The winners for the 2023 Digimon Illustration winners have just been announced. Winners of this competition will have their cards printed in special promotional packs at a later date. I just got into the hobby and hope to score a set for my collection. Only eight cards will be printed, and I think my favorite is the Jellymon. Make sure you go over to the official website for the ruling.
Grand Prize
「Blood moon」 Kariki Hajime
Second Place
「Imperialdramon a new hope」 Capitan Artiglio
「Gather dreams」 E_Volution_
「Have a Sukamon parfait」 IRASA
「Know Oneself」 Takeuchi Moto
「Strong! Strong! Strong!」 Aurola
「Sunny day after rain」 naru
「Watching the sunset」 Iori Sunakura
I just wanted to share the news because the cards are beautiful, and wanted to spread the news. My hope is that it will get other people interested in at least collecting. I just started my collection and I am obsessed. I haven’t had a chance to play the game with people because my schedule is so busy, but the gameplay is pretty fun. If you want to start learning the game, they have a free app for Android and IOS devices that shows how to play. The official Reddit and Discord are great places to go if you want information or want to pick up a game or three. I will make sure I come back with news on how to get the cards.
I have been looking to get into a new TCG since Magic is getting too expensive. I play a bit of Magic the Gathering Arena and PokemonTCG in my free time because of their accessibility, but I want something new and fresh. One of the games I have been curious about is Flesh and Blood TCG. I like the art, and the gameplay seems pretty cool.
Flesh and Blood is a game where players pit heroes against each other, chaining attacks against each other until only one is left standing. For those wanting to learn how to play, the official Flesh & Blood YouTube channel offers a solid guide to get you started. I suggest you find your favorite content creator for more tips once you get more invested in the hobby.
If you are interested in getting into this hobby, check out the official Flesh and Blood website. Use it to keep updated on news, products, and local events. The Flesh and Blood subreddit and discord are pretty active and another fantastic source for information.
If going to your local game store isn’t an option, you can try installing a Flesh and Blood addon to Table Top Simulator. I recommend you buy a license for TTS if you want to play board games with your friends online. While it is a fantastic way to play your favorite board games online, it can be clunky and lacks automation. The best place to play FAB online is on Felt Table.
Felt Table is a browser-based app for Flesh and Blood. It offers an automated experience with an easy-to-use interface. The cards are easy to read, and the cards look great. Felt Table is the place to go once you get a basic understanding of the game’s mechanics, or just want to play test a new deck. The app has an easy-to-use deck builder that allows imports, solid prebuilt decks to get you started, and a well-programmed AI to play against. They also just released a new campaign mode that is worth checking out if you are interested in the PVE side of the hobby. They also hold Sealed events and it has a pretty solid tutorial worth checking out.
Screenshot from Website
I tried both AI battles as well the campaign and thought the experience was interesting. The games run very smoothly. I liked how easy it was to get started and play matches, but I don’t think I am smart enough for this game. I had enough fun fumbling to the end of matches, and will be returning to Felt Table to keep practicing. At the moment, the game hasn’t captured my attention enough to invest in, but I am happy to have an accessible avenue to continue to figure out who I am in the TCG space.
While my search for a new TCG continues, I believe you should give Flesh and Blood a shot. The community seems to be steadily growing, the mechanics are interesting, and the art is pretty cool. The app is also free, so you have nothing to lose.
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I recently just got back into the Digimon fandom and even have started collecting the card games because they look so cool. Digimon con just happened, and while most of the announcements and releases target the Japanese audience, there are some cool announcements for those outside Japan to look forward to. There were a few interesting interviews with voice actors and artists that are worth looking into if you are a fan of the anime, but I will be focusing more on the trading card and game news. I will provide links to the videos and pictures where available.
Digimon World: New Order
With Digimon World: New Order releasing on February 22, 2023, we got news about new features coming with this port. We got a bit of the initial gameplay, nothing too exciting, but it did provide insight into the type of game this will be for those of us that never got to play the original. The new port comes with a new “beginner” difficulty setting aimed at newcomers. There is also 1.4x speed to make travel over the world quicker. I always appreciate these types of quality-of-life changes because, for those of us that are too busy for gaming, this allows us to enjoy the game without being bogged down by its mechanics.
New Order’s gameplay places its focus on how you raise your Digimon. They showed different ways to raise your Digimon. You have to feed, train, talk to, and even discipline your Digimon to help it grow. Like any pet management game, it is looking like a very relaxing experience with a solid story behind it. The way you treat your Digimon, how you talk to them, train them or even discipline them affects their Digivolution path. It might be necessary to have a guide handy to make sure that you get the Digimon you want. As long as I get a Wizardmon, I will be okay.
I announced my excitement for this game previously and still plan on playing this game on Launch. Watching the bits of gameplay has only made me more impatient for the 22nd to come around.
Digimon TCG News
What I was most excited about for Digimon Con was news about the Digimon TCG. While I am disappointed that there was no announcement for an online client, there are a fair amount of promos to be had.
The first screening of the Digimon Illustration Competition 2023 was announced, and there are some cool-looking designs to look forward to. From this group, one design from each Digimon will be selected to be made into promo cards.
1 / 16
Which ones are your favorite?
3rd Anniversary Set Announcement
The 3rd Anniversary set has been revealed for Japan. This collection showcases 9 golden promo cards that come in a nice holder with some very cool art. As of writing this, pre-orders are only available for the Japanese market. Those of you fans outside of Japan will either have to pay the premium and get your hands on the Japanese edition or gamble on a global release.
Get Magnamon
The “Get Magnamon” campaign was announced in Japan for March and April 2023 where players of the TCG will be able to compete in Tamer Battles and Tamer Exchange events for a chance to win a new alt version of the BT8 Magnamon. I love the classic style of this card and pray that we get a US release of this promo.
Digimon Card Game Championship 2022 Finals
The Digimon TCG Championship Finals are around the corner, and the promo cards for participating in the event and the prize cards have been announced. These cards look very nice, and I envy those players who were able to make it this far. The Finals will be on February 24 – 26, 2023 at the Los Angeles Conversion Center. Those who qualify will move on to the World Championship finals on March 11, 12, 18, and 19.
Digimon Fan Meetup 2th Anniversary Echibition
But that isn’t all. The convention will also be home to the Digimon Fan Meetup pop-up event. This museum will exhibit over 140 art pieces from the Digimon IP. It is free to everyone but get there quickly because they are giving away some cool promos. Those who attend will get their hands on a special guidebook that is sure to have some cool art and a pack of the alt cards of last year’s winners of the Digimon Illustration contest. Get there quickly because these promos are only available while supplies last.
Digital Monster 25th Anniversary Project
The biggest focus for the convention seemed to be on the Digimon Vital Bracelets. They announced the Digital Monster 25th anniversary project which seems to be a comic, some live-action shorts, and products centered around the Vital Bracelet game. This came with the announcement of the new Digimon Loogamon and an introduction to his story. This is an attempt to expand on the experience for those who play the game which I hear is fun but lacking. If the story is good enough, I can see it selling more of the toy. I wish this game would come out for the smartwatch. I don’t want to have to wear two watches to have access to this game.
More news of the story is set to be announced closer to its release but at the moment we know that it will be a darker Digimon story where 3 factions fight for dominance. There are the Crackers who work in the shadows, the Digipolice that fight Digimon crime, and the Hackers who work somewhere in the middle. Art for the project has been released, but I am not sure how invested I will be in something that I won’t have access to.
Loobamon’s Vitabracelett has been announced, but preorders are only open for Japan at the moment. This Digimon is cute, and I can’t wait for the card versions.
There are a few other announcements specific to the Digivice games that are cool for any collector:
The Digimon Con Kenji Watanabe Editions
Winners of the Digmion Evolution Results
Voting has begun for the upcoming Bird/Angel Bememory for those fans of the game.
Closing
I thought the event was interesting as a fan of Digimon. Since I am only a fan of the game and the TCG, I found the announcements to be a bit underwhelming. I enjoyed the live performances and even some of the more silly content like the card matches, but I was hoping for news on an online client. I want to be able to play the card game online like I can with Pokemon or even MTG, since locals isn’t really accessible for me. I guess I will keep waiting.
If you play the Vital Bracelet game, there was a lot of cool sounding information for you. I wish they could port this game to smart watches. I would love to play this game, but I don’t see the point of having two watches. Either way, I enjoyed it enough to do this again next year. There was a lot to go over but I tried to condense it to the most important.
**All images and video were taken from the stream or Bandai site. I don’t own these images**
