Game Jargon Definition: “Deck Construction”
Deck Construction (noun) - deck con·struc·tion /dek kənˈstrəkSH(ə)n/
The process of a player choosing a subset of cards from a pool of cards that they own to assemble and shuffle into a deck according to a set of rules for use in a future game that uses those cards. While there is no universal standard, it is quite common for games to limit the number of duplicate cards in the same deck (often, 4 or fewer) and to set deck minimums (20–40 is typical) and/or maximums (50–100 is typical). However, some games have no upper limit to the number of cards a player may put into a given deck. Other games or game formats forbid the occurrence of any duplicate cards in the same deck (e.g., the Magic: The Gathering commander format).
The process of constructing a deck for use in play is considered part of the “meta-game.” That is, it is done outside of the context of the actual game play. Games that utilize deck construction tend to fall into the categories of “customizable card games,” “trading card games,” and “living card games,” which are all slight variations on the same general concept.
Tournament play typically features stricter rules for deck construction than non-tournament play. Players often take time to modify their decks between games or between tournaments based on their success or failure in achieving victories with a particular deck.
While “deck construction” and “deck building” may seem to be the same (and are indeed similar in spirit in some ways), they are in fact, quite different. The most basic difference is that games that utilize deck construction have a meta-game (as mentioned above) where players independently assemble their decks prior to playing the game. Deck building is a game mechanic where players’ decks are built during the actual playing of a game, typically from common pools of cards.
Games that utilize deck construction include: Magic: The Gathering (1993); Star Trek: Customizable Card Game (1994); Pokémon Trading Card Game (1996); Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (1999); Android: Netrunner (2012); and Arkham Horror: The Card Game (2016).
