Bandai has released a wide array of TCGs. Some expected the introduction of One Piece’ TCG of the same name and brand new IP “Battle Spirits Saga” (BSS) to phase out people’s interest in the game, as Digimon largely did Dragonball Super’s game. People continue to watch and play Digimon TCG worldwide. Dragonball and One Piece are juggernauts of the anime industry, however the former stopped receiving as frequent support as Bandai shifted its focus to get people to play Digimon TCG.
Luckily, the same approach was not taken when implementing One Piece, and soon after, BSS. One Piece has kept initial steam due to steady content cycles and a juggernaut IP. BSS, a brand new IP, has struggled to match expectations. Despite cash prizing and expensive prize cards, player turnout has dwindled, often with the lowest turnout of the main three Bandai games. Digimon may not be the cultural phenomenon that Dragonball and One Piece are, but a wide range of media in the form of V-Pets, Anime, Movies, Video Games and the TCG keeps the series in the hearts and minds of its dedicated fanbase. Amongst the fanbase there are passionate content creators that keep people wanting to play Digimon TCG.
Source: Bandai
A Preview into the future – How the East plays Digimon TCG
As the game is ahead in sets in the east, we in the west tend to have an idea of how new decks will play and expected meta threats thanks to extensive coverage. This is made easier thanks to English speaking content creators.
Discussions and Breakdowns
East is one of the go to English creators for keeping up with the Asian meta. His weekly breakdowns of winning and topping decks allows for players to keep up with what’s strong ahead of time. There are also deck lists for the standout performers. Hoang Zero, a 2 personality team hold joint discussions and create Tier Lists for upcoming sets based on testing ahead of time and Eastern results. The duo also are known for deck building, bringing some interesting takes on popular decks and a buzzing Discord community filled with creative deck builders and deck discussions.
Gameplay
For gameplay, DPP Channel shows Top Table matches at events they attend. You can see top decks in motion in a tournament setting. His videos feature a memory gauge and renders of important cards for visual learners. They also show sped up gameplay with commentary over the top. For more scripted best of 1 gameplay of new decks in motion, Rustmarrow showcases TTS matchups, and CardProtagonist and co-star “Paddy” play high production value showcases with the physical cards.
Western Content Creators Play Digimon TCG
In the west, production value for gameplay. Luisthepanda and PrimitiveKage have both left Digimon for other TCGs, but were pioneers of sped up locals matches with commentary. For DPP-esque full bells and whistles, with card previews and more. There’s not much in the way of casual content for the Digimon TCG, as most of it revolves around competition. Standout channels that offer variety besides Deck Profiles are B3NB3N, with his Skits and Vlogs alongside Proxy based Digimon content, and Taste of Victory with Similar. For those keeping up with the web-novel, Digi-Panda does frequent Digimon Seekers readings alongside deck profiles, and buying guides as a dedicated collector.
Creators at the top
Collectors will likely be familiar with Mario’s Gaming World. He’s a Day Trader and Digimon Player that does weekly Market Watch content. This is to help prospective traders stay in the know and get ahead of the game. With frequent event tops under his belt, his speedy deck profiles, abrasive personality and no nonsense approach to the game may not be for everyone. As one of the few non family friendly content creators, the community coined “Lord Farquaad lookalike” is one of the largest Digimon creators on YouTube and Twitch. He’s currently pushing for Twitch’s Partner Plus scheme. Fellow Canadian AVAULT has the highest production value Deck Profiles on YouTube. It comes complete with simple combo guides.
The other largest active creator is Dragonball, One Piece, BSS and Digimon commentator TheEgman. For western results and statistics he is by and large the face of Events, with his own website to find recent results and winning lists all in one place.
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