Card Cost theory

So a tricky thing with designing cards is how much breath should a card cost. in many ways it's more an art than a science, but there are a few general patterns and considerations I've come to.

1. How soon should this card show up

So since this game lets you put any card into your resource zone, it means that you're more or less guaranteed to gain a resource every turn. so in one sense it's easy to think of card costs as a steady cascade of potency, where low end stuff is more about setting up for the higher cost stuff.

this is perhaps more relevant for balloons and objects, things that stay on the field.

2. How readily should this card be played

So this idea is more relevant for actions than anything else because those tend to operate on a different cost theory. a lot of the time actions cost 1 breath as they're either combat tricks, spot dodges, or do very minor setup.

There will be card effects however that don't feel right at the cost of 1, likely due to their potency or function. Removal for example generally won't cost 1 breath. because being able to get rid of a balloon for the cost of 1 or 2 breath is way too efficient.