Having a connection to or identifying strongly with the "goggle kids" in the Digimon franchise (ex: Tai Kamiya, Hiro Amanokawa, Dan/Kanan Yuki).
(Plain flags and color theory beneath the cut)
Colors picked from the goggles of the different anime progagonists and the protagonists from Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Variant 1 is intended to imitate the base/lens colors of various goggleheads. Variant 2 is intended to imitate the colors of the sky. Both lens and sky colors go from dark to light as a representation of how many goggleheads are susceptible to both "light" (rallying their team against forces that mean harm) and "dark" (such as triggering dark digivolution in their partners).
Okay, I'm finally gonna stop putting it off and actually talk a bit about our Digimon card game (DCG) divination deck.
Under a read more, because it's gonna be long.
So, the theory behind our DCG div deck is based loosely on these two posts by @miracleeye and @mahouowo respectively. The former is specifically about Pokemon TCG divination, while the latter is a bit more broad.
This is gonna focus on the process we went through to build our DCG div deck. It's technically a WIP, but that's because we have to order a few specific singles that we don't have yet, and are liable to switch cards as new sets come in. I've split this into a few headings, but a full list might be a later project if folks are interested, even though we have a spreadsheet to keep track of things.
Card Selection
Selecting cards is really the most personal part for us. We're Digimonkin, and have a lot of members in our system which adds to the flexibility and personal aspect of card choice. On the most basic level, what we were looking for were cards to represent different members and their different stages, because they have close associations with specific experiences/journeys/emotions.
This creates an "arc" in a similar way to certain groups of cards in Tarot. The Major Arcana tells a story; Digimon lines do the same, because Digimon evolution is often closely tied with spiritual and emotional growth.
It's also worth noting that the way Digimon work on a fundamental level means that growth, despite this chart, is largely nonlinear. Some Digimon revert back to previous levels. Others don't always evolve the same way as they did before. Reincarnation is also involved in certain cases (anime, v-pets, and Digimon World style games included).
All that is to say that, while we included specific "lines" in our DCG div deck, some of those lines have multiple stage representatives in order to highlight the plasticity of growth. This deck also has duplicates of the same stage/Digimon in order to represent different aspects of life, even when on the surface that form is the same or similar (3 Beelzemon cards, 3 Apocalymon cards, 3 Impmon cards, for example).
Beyond that, other card selections also focus on elements related to our experiences. For example, we have a grouping for Jeri, which includes her tamer card, ADR Searcher, Blue Card, Leomon, and Calumon. This same grouping also bleeds into Tamers Impmon's grouping, of which we consider Blue Card and Calumon included, but also has Ai and Mako.
Selection in our case is also most down to what artwork resonates with us most in a symbolically relevant way. We recently switched out BT15 DemiDevimon with EX 8 DemiDevimon, for example. Parallel art is common in the card game as well, to the point we technically have two arts of one card in the same deck.
Part of this change is also down to what the cards do. The former focuses on supporting Myotismon (a Digimon unrelated to our system). The latter focuses on supporting Nightmare Soldiers, which is more in line with the way that stage feels to our headmate who identifies with it: a resignation to the lot others see in you as a servant of evil.
[ID: two Digimon Card Game cards, both depicting DemiDevimon, an orb-shaped demon with bird-like talons and bat-like wings coming out of a leather hat. The first artwork, by Yamuretsu, shows DemiDevimon flying away from a group of agitated Digimon with a mischievous tongue peeking out of its smile. The second artwork, by Minato Sashima, shows DemiDevimon hanging from a tree branch, backlit by unnaturally purple-red moonlight.]
Also, we've included a few cards that aren't DCG cards. Specifically, we have an Apocalymon card from the old Digital Monster Card Game (we usually just refer to it as "Hyper Colo" tbh), and a Satellamon card from the Data Cardass Appli Monsters game.
The former is to represent an "archaic" feeling; something outdated, that has been processed but can ultimately not be purged from one's life. The latter is more down to the fact Satellamon is an Appmon, and we're only just now seeing those in the current DCG. (There's actually two Satellamon cards, and the one we don't have is the one we would prefer, but in a pinch, you take what you get.)
Information to Pay Attention To
In the Digimon Card Game, there are a few different card types as well, with information that puts them into groupings. The most basic card types are Digi-Eggs, Digimon, Tamers, and Option cards.
These may also be further grouped by card colors, which include red, blue, yellow, green, black, purple, and white (in the order of how they're sequenced in sets). Cards may have up to 3 colors.
These don't necessarily correspond to elemental divisions, but do often include them. I think this video does a better job explaining it than I could; divisions are much more about archetype than element, not just mechanically but also within the story structure of Digimon as a franchise.
If you're unfamiliar with Digimon, this also includes Digimon traits, such as Virus, Vaccine, Data, Free, and Unknown. Vi/Va/Da have a rock/paper/scissors relationship in other media, but very rarely interact with each other in the card game.
All Digimon also have stages, which represent levels of growth from In-Training (lv 2) to Mega (lv 6-7). In order, these are Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega. The terminology differs in Japanese, and elucidates the way you can also read these levels: Baby II, Child, Adult, Perfect, and Ultimate.
There are also other traits such as Field Types (Deep Savers, Nightmare Soldiers, Nature Spirits, etc.), protagonist groupings (Hero, Adventure, Liberators), type (Puppet, Dinosaur, Avian), and lore groupings (Seven Great Demon Lords, Three Angels, Four Great Dragons, Three Musketeers).
Appmon, which are only just getting introduced into the DCG, have similar stages (called "grades"), but 8 attributes. Appmon grades are Standard, Super, Ultimate, and God. Their attributes are in a larger circle than Vi/Va/Da, and are, in order of effectiveness on one another: Social, Navi, Tool, System, Game, Entertainment, and Life. Outside of this relationship is God attribute.
For people interested in using numbers for their readings, Digimon cards also have a lot of information in that regard. Digimon alone have play cost, evolution cost, Digimon level, DP, set/card number, and block number. More or less information is present on some cards.
The DCG also has all artists credited on the cards themselves, which has led us to notice some other groupings in our own readings.
Deck Size
In our case, we made our deck 50 cards large. This is the size that DCG decks are--- there is no variance, outside of egg decks, which are 0-5 eggs large.
Originally, the deck was 35 cards large, but we found this too small after experimentation, leading to unclear readings and ultimately encouraging us to tweak the count to its current number of 50.
Spreads
We've drafted up a few spreads inspired by the various Digimon card games. We've really only tested one of these spreads, as it functions well enough for our purposes without too much complication.
After a bit of messing around, we've found that our DCG div deck plays nice with a spread resembling the current card game. In order, we lay one card in the Raising Area, one card in the Battle Area, and one in Security. An additional clarifying card in each area sometimes helps.
The easiest way to explain it is that this spread represents Potential, State, and Protection:
Potential: something that can be nurtured, or is growing already.
State: elements regarding the current situation, physical or psychological.
Protection: elements that can be utilized to beneficial effect; what is keeping you safe.
We do our readings also on playmats with our own art.
Concluding Thoughts
So, I've told y'all about how our DCG div deck was constructed, but I haven't actually talked at all about the readings and how it treats us.
Generally, we try to do our readings at Digimon Locals, after we've done our matches for the tournament. The vibes are just there. Our cards are double sleeved in the official Bandai Beelzemon sleeves and some Dragon Shield outer sleeves. Anything more and we would literally be unable to hold it in our hands, let alone put it in a deck box.
Any time we do a reading, we also shuffle the same way we'd shuffle our for-play DCG decks--- a mix of pile shuffling and gingerly interlocking the cards in equal piles.
Here's a reading it gave us that's pretty straightforward, so it makes for a good example.
I've described this deck to friends as having the temperament of a high school gossip, but I also think one of our friend's descriptor of it as "roommate that steals your Dr. Pepper" is pretty accurate too. It doesn't really cut corners.
This reading in particular was so straightforward you could mistake it for a ruler, because it's a snapshot of a literal moment in Satty's and my exomemories--- these three cards are associated.
Specifically, Potential is in Satty, state is in Gallantmon, and Protection is in Blue Card. The exomemory this quite literally evokes is when Satty was killed by Gallantmon and death evolved (Blue Card represents evolution, "growth to overcome adversity" and wishes).
Satty evolved into me (Glut), which compounds just how funny this reading was to look at because of our interpretation of Gluttony (the sin) as being about dissatisfaction (ie: wanting; wishing without ever getting what you want).
The deck itself kind of just looked at who was holding it and said "ah, okay, so this is you?" 9 days before I properly split into the system.
It also likes giving us some cards repeated in certain positions, which are specifically cards representing to us confidence in the self (in creative endeavors) which. Really funny considering we're nervous about applying to grad school for creative writing.
Anyways, all this is to say, testing is always required with this shit, but also, if you make your deck personal, it will go for the jugular without hesitation.
Are you digikin? Are you looking for a place to hang out with other digikin to chat about kinstuff? Then consider joining The Net Ocean, a brand-new digikin Discord server!
Features:
PluralKit, for anyone who needs it, and a channel specifically for headmate introduction threads!
Appy for verification--- no need to worry about randos coming in to the server!
React roles to help show other people what canons you connect to, including roles for more obscure sources like the Xros Wars Manga, Appmon, and original media!
Rules:
Please be respectful of fellow members of the server. This server is intended to be a comfortable space for all kinds of digikin. Respect everyone's pronouns and identities. Failure to do so will result in administrative action depending on the severity of the issue. There is no tolerance for things such as racism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia here.
This server is only for adults (18+). This is for ease of moderation. If you are found to be lying about your age and are a minor, you will be banned from the server, no exceptions. That said, don't be needlessly crude. If the need for NSFW chats arises, keep riskier topics to it. No one wants to be jump scared by messages that could get them fired.
We are an explicitly plural inclusive server. That means that, to join, you must be accepting of different system structures, be they traumagenic, endogenic, or anything between or without. We do not consider "endo-neutral" to be an inclusive stance, as this often implies an expectation for endogenic systems to "prove" their existence.
This server is run by a system that would generally be considered an "anti." If this bothers you, we would not recommend this server for you. This warning is provided for your comfort as much as ours, as we understand that those labels or the perception of them can come across as antagonistic.
Piggybacking off of that, while in this server please refrain from engaging in discourse subjects. The hard rules set above exist for a reason, but we are all complex individuals, and discourse can often devolve quickly into fights. We understand that the presence of Rule 4 to begin with is, in itself, discourse, but further discussion in the server of these topics (such as shipping discourse) is discouraged.
Similarly, let's try to leave heavier topics at the door. For the time being, outside of memory vent channels, we will not be opening vent channels in this server. Right now the world is a mess, but let's not make this a space to talk about it.
Try to stay relatively on-topic to a given channel. If you find yourself drifting from the subject of one channel to conversation that would be better suited in another, consider moving to continue talking. If you find yourself unable to determine what is "on topic" for a channel, refer to its description or ask a moderator in the suggestions chat for clarification. A moderator may redirect particularly off-topic conversation, just so that anyone that might want to talk on-topic is able to do so.
It should go without saying, but please be courteous to the privacy of your peers. Do not screenshot messages or profiles of other server members without permission. Similarly, we request that you do not share another member's art or writing without explicit permission.
Any art shared in the chat which you did not make must be credited. Anyone found claiming someone else's artwork (either via uncredited artwork or use of content-generation LLMs, colloquially known as "AI" generators) will be given a warning or banned, depending on the severity of the infraction.
If we ever have to add rules, we'll make an announcement to let everyone know what's changed.
If you are using PluralKit, please ensure you have a System Tag enabled and appended to your root account's username. This is for ease of moderation. Warnings are applied on an account basis; therefore, if one headmate in a system breaks a rule, the system as a whole will receive disciplinary action.
EDIT: WE HAVE MADE A DIGICORD NOW SO IF YOU SEE THIS POST CHECK OUT THIS ONE INSTEAD!
It used to be that there were multiple Discord servers here in the Digikin tags. Unfortunately, all those links are turbodead. The blogs associated with them are also incredibly inactive, and haven't posted in ages.
So, I'm posting in the tags this time to see if anyone is interested in a Digikin Discord Server.
Not sure if I will have the energy to make it myself, but I definitely won't if there's zero interest whatsoever.
Did a buncha kintype doodles the other day, 'cause I ain't got much else to think about at work when we're still in production and I discovered I ain't much a podcast guy like the rest of the subsystem.
Spent all Sunday doodling these instead of continuing on a certain project the fine folks in the few digicords we're in know about.
Also, I dunno if we got an art tag on this blog so if we do, uh. Appending that later.
