Specially Made · v0.1 Concept · 2026-05-08
BJJ Card Game · Pokemon × Hearthstone × IBJJF
🎆 For Nick Mitria 🎆
Childhood best friend. The best. PJ + Nick concept for an online competitive Brazilian Jiu Jitsu card game. 20-card starter deck. Real IBJJF scoring. Positional escalation. Submission hype. Work in progress — what would you change?
Pokemon TCG
×
Hearthstone
×
IBJJF Rules
by PJ · solo operator · Cardiff, CA · for Nick
Verified 2026-05-08 · OSS 🥋
v0.1 — Work in progress. This is the concept. Mechanics, cards, art direction, scoring all open to your read.
Tell PJ what you'd add, change, or kill. Text PJ →
The concept
Online competitive card game. Tactical, strategic, accessible, hype. NOT a fighting simulator — a positional chess match wearing a gi.
Inspiration
Pokemon TCG collectibility · Hearthstone board mechanic · IBJJF positional scoring
Match Length
5-10 min · short enough to play 5/day, deep enough to climb a ladder
Difficulty
Easy to learn (5 min tutorial) · hard to master (years of meta evolution)
Win Conditions
(1) Submission · (2) Most points · (3) Opponent deck exhaustion
Resource System
+1 energy per turn · max 10 · cards cost 1-5 · scarcity drives strategy
Audience
BJJ practitioners (recognize depth) · TCG players (love mechanics) · combat sports fans (hype)
The scoring system — straight from IBJJF
Points carry over from real BJJ tournament rules. Every position has a real-world point value that maps directly into the card game. Submissions = instant win.
| Action | Position Required | Points |
|---|
| Takedown | From standing | 2 |
| Sweep | From bottom guard | 2 |
| Knee on Belly | From side control | 2 |
| Guard Pass | From inside opponent's guard | 3 |
| Mount | Top dominant position | 4 |
| Back Control | Behind opponent w/ hooks | 4 |
| Submission | Tap signaled | WIN |
Starter deck — 20 cards
Balanced offense + defense. Designed so first-time players can win a match in turn 5 or grind to turn 12. Every card teaches a real BJJ concept.
The 20 cards
Every card has: name · energy cost · type/category · effect · point value · rarity tier. Color identity per type (Red = Attack · Blue = Sweep · Green = Reversal · Black/Grey = Pass · Cyan = Defense · Gold = Mount · Purple = Back/Submission).
⬆ Sweep · Closed Guard
From Closed Guard: scissor your legs, off-balance opponent, reverse to Mount. Awards 2 pts.
⬆ Sweep · Closed Guard
Cheapest sweep in the deck. Sit up, post on hand, drive the hips through. Reverse to Mount. Awards 2 pts.
⬆ Sweep · Open Guard
From Open Guard: swing the leg, rotate, sweep. Counters opponent's posture-up. Reverse to top. Awards 2 pts.
⬆ Sweep · Open Guard
Hooks in, underhook out. Lift + rotate. Sets up Side Control on next turn. Awards 2 pts.
⚔ Attack · Standing
From Standing: shoot, drive, lift. Land in Side Control if successful. Counters opponent's stance. Awards 2 pts.
⚔ Submission · From Guard
From Closed/Open Guard: trap the arm + neck between thighs. Opponent must play Defense next turn or LOSE.
⚔ Submission · Versatile
From Mount, Guard, or Side Control: extend the arm, hyperextend the elbow. Opponent must play Defense or LOSE.
⚔ Submission · Legendary
Most expensive card. Locks the shoulder + chains transitions. Cannot be reversed — only countered. Opponent plays Defense or LOSE.
↺ Reversal · Fundamental
The fundamental BJJ movement. Frame, push the hip, escape. Buys one turn. Recovers to Closed Guard.
↺ Reversal · To Standing
Escape bottom position by posting + rolling to Standing. Resets the match to Neutral. Always playable.
↺ Reversal · From Mount
From under Mount: trap the arm, bridge the hips, roll. Reverse to Top position. Awards 2 pts (sweep).
↺ Reversal · From Side
Wrestler's escape. Forward roll under Side Control. Recover to Open Guard. Disrupts opponent's pass timing.
▶ Pass · Pressure
Drive the knee through opponent's guard, slice across, land in Side Control. Awards 3 pts. Opens Mount threat next turn.
▶ Pass · Speed
Bullfighter pass. Grip the pants, throw legs aside, sprint to Side Control. Counters open guard. Awards 3 pts.
✋ Defense · vs Triangle
Stack opponent's hips, frame on knee, don't let head get pulled down. Defends against Triangle Choke. Survives the turn.
✋ Defense · vs Choke
Chin to chest, two hands on opponent's wrist, peel. Defends against any Choke (Rear Naked, Triangle, Guillotine).
✋ Defense · vs Armbar
Spin the elbow back to safe side, slip the arm, pivot the body. Defends against Armbar. Recover to Side Control.
✋ Defense · vs Leg Lock
Rotate the hip, pull the leg through the opponent's grip. Defends against Heel Hook / Leg Lock. Critical anti-meta tech.
★ Position · Top Dominant
Knees pinning the chest. Most dominant top position. Awards +4 IBJJF pts. Unlocks Armbar / Triangle / Cross-Choke on next turn.
★ Position · Back Control
Behind opponent w/ both hooks in. Tied for highest-value position. Awards +4 IBJJF pts. Unlocks Rear Naked Choke next turn.
Game mechanics
v0.1 — designed for one playable loop that FEELS GOOD before adding complexity.
⚡ Energy System
Each turn: +1 energy, max 10. Cards cost 1-5 energy. Heavy submissions cost 4-5 (forces commitment). Defenses cost 1-2 (always playable). Scarcity drives strategy.
🗺 Position Engine
Game tracks current position. Some cards REQUIRE position (Armbar needs Mount/Guard). Others SET position (Knee Slice → Side Control). Positional escalation = real BJJ.
- Standing → Closed/Open/Half Guard → Side Control → Mount → Back Control
🏆 Win Conditions (3)
- Submission finish — opponent can't defend, taps. Instant win.
- Most points after timer (5 min default).
- Opponent deck exhaustion — they run out of cards = no defense.
🔄 Turn Loop
- Draw card
- Gain +1 energy
- Play offensive OR positional card
- Opponent counters / reverses if able
- Board state updates
- Points awarded for new positions
- Submission threats unlock for next turn
Position escalation
Real BJJ is positional chess. The card game mirrors the same positional ladder — every step up = more points + more submission options. Standing is neutral. Back Control is endgame.
Standing→
Closed Guard→
Open Guard→
Half Guard→
Side Control→
Mount +4→
Back Control +4
Future deck archetypes
Once the v0.1 starter deck is dialed, deck archetypes unlock the strategic depth. Same engine, different play styles.
Pressure Passer
Heavy top game. Wins by grinding to Mount. Slow, methodical, brutal.
Guard Player
Wins from bottom. Sweeps + submissions from Closed/Open Guard. Counter-puncher.
Submission Hunter
Skips positional points. Goes straight for the tap. High risk, high reward.
Wrestler
Takedown-heavy. Stays on top. Wins via positional grinding + ground-and-pound mentality.
Scramble Chaos
Fast transitions. Berimbolo. Granby rolls. Confuses opponent into mistakes.
Leg Lock Specialist
Modern game. Heel hooks + ankle locks. Forces opponent into uncomfortable territory.
Control Specialist
No flashy moves. Just positional dominance + smothering pressure. Wins on points.
Build roadmap
Three phases. Each phase ships something playable + adds the next layer.
1
Phase 1 · Make it FEEL good
- Card renderer (web, this concept page = the seed)
- Turn system + energy management
- Board state + position engine
- Scoring engine (IBJJF rules)
- Simple AI opponent (rule-based)
- One playable loop, one starter deck, fun matches in 5 min
2
Phase 2 · Make it look + play GOOD
- Real artwork per card (digital painting style)
- Animation system (card slams, position transitions, submission effects)
- Deck builder UI
- 1v1 multiplayer (matchmaking)
- Spectator mode + replay
3
Phase 3 · Make it COMPETITIVE + collectible
- Ranked ladder + tournament mode
- Card packs + cosmetic skins (gi colors, dojo themes)
- Career mode (belt progression, AI bosses, special instructors)
- Battle pass + economy
- Mobile app
Built specially for Nick Mitria. Childhood best friend. The one who'd actually beta-test this thing. OSS for landing the new gig — figured a custom shareable beats a generic congrats text. Take this concept anywhere — it's yours to react to, redirect, kill, or build on.
What would you change, Nick?
v0.1 is the concept. Mechanics, cards, scoring, art direction — all open to your read. Drop me what you'd add, fix, kill, or build differently. Best ideas get shipped into v0.2.
📲 Text PJ — your read on v0.1
How this got built
This page is itself the proof-of-concept for SideGuy — operator-translation applied to a card game design doc. PJ + Nick concept → spec → AI-assisted page render → live shareable in under an hour. Every concept worth playing deserves an artifact you can send.
If you (or anyone reading this) want a custom one-page concept-render for a side project — game, app, business idea, whatever — text PJ. Same machine. Different deck.
You can go at it without
SideGuy — but no custom shareables for your friends & family.
You'll be short a bag of laughs. 🌸
🎁 Didn't quite find it?
Don't see what you were looking for?
Text PJ a sentence about what you actually need — I'll build you a free custom shareable on the house. No email, no funnel, no SOW.
📲 Text PJ — free shareable
~10 min turnaround. Your friends will love it.
