#69 Untangling: Web3 x Deck-Building with Justin Gary
They used Web3... it was super effective!
This week, we're taking a look at how Web3 can revolutionise deck-building and trading card games, with the help of one of the industry's leading voices - Justin Gary of Stone Blade Entertainment.
Trading card games (TCGs) have long captivated players with their mix of strategy, collectibility, and competitive play. From Magic: The Gathering to Pokémon, these games have built passionate communities and thriving secondary markets.
However, traditional models come with limitations—physical cards can be lost or counterfeited, and digital versions often restrict ownership, leaving players with assets they can’t trade or sell.
Web3 is changing the game by introducing blockchain-backed ownership, decentralized economies, and new levels of transparency. The result is a shift in how collectible games are played, traded, and governed, giving players greater control and deeper engagement than ever before.
Haven’t listened to the episode yet? These are our highlights and key takeaways:
1. The Evolution of Trading Card Games: From Physical to Digital to Web3
Classic trading card games like Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! introduced the thrill of collecting, deck-building, and competitive play. Players spent years acquiring rare cards, often building collections that held sentimental and financial value. However, physical cards are susceptible to damage, fraud, and market inconsistencies.
The digital era introduced online card games such as Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering Arena, making gameplay more accessible but limiting player control. In these systems, cards exist within closed ecosystems controlled by game publishers, meaning collections can disappear if a game shuts down. Web3 solves this by enabling permanent ownership, allowing players to freely trade, sell, and transfer their assets across platforms without restrictions.
2. True Digital Ownership: The Power of NFTs in Gaming
Digital card games have historically operated like rentals—players can buy cards but can’t resell them or move them outside the game’s ecosystem. This lack of ownership has been a major drawback for collectors and competitive players alike.
With Web3, every card or deck can be an NFT (non-fungible token), granting players complete ownership. These assets remain on the blockchain, meaning they persist even if a game ceases to operate. Players can buy, sell, or trade their collections on decentralized marketplaces, ensuring their investments in time and money hold long-term value.
3. Hybrid Deck Systems: Algorithmically Generated Unique Decks
Soulforge Fusion, designed by Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, introduces a new model for deck-building games—algorithmically generated decks that are entirely unique. Instead of assembling decks from a shared pool of cards, each player receives a one-of-a-kind deck that no one else has.
This method addresses the issue of netdecking, where players copy competitive deck lists from online sources, reducing originality. With algorithmically generated decks, players must learn and adapt to their unique combinations, fostering more creative strategies and diverse gameplay experiences.
4. Decentralized Economies: Players Dictate Value, Not Publishers
In traditional games, publishers control the supply of cards, determine pricing, and place restrictions on trading. Players often face limitations on selling duplicates or must rely on centralized platforms with high transaction fees.
Web3 introduces decentralized economies where ownership and pricing are determined by the players. Blockchain marketplaces facilitate trustless peer-to-peer transactions, removing the need for middlemen. This model mirrors real-world trading card markets but with improved security and automation through smart contracts, ensuring transparent and fraud-resistant trades.
5. Smart Contracts in Gameplay: Secure, Transparent, and Automated
Smart contracts bring a new level of automation and security to Web3 gaming. In Soulforge Fusion, smart contracts track a deck’s competitive history, permanently recording tournament wins and other achievements on the blockchain.
This creates a new dimension of value—players can own decks with verified histories, increasing their prestige in the gaming community. Smart contracts also enable automated reward systems, anti-cheating mechanisms, and decentralized tournament management, where prize pools are distributed automatically based on verified results.
6. Community Governance: Putting Players in Control
Traditional TCGs are governed by game publishers who decide balance updates, tournament rules, and economic policies. Players often have little say in the direction of the game, even when decisions negatively impact the competitive scene or marketplace.
Web3 gaming enables decentralized governance through DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), where players with governance tokens can vote on critical game-related decisions. This ensures that updates, balance patches, and tournament structures align with player interests rather than corporate profit motives, fostering a more engaged and invested community.
7. Bridging Physical and Digital Play: The Best of Both Worlds
Web3 technology isn’t limited to digital gaming—it enhances physical games as well. Soulforge Fusion uses a hybrid model, embedding QR codes in physical decks so they can be scanned and minted as NFTs.
This creates a seamless crossover between tabletop and digital play, preserving the tactile and social aspects of traditional TCGs while introducing the benefits of blockchain-backed ownership. Players can interact across platforms, bringing new levels of accessibility and flexibility to the collectible gaming experience.
8. The Future of Web3 Gaming: Lower Barriers, Mass Adoption
One of the biggest hurdles in Web3 gaming adoption has been complexity. Setting up crypto wallets, handling gas fees, and managing blockchain transactions can be overwhelming for newcomers. To bridge this gap, games like Soulforge Fusion offer optional Web3 participation, allowing players to start with familiar Web2 experiences before exploring blockchain features.
This blended approach removes barriers to entry while gradually introducing players to the benefits of digital ownership and decentralized economies. As blockchain gaming becomes more user-friendly, it has the potential to transform the way collectible games operate, creating sustainable economies where players truly own and control their assets.
Uncover the details behind all these insights and more on Spotify:
Conclusion
Web3 is redefining collectible gaming by introducing verifiable ownership, decentralized economies, and community-driven governance. Instead of relying on centralized game publishers, players can now own, trade, and interact with their assets in a more open and transparent ecosystem.
As blockchain-powered games continue to evolve, the potential for innovation grows. Will Web3 become the new standard for trading card games, or will traditional publishers resist the shift to decentralized ownership?
The coming years will determine whether collectible gaming fully embraces this technology, but one thing is clear—players are ready for a system that gives them more control, more security, and more opportunities to shape the games they love.
📬 There's more!
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Got a question or topic suggestion? You can get in touch and let us know your thoughts at theuntanglingweb3podcast@gmail.com.
Untangling Web3 is brought to you by hosts Jack Davies and Alec Burns, with music by Daniel Paigge. The views we express here are our own, and do not represent the views of our employers.
Nothing discussed or stated in the show should be considered financial advice.
Great topic, very interesting chat !