Join Rob Smith as he shares his experience transitioning from other collectible card games to Redemption!
Editor’s Note:
There are various paths that lead to someone discovering and enjoying the game of Redemption. Some learn about the game in grade school and grow up with it as their main collectible card game and either stick with the game into adulthood or take a break somewhere in college/later and after a hiatus they return. Others learn about the game as adults and start trying to pick it up. And there is another group of folks who are very experienced with other collectible card games such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic the Gathering and they start to play Redemption after having extensive experience in other collectible card games. This adjustment to Redemption can be challenging for some gamers and especially trying to be competitive at Redemption. In this article a player who has successfully transitioned to Redemption after being quite competitive in other CCG’s blesses the community with their experience. We hope this article series is a blessing to all who are trying to pick up the game of Redemption.
Introduction:
Hello Redemption community! My name is Rob Smith. I also go by Demonhunter85 on the Discord as well as the forums. I am very humbled to be asked to write a couple different articles to be posted here on the Land of Redemption site! The first one will be about switching from secular trading card games into our faith based one Redemption. The second article will go over some deck building topics from my own personal experiences. I hope that you find the information in these articles helpful and insightful.
The Story:
In order to jump right in I have to give you a little back story about me. I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD up until the age of 11. At that point in my life my father passed away from lung cancer. Being 11 and my brother 9 it was a very tough time. About a year and a half later my mom started dating someone who is now my step-dad. He was attending New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Once my mom was engaged she packed us up and moved us across country. Little did I know that move would introduce me to trading card games. My mom was remarried and we lived at the seminary while my dad finished school. They had a recreation area where you could play games and sports. I still remember to this day me and my brother walked in and met a man by the name of Tom Clark. He showed us that he and some of his friends were playing a game called Redemption. This was about the time of the release of the Apostles set. My brother and I bought some cards and just played casually with the other guys. I remember I ran a Purple and Gold offense with a Gray and Black defense. (Who wouldn’t want to run Authority of Christ and Wrath of Satan?) We attended Nationals that year in Pittsburgh and the following year which was held at the seminary. Nothing really ever became of the hobby after that as we moved back to Maryland. I sold all my cards and life began as I started attending a local community college.
Fast forward to the year 2011. My brother and I were walking through Wal-Mart and saw the card game aisle. We said as a joke hey let’s start to play one. We picked up some Yu-Gi-Oh starter decks and packs. This was the real beginning to me and him playing card games competitively. Every time we went to the store (or out in general) we made an excuse to go buy cards. One day, we were at a local flea market and noticed a vendor selling Yu-Gi-Oh singles. We obviously stopped and picked some up. While speaking with the vendor he mentioned that he ran a local card shop and they had local tournaments each week. Why would we not want to do that? Find some friends who also play the game and see how good we really are? Great idea. We got plugged in and rarely missed a tournament. It was a long time before me or my brother even won a game at these locals. We also found out how the tournament circuit works. For those who do not know I’ll explain. You attend a regional or YCS (Yu-Gi-Oh Championship Series). You have to make top 32 at a regional to be invited to the national tournament. If you make top 32 at the national tournament you are invited to play at the world championship. A short year and a half after entering the card shop I attended a Philadelphia Regionals. I placed 18th out of over 600 players with a record of 8-2. My first big win in a card game. And I received my invitation to play at the national level. I did not go because shortly after that I stopped playing the game. I was dating who would be my wife now and I was more focused on that. I eventually sold all my cards and quit Yu-Gi-Oh.
Another time jump to late 2014 to early 2015. My daughter was born and at the time I had picked up another card game. This time it was Pokemon. Some of my friends at the time were playing and wanted to know if I would play with them. I was missing that feeling of competition and playing card games so it didn’t take too much convincing on their part. Also, my wife jumped into the action as well. We bought some cards and started down this path of playing Pokemon. It wasn’t too long before we found a card shop that hosted local tournaments and some of our friends also wanted to go with us. We did attend one major tournament and if I remember correctly we all got smashed. We were shown very quickly that Pokemon is not just for kids and the competitive scene is brutal. This reignited my fighting spirit and I started down the path I traveled in growing as I did in Yu-Gi-Oh. We played for about a year and a half. Near the end of that time I hit a hot streak. At that local card shop I set a record there. I won locals 12 weeks in a row! It was at that point I was making a name for myself and people were trying to deck build around my deck. Shortly after life got a hold of me and once again I quit the card game. I sold my collection and moved on.
Now I know what you must be thinking. This guy is such a quitter. That may seem like the case but I can assure you there were other factors involved. In the year 2019 I would come to another card game and this one would be different. One day I was talking to my brother and I said, “remember when we used to play that card game at the seminary?” I looked online to see if it was still around. Much to my surprise, not only was it still around but booming. The game had come a long way since Kings (the set released when I left the game). We were on the verge of Lineage of Christ being released and there were a lot of new mechanics. The Reserve, Territory Class cards, new card faces, Cloud icon, and The Second Coming replacing the old New Jerusalem. I was blown away. I found the Discord and joined. Not too long after I met Derek at Your Turn Games and the rest is history. I have been back in Redemption going on three years now which trumps all my old card games and how long I was with them. That game I knew little about back at the seminary is now a big part of my life.
I’m sure you may be wondering the difference as to why this one has stayed with me longer than the others. The short answer is the community. I will explain this with a little more detail. Transitioning from one card game to another can most certainly be difficult. Rules might be similar but they might also have differences. As in the other card games you want to reach your win condition the fastest. We don’t deal in life points or prize cards. We deal in Lost Souls. Every card game I played you had to get to your win condition before your opponent so that means speed was a necessity. One thing we don’t have in Redemption is a deck out win condition like the others. Also, Yu-Gi-Oh has decks that “burn” your opponent’s life points as opposed to attacking them. Pokemon does not have a Reserve or side deck like Redemption and Yu-Gi-Oh respectively. There are definitely minor differences within the games but overall the decks that are the most consistent and get through their resources the quickest will win. Whether that is trying to summon your boss monster, setting up the perfect Pokemon to swing for the prize cards, or in Redemption posing a the best threat with your rescues so your opponent cannot answer. They even use similar terms such as remove from game or bounce. If you have played other games you can easily adjust to Redemption with a lot of similar mechanics. The struggle comes from the toxic communities the other games have. Now I have known and met good and honest players from all of the games. Not everyone is up to no good in the secular games. But in Redemption this community stands out. When I went to Regionals with the other games you have to hold on to your stuff or it will get stolen. Cheating is everywhere in them and people will not blink an eye before trying to take advantage of you. If you don’t know your card prices they will trade you a 5 dollar card for your 40 dollar one by trying to convince you that you need it. Deck lists are more secretive as it is definitely more cut throat and survival of the fittest. I encourage anyone willing to give Redemption a try to know this is not the case here. It doesn’t mean you won’t find a mean player but they are few and far between. Open discussions and the willingness to help one another is why I have stayed so long. It does feel like a giant family. If you have that card game experience you will definitely pick up on things in Redemption easier because the mechanics are similar. There will be things you need to learn that are different but this community is extremely helpful. I encourage you if you are considering it just jump right in. Join the Discord and the forums. The transition is not as scary as you might think. Instead of players waiting for you to mess up so they can jump you and take advantage, this community is full of Good Samaritans who won’t let you lie on the path beaten. And Nationals is often referred to as one big family reunion. We don’t just meet up to play but to catch up with each other and pray for each other. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” This could be the start of not just a card game but friends that will last a lifetime. I hope you consider giving it a try!
Conclusion:
In the next article I will discuss further the deck building tips I have learned that have helped me move forward. I hope to start getting wins and titles in Redemption as I did in the other games. I am in no way the best deck builder but hopefully those tips will show you some correct steps to take to improve your game. The transition from one game to Redemption is very easy and all the resources are available for you to take advantage of. It is just a matter of putting in the effort and having the right attitude.
To buy singles, sealed product, and other gaming supplies mentioned, please visit our sponsors!
