When designing cards for Gotogra, we follow a simple but demanding rule: every card must earn its place. In a game that blends tactical movement with deckbuilding, a card isn’t just about its effect—it’s about where, when, and how you play it.
The three pillars that guide card design in Gotogra:
1. Positioning as a Core Mechanic
Unlike traditional deckbuilders, Gotogra is built around platform-based tactical movement. Every card must account for the player’s position—and often the enemy’s as well. Some cards only work in certain directions, others affect adjacent platforms, and some require the player to have moved a certain number of tiles before being usable. Positioning turns every card into a spatial puzzle.
Positioning well is encouraged not just as a way to avoid damage, but also to deal more of it. For example, backstab attacks deal bonus damage when hitting enemies from behind. These are just two of the many advantages that stem from a strong positioning strategy.
2. Resource Costs and Tradeoffs
Cards in Gotogra are not free, and cost management is a core part of every turn. You often need to decide between spending energy to move or spending energy and/or mana to use a card. It’s no secret that the strongest cards often include built-in movement options.
Movement isn’t only important from the player’s perspective either—forcing enemies to move or predicting their movement can be just as critical. This creates a dynamic flow where every resource spent impacts both offense and defense.
3. Synergy Over Standalone Power
We avoid designing cards that “do everything on their own.” Instead, cards are built to shine when combined with others—whether that’s through hero power upgrades, relics, consumables, or clever sequencing. A card might feel underwhelming early in a run, but become the core of a powerful engine later on. The goal is to reward players who learn the mechanics and build toward their strengths.
Of course, there are also simple utility cards—ones that provide immediate value, like drawing cards, gaining a buff, or restoring health. These cards serve as flexible tools to stabilize a turn or set up a longer-term plan. They may not require intricate synergy to function, but they still play a vital role in the broader strategy.
A Practical Example: Taunt, Fear, and Whirlwind
To illustrate how positioning and synergy come together, let’s look at a specific combo that shows the tactical depth of Gotogra‘s card system:
Imagine you start your turn by playing a Taunt card. This card pulls nearby enemies toward your platform, forcing them to reposition closer to you. Next, you play two Fear cards, each causing an enemy to turn away from you—exposing their back.
Now, with enemies pulled in and turned around, you unleash a Whirlwind attack. Since you’re positioned between them and both are facing away, each strike of the Whirlwind is considered a backstab, maximizing its damage output.
What’s important here is that the movement didn’t come from the player, but from manipulating enemy movement through clever card play. This combo rewards planning, timing, and a deep understanding of how individual cards interact within the spatial rules of the game.
Another Angle: Player Movement with Teleport
Let’s now look at a combo where player movement plays a central role.
Imagine a scenario where three enemies are lined up in front of the player: a melee attacker, a mid-range enemy who can strike from behind the melee unit, and a ranged attacker at the very back. All of them are preparing to attack, and the ranged enemy is especially dangerous—he can deal high damage from the backline while staying protected by the others.
This is where the Teleport card comes in handy. Teleport instantly moves the player to the first available platform in front of them. So instead of engaging the melee enemy head-on, the player steps forward just enough to clear the path—then casts Teleport, instantly blinking past the frontline and landing right beside the vulnerable ranged enemy.
Because the ranged enemy is stuck in its attack preparation, its back is exposed—setting up the perfect opportunity for a backstab.
This interaction shows how player-driven movement can create tactical windows that feel both satisfying and skillful. It’s not just about reacting to threats—it’s about rewriting the battlefield to your advantage.
A Note on Backstabs
If this all makes backstabs sound a bit too strong—don’t worry. The scenarios shown above are carefully planned examples to demonstrate the underlying systems. In reality, Gotogra features a wide variety of enemy types, many of which are not easy to backstab at all. Some turn frequently, some cover each other, and others actively punish careless flanking. Pulling off high-damage backstabs consistently requires thoughtful planning and deep understanding of enemy behavior.
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