Don’t Call It A Comeback: Genesis: Battle of Champions Lives Again!

*Note: content has been edited for clarity and brevity

Just like Genesis: Battle of Champions, your beloved BG Dan (@TheCardGolem) is back, and I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jason, President of Edge of Exile and one of the new co-owners of Genesis: Battle of Champions. We discuss the resurgence of the game and how it stacks up to 5 major facets of TCGs on the market: Cost, Collectability, Captivating Lore, Complexity, and Competitive Play.

Dan: Compared to current-market TCGs, how does your game compare on value?

Jason: Our booster boxes include 24 packs of cards, with each pack containing 15 cards. Our most recent set that is currently on the market is ‘Invasion’, which has a  MAP (minimum advertised price) of $90 USD / $110 CDN per booster box. Older sets that are still available in stores (Origins, Jaelara Second Edition) vary depending on availability and store pricing.

Dan: What is the average pull rate for value and chase cards in Genesis sets? 

Jason: Every booster pack of Genesis: BoC comes with 2 rares in each pack. Currently, new sealed booster boxes of Genesis tend to have an average of 1-2 FAF (Full-Art Foil) Champions per box, as well as 1-2 FAF Epics randomly selected from the pool of all ‘Rare’ cards appearing in the set. Regular FA Epics cards will also appear in booster boxes in similar quantities. Note that these numbers are not hard numbers – while rare, there is the potential for “god boxes” or low hit boxes.

Dan: One of the first supplemental products you’ve offered with the new version of Genesis is the revamped Starter Decks. Are these curated exclusively for new players? Is there value for existing players needing staple cards? 

Jason: The starter decks were a much needed product for local game stores to be able to offer to new players who are looking to play the game for the first time. While the decks were deliberately designed to offer a fairly easy first playing experience for new players, we also chose to use these decks as an opportunity to reprint some classic key cards with our updated card backs and new templating (such as Bolt Shot and the Break spells for example), so as to have something exciting in each of the starter decks to appeal for our more experienced players as well. We feel that each of the starter decks feature some great cards that players of all experience levels would enjoy having in their collections.

Dan: Somewhat unique to Genesis is the use of a grid-space, typically using large-sized playmats. How much of a barrier to entry is the playmat? What kinds of mats are currently available?

Jason: While having some sort of 5×6 grid is absolutely necessary for players to be able to play our game, we did not want new players to feel immediately pressured to spend a significant amount of their money on purchasing one of our premium quality playmats before they were sure they wanted to. As such, we have taken several steps to offer alternatives to players for very little or no extra cost at all. As a game manufacturer, we offer the ability for all retail stores who carry our products to request a shipment of folding paper playmats to give out to their new players when needed, which we will ship to those stores at no cost. We also have a very helpful print-and-play design for a Genesis playmat that players can download and print at home, which uses a total of 5 standard sized pieces of paper that can be taped together after printing to create a full size Genesis playmat for players to use. Alongside these low-barrier-to-entry options, we absolutely encourage Genesis fans to ask their local game stores to stock our Official Genesis playmats, which come in a variety of cool designs.

Dan: How many different types of “special treatments” are there currently, ie Alternate Art, Foil, Full Art, for the new Genesis sets, Invasion and (soon-to-be-released) Metamorphosis? 

Jason: The current treatments of cards appearing in our upcoming sets are: Normal (for common, uncommon, rare), Full Art (Epic version of rares and Champions), Full Art spot foiling (Epic version of rares and Champions). As announced on a recent Monday night live stream, we will be printing two versions of dual sided cards as foils – one with the front side foiled and another with the back side in foil!

Dan: Previous sets had chase cards (like the 2 Secret Rares per version in the two versions of Origins and the accidental promos), are there any like that in Invasion or Metamorphosis? Any plans for ultra-chase cards moving forward?

Jason: I can say that chase value for collectors and players of our game is something that we would like to see continue to grow as we move along into the future. We have nothing new to reveal regarding future treatments of cards at this time, other than that I can confirm we do have the available options for a variety of foil treatments, and we’re definitely open to exploring other possibilities with future sets and supplemental products.

Dan: How involved is the community/community feedback in deciding narrative or plot direction? How big is your writing/direction team?

Jason: While I am always listening for feedback on anything to do with our game, our new lore has really only begun in the time since Invasion was released. I have been the primary creator of the new lore so far, although very recently I’ve decided to expand our card designer Will K’s input into the lore, as he also has a very creative mind and we both feel it will be good for us to collaborate together on the lore as we move forward. Previously Jeff Pacitto (co-owner of Genesis: BoC) has contributed to some of the early chapters of our new lore as well. It is my hope to create a lore that will provide an entertaining story along with some interesting revelations about the Champions and characters who live in the world of Jaelara for any players who find themselves craving more depth from the world of the game.

Dan: Can you bring us up to speed on the lore for players who may not have been familiar with the previous iteration of the game?

Jason: Jaelara is currently in a state of Metamorphosis. The world has been shifting and changing in subtle ways, as one timeline fades out of existence, and a new timeline replaces it. Very few people are actually aware of these changes, with most beings who have retained their memories of both timelines being the Champions in the game. Who is behind this enormous change, and what their motivations are will be revealed in future chapters of the lore as we proceed into future sets like Cataclysm and beyond.

Dan: Any plans to expand to other media? 

Jason: When the time is right, we will be happy to explore expanding into other media forms.

Dan: How much of the design team carried over to the new iteration of Genesis? Can you talk a bit about the transition to the new ownership?

Jason: About a month after Haunted Castle Gaming announced its intention to shut down operations, we were able to come to terms on a tentative deal to purchase the IP and carry on production of the game. Shortly after that, we contacted all of the former members of the previous team that we could, to discuss with them their current feelings towards the game. For two of the previous design team members – Will K and JC (John), this led to us offering them an opportunity to join our new team and continue working on the game. Two of the key members of the rules team from the HCG era have also continued helping us to maintain the rules system for the game.

Dan: What is the roadmap/what are the plans for exploring previously untouched design spaces? Any teasers or previews or hints? 

Jason: I can’t really disclose too much since we’re so close to launch and we have scheduled previews (including one for you!) . What I can say is that it is always our intent to have fun and exciting things to reveal during spoiler season of each new set we produce, which will often include things such as interesting new game mechanics being revealed as part of new set announcements.

Dan: Give me an Overview of the existing formats, plans for developing other formats for single and multiplayer and …co-operative group play?

Jason: Details on the currently supported formats can be found at genesisBOC.com, and include Constructed, Draft, Sealed, Group Multiplayer, 2v2, and “Pack Battles”. That said, the previous owners had a planned group-play, Dnd-style scenario product involving the champion Bazin, and we’re always open to exploring similar and other mechanics/narrative styles/products in the future.

Dan: Is there a desire to create more champions that have a clearly intended archetype or design space (Harlequin, Essa) or more generalized ones that provide more generalized mechanical tools (Gamilla, Proteus, Nubia, Cutanous)?

Jason: We have a desire to include a variety of Champions with each new set release that will enable our players to enjoy a diverse variety of game play and deck building styles with each new release. It is always our hope and intent to try to provide a bit of something for every type of player, collector, and fan who chooses to enjoy our game.

Dan: What are your thoughts on balance regarding banning or restricting cards?

Jason: Banning and/or restricting cards is something that is very hard to avoid having to do completely. While our goal is to not have to do it in the first place, the truth is that sometimes a new card is just too good to not want to print, and if an older card which isn’t seeing a lot of play might create a combination or powerful deck with that new card that is simply too dominant, we remain willing to implement bannings and restrictions when needed in order to preserve a healthy and balanced format for players to enjoy competing in while not stifling player’s creativity or deckbuilding choices.

Dan: What are the plans for reviving competitive and Organized Play for Genesis: Battle of Champions moving forward – formats, tournaments, etc. Judge Test and Judging for OP?

Jason: We are hoping to have our Organized Play for Genesis: Battle of Champions resume sometime in 2024, alongside Judge testing. Organized Play will likely go something similar to: Local Store Tournaments >  Regional Qualifiers> World Championship. That said, we’re still working out what Organized Play will look like moving forward, so things are still subject to change prior to any official announcement for Organized Play, as well as any other events like pre-release/release and special events.

Dan: Anything else you want to add or spoil about the upcoming new Genesis: Battle of Champions set Metamorphosis? 

Jason: Metamorphosis features the introduction of dual sided Genesis: Battle of Champions cards, and that will lead to some fun new gameplay experiences. We have recently announced during a Monday Night live stream that Metamorphosis will be introducing some exciting new creatures for each affiliation, Citizens, who share exciting synergies and give bonuses to other Citizens, allowing for cross-affiliation combos. It is sure to be a VERY exciting release!

That wraps up the interview with Jason, one of the Co-Owners of Genesis: Battle of Champions! It’s clear the new team is making a concerted effort to pivot Genesis in an exciting new direction that benefits longtime and new players alike. Be sure to tune in Mondays at 7PM EST on the Genesis Youtube channel (@GenesisBoC) for Previews, Pack Giveaways, and more with the developers!

And as always, stay tuned to BrutalGamer.com for more TCG and Genesis coverage, including giveaways, contests, card spoilers and more!