Find NFL Five clarifications below, plus an interview with designer Brian Fahmie!

1) NFL Five Rules FAQ 

Q: “If I designate DJ Moore (C11-19) as a runner or receiver, when does his effect stop cancelling all Tackle abilities?”

A: Until the next down. In general, card effects only last for a given play unless otherwise stated.

See also: E165-19 Myles Garrett

Q: “What happens to card effects that change something (such as the play range, or type of play) when they are used after a play has resolved/players have already been designated?

A: The effect will fail. For example, if E175-19 Derwin James was Exhausted outside of On Field Adjustments, his effect would fail.

See also: C6-19 Patrick Onwuasor, C51-19 Jimmy Garoppolo, U115-19 Joe Haden, R154-19 Ben Roethlisberger, E175-19 Derwin James, L194-19 Aaron Rodgers

Q: “When do energized players become exhausted in the sequence of resolving a play?”

A: They are exhausted after being designated as the runner, tackler, or receiver for that play. Keep in mind that you cannot use the effects of a Player Card that is already exhausted before designation.

2) NFL Five Web Coverage 

Our friends at MetaManiacs have two new pieces of NFL Five content to enjoy, with a box break video here and a “First Impressions” roundtable here. Watch for more box break video links in the future, along with another “live draft” spotlight from San Diego!

3) September MetaX Giveaway

First, don’t forget to enter our ongoing NFL Five launch giveaway before the September 17th cutoff. Meanwhile, MetaX’s September giveaway will follow immediately after – with contest details/kickoff on Friday, September 20th!

4) Four More for Friday

We close out the week with four tidbits from NFL Five TCG designer Brian Fahmie – including a glimpse of things to come!

I) What made you interested in combining card games mechanics with NFL trading cards?

“I’ve always been a sports fan, collected sports cards as a kid (didn’t we all?), and I’ve played TCGs for over 20 years. I’ve had the privilege to work on and design a number of trading card games in my career, and when the opportunity arose to design an officially licensed NFL trading card game I jumped at the opportunity! What excites me most about NFL Five is that it feels like football, and yet at the same time has the feeling of a fun trading card game. Layer in the collectability of officially licensed NFL trading cards and it has the best of all worlds.”

II) Which card is currently your favorite?

“It’s a tough choice but probably Outperform. It significantly helps players execute their deck and overall game strategy. Want to try to hit First Down, Strip Sack, or Interception on a more consistent basis? Include Outperform as an engine to power almost all deck strategies.”

III) What advice would you offer to new players?

“As a beginner, take advantage of the Starter Decks. While the Plays and Action cards are more basic, they are balanced with regards to play types and strength value (providing a well rounded mix of all offensive and defensive plays/associated strength numbers). From there, base customized decks off the Starter Decks and tweak them until you’re really comfortable with how the game plays. You’ll discover that many intricate deck building strategies that are possible, especially in Draft/Sealed. When customizing your Starter Deck for these Limited formats, the Outperform cycle is almost always an auto-include (Outthink, Outwork, Outperform.)”

IV) What can fans look forward to in future releases?

“An expansion of the strategy and metagame. The next set has a ton of new Action cards, all of which greatly expand deck building. The set will also have two additional player cards per NFL team, allowing players to build a deck of a single NFL team (i.e., all 10 player cards from one franchise.) I wanted the first set to introduce the basics to allow as many people as possible to get into the game. Followup sets will begin ramping up the game’s strategy, deck building, competitive environment, and even collectability.”