Welcome to The Gemlandian! This blog is your #1 source for Gem Blenders commentary, straight from the community. Check out our latest posts to learn about everything from gameplay and deck building to art and lore. Be sure to join our community Discord if you’re interested in becoming a contributor!
LATEST POSTS
Summer 2025 Meta Analysis
Welcome to the second official meta-analysis of the Gem Blenders Organized Play program. Although it has only been a few short months since December, so much has changed in the meta, including the addition of 18 new cards provided by the Stakes Royale and Gourmet Kitchen starter decks. Let’s dig in to the data!
Introducing: Booster Battles!
Oh, have you heard of the new craze sweeping Gemlandia? Booster Battles are a fun and fast way to get into some wacky gem-blending action, and all it requires is a booster pack and some gems! Here’s how it works:
Deck Workshop #1: Blood Reaper
At some point in your Gem Blending journey, you will graduate from starter decks to deck lists entirely built by you! Whether it be adding Silas to the Hive Swarm Starter deck, or high level blends to Joy Holiday, realizing the potential of deck building brings Gem Blenders to its peak.
Summer Invitational 2025
I hope you’re hungry for some COMPETITION!! We are back at it again with another Invitational! Read on to find out the slight changes we’ve made, the exciting prizes available to win, and how to enter!
Optimizing How You Play: 9 Advanced Gem Blenders Concepts and Strategies
Do you ever feel like your decks are good, but your gameplay could be better? This definitive guide will go over some high-level competitive gameplay tips to give you the edge in upcoming tournaments.
How to Run Your First Event
We all love playing Gem Blenders, but if you are ready to upgrade from casual play with friends to a more competitive (but still fun) experience, you need to be ready to host your own Organized Play (OP) Event. And that doesn’t just mean having a Force Switch to counter Dexter or a Mountaineer to counter Anchor Combo.
Organized Play 2025
A new year is upon us – and a new season of GEM BLENDERS! We had a lot of growth in 2024, seeing new players and refs come onboard to gather for events and competitions all over New York and New Jersey. We have big plans for 2025 and can’t wait to share them with you!
Gem Blenders 2024 Meta Analysis
This data comes to us from the December Invitational, in which 24 of Gem Blenders’ best and brightest came together to compete for the title of Gem Blenders champion. We will begin with an analysis of the top 4 ranking decks, before breaking down the top cards and tactics seen in the meta.
Gem Blenders Invitational 2024
We are excited to introduce our biggest Gem Blenders tournament EVER! Before I get into the details, let’s go over some frequently asked questions.
The 9 Decks You’ll Face at a Gem Blenders Tournament
Official Gem Blenders organized play kicked off this month with a bang (or a Cannon Boom), and with it, plenty of fresh faces (mine included) are testing their decks in the field for the first time!
Top 5 Rarest Gem Blenders Cards
Today I’m going to walk you through the TOP 5 RAREST CARDS and how to get them! As a member of the design team, I have the inside scoop behind our first print run, and I can’t wait to share our secrets with you.
The Island of Misfit Blends
I collected a lot of things growing up – marbles, rocks, sea shells, of course trading cards – but there was one collection that I prized most of all – my PEZ collection.
Playing with Personality
Expressiveness is a core part of all games, but even more so in TCGs. It’s a realm where we get to express ourselves through the medium of the cards and show our excitement in doing so.
Effective and Expressive Play in Trading Card Games
Generally, expression exists within the framework of winning the game; it is only a question of how a player wins the game. But when that “how” comes into conflict with actually winning, things can get messy.
Going Big or Going Home – Part 1
Chao: Alright team. We’re here. I can hear the crowd through the ceiling. You all know our game plan.
Dexter: Our gameplan… yeah, right…
The Convention Experience
You walk into the convention hall right at opening and you feel the air-conditioning breeze hit your face. It’s going to be a great day trying out new games and making memories
It’s Called Community
There is no better feeling than being welcomed and accepted by your peers. When you find a place, a home, filled with people who share your interests and welcome you as part of their family, it’s unparalleled serenity.
All About Aggro
Aggro strategies are as old as the concept of gaming. Also known as “blitz” strategies, you can find evidence of aggro in nearly every category of game, where the philosophy is that a good offense is a good defense.
The Perfect Deck
My bags were packed. I was ready to go and get in my taxi. “Now, do I have everything?” I mumbled to myself. “Oh, how could I forget?” I picked my Gem Blenders deck to prove the world wrong
Rare Gems Found at Collect-A-Con
I was mostly going to Collect-A-Con for a Metazoo tournament and to hangout with my friend in Texas, not really expecting much. The convention hall felt no different than the card shops in my home state, the same kind of collectibles at every table.
The Favorite: A Terragem Story
Life as a card was pleasant, but sometimes I couldn’t help but feel anonymous — who really cared about a lonely Terragem?
Max’s finger brushed my edges before attaching me to the center hero.
An Insider’s Look at Our New Patreon
Back in the spring of 2018, I began to illustrate the characters of Gem Blenders. When faced with designing the blend cards, I encountered an interesting dilemma: If blends are transformations used by the specific heroes on your field, what is the best way to depict them?
A Lesson in Consistency: Why Not All Blends Are Equally Blendable
In my last blog post I went over some of the lessons I had made during my first couple of months playing Gem Blenders. And as I have continued to play, my knowledge about the game and its intricacies have continued to grow.
Let’s Get Down to Business: Incorporation
This month, I’m focusing on a different side of creating a TCG – the formation of a business entity. It’s not the sexiest topic, but it can be as necessary as incredible gameplay and design!
A Brief History of the Gem Blenders Meta
I joined the community in December 2019. With that I can still proudly recall the first match I ever played online. In this match I beat the lead designer Steve at his own game!
A Winner’s Guide to Gem Blenders Drafting
What’s up guys?! I’m back at it again with another blog post to bestow my philosophy upon the masses. Today we’re looking at an experimental new format some people in the community
4 Lessons from My First Two Months of Blending Gems
In my first two months playing Gem Blenders, I have learned a lot beyond just the core rules. Much of this has been through trial and error or by being observant of
The Future of Gem Blenders: Here We Come, 2022!
Welcome to what I hope to be the first of many Gem Blenders yearly updates. It’s been a little over a year since we received our first shipment of cards and it’s
Have you met QWERTY?
The strongest connection between our world and Gemlandia can be found right on the Gem Blenders Discord server, through the “bot” affectionately known as QWERTY. Although our access to QWERTY’s functionality has
The Four Schools of Blending
At first glance, it may seem that every blend in Gem Blenders is a random selection from the 9 basic gem types. However, if you take a closer look, there is actually
4 Clever Combos to Diversify Your Gameplay
Hi, and welcome to another installment of The Gemlandian! With an emphasis on multi-gem decks and an abundance of hero and blend effects, there are countless card interactions you can use to
How to Maximize Your Gem Efficiency
Greetings from Belgium, and good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending on where you are! Today I will dive a little deeper into how to choose what gems you should add to your
6 Tips for Building a Consistent Deck
In this post, we’ll focus on the basic tenets of deck building, which are essential to maximizing the power of your cards. These tips are intended for players who have played the
Common Actions You’ve Probably Been Using Wrong
Hello and welcome to the first installment of The Gemlandian Strategy Guide, where we give you all the tips and tricks we’ve learned through the years of being tournament-qualifying professional Gem Blenders.