Xeko TCG is a conservation-themed educational CCG, an unusual niche where gameplay mechanics are used to teach endangered-species biology and biodiversity concepts to young players.
The game
Released in 2006 by Matter Group, Xeko TCG is a two-player duel where each player builds a team of endangered species from a specific ecosystem (Madagascar, Amazon, Borneo, Pacific Northwest, Mediterranean) and competes to restore habitat integrity. Threat cards (deforestation, poaching, climate disruption) oppose the players, and cooperative multiplayer options let two players team against environmental threats.
The context
Xeko was explicitly designed as both a game and an educational outreach tool, with partnership from Conservation International and royalty contributions to wildlife conservation funds. It shipped primarily through museum gift shops and educational channels rather than hobby-game stores, which puts it in a distinctly non-typical CCG retail context.
The collector angle
Five main ecosystem-themed sets plus smaller supplementary releases shipped before the line wound down around 2010. Cards feature photographic treatments of actual endangered animals with scientific information printed on them, which gives individual cards value as educational reference material independent of gameplay. The Lemur, Sloth, Orangutan, Jaguar and Bornean Gibbon hero-animal cards are the primary collector items.
Rarity breakdown
5 rarity tiers across 525 cards in this game.