The Imaginary
(the following is written by the Site Administrator)

Duel Masters is a game that sparks the imagination of players even after many many games of it. With hundreds of available cards, and thousands of possible strategies, there are literally millions of interactions possible. The effort put into the art of the card images, helps to jumpstart the imaginations of many, letting us feel the conflict, visualize the world and battles if we so desire. It leads itself to great creativity, whether that be choosing appropriate music for a deck, or writing Duel Masters based fiction.

It is this ability to mentally generate imagery to associate with creatures or effects, that can keep the mind sharp and focused during a duel. Imagination can act as a powerful mnemonic, and can even make it easier to remember the effects, costs, or power levels of cards. It even helps in learning about new cards. The mental image of an Arc Bine, the Astounding, a Guardian Evolution with a powerful effect, can stay with a player far more easily than some generic image of yet another elf or knight or dime-a-dozen dragon. The ability to picture the creature in combat, or the effect of a spell, in a consistent way, frees up the mind for a concentration on greater strategy.

Still, actual play is not what this article about. It does not take a particularly active imagination to picture two Duel Masters creatures in combat with each other. Creatures are usually depicted on their cards in such a way that their weapons, or methods of combat, are easily recognizable. Many have interesting background imagery, and in some cases, interesting background story, often provided in the form known as 'flavor' text, another method the game's creators used to spark the imaginations of their players.

This constant facilitating of our ability to visualize the cards and their effects, makes deckbuilding slightly easier as well, and can help with imagining scenarios that may come up in duels. It can also influence our memories of duel experiences, how they played out, and so on. The mind records a sequence of moves a lot more easily when it ignores the clinical concept of 'while this creature is tapped, all your other Beast Folk get +2000 power', and remembers instead, the mental image of Barkwhip charging forward, and the other Beast Folk following him, spurred on to battle by his war cry. For some, this level of involvement of the visual part of the mind, helps their perspective of the game, making it easier to relate to and enjoy playing.

This is one of the most powerful influences of this aspect of Duel Masters' design. Imagery and effect are often related enough to help even beginners quickly get used to the flow of the game. Huge creatures often have high costs. Creatures powerful in combat tend to have such a look to them. A new player or onlooker is not quite as confused as to what is happening, when a giant Armored Wyvern equipped with gatling guns manages to win a battle against a rather squishy looking black worm. Nor is it, in turn, hard to convince them that the six-armed, armored Demon Command with the giant swords can go toe-to-toe with the aforementioned Wyvern.

This sort of thing makes encountering new players and opponents a fun new experience as well. One may meet a creature one has never seen before, or through crafty play of an opponent, 'witness' an event one would never have otherwise imagined. The game's designers also seem to have put great effort into ensuring that any effects that occur are easily imagined, and the way that most people would imagine them is indeed how they would naturally play out. This attention to detail makes it easy for many new players to grasp the concepts of the game without needing to specifically memorize rulings for most cards, or long effect chains.

Duel Masters is in this sense more than just a card game, it is a window into a fanciful world, which is, unfortunately for many of its inhabitants, brimming with savage conflict. Through a duelist's skill, they take control of a band of creatures and become part of this conflict, but it is only through their own imagination that the player can truly become immersed in the creative aspect of the game.

Finally, this can be helpful in terms of deckbuilding, making it easier to remember what cards are helpful in which particular deck types. Imagination is one of the most powerful influencing forces on whether or not a player continues to enjoy Duel Masters. Whether that is because of their creativity spurring them on to create new deck concepts and variants, or the mental images of creatures and cards, helping them to remember effects and simply enjoy duels more. If you have a vivid imagination, Duel Masters will appeal to it, and even if you do not, Duel Masters may help you develop one.