we could look into expanding whay kind of media Vanguard has such as a Fighter, or an Action RPG. Imagine it (hue)
A Vanguard themed fighter with the OverDress boss characters using iconography seen in the card game. Or an Action Adventure RPG that follows a cast of characters as they travel across cray and tying key locations and characters to the card game and even possibly influencing the card game as well.
The things I would do for a VG-themed fighting game...
@@DifferentFight i would say the designs of the Cross-Cray epic characters lend themselves to be replicatable enough to transfer into a Fighter (tho add a Lyrical representative or two to seal the deal maybe? uwu)
It needs to emphasize the characters/units FROM Cray though. It makes Cray feel more like an actual world thay can connect to earth as to make the worlds bond through Vanguard all the more concrete in-universe.
Unfortunately Vanguard Zero is the only way for me to play vanguard. I've thought about getting into remote fight, but I have no way to play test decks. And it seems silly to invest in a bunch of decks and cards and not really get to test them to see if I even like them before trying to take it and duel strangers...
I'm going to my first shop tournament for Vanguard tomorrow, so I'm extremely excited.
For me, I have a heavy problem getting motivated when the game is already many sets ahead. I really love joining in when the game first released. It gets really overwhelming.
Good luck in the tournament!
@@stephencrawley2862 Thanks!
Good luck at locals!
There's a lot of new blood that can completely overwhelm OGs, so don't lose that motivation bud!
@@DifferentFight Thanks! I was super nervous too.
Gonna have tons of fun today.
This video is crazy convenient lol. I just talking to my friends about this recent tcg I've been playing called Gate Ruler. I was explaining how its cheap, has viable starter decks, and is very innovative... everything a lot of mainstream tcgs are lacking right now I feel. I definitely have been hopping over hurdles even spending my own money to promote the game and get stores/people to play it. Its definitely a game that saved me from giving up tcg's all together.
I like your view on this a lot and agree with most things you say.
I must however state that I found LoL to be a weird example of a game that's easy to get into through watching it, regardless of whether you have friends who play it or not. The few times I have watched any MOBA game, I've just been sitting there, understanding absolutely nothing of what's happening.
I definitely do agree with the fighting game point. Fighting games are like Othello: very easy to understand, but very difficult to master.
Finally, As someone who has hosted card game tournaments of games that haven't even released in my own country, and has played card games for over 20 years: Yes. Card games are ridiculously difficult to get into. A lot of effort, little explanation, rotations, banlists, formats... It just goes on and on. But man, is it worth it. Card games are just soooo good. Man, I miss playing card games regularly...
We definitely need the digital simulator for Vanguard. It's definitely the future for Bushiroad to take. Plus, it could be revival for older TCGs *coughs* Buddyfight *coughs*
A friend and I are going to host a tutorial session for Vanguard this summer in hopes of getting more people into the game, and hopefully we can get our local game shop to stock some Vanguard products (which in turn could attract more to the game).
That's really awesome, hope it goes well!
I'm playing Trading Card Games for 'bout 20+ years. It's such an amazing hobby, but I agree with every point in the video. I personally try to convince my friends to play TCG's especially Vanguard. If they came over the part of to get to know, they're love it. Best what we as regular player can do, show them what we do.
Great video! I thought all of your points were pretty spot on, and compounding those are factors like "Is there even a LGS near me that hosts events for this game?" I also think the social aspect, while one of the best parts of physical TCGs, can also be a barrier for entry, especially if you're alone. I think can be difficult to work up the confidence/effort to venture to a store (sometimes traveling an hour or more), knowing that you won't know anyone, and having no idea if those people will welcome you or not. And I think this is even more of a barrier for more underrepresented populations in the community, such as women. It can be even more intimidating for them to go alone into what is frequently a male-dominated space (and that may be perceived sexist or toxic, whether that's true or not for the specific location). For this reason, I think when new players show up at locals, it's super important for experienced players to welcome them, since a bad initial first experience can definitely turn someone off the game entirely.
Semi-relatedly, in my experience as a cosplayer and in general fandom spaces, there's definitely a section of the fans of most TCGs that are more interested in the art, lore, anime, or other aspects, who don't play the TCG or interact with it only casually. I've been shocked at the number of people at cons who have recognized my VG cosplays who just watch the anime. It would be nice to foster more interaction between those communities, since they sometimes feel weirdly distinct despite enjoying the same franchise, though I'm not sure how you would go about that.
Oh that’s 100% true! Both in what you mentioned about being introduced to a local community, and the huge part of this community that just love the Vanguard franchise without necessarily going ham on the card game itself. Would be cool to see Bushiroad give a little something extra to those kinds of fans too!
An amazing game is FE Cipher(R.I.P.). Really wish it had an online client to be able to play it. Looking forward to more of your videos about that game as well
Same man I wish I got to play cipher in its hay day
So i have a question . In zero global can u pay the money even if u are from a country were it is not available like India. Is it safe?
I don't think having to google to find what's currently meta is a unique barrier to entry for TCGs. You can apply that same train of thought to any of your examples that have any sort of competitive scene, from League to fighting games. Just as you don't need to know who's top tier in a fighting game to play it, you don't need to have any knowledge of what's top tier in a TCG.
Yeah for sure, but the difference is that in the other examples you've already started playing before you even think of searching that, whereas for TCGs you wanna try and save yourself from careless spending to maximise on your early purchases before you even get started (not for all players, but that kind of audience does exist)
As a kid I was quite the fan for Yugioh, though that only amounted to the anime. I wasn't interested in an actual cardgame until I got to know about Shadowverse, even then I had no intention of playing. Until I got to know about Vanguard because of the anime, then I was instantly hooked. The anime made me really want to play the game, and I also have the card designs & art to thank for my interest. I was in love.
Unfortunately I live in Brazil, thanks to that I can't even play the mobile game through normal means. Sigh, so I'm just a lurker for now. And doesn't help that I got hooked to the New Digimon TCG and now Wixoss started crawling inside my interests as well. So many games xD
Yeah it's pretty rough for Brazilian players due to a lot of TCG companies not willing to export normally and invest into the LATAM scene, I've met quite a few players from the bigger cities in Brazil that do belong to some communities but I've heard that it's still a huge barrier of entry even then
@@DifferentFight Oh count me surprised. I'm actually happy that I'm not the only brasilian who's into vanguard xD
@@mikxl2352 some of us exist, in the shadow(not verse)
@@mikxl2352 I get so mad everytime I think about it. Me and my brother we love Vanguard but it's soooooo expensive to try to get the cards in Brazil due to them not selling it here. Like, it's actually almost unviable to play even online games sometimes.
@@Jackal_17 Vanguard definitely needs an online game just as Shadowverse or YGO Master Duel.
I remembered that time buddyfight was advertised oh Cartoon Network in the U.S
Awesome video as always ❤❤❤❤
For me I get into them through video game format (preferably pc or console not mobile) to figure out if it is for me before becoming a fan.
So recently I got into magic for the second time and I have been having fun but like I said this is the second time so how I got into it the first time was I went in to my local gamestore and they were doing an event where the gave out 2 half decks and you could pick the colors and they got some one to teach you how to play all for free and I know that vanguard isn't most likely gonna do this but that's how I got into magic the first time
I think the main barrier is location and accessibility. Because for me where I'm literally nobody plays Vanguard.
Just sharing my experience of getting into cardgames, I wanted to try Digimon TGC and Battle Spirits for a long time but I don't have the time and energy to learn to use a simulator, make a deck in a not so intuitive way and after all of that try and look for someone on a random discord who would be down to play with a new player. Doing all of that takes a lot.
Then Master Duel came out. I knew next to nothing of modern Yugioh and never even really considered trying to get into the game at all. I got 20 hours on the game on the first week and managed to get to gold 1 because it made playing and deckbuilding extremely convenient and intuitive.
I just wish that I have local communities like some of you have in the TCG genre.
Well Bushiroad can make a multi platform cardfight vanguard game that is only about the old era and old cards and similar to real game but just only old school cards like at the beginning of the game it will be good like they don't have to be afraid of losing player of the game
Definitely agree that online platform really helps to boost interest in a TCG.
Still hope that Cardfight Online will someday become a reality
Today it will be the first time i going to a card store. I hope it will be a nice experience to see people and play Vanguard in this community
Hope you enjoy it, feel free to share afterwards how it went!
Hope you enjoy it, feel free to share afterwards how it went!
A lot of my IRL's are heavily into TCG's. I've been trying to get into higher level Yu-Gi-Oh, Vanguard, Weiss, Digimon and Magic but it can be rough sometimes.
I really loved vanguard when it came out, spent some money to get a starter deck, but as in introvert I don’t like going out much. Hence I drop the game. It’s only after vanguard zero is out where I finally get back to tcg game again
Vanguard already had their start with the online stuff with CFV EX on switch, only thing is that they don't update it nor they released it on the west. I mean sure, it was from years ago but it would be great if they take the idea of EX, implement it online and BAM, we have our own master duel.
I was already going to locals for yugioh, but my way into Vanguard was having my best friend's mate just approached me and a friend and asked if we played Vanguard, we replied that no, we did not. He sits 2 decks on the table and goes "now you do, pick which deck you'd like each and i'll show you" and that was super cool.
I think the closest a card game has gotten to that that i've seen is Vanguard making the oD Starter Decks, buying those at 7AUD each was such a good way for new people to try it, but it tripped over itself because Australia got (and still gets) hardly any stock for overDress
My experiences have almost always just been people (friends or randoms) asking if I do play a game, and offering a deck to try in order to introduce me
Yeah, I did that to couple of my friends, sitting with 10+ updated decks with no one to play with is just sad.
Cardgamers Rise UP
I think that in my city the community that plays vanguard on phisic is almost inexistent , there is a yugi-oh comunity ,and i was part of it like 7 years ago, but now i 'm feeling like wanna try vanguard on physic but more than the covid , the problem is that i dont have anyone or anywhere to play it
My problem getting into card games is not much the money but social anxiety I wish I can jump into it but I’m a 32 male who struggle approaching people
don't worry too much about age. I'm 30 yrs old and I literally don't even know the ages of the people I've been playing against at locals. I just want to play a card game. You're not too old or too young to just play with people. If you like the game, just play the game :) No one is who is serious about playing the game and having fun is going to be worrying about how old you are!
Just got my first weiss schwarz deck today, Mushoku tensei. Only because I love the anime, I;ve heard this game is dumb expensive sometimes and after playing some matches I'm not big on the gameplay anyway. but the fact I can have cards of these characters is awesome.
Anyway I love the art work of cards and how I have to think to play a deck, pulling amazing cards. Pulled my first dsr in set 4 of overdress and was jumping about. I win locals and I'm as hell. Even bricking with a bad hand can be funny with how I top deck 4 heals sometimes and it's funny and ridiculous it is. Price is it's only problem but I save and save and the stuff I get out of it is worth it. Can't wait for my first spring fest in london
I always wanted to try weiss schwarz but could never get into it becuase idk honestly. Maybe cuz buddy fight came out that time and it was cooler cuz it uad an anime teaching me the game like what vanguard does for like every season lol. But yeah card games in general get expensive. Its one of those expensive hobbies
Okey for ws doesn’t update so you got the mti deck for life 😃
I feel player organized demo days and casual play days are the way to go. If you can have an lgs to advertise it on their social media you can attract lots of potential players that, of course, will mostly come from other tcgs. But sometimes they will bring a friend not familiar with any tcg, and that is when new people get to know the hobby. In 2019 we got a player organized demo day have 30 people wanting to try the game. Soon after the pandemic started and everything went south.
In my experience, people from outside the hobby usually know what the hurdles of entry are, but they think they are not worth it, specially having to update the decks. It's definitely as hard as having someone learn a sport they never played before.
This is extra problematic in small but really dedicated communities, where a small number of people play, but most of them are somewhat competitive. The bar is really high for new players.
I'm too sad I found this video one year too late, yet I still believe its content is current.
For me, one of the main hurdles is to stay current in the meta. Sure, I can get good at handling my own deck, but the second the new expansion comes and makes my deck inviable, what am I supposed to do? Chuck another bunch of cash just to renew the deck? It's frustrating, just to say the least!
The second hurdle is that in my experience, god forbid you don't have friends who are into TCGs. Stores and other players basically expect you to go full competitive - I literally had that said to my face one time.
I like TCGs in theory. But in practice the effort and the entry barrier is so high I'd rather put my time into less stressful hobbies.
I hope you find my comment insightful.
I play Yu-Gi-Oh and the biggest hurdle I've met in playing other toys is rotation. Don't know if yugioh has spoiled me but I like knowing that my 100$ + deck will be at least legal in three four years but magic and vanguard have these really cool decks but have rotated out.
I mean magic and vanguard both also have eternal formats, just like Yu-Gi-Oh. But just like in Yugioh Magic keeps power creeping to hells end and making an artificial rotation, even in an eternal format.
The biggest barrier is definitely having the people to play with to begin with - games that are already established have a very easy monopoly on the culture as there will always be someone to play with. I'd basically have to teach everyone in my local community how to play vanguard myself - which i can't afford to do or have the time for. Vanguard does exceptionally poorly in England with most starter decks just becoming clearance items very quickly. I love the game and recently picked up Zero because of you, which is useful for my commute to work on the bus etc - but in terms of transferring that to real life it would just be too difficult, I already feel too out of the loop with card game culture and its so increasingly expensive. All the rarity systems become so lost on me as the competition for gacha/pack opening games fight for the sparkliest and most expensive pulls and I just have no interest in it. Its bad enough that you currently need 50 RRRs to get the stride spheres for 1 GR in Zero too - Which is why I can't even suggest that to friends either. The zero app is too buggy and the G Era, while being amazing, is something people can't often fully experience due to the fact that you have to pour EVERYTHING into one clan to play one clan to play it solidly, and that's even with paying money to boost your GR pulls since you may need support from multiple different packs.
I love you DF and thanks for always being here on my vanguard journey, it was a huge part of me growing up online and I'm glad to continue supporting you and your channel up to this day.
Really glad that you made this video !
It might be weird but I honestly think a Master Duel counterpart won't be that effective. It's a big investment for Bushiroad and from what I saw of Master Duel, lot of people playing the game online aren't interested in playing IRL (as the opposite of Duel Links or other simpler mobile version of existing TCG like you said)
Playing a TCG is an investment so, good pricing could help gathering more people. I was surprised to see a lot of people wanting to try VG only due to the cheap price of the Start Decks were cheap (i could even afford to gift them some decks lmao)
Also, saying to newcomers that it's fine to start with a trial deck and only do some fights with friends occasionaly is fine
I think we should get rid of the "Your deck won't be viable in 5 months, dedicate your life to the game now" mentality
Letting newcomers experimenting by themselves and not be bothered by the competitive aspect is perfectly fine
I also feel like majority of new physical card games works because they are linked to an already existing franchise (Digimon, Dragon Ball, One Piece soon or Final Fantasy)
A brand new IP for a TCG seems too risky and creating an online game à la Hearthstone or Shadowverse is easier and more rentable
I do not like collab sets in VG but it seems to kinda work, if people starts trying card games due to a collab, I'm 100 % in
As a non-native english speaker, the other turnoff is the langage restriction
I heard so many people playing other card games not wanting to test VG due to the english (or jp) language exclusivity
For me, that's one of the main reason explaining the gap of popularity between Magic / Pokemon / YGO and VG
Otherwise, besides a simple but original gameplay, great arts and aestetic, a cool anime if it's possible and maybe collabs
I can't think of smth else to bring others
It still seems hard to get into this hobby but I keep seeing more people trying TCG right now so i have big hopes that it will keep evolving
Great video otherwise, keep the good job chief and glory to TCGs !
Me and my brother once tried to show vanguard to our friend. Sadly nobody is interested in playing. One of the reasons is that vanguard isnt so popular in our contry and no shops here have it. So yeah its really hard to enjoy it.
This happen to me also
Nichijou title card let's go
I'm honestly puzzled why Bushiroad hasn't given Vanguard the Master Duel treatment. They could reuse some code from Zero, and just program in new cards. Even if it was just overdress cards, I'd be happy. Of course, I think another huge aspect is being free to play friendly. Master Duel famously lets you build at least one full powered deck in a few hours if you focus hard enough. Zero is a cool game and all, but it takes a new player much more time to get going, and they aren't having any fun when they're so far behind.
Heck they can reuse code from vanguard ex. They can literally do better then master duel by just adding onto the story and possibly give us overdress story mode instead of the ex story
Also agreed on zero being for those that started day 1. Cuz rn its hard to catch up and make a deck they want to try cuz they no longer give generic packs to open those clan specific sets
I do have this relatively popular LGS near my neighborhood but for years I've always been too shy to show up and play. And then the pandemic happened. I feel bad for the owners and the regulars. Seeing the shop's social media, they've got a nice community there.
Might be worth to pop by if you ever get a chance!
@@DifferentFight yeah, I think I'm finally ready. Can't stay in my shell forever. The infection numbers are steadily decreasing so hopefully they can start having MTG and Vanguard events again 😊
I think Demo deck days are always great ideas. And a way to give people cards
I got into vanguard recently because of overdress. I play mtg and when I saw vanguard back in 2018, I was like "Meh". But when vanguard got the ride deck which prevents bricking of decks, I got interested. I got into vanguard when I saw the SRP for the starter decks were $4. I bought all 6 starter decks. The price is low enough that I can give my friends their own decks they can play with. I've taught friends how to play tcgs like mtg commander using my decks and they really liked it but the price of a deck is too high for them. But with the low cost of entry, I can teach them and give them a deck they can start with and own.
A local that finally opened up in my town. it's been very hard to get more people wanting to play vanguard. lots of decks have been bought. and yet it feels like I'm the only one who plays. I've been the one to help teach new people the game. they seem to enjoy the game. But then that's it. they go back to your main game, which is understandable. I do feel as I'm not doing a better job at teaching the game and would wish we had a more tutorial. Or online game that more people can try it.
Yeah it is an issue, and some people just wanna play at home with their friends and don't know the appeal of locals yet
Whilst not really a barrier to entry I'd say the Vanguard Promos are an issue for player retention.
Pursuit Assault has Aqua Force Players caught in a Civil War xD
He's now more expensive than most AquaForce VRs due to his lack of avalibility. Adelaide is coming up aswell and will be a staple in Thavas decks. The deck just keeps getting Promo Cards that are required if you want to keep up.
I understand that Clan Collections have limited space in them so Promos are a way to get more support but they are too harshly limited in terms of physical printings IMO.
I think we really need these promos to be reprinted more rapidly or up the initial release by doubling the amount or something. Make them Box Toppers or include them in Trial Decks (as well as shop promos) so that they are actaully availible would help as there are many local shops that don't get these promos to begin with or get promos months behind schedule. They've done it before, The Demensional Robo Legion Leader was in the first Gear Chronicle trial deck.
And it's just as hard to get out,unless you're aware that TCGs have one of the most aggresive forms of planned obsolescence as the cardpool's made irrelevant quarterly, which is kind of why I'm moving out of it after Clan Collection 5 to appease the Switch backlog I've built in the time I played Vanguard.
man..in my place there is no card shops and no one knows about the card game except for Uno and Pokemon...don't even get me started on how we bought the cards
I wish it was easier to grow a tcg community, we are starting a cfv playing group in Murcia (Spain) but it's so hard to get people into it
I know your pain, it's so damn hard
Fighting games was hard to get into was the FGC being so negative towards me and most other newbies, it's kinda gotten so egotistical and competitive to a point I just only play with friends and just avoid randoms as much as possible.
It's way better than it ever has been, there's countless resources out there where people are happy to help (where before people purposefully hid tech). Sounds like you're taking a single experience and trying to overly generalize that.
I think it depends on the sub-community you're surrounded by - I actually had the opposite and was overall met with a very supportive community get into things with GBVS
Awesome
This video just came up when im trying to get into vanguard TCG uwu im waiting for the new ride line
We seriously just need a Master Duel counterpart. Like desperately.
People just need to give it a try and after that they will want to keep playing. Example: UNO its realy simple but once you start you keep pleying it
@@edea_oblige true
I think a good investment is a localised promotions through mainstream media like local television. People have heard of TCG like Vanguard but they dont know that if they are interested to get into it. Show them some DAIGO ads and they will go crazy haha.
I dont eveb have any shop of vanguard nor yugioh in my country
Agreed man. Card games be expensive. Between competitive Yu-Gi-Oh, vanguard overdress, premium and zero...my wallet looking pretty beat up. I think card games need to become more accessible.
True that
Blaze next Month
It might of been said, but the biggest issue I've seen besides just scheduling not working out, is the local community.
I'm lucky enough to have a chill group of people to play with but I've heard different communities are very toxic and not welcoming.
Bushi needs to make a solid online platform already, they've wasted sooooooooooooooooooooooo much time and opportunity for too long
Very nice video idea and execution
It is Ho but Hee worth it Hee Ho
Thank you Jack Frost from Soul Hackers 2
@@oshysplashers your welcome Ho you epic Hee Ho
Americans watching this video: “What the hell is a flat mate????”
I have a biast for card games so it's not that hard
It's not rocket science. Magic (MTGA) did it, Yu-Gi-Oh (Master Duel) did it. Creating an online game sim promotes the game and increases revenue.
lol yeah you need to invest money to have a decent deck, watch hours and hours of gameplay from youtube to actually be good and find an actual card shop in your local area that play that specific card game
Speaking from my own perspective here as someone who quit physical TCGs but played competitively for several years here are things I think would help.
- Product pricing remaining low for competitive play.
- Creating events to bring in marginalized players (see Princess Cups for Yugioh in Japan which are women only events)
- Frequent Hype Proucers (animes, video game spin offs, videos like league does for champions)
- F2P or cheap Digital Simulation (like tje vanguard video games or YGOpro, etc)
I quit cuz the card game space was very weird about women which sucked for me and my girlfriend and because trying to chase money and best decks I developed basically a gambling addiction from opening packs and stuff.
Yeah in Japan most card games have women-only events and VG's female community is huge there too, but that kind of space is really severely lacking in the English scene for sure
@@DifferentFight Ya, like I know Pokémon has had some women top worlds but only in younger divisions, seems like they fall put when they get older idk if it's LCS issue or something else but I do think that's a huge market that a lot of these games lose.