If you have been following along with SWCT over the last few days, you have probably gotten caught up with disruption as much as I have. Not only do the cards look seriously awesome, but the way the cards are released definitely raised some eyebrows. I like when things get off the wall like this, and I wish it would happen more.

If you need a bit of an update, the entire release happened under a very unusual context. First there was a very unusual push and bulletin sent to users that consisted of a bunch of numbers and letters. We all thought it was someone fat fingering the setup, but it was intentional. The bulletin led to an old article from earlier in the week, which gave clues to the launch of the new set.

Instead putting the pack in the store when the card was live, the users had to pull up the main sheet and access the packs through the button below the card. It was a fun little mystery, and though it was pretty easy to figure out, it got everyone talking.

It led me to take an inventory of the way cards are put into packs, and how to keep things fresh outside of the bundle purchase or straight rip format we usually get. Although some things do get overly complex, some are simple fun that keeps us on our toes.

Within days of the disruption release, we also got a coded message through push notifications that announced the return of Nightbrothers. Although the packout was not anything new, the format announcement caused a twitter storm of speculation regarding what might be coming. As the code was spelled out as “NB2,” people rushed to figure out what it meant. I love this approach. Keep everyone guessing until the last possible moment. Constant attention means better pack sales, in my opinion. Better sales means more value on our side.

This whole discussion begs the question of what are some other ideas that could take on a similar fun take on releasing cards. We know about pack journeys, or even “find the base to unlock the pack,” but im not sure that is what I am talking about. Here are some fun ways I could see packs going down.

• Choose Your Own Adventure Journey – Basically, release a number of inserts all at once. Each user who opens a pack has a choice. Rip pack one or pack two. Pack one leads to a choice between pack 3 and pack 4, the other pack leads to a choice between 5 and 6. With each choice, the user must decide which direction to go, and cannot go backwards to make a different choice. There is an award for all 10, but trading is a must.
• Community Vote – 12 card set. Each day a vote happens for the following day’s release. Community can buy pack with a base signifying a vote. Whichever card wins, goes into a pack with coin price on it. The other card is released via bundle. The next day the bundle card from the previous day goes up against the new card scheduled for release. This continues until all cards are out.
• Puzzle set – Each release article comes with a clue. Its a 10 card set, but only 5 are needed for the award, no one has a definite idea which 5 unless they figure out the clues. Collect the right ones, get the award. Clues let people know which card they want to pull. There is a den element that lets people shred one insert for the other, but only for a short time.
• Changing Odds – Release a full set in timed packs for a short time each day with every release. Which ever card has the most trades for the day has the lowest odds. Pack odds change every day based on rankings.
• Golden Ticket – Release a set one by one, but all cards are live. Each day, there are X number of golden tickets pulled at an extreme rate that can be shredded in the den for a full set, and an early set reward.
• Locked Release – Release a set where you have to pull a certain combination of cards to unlock the insert, which is then in a guaranteed pack. Basically, pull X card and Y card from packs, and you get access to a pack that has a guaranteed pull of the insert whose combination you pulled.

As I always mention, these types of things take time. Lots of time to set up and execute. We know EVERY set cant be like this. However, I think we need to see an effort to keep things fresh on a regular basis to ensure we stay engaged.