The aim of this post is to serve as a way to introduce how the play area is set out, or at least the rough idea for it so far, with some key explanation about how the Zones work and why considering where you place your creatures is an important part of the gameplay for the TCG.
So, if you are ready to take a dive into the play area and information then keep scrolling as we have included an image of the play area and some descriptions of each of them and their importance.
The lead position, but also one of the most dangerous positions, the creature that is placed here is unable to be moved or removed from this zone unless it is defeated in battle and sent to the graveyard; or it is used in a special advancing method.
This zone is where the bulk of battle is focused, as if you can defeat the Main Creature with battle damage you will gain full victory points that are related to the Stage of the Creature. However, if you defeat it with effect damage then you are awarded half of the victory points.
Several Creatures will specifically state they need to be on this zone to activate their effects, this is because they are seen as staples of a deck or formation building when playing the game, in fact it is recommended to have at least 1 Creature Line that has effects that are useable in this zone.
One of the first lines of support for the Main Creature Zone, those that are put into this area serve as combat and ability support in both a defensive and offensive capability. It is important to note that only the two Flank Creature Zones closest to the Main Creature Zone are the ones that can replace a defeated Main Creature.
The Flank Creature Zones are restricted on who can attack and where they can attack, for example those on the Left on your field can only attack the Right Flank Creature Zones and the Main Creature Zone, and vice versa. However, you cannot attack with all Flank Zones at the same time! so when you go to attack you need to declare which creatures are going to attack alongside your Main Creature and where they would attack.
What is interesting about these zones and the effects in them is they are generally a mix of boosting for your side or dampening for your opponents side. Meaning that if you are wanting a balanced play style you should use a combination of these effect styles, but if you favor offense or defense you can adjust accordingly. Creatures with effects in these zones will often make up the bulk of your deck to ensure that your Main Creature is able to fight effectively.
The furthest back position on the play area but still considered to be one of the most vital areas for support, those who are placed into the Reserve Creature Zone are able to move to any open Flank Creature Zone on the field, which is useful for if you need to adjust your formation following the defeat of a Main Creature, but keeping some creatures with strong support skills in the reserve zone may allow you to provide further support to your Flank and Main Creature Zones.
These creatures may only make up a smaller portion of the deck for a player but this zone is important as it will help the players to provide support or build up strong replacements for creatures on the Flank Zones. This zone is also unique as it cannot be attacked and can only be affected by effect damage, meaning it acts almost as a safe haven to advance creatures and prepare more strategies.
An area that may be familiar to many players of Trading Card Games, in this case the deck will be where you find the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Stages for your Creatures, as well as the Relic Cards for them (these act like items or equipment in other TCG). The Deck Zone is purposefully placed towards the front of playmat to make sure that the players can easily access it.
Another familiar area for those who have played trading card games before, this space on the field is for the Creature cards that get defeated in combat, sacrificed for advancements, equipped relics from defeated creatures, and any discarded cards go. While at first it may just seem like an area for cards to go when they are no longer useable, some will only show their true capability when in this area.
This zone houses a smaller and more specialized Deck where you can use one of the three advancement methods to perform a special kind of summoning, it is where you can find the 4th Stage Creatures that are summoned through the use of Shatter, Domination, or Regalia Evolution. In another sense this can be where you store some of the most powerful creatures you have which your effects and formations can be built around.
If you are unsure about what some of the terms used in this blog post and the breakdowns of each zone are, then I recommend that you look into these two blog posts to help paint a clearer picture about them. The first is a breakdown of the cards and explains the points and stages for a creature, the second is a collection of examples of cards that have been completed so far and are ready for play testing soon, this should clarify any confusing points from this blog and allow you to better understand what you can expect in the future from this Trading Card Game.