"Have you ever heard someone say that a particular card is worthless or thought that yourself?", was the question I asked on the forums a week or so ago. You guys answered and needless to say I was not expecting that many responses for that particular topic, yet thanks to all of you this article has been made possible and now it is time for me to take that info and do something that you guys might or might not have expected.

Allow me to introduce you to a theory that I have created. I call it the Waiting to Bloom theory. (Okay, on the count of three you may make your silly little pun. 1...2...3...go! I know, I left the door opened.) Basically, this theory states that if there is a card that is viewed by many as worthless, that said card may in due time and under certain circumstances become useful. I have narrowed these said circumstances down to three and these are 1) Creative Thinking, 2) Seasonal Change, and 3) Ooppsie!

A high block modifier was yet another reason for why certain cards were viewed as worthless. I could understand this because a block modifier of +3 or +4 makes blocking pointless. You are better off using a good card with no block modifier if you're not going to be blocking in the first place. These two reasons alone were why Rising Ripper got decimated in the forum discussion.

The Three Circumstances

-Creative Thinking-

This happens in the minds of the Johnny's of our gaming community. A card that may be viewed worthless can be made into a worthwhile investment in there heads. (The whole idea of the Johnny's, as well as the Timmy's and Spike's, was brought up by Vik Ramas on the forums. If you have not read about Gaming Psycho types or are new to the game, please go to the forums and check it out, it's an awesome read.) Just to sum the Johnny up, he is the guy or gal who likes to be original and is always tinkering or pondering how certain combos can be pulled off.

I don't know what goes on in that think tank of theirs but when these guys get an idea, they run with it for the sake of originality. I have played several card games and have met several guys and gals who could take a card that I felt had no chance of making a difference and low and behold, they do it. I confess that I am a bit envious of these guys, but once they unlock a cards potential they make it obviously clear that we made a mistake in underestimating the once lackluster card. I am certain that everyone knows a person like this.

-Seasonal Change-

What in the world is a seasonal change? Is probably the question that popped up in your head as you read this at the start of the article. When Set Rotation/ Retirement occur or a New Set comes out, new things are bound to occur in much a way as the seasons change. A card that you may have ignored that is not being retired may actually find some use once you have observed the changes in the Metagame. A new card may actually be complimented quite well by the card you once dubbed horrible and vice versa. A seasonal change can do these things because the proverbial door has been open to new opportunities that have not been explored before.

Prime example of this change comes from the recent set of Street Fighter Cards in the Fight for the Future set. I found a foundation as you all have by now that actually seems to be begging gamers to use those Control Check 1 cards. That foundation is Traditional Style and I think that it is a Godsend for those cards that were good but viewed as being too risky due to the very low Control. This card alone made me second guess not using some of those low control check cards because of its ability to lower the difficulty for each Control Check 1 in my card pool. I think that that card was made because STG staff were begging us to give those cards a shot. Assalto Montante Crescendo anyone?

-Ooppsie!-

Of the three, ‘Ooppsie!' is the rarest of the circumstances and the reason why is because it does not happen very often. Oopsie will not occur in the tournament scene because players in that scene already have there decks tried and tested. (Unless we are talking about a sealed tourney in which this may occur.) This will more than likely occur in the casual gaming scene where gamers are looking to get in a quick game.

 We have all played casual games and when we do so there are times in which we build a quick deck due to time constraint or just being plain anxious. Sometimes a friend is rushing you because he has to be at work in two hours and needs to get ready. (Does this scenario sound familiar to any of you?) Needless to say, you build a quick deck and find that you only need four cards or less. In short, you just need a filler to make the deck complete. You're not really paying the ‘worthless card' much heed with the exception of seeing if that card can be played legally in your deck.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is easy to look at a card and toss it to the side as we scorn it for not having any use to us at all. Yet those said cards have not been given much of a chance to bloom due to our narrow perspectives, Sometimes it takes a Johnny, a change, and an accident to make us realize that although a card might not meet our criteria, that card still has potential to pull off a cool tactic when circumstances allow you to see that.

It really boils down to you thinking outside of the box and realizing that good things can come out from the least expected places. Maybe after reading this you will take a second glance at what you thought as a worthless endeavor for your decks. To be or not to be? That lies upon the decision you make after you're done with that second glance.