Collectable Cards: a Lost Neopian Treasure

Sadly, it seems that the vast majority of Neopets users out there know nothing more about collectable cards than the fact that you can buy them from a shop in Neopia Central. Oh, and the occasional Light Faerie will ask for them if you are lucky enough to be granted a Faerie Quest. Think again, Neopia! There's more to collectable cards than gaining a statistic from a generous faerie or filling up your Safety Deposit Box! This article is to inform you all about collectable cards in the modern Neopets world.

First, let me briefly introduce you to the world of collectable cards! Way back in the history of Neopets, the Neodeck was something similar to your shop – it was there and was available for you to use, but you had to expand and update it so that you could fit cards into it. Nowadays, it is readily available for you to fill up at your own leisure and at no cost to you, other than the cards themselves, of course. These cards are released at random intervals, and are usually displayed on the New Features page when they are ready to buy and add to your collection.

Collectable cards are just that - they are cards waiting to be collected! Each card has information and an image of something special to Neopets. These can range from individual people to the latest bands to the many different games available on the site. There are 8 different coloured cards, and these are generally categorised from the cheapest to the most expensive; however, like all things, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Blue-backed Cards: These cards are the most readily available cards. They are almost always for sale in the card shop and are usually the type of cards that the Light Faerie asks for. There are more Blue-backed cards out there than any other colour and they are a great way to start off your collection. Some common cards include Slychi the Skeith Invader, Sticks and Stones and Moogi.

Red-backed Cards: These are the second most common cards for you to collect. They are only slightly more expensive than the Blue-backed cards but are still affordable. You will find these cards for sale at the card shop also, often in large quantities. On the Red-backed cards you will find names such as Sir Cheekalot, Jelly Chia and Xenia, Master Prankster.

Pink-backed Cards: These cards are slightly rarer than the previous coloured cards and are harder to purchase in the cards shop. If you do a shop wizard search, these cards are often a little bit pricier than the former cards but are all buyable! While you might need to start saving up for some of these cards, they are a must for your collection. Look for cards like Liandra, The Archmagus of Roo and Leirobas.

Green-backed Cards: Now we are getting to the rarer side of things. These cards only restock occasionally in the card shop and may take some serious Shop Wizard hunting to track down. Try adding The Fontaine Sisters, Umma Bunga and Shadow Usul to your collection!

Purple-backed Cards: These special cards begin to take a big bite out of your bank balance! As these generally start in the thousands range, when you start collecting purple-backed cards, then you know you are getting hooked! If you are lucky you will find the odd one for sale in the card shop, so here are some handy cards to get you started: Ursula Usul, Captain Astounding and Edna the Witch.

Black-backed Cards: Welcome to the “very rare” realm! If you are going to start collecting these cards, be prepared to play a lot of extra games to earn some more points. Black-backed cards are also available through the card shop and Shop Wizard; however you would be expected to fork out a lot of Neopoints for them. A lot of the newer cards are also black-backed and sell for a fair price. Some of these cards include Guardian of Spectral Magic, Daedelon and Maelstra The Dark Faerie.

Gold-backed Cards: This is where the fun starts! Gold-backed cards are mostly unbuyable with the exception of a select few. These cards can be seen on the Trading Post with sometimes rather exuberant price tags, and are quite hard to come by. Unless you are super lucky to find one buyable on the Shop Wiz or restocking in the card shop, be prepared to start paying hundreds of thousands! Cards include Mechachiazilla, Professor Katchevski and Punchbag Bob.

Holographic Cards: The Neopets rarity list describes these cards as being the rarest of them all. How these cards were released into Neopia is unknown. All that is known, however, is that the majority of these holographic cards are in the millions price range. These cards will be the hardest to come by, and have even the most dedicated collectors stumped. Just a few of these holographic cards include The Wall (H), The Hairy Tongue Beast and Balthazar the Bounty Hunter.

So there is a basic rundown of the different types of cards. But now, you might be wondering what exactly the point of these cards is? I mean, you can’t feed them to your pets, they do not have any magical powers that we know of, and you certainly can’t use them in the Battledome. Here are just a few reasons why you should think about starting your collectable card obsession today!

Firstly, as I have mentioned previously, the collectable cards are a favourite item of the Light Faeries. In fact, these faeries are so fixated with these cards that they have made them their favourite quest item! In return for the card of her choice, this faerie will grant your pet a level. Considering she usually asks for cheaper blue-backed, red-backed or pink-backed cards, it’s usually a bargain.

Speaking of quests, collectable cards are also a favourite of Illusen and Jhudora! I’ve had many a time where they are seeking a collectable card as one of their coveted items, and it’s always nice to keep a few on hand. You would not want to run out of time searching for one when you need it!

The Neopets team has also released several secret avatars which require certain collectable cards to be used in special ways. For now there are only a few cards which are needed to obtain an avatar from. Perhaps in the future, Neopets will release an avatar for collectors of these rare cards, but we can only hope!

And finally, what reason is more important than having a hobby on Neopets? Think of your Neodeck as a gallery for cards, without the costs involved with expanding your own shop or gallery. It is a fantastic thing to have something to strive for on Neopets. It has kept me going through some tough times and I am very proud to have collected a fair amount of cards. Collectable cards are affordable for the not-so-wealthy Neopians out there like myself; yet still provide a challenge for even the wealthiest of Neopians.

I have already mentioned several ways which you can get these lovely items, but I will share some other ways for those of you who are interested in beginning your collecting careers, they include the following:

*The Collectable Card Shop – Shop number 8 in the Neopian Bazaar to be exact. Stop by and pay the friendly Buzz a visit; perhaps he can help you find what you are looking for. Maybe if you are lucky, he will have a shipment of rare cards in for you to look through!

*The Shop Wizard/Trading Post – Keep your eyes peeled for bargains here. You will find a lot of the blue-backed, red-backed, pink-backed, green-backed, and purple-backed cards are readily available but the rarer cards will be more of a struggle to find! Good luck on your search.

*Competition Prizes – Every so often, collectable cards are released as prizes for competitions, so make sure you are keeping your eyes peeled and enter when you can! The most recent example I can think of is the Storytelling Contest, where the extra special holographic card “The Storyteller” was released as a special event.

*Treasure Maps – If you are lucky and have a spare original Treasure Map set lying around just waiting to be redeemed, cross your fingers because gold-backed and holographic cards have been said to be won from this!

*Booster Packs – Available from the Toy Shop, collectable card Booster Packs contain a selection of cards. All you need to do is play with your pack with one of your pets and a variety of cards will magically appear in your inventory. There are lots of different kinds of Booster Packs; some are buyable and some are not.

Well, I hope this guide has been a basis for you to get out there and become obsessed with collecting cards today! Feel free to Neomail me with any other interesting facts you might have about the collectable cards, and perhaps one day us collectors will be granted our very own avatar! Happy collecting!