Raw Deal

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For other uses of this word, see Raw Deal (disambiguation).

Raw Deal is a collectible card game published by Comic Images and licensed from World Wrestling Entertainment, designed to replicate the action of a professional wrestling match.

Contents 1 Game play 1.1 Basics of the game 1.2 Card types 1.2.1 Activated Card Effects 1.2.2 Heel and Face 1.2.3 RAW and SmackDown! 1.2.4 Fan Favorite and Cheater 1.2.5 Stun Value 1.3 Advanced Rules 1.3.1 Backlash Deck 1.3.2 Backstage Area 1.3.3 Additional Card Traits 1.4 Tournaments 1.5 World qualifiers & the World Championship 1.6 Miscellaneous 2 Products 2.1 Base Sets 2.1.1 Premier Edition 2.1.2 Survivor Series 2.1.3 Survivor Series 2 2.1.4 Survivor Series 3 2.2 Expansions 2.2.1 Fully Loaded 2.2.2 Backlash 2.2.3 Mania 2.2.4 SummerSlam 2.2.5 Velocity 2.2.6 Insurrextion 2.2.7 Divas Overload 2.2.8 Vengeance 2.2.9 Armageddon 2.2.10 Unforgiven 2.2.11 No Way Out 2.2.12 Great American Bash 2.3 Special Editions 2.3.1 The Rock and Stone Cold Retail Edition 2.3.2 The Rock and Stone Cold Limited Edition Tins 2.3.3 Chris Jericho and HHH Limited Edition Tins 2.3.4 It's All About The Game Limited Edition Trash Can 2.3.5 Ruthless Aggression 2.3.6 Absolute RAW and Ultimate SmackDown! 2.3.7 WrestleMania Deck Box 2.3.8 SummerSlam Deck Box 2.3.9 Lethal Library 2.3.10 Tournament Prize Kit Superstars 2.3.10.1 Tournament Kit #4 2.3.10.2 Tournament Kit #5 2.3.11 Royal Rumble 2.3.12 Revolution 2.3.13 Revolution 2 2.3.14 Promo Superstars 3 Trivia 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Game play

Raw Deal uses a 60-card deck, referred to as the player’s Arsenal. It is intended to be played in a one-on-one or two-on-two setting (a tag team match), but multi-player variants are common and popular.

Cards for the game are available in starter decks and booster packs. Expansions are released two to three times a year. Update sets call “Survivor Series” have been released, which contains the most popular cards from the preceding sets.

[edit] Basics of the game

A typical game of Raw Deal can include cards representing everything from the venue in which the match takes place to outside interference in the match. Each player reveals their chosen wrestler (referred to as a Superstar card) before the game commences. Information on the Superstar card is used to determine the number of cards in a player’s opening hand (starting hand size) and who will start the game (superstar value). Every superstar card also has a superstar ability, which reflects the wrestler’s in-ring attributes and often forms the basis of the deck. Raw Deal is extinct.

Some superstar cards are referred to as “remakes”. This is because they represent the same WWE persona as an existing superstar card, but with a different title, hand size, superstar value and ability. They also do not count as the same superstar as the original superstar card for that WWE performer, as they are conceptually distinct and are often played quite differently. Both are legal to play.

Almost every card other than a Superstar card has two values on it: Fortitude, and Damage.

A player can have up to 3 copies of any card in their Arsenal, with the following exceptions:

Set-Ups: a player may have any number of copies of any Set-Up card in their deck.

Unique: a player may not have more than one copy of any Unique card in their deck.

Fortitude represents a wrestler’s ability to use more powerful attacks, defences and in-ring strategies. A player can only play a card to the table if the Fortitude value on the card is equal to or less than their current Fortitude rating. A player’s Fortitude is calculated by adding together the Damage values of all cards a player has on the table (referred to as their Ring Area or the Ring). Obviously, at the start of the game, a player will have no cards in the Ring, and every game starts with both players on zero Fortitude.

A card’s Damage value shows how much damage will be inflicted upon the opponent if the card is successfully played. Damage is represented by a player overturning cards from their Arsenal, one at a time, into a pile next to their Arsenal (the Ringside pile). When a card is in the Ring, it adds its Damage value to a player’s Fortitude rating, which allows them to play better and more powerful cards.

A player wins the game in one of two ways:

Pinfall: a player inflicts enough Damage that their opponent has to overturn more cards than remain in their Arsenal.

Count-Out: an opponent ends any turn with no cards left in their Arsenal. A player may elect to refuse a count-out and go for a pin, if they want to prevent their opponent from deliberately “counting themselves out”.

[edit] Card types

At a basic level, the cards in any Raw Deal deck will be of the following types:

Maneuvers (yellow): in most decks, maneuvers are the means by which players inflict damage on their opponents and gain Fortitude. There are five main types of maneuver - strikes, grapples, submissions, high risks, and trademark finishers. Maneuvers can only be played on a player’s turn.

Reversals (red): these cards are used to stop an opponent’s maneuver or action cards. They typically stop a specific type of card, although some will reverse any card. Unless stated otherwise, Reversals will work when played from a player’s hand, or when overturned while taking damage. Reversals can only be played on the opponent’s turn unless the card states otherwise, and will end an opponent’s turn when played or overturned.

Actions (blue): these cards represent different antics in and out of the squared circle. Their effects can range from allowing a player to draw cards or recovering cards in the Ringside pile, to removing cards from an opponent’s Ring area or even immediately winning the game. Actions can only be played on a player’s turn.

Hybrids: hybrid cards are multicoloured, and can be used for either purpose. Hybrid actions and maneuvers can only be played on a player’s turn, while hybrid reversals can only be played on an opponent’s turn.

Superstar-specifics: these can be any of the other types of cards, and represent the trademark actions of WWE wrestlers. These cards have a logo denoting which superstar(s) may use the card, and are usually the most powerful cards in any player’s deck.

“Remake” superstars are always capable of playing most or all cards with the original superstar’s logo on them, but do not count as that superstar. The only exceptions to this rule are Bradshaw/JBL. due to the fact that the character changed quite drastically storyline-wise (to the point that he doesn't even acknowledge his former gimmick).

In addition to their printed Damage, all actions and most maneuver cards have other text on the card that causes additional effects if it is successfully played. Sometimes these effects are optional, others are mandatory and use the word “must”. A player that wishes to play a card that has a mandatory effect must be able to meet it or be unable to play the card.

Some cards require that they be played after another card, usually a maneuver doing a minimum amount of damage. This is called “the chain of effects”. A player can only play such a card immediately after meeting its conditions; they cannot play another card in between the two (referred to as “breaking the chain”).

[edit] Activated Card Effects

Activated Card Effects (or ACEs) are cards that provide a particular effect described on the card for a given “cost” during a player’s turn. The “cost” of activating an ACE can range from discarding a card to removing the ACE from one’s Ring area. ACEs can only be reversed by a reversal that specifically targets ACEs, although if they are initially played as actions or maneuvers, they can be reversed as normal until they are on the table.

[edit] Heel and Face

Heel and Face represent typical “bad guy” or “good guy” actions in Raw Deal. Heel cards tend to be illegal attacks, unscrupulous reversals or other nasty tricks, while Face cards tend to allow a player to draw cards, make cards irreversible or get a Heel opponent disqualified for cheating. A player’s deck cannot include both Heel and Face cards, barring any exceptions, such as Kurt Angle.

[edit] RAW and SmackDown!

These traits represent the two main WWE televised shows (“brands”), RAW and Smackdown!. Since both shows have separate rosters, the “branded” cards determine which show the player’s deck is affiliated with. A player’s deck cannot include both RAW and SmackDown! cards, barring exceptions, such as Vince McMahon.

[edit] Fan Favorite and Cheater

Two new traits introduced in a limited fashion in the Royal Rumble set and more extensively in the No Way Out set, these represent superstars who are either cheered for (Fan Favorite), or those who get booed by breaking the rules (Cheater). Like similar traits, only Fan Favorite or Cheater cards can be packed, not both.

[edit] Stun Value

Some cards, particularly High Risks and the more powerful Strikes and Grapples, have one or more stars just above the Damage value. This is referred to as a card’s Stun Value. Stun Value can vary between zero and five, and there are also cards which add to a maneuver’s Stun Value. If a card with Stun Value is reversed while a player’s opponent is overturning cards, but before all the cards have been overturned, the player may draw additional cards up to the card’s Stun Value. Until the No Way Out expansion, no Action cards had stun value and Action/Maneuver hybrid cards counted stun value only when played as a maneuver.

[edit] Advanced Rules

There are two additional “areas” in more advanced games of Raw Deal: the Backlash deck, and the Backstage area.

[edit] Backlash Deck

The Backlash deck is made up of 20 cards - 10 Pre-Match and 10 Mid-Match cards. These cards have a horizontal orientation. Pre-Match cards are purple-bordered, while Mid-Match cards are actions, maneuvers, reversals or hybrids and have the same colour as a card of the same type in a player’s Arsenal. Normally, a player can only have 5 Pre-Match and 5 Mid-Match cards in the Ring at any time.

When playing with a Backlash deck, there is a Pre-Match phase in the game. Starting with the player with the higher Superstar Value, players alternate in playing these cards. After all players have played all the Pre-Match cards they can or wish to play, the players resolve their effects, starting with the player who had the highest Superstar Value. There are five stages to the Pre-Match phase:

Venue - locations which provide specific benefits and effects, often to all players.

Feud - feud cards represent rivalries between wrestlers. Many feud cards are superstar-specific, or have additional effects against particular opponents.

Stipulation - the conditions for the match, which include No Disqualification, Hell In A Cell, Bra And Panties, First Blood, Buried Alive and TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) Matches.

Manager - valets or other individuals accompanying a wrestler to the ring.

Regular - most Pre-Match cards are played in the Regular phase, including Events, Pay-Per-View Events that represent specific WWE annual pay-per-views and Objects like WWE title belts.

Mid-Match cards can be played whenever it would be legal to play them, as they are actions, maneuvers and reversals. A Mid-Match card is not considered to have been played from a player’s hand, but from the player’s Backlash deck. Once a player has 5 Mid-Match cards in play, they cannot play any more unless they can increase their legal limit or remove one or more from the Ring.

[edit] Backstage Area

This is where a player’s superstar card and Backstage Area cards are located. Although these cards are on the table, they are not considered to be “in” the Ring area. Most Backstage Area cards are superstar-specific and are not particularly powerful, although they are effectively “free” cards and cannot be reversed or removed from play by an opponent. The Enforcer cards for certain superstars (Eric Bischoff, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Heyman, The Mystery Wrestler, Sable, Stacy Keibler, Theodore Long and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan) are also revealed from the Backstage Area.

[edit] Additional Card Traits

Active: a player cannot play any copy of a card with the Active trait to their Ring area if they already have a card with the same title in the Ring area.

BASH: When you are packing cards with BASH in the title, you cannot pack non-superstar specific cards that are Face, Heel, Raw, Smackdown, Chain, Heat, or Volley.

Chain: to reverse a Chain card from hand or Backlash deck, a player must discard 2 cards from their hand. After playing a successful Chain card and damage has been applied, a player may discard 2 cards to search their Arsenal for another card with the Chain trait. Decks using Chain cards often focus on forcing their opponent to discard cards, as this makes their Chain cards much harder to reverse.

Diva: a trait of some Female superstars. It has no in-game effect except as referenced by other cards which can or cannot be used by Diva superstars. All Diva superstars are considered Female, but not all Female superstars are considered Divas (example: Chyna, Lita, Trish Stratus...)

Enforcer: some superstars do not conceptually compete themselves, but are represented by their Enforcers. Enforcers are revealed from the Backstage Area by those superstars and determine a player’s hand size, superstar value and ability (in addition to text on their actual Superstar card).

Foreign Object: typically, these are illegal weapons used by a player (such as chairs, steel chains, tables or ladders).

General Manager: a trait of some superstars. It has no in-game effect except as referenced by other cards which can or cannot be used by General Manager Superstars.

Heat: if a player has 6 or more cards with the Heat trait in their Ringside pile, they may play one Heat card from the Ringside pile every turn. If a player voluntarily moves any number of cards from their Ringside pile for any reason other than the effect of a Heat card, they must first remove all Heat cards in their ringside pile from the game. It should be noted that a distinction has been made that playing a card from the ringside pile does not constitute moving a card from the ringside pile and therefore does not trigger the removal of Heat cards. Heat decks are hard to stop, because they can keep playing the same card until it is successful. Because Heat reversals aren’t played from hand or Backlash deck, Heat is usually quite successful against Chain decks. However, Heat suffered a significant blow with the introduction of the Volley trait.

Legend: a trait of some superstars. It has no in-game effect except as referenced by other cards which can or cannot be used by Legend superstars.

Multi: a Multi card requires two reversals to be stopped. If only one reversal is played, the Multi card is considered to have been successful. Mutli cards are considered to be reversed from whichever area produced the second reversal effect. (I.E. If a player plays one reversal from his hand then a second from his Backlash deck, the card is considered to be reversed from the Backlash deck)

Permanent: cards with the Permanent trait cannot be removed from a player’s Ring area, unless the card itself states otherwise.

Restricted Modification: these cards cannot have their damage, Fortitude or card text altered by other cards. Effectively, they exist in a bubble that ignores outside effects.

Run-In: these cards represent outside interference or the presence of other WWE superstars at ringside, either to assist one player or as a “guest commentator”.

Throwback: some cards exist in two versions - original printing and Throwback. Throwback cards are typically stronger than the original, but are often easier to reverse. Additionally, in Survivor Series 3, some superstar cards were printed in Throwback versions with improved abilities.

Universally Active: if a universally active card is in any player’s ring area, no player may play a card of the same sub-type. (I.E. Venue, Feud, Stipulation, or Manager) This is a trait that currently only appears on Venue cards.

Universally Unique: only one copy of a universally unique card can be in any player’s Ring area. All title belt cards are universally unique - only one player can be the Heavyweight Champion, for example.

Volley: Volley cards all have a number value after the Volley trait. A player can reverse a Volley card by randomly removing that many cards from their Ringside pile, as well as in the normal ways. If a Volley card is reversed by a played reversal card, it imposes considerable restrictions on what an opponent may play on their next turn (only maneuvers and Set-Up actions from their hand). Additionally, if an opponent does not attempt to play a maneuver on their next turn after reversing a Volley card with a reversal card, the player may put a Volley card from Ringside into their hand. Volley is powerful against Heat decks, although it is weaker against Chain decks, as these will often feel little restriction from the Volley effect.

[edit] Tournaments

Raw Deal tournaments are typically singles events rather than tag team tournaments. There are two basic formats for tournaments: All Axxess and Afterburn. All Axxess tournaments have no restrictions on the cards or superstars that may be used by players. Afterburn tournaments require a player’s deck and superstar to have been from one of the most recent expansions or the latest Survivor Series set. At present, Afterburn-legal cards are limited to card printed or reprinted in Survivor Series 3, as well anything printed after the Vengeance set (Lethal Library, Armageddon, Unforgiven and Royal Rumble sets, as well as some prize support and promotional cards).

Regardless of the format, singles tournaments use a random draw in the first round, and the Swiss pairing system in subsequent rounds, so that players will be facing opponents with roughly similar win-loss records in each round. Players who win a match by Pin receive 3 points, while players who win by Count-Out receive 2 points. The number of rounds depends on the size of the tournament, as does the number of finals positions. In most cases, a 2:1 win-loss ration is typically sufficient to secure a finals berth.

In the event of a points tie for finals placing, the performance of a player’s opposition is used to determine who will qualify for the finals. In addition, no more than one player may reach the finals with the same superstar - this is known as the Diversity Rule, and discourages players from all using the same deck. If four players are using the same superstar, only one can make the finals, even if the others would normally qualify. Once the top cut is made at the end of the regular rounds, players play single-elimination rounds until only one player is left as the tournament winner.

Tournament kits and random cards are usually offered as prizes for tournaments. These include title belt cards, guest ringside announcer cards or other unique cards unavailable in starter decks or booster packs. After the tournament, the performance of the players is noted and sent through to update the existing world rankings. The Raw Deal world rankings use the ELO ranking system to determine a player’s position.

[edit] World qualifiers & the World Championship

The Raw Deal World Championships are held every year in the same city as WWE WrestleMania, on the same weekend as the event. To reach the world championships, a player must either win a regional qualifier, finish as the number-one ranked player in the world, or be one of the top 50 ranked players and be randomly chosen to attend. World Championship qualifier tournaments typically attract much larger numbers and considerably greater amounts of prize support than a normal tournament, although they are conducted in exactly the same way. The winner receives a trip to the World Championships in addition to any other prize support.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Many games and tournaments are won and lost by a player’s understanding of their tournament metagame. The metagame refers to the deck types and strategies currently being used in the area, and knowledge of these is critical in building a deck to defeat them. The importance of the local metagame has increased since the inception of Chain, Heat and Volley cards, which many players view as the Raw Deal equivalent of Rock-Paper-Scissors. A player with decent card knowledge and an understanding of the metagame can often predict an opponent’s strategy simply by seeing which superstar they are playing and the Pre-Match cards they are using. Since Raw Deal does not utilise a sideboard for tournament play, the designing and building a deck that can deal with expected threats takes on considerably greater significance than in many other collectible card games.

Card text can explicitly override the rules in Raw Deal, while some cards and Superstars have text or abilities that specifically overrule or ignore certain traits, rules or limitations. It is frequently necessary for players to seek rulings from the tournament organisers or from online rulings personnel. A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is regularly updates and available from the Raw Deal website. Additional rules queries can be answered at The Squared Circle and/or Team Canada Online (see External Links).

At any given point in time (and depending on the cards in the game), certain superstars and deck designs will be seen as belonging to a certain “tier” within a hierarchy in terms of power and win-loss ratio. “Top-tier” decks see a lot of play at World Qualifier tournaments and the World Championships, while “mid-tier” and “lower-tier” decks are more common for most tournaments. It is unusual for a player to have their most lethally effective deck at a local 10-person tournament.

Also common is online deck sharing, or “net-decking”. The basic principles of a powerful deck are often posted on a forum for others to see, develop alternate versions of and design counter-measures against. Some players enthusiastically net-deck, deriving many of their strategies from online sources. These players are sometimes derisively referred to as “net-deckers”, as it is felt that by being too reliant on these deck strategies limits a player’s ability to build their own decks. Others use net-decks as a means to develop counters or to assess the effects that such decks may have on a metagame and predict how best to take advantage of it.

In recent times, players have complained more of NPE decks, or “negative play experiences”. These NPE decks are typically able to frustrate an opponent’s strategy completely, or can demolish their opponents so swiftly that there is no chance for a comeback. Most NPE decks are also extremely difficult to metagame against, with many requiring superstar-specific counters to stand much of a chance against them.

Raw Deal also has supported multiple Limited formats over the years. Limited is a variation of play where instead of bringing a preconstructed deck to a tournament, players receive cards at the tournament to build a deck from. The first of these formats was known as No Mercy, in which a player received a random starter deck and a set number of packs to build a deck with. This format is frowned upon because some superstar abilities are more powerful in this format than others, therefore many of the tournaments were determined by who received the best starter deck.

The next format used was Raw Draft or Rochester Draft. Raw draft was created and originated in Rochester, New York at Millennium Games and Hobbies, and was quickly accepted as the official format for limited Raw Deal play. In Raw Draft, players are seated so no more than 8 players are at any table, and all tables have an even number of players. Each player is given 4-6 booster packs from different sets, and a number of starter decks are placed at each table equal to 1 plus the number of players at the table. Players go clockwise around the table using the packs to 'Bid' on a chosen starter deck. When one player makes a high bid, he takes the packs he bid with and places them underneath any starter deck at the table. These packs then add value to the weaker decks left at the table, and bidding resumes. When the bidding is done, one starter and some product is left unused. Then each player takes their starter and booster packs and builds a deck. This format was used to run two World Championship Qualifiers at the Origins and Gen Con Conventions in 2004. Although still considered by many to be the most skill based limited format, the format stopped being used after Survivor Series 3

The current format used for limited play is Raw Deal Draft. This format has playes bid a number 1-60 on each deck, then remove a number of cards from the starter and place them underneath the other starter decks. Then players draft out their packs by opening a booster, taking one card from the booster, and passing the rest around the table. Although this format is the official type used by Comic Images, there is still debate as to whether Rochester Draft or Raw Deal Draft is more skill based, and why the Rochester Draft format was abandoned

[edit] Products

[edit] Base Sets

[edit] Premier Edition

The first base set of Raw Deal. Featuring 7 Superstars.

Starter Deck Superstars Chris Jericho Kane Mankind Triple H Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock The Undertaker

[edit] Survivor Series

Featuring cards from Premier Edition set and Fully Loaded expansion and the reprint of Superstars from Premier Edition, as well as two new superstars.

Starter Deck Superstars Chris Jericho Kane Triple H Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Tazz Deadman Inc. (alternate version of The Undertaker) Cactus Jack (alternate version of Mankind)

[edit] Survivor Series 2

Featuring cards from previous base sets and expansions from Fully Loaded to SummerSlam and the reprint of then-active Superstars from those sets and expansions, and one new superstar.

Starter Deck Superstars Dude Love (alternate version of Mankind/Cactus Jack) Edge Christian Matt Hardy Jeff Hardy Lita The Big Show Booker T Rob Van Dam Trish Stratus Eddie Guerrero Chris Jericho

Booster Pack Superstars Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock Deadman Inc. Triple H Kane Rikishi Kurt Angle Tazz Chris Benoit Dudley Boyz Buh-Buh Ray Dudley D-Von Dudley Spike Dudley William Regal Hollywood Hulk Hogan Ric Flair The Hurricane Tajiri Al Snow

[edit] Survivor Series 3

Featuring cards from previous base sets, expansions from Fully Loaded to Vengeance and Absolute RAW and Ultimate SmackDown! special edtion, and the reprint of then-active Superstars from those sets and expansions with Throwback versions of Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Leader of the Edge Army and Highlight of the Night. Superstars in Survivor Series 3 were not packed in 61-card starter decks, but rather in 30-card Rumble Packs, which each contained multiple superstars all their non-ultra rare superstar specifics along with some exclusive cards. The Activated Card Effect symbol was retroactively added to many cards that were reprinted in this set. Also, this was the first set where "+" was universally used in the card type line of multi cards in favor of "/". The Tag Team Superstar trait was first created, differentiating between previously made tag teams who were distinguished by the phrase "You cannot play [pack] any Title Belts except the Tag Team Title Belts." in their superstar ability.

Rumble Pack #1 Rob Van Dam William Regal Paul Heyman SmackDown! GM Stephanie McMahon	Rumble Pack #2 Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rattlesnake The Hurricane Stacy Keibler	Rumble Pack #3 Kurt Angle and Your Freaking Hero Ric Flair Rhyno
Rumble Pack #4 The Undertaker Eddie Guerrero	Rumble Pack #5 Triple H and The Game Christian	Rumble Pack #6 Chris Benoit and The Crippler Gail Kim & Molly Holly Victoria Evolution
Rumble Pack #7 Edge Booker T Torrie Wilson	Rumble Pack #8 The Rock and The People's Champ The Big Show	Rumble Pack #9 Kane and The Big Freak'n Machine Trish Stratus John Cena
Rumble Pack #10 Matt Hardy Lita Tajiri RAW GM Eric Bischoff	Rumble Pack #11 Chris Jericho and The Highlight of the Night Rey Mysterio Shawn Michaels	Rumble Pack #12 Dudley Boyz Buh-Buh Ray Dudley D-Von Dudley Spike Dudley

[edit] Expansions

[edit] Fully Loaded

The first expansion of Raw Deal. Booster pack Superstars were first introduced. Run-in cards were first seen in this set. Non-superstar specific, non-tag only High Risk maneuvers were first introduced.

Starter Deck Superstars Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Chyna Rikishi Tazz Eddie Guerrero

Booster Pack Superstars X-Pac Road Dogg Billy Gunn

[edit] Backlash

Tag team Superstars and Backlash Deck were first introduced.

Starter Deck Superstars Edge & Christian Dudley Boyz Hardy Boyz Right To Censor

Booster Pack Superstars Edge Christian Buh-Buh Ray Dudley D-Von Dudley Matt Hardy Jeff Hardy

[edit] Mania

Active cards were first introduced. Pre-match Stipulations were first introduced. This is also the first set that saw previous superstars receive premium rare cards, setting the precedent that all superstars would receive ultra rare cards for only two sets after they were released.

Starter Deck Superstars Rob Van Dam Booker T Big Show Lita

Booster Pack Superstars Spike Dudley APA Raven William Regal

[edit] SummerSlam

Backlash deck size was increased from 12 (6 pre-match and 6 mid-match) to 16 (8 pre-match and 8 mid-match). Also, players were now allowed to play 4 pre-match and mid-match to their ring area, instead of 3. Multi cards, Permanent cards, Universally Unique cards, Pre-match Feud cards, and Pre-match Manager cards were first introduced. This set marked the first time a singles superstar received 6 superstar value, this out-shined the previously highest superstar value of a singles superstar of 5, which had been the standard since the release of the first set when The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were both given 5 superstar value.

Starter Deck Superstars Hollywood Hulk Hogan Ric Flair Hall ‘n Nash Trish Stratus

Booster Pack Superstars The Hurricane Tajiri Billy & Chuck Al Snow

[edit] Velocity

Remake Superstar, which is able to pack the cards for the Superstar it remakes from but considered to be the new Superstar, was first introduced. Raw and Smackdown branded cards were first introduced.

Starter Deck Superstars The People’s Champ (The Rock remake) The Game (Triple H remake) Big Freak’n Machine (Kane remake) Brock Lesnar Rey Mysterio Goldust

Booster Pack Superstars 3 Minute Warning Jamie Noble

[edit] Insurrextion

The concept of an Activated Card Effect was first introduced, however there was no symbol added to the cards yet.

Starter Deck Superstars The Crippler (Chris Benoit Remake) Los Guerreros (partial Eddie Guerrero remake; tag team with Chavo Guerrero) The Rattlesnake (Stone Cold Steve Austin remake) Big Poppa Pump Shawn Michaels Team Angle

Booster Pack Superstars Test Rhyno

[edit] Divas Overload

Diva superstars were first introduced.

Starter Deck Superstars Goldberg John Cena Sable Stacy Keibler Torrie Wilson Gail Kim & Molly Holly

Booster Pack Superstars Nidia Victoria

[edit] Vengeance

Backlash deck size was increased from 16 (8 pre-match and 8 mid-match) to 20 (10 pre-match and 10 mid-match). Also, players were now allowed to play 5 pre-match and mid-match to their ring area, instead of 4. The concept of the Backstage Area was first introduced. Universally Active cards, Chain cards, Heat cards, and Pre-match Venue cards were first introduced. This was also the first set since Velocity to have superstar-specific cards without the Raw or Smackdown logos. Also, this set saw the release of the first superstar with 10 superstar value (Evolution), which still remains the highest in the game.

Starter Deck Superstars Evolution Your Freaking Hero (Kurt Angle remake) Highlight of the Night (Chris Jericho remake) Leader of the Edge Army (Edge remake) The Mystery Wrestler (partial Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love remake) Paul Heyman

Booster Pack Superstars A-Train FBI

[edit] Armageddon

Throwback and Volley cards were first introduced.

Starter Deck Superstars The Phenom (Undertaker/Deadman Inc. remake) Babe of the Year (Trish Stratus remake) Randy Orton Shane-O-Mac John “Bradshaw” Layfield Shelton Benjamin

Booster Pack Superstars René Duprée Eugene

[edit] Unforgiven

Legend superstars were first introduced. This is also the first expansion to include new superstars with the "Tag Team Superstar Ability" which differs slightly from previously produced tag teams. This set saw the first singles superstar with 7 superstar value produced in The Immortal One.

Starter Deck Superstars The Immortal One (Hollywood Hulk Hogan remake) Leader of the Peepulation (Christian remake) Batista Christy Rowdy Roddy Piper Smackdown! GM Theodore Long

Booster Pack Superstars Heidenreich MNM The Hurri-Friends (partial Hurricane and Stacy Keibler remake; 3 person team with Rosey) Gene Snitsky

[edit] No Way Out

Premium rare cards in this set for previously made superstars were all non-unique and given either the Cheater or Fan Favorite logo. This was the first set to make extensive use of the Cheater and Fan Favorite logos.

Starter Deck Superstars The Largest Athlete in Sports Entertainment (Big Show remake) The Bookerman (Booker T remake) X-treme Diva (Lita remake) Jake "The Snake" Roberts "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Carlito

Booster Pack Superstars Chavo Guerrero Funaki The Mexicools Viscera

[edit] Great American Bash

This set was the debut of the BASH mechanic. Also, this was the first set to include a singles superstar with 8 superstar value in the form of Andre the Giant.

Starter Deck Superstars Andre the Giant Mr. Pay-Per-View (Rob Van Dam remake) Lashley Ken Kennedy The Ultimate Survivor (Matt Hardy remake) Mickie James

Booster Pack Superstars The Boogeyman The Spirit Squad Johnny Kenny Mikey Nicky Mitch

[edit] Special Editions

[edit] The Rock and Stone Cold Retail Edition

[edit] The Rock and Stone Cold Limited Edition Tins

Originally included two cards that are unavailable from any other set (including remakes): Rattlesnake Rulz (Stone Cold Steve Austin) and Do You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking (Rock). Both cards were reprinted in Rumble Packs in Survivor Series 3.

[edit] Chris Jericho and HHH Limited Edition Tins

Originally included two cards that are unavailable from any other set (including remakes): Jerichoholics (Chris Jericho) and Cause I Am... That... Damn... Good (HHH). Both cards were printed and planned to be released as promos for Survivor Series 2, but overwhelming complaints from collecters led to their supposed destruction. Select few copies of these non-foil promos can be found from time to time. Cause I Am...That...Damn...Good was reprinted and Jerichoholics received Throwback treatment, both in Rumble Packs in Survivor Series 3.

[edit] It's All About The Game Limited Edition Trash Can

This set, which was produced after Backlash and before Mania, first introduced the Restricted Modification Symbol. When this set was released, these superstars were given the highest superstar value to date at 7 and 6 respectively.

• Two Man Power Trip (Stone Cold Steve Austin & Triple H)
• Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker & Kane)

[edit] Ruthless Aggression

When this set was released, these two superstars were given the highest superstar values to date at 9 and 8 repspectively. This was the first Raw Deal set released with the WWE logo as opposed the WWF logo.

• The People's Team (Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Edge)
• The Dangerous Alliance (The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle)

[edit] Absolute RAW and Ultimate SmackDown!

This set, which was produced after Insurrextion and before Divas Overload, first introduced Enforcer cards and superstars who could reveal them.

• RAW GM Eric Bischoff
• SmackDown! GM Stephanie McMahon

[edit] WrestleMania Deck Box

• Jerry "The King" Lawler

[edit] SummerSlam Deck Box

• The Fabulous Moolah

[edit] Lethal Library

This set, which was produced between Vengeance and Armageddon, first introduced the Activated Card Effect symbol.

• Vince McMahon

[edit] Tournament Prize Kit Superstars

[edit] Tournament Kit #4

• Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
• The Junkyard Dog

[edit] Tournament Kit #5

• Doink

[edit] Royal Rumble

This set first introduced the Cheater and Fan Favorite cards, however the only Cheater and Fan Favorite cards in the set were the premium rare superstar specific cards for the Heat Seekers and Home Team respectively. This was the first set released with no foil superstar cards.

• Hollywood Hulk Hogan (Throwback Version)
• Sergeant Slaughter
• The Home Team (Matt Hardy, John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Big Show)
• The Heat Seekers (Carlito, The Mexicools, William Regal, Tajiri)

[edit] Revolution

Starter Deck Superstars

• Triple H
• Batista
• Rey Mysterio
• John Cena

[edit] Revolution 2

Starter Deck Superstars

• Kane
• Randy Orton
• Edge
• Jeff Hardy

[edit] Promo Superstars

• Stone Cold Steve Austin
• The Rock
• Kurt Angle
• Edge
• Edge & Christian
• Rob Van Dam
• Hollywood Hulk Hogan
• Brock Lesnar
• Mae Young (only released as a promo)
• Big Poppa Pump
• Stacy Keibler
• Evolution
• Babe Of The Year
• Batista
• Sergeant Slaughter
• Carlito
• Chris Masters
• D-Generation X

[edit] Trivia

• Only one Raw Deal card exists with the WWE logo on the front of the card and the old WWF logo on the back, that being the WWE Undisputed Title.
• A long standing theory exists called the "Raw Deal Tag Team Curse" where aTag Team invariably break up after being made in Raw Deal. The existence of this has actually made game co-designer Barron Vangor Toth adverse to releasing Tag Team Superstars in Raw Deal. This theory is however more "tongue in cheek", as it's not factual. Teams frequently breaking up after a few months is why the game designers are adverse to releasing Teams in Raw Deal
• In contrast to many collectable card games, Raw Deal has very rarely ever banned a card from tournament play. There was actually only one card banned, that being Fans Love an Underdog. The card was unbanned a short time later. Cards deemed extremely powerful are almost invariably countered by a card in the very next set, balancing out the play environment.
• Vaporstars are Superstars that were supposed to get a card but for some reason did not. They were mentioned by name on existing Raw Deal cards, but never materialized. They include:
• Dean Malenko
• Val Venis
• Farooq
• Bradshaw (But reincarnated as JBL)
• Chris Nowinski
• Shane McMahon (But made as Shane'O Mac)

[edit] See also

• List of Raw Deal Superstar Specific Cards

[edit] External links

• Raw Deal official website
• World Wrestling Entertainment website
• The Squared Circle Fan site
• Team Canada Online Fan site
• Posion Clan Gaming Fan site