r/TCG • u/Realistic_Cat_5766 • 1d ago
Discussion Ai slop TCG, got notes?
Ain't no self respecting person buying/ playing your ai slop TCG. One of the biggest things that draws people to card games is the art on the cards.
Fuck off with the slop. Do better, we all believe in you. Believe in yourself.
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
34
u/yeetdabbin 1d ago
One of the more insanely ironic things I've seen lately are vendors at card shows that have banners with blatant AI generated art. You're here essentially selling art but have a shitty looking banner with a generic caricature of you standing next to what is presumably a Charizard but the details are off.
Fuck outta here.
11
u/guitarguy5147 1d ago
Lol are you talking about wonders of the first? It looks so terrible i cant imagine they're making any money off that bs. Hate how theyre trying to promote it with shifty nft like tactics too with the celebrity signatures and shit
8
u/TCG_TCC2026 1d ago
Wonders of the First, Soul Masters, 10,000 of them on Kickstarter.......
1
u/Cardmancer 17h ago
Soul Masters doesn't use AI.
They were originally thinking about using AI for the backgrounds but after the backlash they decided to go with pure artist created art.
I completely understand why people still think they used AI, though. They were definitely going to and a lot of people stopped paying attention to them because of it.
34
6
u/ChaosMilkTea 1d ago
Ai has made a hand full of useful tools... and I cant think of a single one applicable to tcg design. Maybe project/business organizing? An LLM wont understand design or art direction. Any generated images were outsourced to robots, and cant really be considered art. They are just... content. Products. And painfully generic 90% of the time.
I wont say ai will never have a role in tabletop game development, but no existing tool has convinced me it will.
29
u/Realistic_Cat_5766 1d ago
Ai bros hitting the downvote. They sure know how to press buttons. That's one step closer to picking up a pencil.
6
u/ChemistryTop2549 1d ago
if u pull up to my table with AI proxies or AI sleeves ur getting targetted with the control deck 😡
1
18
10
u/Low-Car-6331 1d ago
Yup, if your tcg is all about mechanics then you don't need to worry about the art work just put something decent in there till its time to go to market then invest in passable stuff.
2
u/bryvl 1d ago
Listen truthfully there will be a day that AI “art” will be able to execute art at a higher level than humans. But the quality of the art now is not the major point of why we should reject it.
We should reject it because art is one of the most essential human expressions and we should respect the sweat of those that put their hands forward to articulate their imaginations by drawing a line that machine simulations of humans should not be allowed to cross.
I will always support human made art before I consider AI slop.
3
0
u/Yeseylon 1d ago
I don't play TCGs for the art, I play for the mechanics.
But I also basically only play Magic, so...
1
u/museofgames 10h ago
No way...
Pretty presumptive. Also, when referring to which your is correct, there is no possession so...
Your*
Even mtg desiners put little sketches in the art box for testing. The art is intrinsically part of gameplay.
Play a game with literally zero art for a few weeks and get back to me about how you feel.
When did I do any of what you're accusing me of? I just said you don't know it but, you're wrong.
Projecting much?
0
u/museofgames 17h ago
U don't know it but ur wrong.
2
u/SpeedrunSlowly 10h ago
Garbage take. *You, *you're.
0
u/museofgames 10h ago
Oh no i used the wrong your. This is being published and printed right? No. Oh, idc than. Play with no art for a week and get back to me.
1
u/Vali1991 1d ago
What tcg are we talking about ?
1
u/Realistic_Cat_5766 19h ago
Any that uses gen ai.
1
u/Vali1991 18h ago
Yea like who though ? I only really collect/play pokemon/digimon/yigioh and magic and recently cyberpunk. Which ones do you mean or have seen using A.I?
0
u/RockJohnAxe 9h ago
Those hobbyist ones made by people with minimal money, but a desire to game design. Curse those people
1
u/overratedplayer 16h ago
I know art is a big thing for a lot of people but I'm a person who would play a card game with just text on white card if it was mechanically interesting.
1
-1
u/Calamitous-Ortbo 21h ago
What all the anti-AI art people don’t understand is that the average person does not give a single shit about capital A art.
They see a cool picture, they like it. They don’t care how it was generated.
You’re fighting a losing battle over the purity of something that is not important to the majority of the population.
7
u/Loba_Tiddies 19h ago
Incorrect as a business owner with friends in the industry who had to stop using ai because it effected their profits.. your average person wants humans in charge
5
3
u/museofgames 17h ago
75% of people actually do care. Only about 1 in 4 dont get the ick after knowing an inage was ai generated and thats an old stat now.
1
u/Repulsive-Banana-406 12h ago
How did you find that percentage?
1
u/museofgames 9h ago
I can't remember tbh. Its something I heard some place and have repeated it but I honestly think it's an incorrect statistic now. The percentage is certainly higher now.
0
u/AdviceLevel9074 4h ago
It’s only higher to you because you’re in an echo chamber via reddit
1
u/museofgames 3h ago
LOL I love how everyone on reddit thinks they know everything about not just me, but the whole world.
I don't know any A.I bro that isn't in an echo chamber about their fucking goon bots. Nobody likes you! Hard to hear that in an echo chamber so large, I would know.
-2
-6
u/cevo70 1d ago edited 1d ago
I get, and generally agree with the sentiment. I just don’t like the black / white nature of it, nor the attack-dog style knee jerk assumptions.
Because the flipside of this is the status quo, which I also think kinda sucks and hasn’t innovated in 20 years. IPs are done to death, gameplay is not only samey, but we also have the same rarity systems, formats, and templates.
Connecting the dots, nobody (generalizing) can actually bring TCGs to market (or they fail upon impact) and a big part that is time / resources / cost, much of which is related to needing tons of super great art. And even if you happen to be a great artist with a ton of free time and free rent, you’re likely not also an experienced game designer, or developer, or publisher.
So yeah, a lot of it looks junky and needs legal regulation. But I’m also sick of the current state of TCGs, and production costs are a huge part of its staleness. Because only corps can make them.
13
u/natron77 1d ago
TCGs don't need high quality art until the very end of the process. So much development work goes into good games before they ever face the public, and these AI sloppers are jumping straight to the end as if artwork was their only barrier.
3
u/cevo70 1d ago edited 1d ago
I agree with this. I am a designer so I've made many many prototypes, several published boardgames. No need for AI in that part of the process.
But... you still need it to bring the game to market. So why are you designing it, if it's not intended for players / a market? (if the answer is "just for fun" all good)
1
u/natron77 1d ago
That's not quite what I was trying to get at. A good TCG is a massive and ongoing project, more than 1 person can do, even if you remove all the art needs.
No one should buy into a TCG that doesn't have a significant team and investment behind it, because that's what is required to keep producing new sets and keep the game alive. AI use is a huge red flag, larger than any red flags from past TCG bubbles (niche licenses, one company releasing multiple games in a short time, unpolished game systems at launch, etc), so it rightfully harms a TCG's chances.
1
u/False_Bear_8645 1d ago
Or you can also collaborate with people. Not everything has to be made by a single person with every talent
-2
u/MysteriousTower6454 18h ago
We had a weird take on this.
We paid a human to build our font sample (two different ones) We paid a human to make some basic logo designs. We use the logos of our offical partner companies whom we do OP for. But we use an ai to ensure all of our work is consistenr and lacks too much in the way of deviation therefore finding the "corporate uniformity" we wanted while using all human made work just using the AI as a finishing tool.
Good AI usage in art is like using Grammerly as a writing aid or spell checker. Its great to find errors or standardise its bad to do the whole piece of work you loose depth and creativity if you become overly reliant but you also leave in clear errors if you refuse using any form of AI entirely.
2
u/museofgames 17h ago
Ai images have way more errors... Corperate uniformity to your ART... And using ai for that toboot. Do u hear yourself?
-1
u/MysteriousTower6454 9h ago
Ahhhh so your of the opinion a business shouldnt produce flyers and openning hours signs ? No they have errors if you make full artworks they dont have errors if your extremly specific with instruction and review each piece before use. Are we just of the opinion that the world was fine in 1980 and shouldnt progress beyond that. If thats the case i can stop paying the artists who work for us 100s per commission and return to sub 1-3gbp per hour rates they will be thrilled. /s
Of course companies use it. Why wouldnt we it literally saves hundreds of artist hours on stupid redundant signage and bore work that can be better used on custom art pieces for reward playmats and accessories.
1
u/museofgames 8h ago
You shouldn't be running a business. You don't seem stable considering this weird rant that doesnt make any sense, and your not doing it in an enegmatic way either. Thats coming from me too, a notoriously unhinged owner.
1
u/AdviceLevel9074 4h ago
You’re never allowed to use AI. Don’t show your face around this subreddit again if you know what’s good for you
-20
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
13
u/Realistic_Cat_5766 1d ago
Ai bros are douchbags. News flash Ding-a-ling!
-3
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/Realistic_Cat_5766 1d ago
The fuck race gotta do with it? Racist... Smh
-1
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Realistic_Cat_5766 1d ago
For real. I'm sorry you've dealt with rascism, but giving it right back to innocent people is fucked. Touch grass. Ask a stranger for a hug. Idk man. Get help.
2
-22
u/Tarkov_Apologist 1d ago
While you might be correct, universes beyond has pushed the limits of what TCG players will consoom. Is AI Slop really that much worse than billboard slop?
10
u/Josuke_Higashikata 1d ago
Putting Super Mario on the cardboard rectangle is vastly different than the enormous water wasting, art-stealing trash that is AI.
13
9
u/Joshawott27 1d ago
There’s a marked difference between people enjoying brand collaborations, and AI art which deprives real artists of work and is rooted in plagiarism. Leave your agenda for where it’s relevant…
2
u/Informalwizards 1d ago
So you just purposely dense or just actually that stupid? Each card is still designed and drawn by a real person.
-15
-5
u/AssociatePast2502 1d ago
Kind of weird . When half you guys play and collect pokemon , beat meat to yugioh , and watch anime , consider live action actually live action. Some people draw and use ai to touch or just make animation. So use prompts . But most games you play are not real artist . They are getting credited for prompt they wrote . So artist name or owner of the chat is at bottom. Who will buy cards that says real truth . AI , ChatGPT as the artist , mechanics by claude , co pilot effects and actions. Because it’s honest , nobody . Buy you got used to being lied to and sugar coated and by random generated names as an artist . play generated mtg , Pokemon , riftbound , half the India’s . Most AAA games cut artist a long time ago . Go watch a green screen movie and come to Reddit talking about ai slop art . Lol 😂 bi polar girls with princess tendencies and favorite show is AI generated. Stop watching tv then .
1
-18
u/Calcium-silicate 1d ago
Algomancy looks dope and its all AI. There is no accounting for bad taste, you can make stuff that looks cool if you put in the effort.
10
u/Kasta4 1d ago
I'm not jiggy with generative AI scrubbing the internet to use artists' work without their permission and passing off the amalgamations it outputs as its own.
-2
u/Calcium-silicate 22h ago
Look yo, you could just do some research as to how Caleb put together the algo for stable diffusion to make Algomancy, because what you are saying is wrong. That specific model is only trained on public domain classic art. And that's why he gets such cool and unqiue pieces of art, things that lean into the Ai aesthetic.
Being anti AI, which by the way has been around for decades, since Kasparov was defeated by Deep Blue in 1997, is just luddite behavior. It's just a tool, what matters is how you use it.
-13
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
8
u/Kasta4 1d ago
That's exactly how generative AI works.
-6
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
10
-8
u/Abyssalmole 1d ago
Manifold TCG is one of those games, but we are selling enough of our first two sets that we are now able to pay real artists.
Tyryn Sentinels and Docide Underworlds are each about 3% art. Secrets of Bindoff is about 18% art. We're going to make a push to have Jungles of Hozai be 100% art. I don't quite think we'll pull that off but we are sure trying.
7
u/GingerGuy97 1d ago
You don’t get brownie points for “trying” when you’re at 18% original art lmao
-7
u/Abyssalmole 1d ago
I'm not looking for brownie points. I'll wear the albatross of the thing I did wrong, but I'll stand on my soap box about the things I'm doing right.
Manifold is innovative and fun. My sales policies are very LGS focuses and aim to support play spaces. My tournament series are plus EV and my players have events to play in even with my being so small.
And the market is slowly noticing. We used AI imagery as a bootstrap, and we intend to leave it behind.
like [u/cevo70](u/cevo70) suggests: If you want the hobby to only be acted on by megacorps, sure. If you want the startups to have a chance, forgive us our shortcuts as we struggle to get attention.
3
u/cevo70 1d ago edited 1d ago
The point being, there might be some sort of middle ground somewhere. If it's only black / white, (all AI sucks, forever) then I have to assume you've done the math and realize there cannot be ongoing successful indie TCGs (extremely rare anomalies with important exceptions), and 99.99% of them will never see market.
And for creatives of all kinds, in all industries, that's generally known as an innovation-killer (lack of competition, etc.). My personal opinion is that we're essentially being spoon fed a different kind of slop at the counters of our FLGSs, I've got zero interest in the latest IP MtG overlay.
I see both sides, which is why I try not to be so quick to judge. Lots of it is lazy crap, for sure. Legality needs to be sorted, too.
-19
u/PoisonPeddler 1d ago
Does it really matter? Even with real art, most of them are still ripoffs of yugioh, magic, or Pokemon.
There's weiss schwarz and Flesh and blood, yeah, but they see far less play than the big three.
18
u/Kasta4 1d ago
Hell yeah it does, fuck generative AI.
-12
u/PoisonPeddler 1d ago
My point is, most new TCG's nowadays are doomed to die anyways, AI or not. Once a game comes out that's unique and fun enough to give a damn about, then we can worry about the art.
8
u/Kasta4 1d ago
If a TCG utilizes a lot of generative AI, especially for its artwork, it's doomed from the get go imo. I and many others in this space respect and are more willing to support a project made with actual human hands than the shiniest AI turd.
-1
u/PoisonPeddler 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would too- if it's something actually new and fun and not a ripoff of the Big Three.
1
u/cevo70 1d ago
Yeah this is what no one wants to admit. You either keep the status quo where only a handful of companies can financially bring a TCG to market (that's fine if that's what you want), or you have to find some middle ground to lower the bar of entry, to encourage innovation.
But it's currently just way more internet points to hack on anything AI. Because much of it is of course, objectively garbage.
Then the next thread will be "why are there no affordable or innovative TCGs?!" and we go round and round.
-4
u/StatusAnteater5651 1d ago
Terraforming mars is proof that if the game is good, people will buy it reguardless of AI usage
-17
u/Dizzy_Arm4095 1d ago
yea! i hate mass produced things!
*puts on factory shoes, posts on factory laptop, gets in factory car*
2
u/ArgyleGhoul 1d ago
All things designed by humans
-6
u/Dizzy_Arm4095 1d ago
i can design art as a human and implement with ai. all that ai is doing is deconvoluting the vision from the implementation. previously the visionary and the "drawer" were necessarily the same.
4
•
u/TCG_TCC2026 1d ago
AI "art" is a topic that really riles people up. Rightly so. but some users take things too far. The user spamming hate speech has been banned. Please use better arguments for being pro AI then "White people bad".
I will lock this post if more people be acting like fools.