Analysis of common patterns in the banlists of Trading Card Games

Abstract

This thesis is an analysis of various balancing issues in Trading Card Games (TCGs), based on the lists of banned cards they have developed over the years. Two such games were analysed, and several recurring categories of banned cards were found. A new TCG was then developed and tested to verify the results. While rule variations resulted in slight deviations, the results mostly matched expectations, suggesting that the basic patterns are likely a commonality between most TCGs. Overall this research should give designers a suggestion for what to consider when developing a TCG, or even a similar game, as some of these concepts can be extended to other genres. It should also serve as a foundation for further research on the development of such games and how balance shifts with the introduction of new cards.