I'm not sure this qualifies as new, seeing as I've been working on and off on it for 6 years, but...
Also, be prepared for a wall of words.
BACKSTORY: My friend and I came up with a game called "Tactics of the Gods" when we were learning to play "Magic". I had grown up playing "Yu-Gi-Oh!", so "Magic" was nothing really new to me. He on the other hand had never played any card games at all, and loved the idea. After playing for a while, we came with a story driven trading card game focused more on strategy than luck.
Problem: Trading card game with no luck.
We bounced around ideas for close to five years, and to this day, still search for a better solution. And so I turn this problem to the BGDF community.
THE GAME: Story has always been the leading factor of this game. But just behind that was strategy. We started with the idea that 7 gods, which rule over 7 battlefields, were in a deadly war with one another, trying to take over the home of each of the others territories. 7 "Battlefields". Players would build their decks around these battlefields to try and out play each other in combat. Yes, you could use any combination of battlefields, after all, gods would team to kill each other.
Players would be required to use these battlefields to summon characters, in which they could do battle. Characters would move between battlefields, allowing you to alter your style of play mid-game from offensive to defensive and back. Battle is currently handled through the rolling of d20s, however the roll can be forced to a specific number by the characters (Min-Max range).
Problem: Best way to get characters.
Battlefields are currently placed out from your hand next to another battlefield, in one of four cardinal directions. This allows players to set up a route of battlefields through the board, potentially changing play.
Problem: Playing space is MASSIVE. Also feels very 2 player, no more...
Equipment, Actions, and Reactions don't do anything super important yet, but I have a placeholder for them. I know why I'll need them, but not how to do them yet.
Problem: All of it.
Lastly, currently everything is built off of a specific level. EVERYTHING. Level 1 characters do a lot less damage than a level 5 character. Certain cards can only be played in a battlefield and level to match it. In an attempt to increase strategy and cut out luck (see above), I currently have it set up so each player starts with 1 deck available, but as they level up, so does the deck. As the deck levels up, more powerful cards become available for use. This is achieved by having more than 1 deck.
Oh, almost forgot, players are playing for conquer points right now. If they conquer a battlefield, they gain points. You can conquer a battlefield by being the only person there, or by completing an objective on the card. I don't have a numbered goal yet, but I have the base idea for it.
Thus ends the wall of words. I know what I want this game to be, and where it came from. I can track down every bad idea we've had over the years. But until I can find a way to deal with these problems, I feel at an impasse. Does anyone have any ideas?
We had actually debated stacking your deck before. It was our first idea. However we decided game setup took too long.
There are 5 card types, each broken into the 7 battlefields. One of those is the battlefield type itself, which allows players to play their cards, like mana from "Magic" or energy from "Pokemon". You play them out from your hand and build a playing field mid-game. Each card then has a type, like a color from "Magic" or type from "Pokemon", or even attribute from "Yu-Gi-Oh!", that says where the card is from. You can't play certain cards without playing a battlefield to match it. With the massive field build, characters can only be played in a battlefield of the same level they are.
Leveling anything in the game up is done by playing a card of the next level on top of a card.
I hope I helped solve some of your confusion. I am intrigued by the scry every turn mechanic, and think I'll do a little bit of play testing on that. Thanks for the input.