Bah, dial-up ate my super-sized post! I\'ll try to redo it... Heregoes...
I\'m against the concept that collectible card games should have the randomness of buying boosters. I\'ve always thought that one should be able to buy cards they want via vending machines or online.
And as for Poker being strategic, I agree, but this is not because of the rules. Poker strategy comes from mastering human emotion, and is not at all suited (no pun intended) for online play.
I don\'t think we can actually design the cards yet, but if the ruleset is defined, the actual cards can be defined later. Or, a placeholder card set could be created until enough creatures are available to base cards on.
Just a few notes on the concept thus far: 5x5 seems to be quite a small play area, especially when you consider your Fireball example. Fireball\'s attack covers up to 9 of 25 squares, meaning a 36% hit with a blind shot. Of course, smartly you gave its attack a low damage. I believe a bigger grid, possibly 6x6 or 8x8 should work better, but it might draw the game out longer.
Also, as Djagg wisely pointed out, it needs to be decided where this game originated from in terms of the storyline. If the game originates from Yliakum itself, I suggest the board be made into the stalactite, similar to Star Trek Tri-D Chess. Maybe even making the crystal affect game play (certain elements become more powerful at certain times of the year perhaps, making for \"fad decks\" ) .
I think that covers everything I lost... Oh well.
