Archived: Deckmaster-1

Themelist

Among the infinite planes of the multiverse, there is conflict. Places exist where mages do battle, using magical energy known as mana drawn forth from the land to fuel devastating spells. Conjured armies clash, and the skies fill with fire and lightning, all in the pursuit of inscrutable goals and mystical power. Evidence of these conflicts remain for years after, be it in the form of terrible destruction, or monuments to the victors power.

Or, in the case of one far-off world, a place called Earth, a world that has never seen this conflict touch its soil... it is instead a card game.

DECKMASTER is a variant Magic: the Gathering theme that takes place on a present-day Earth that exists within the Magic multiverse. M:tG is a popular card game on that Earth, either intentionally or accidentally chronicling the events of the conflicts all across the planes. When the game is played by certain people across the globe and combined with an emotionally-powerful event, the dormant Planeswalkers Spark within them ignites, allowing them to use their decks to wield real and wondrous power.

Frequently Asked Questions

In less fluffy terms, what is this?

Deckmaster-1 is a theme that takes the overarching meta-theme of the collectible card game "Magic: the Gathering," adds in a healthy dose of style from various card-battle shows, and sets it on a modern day Earth. The player characters are the eponymous "Deckmasters," individuals capable of incredible magical feats that are entirely enabled by the game they play.

I know a little about Magic. Aren't Planeswalkers super OP?

They used to be, yes. Key words: 'used to be.' Planeswalkers in Magic: the Gathering were formerly beings of godlike power with no permanent physical form, immunity to nearly everything but other Planeswalkers, perfect shape-shifting, and whatever else a given 'walker was written with. Ever since a particular event in-theme, their power has been drastically reduced, making them all powerful (and mortal) mages. No more OP shape-shifting energy beings here!
They can still take a crazy beating (consider: a Lightning Bolt will instantly kill some of the toughest baseline-human combatants in theme; it takes seven of them to take down a Planeswalker), which Aura represents basically perfectly, and can still walk more or less at will between Planes, but they aren't as OP as you may have heard. Especially when most of the ones in this theme are from places that don't require you to learn how to fight...

I don't know anything about Magic, but I want to learn!

Great! If you have a few bucks to spend, I highly encourage people interested in the game to check out the Duels of the Planeswalkers games on Steam. Magic 2014 is the newest one, and I'm told it is a solid game and a good way to learn.
If you don't, most of the people in the theme are well-versed in the game enough to teach it if you ask us nicely, and big enough fans of the settings involved to give you the over-enthusiastic cliff-notes on various planes and thematic elements.

There are things not in this FAQ I'd like answered!

Ask Theo. It's all his fault.