Partner Cards

:This material is free-to-use long as their usage would make sense in the game, and you are free to make your own Partner Cards so long as they are within the Paper Mario series (unless you are making a non-canon crossover which is free game). That being said, only Samtendo09 (creator of this page) is allowed to edit the page, so you may only add your own set of cards within permission.
Partner Cards are special items introduced in Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds used as a way to allow past Partners to return without shoehorning them in any story they would not be their business. It allows both veteran and new players to meet the previously met Partners again and have them on the party once their respective Partner Card being found.
After the events of Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds, the duplicate Partner Cards, if found, can be used to summon respective past Partners, instead of them being trapped inside the original cards again like in the former game.
==Origin==
The Partner Cards aren't named the time it were used for another, much more selfish purpose; capture every of Mario's known Partners (and then some). It was made by none other than Wario, who was in an act of revenge as he finally snapped from his repeated, humiliating failures and from being humiliated and betrayed for so many times.
The fact that does not help Wario's anger is the fact that Mario and Bowser's own rivalry caused Wario to feels even more obsolete. Bowser himself even spitefully yelled at Mario that there can only be one worthy rival of his, and that is Bowser himself, which only made Wario's envy toward Mario even worse.
Waluigi's act of double-cross that nearly caused a very severe accident on Wario is when the greedy "rival" of Mario had truly enough, and cut bridges with Waluigi some time during the post-game of Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster. This result Waluigi being alone and very unhappy with what he had done, and was only able to fully reconcile with Wario at the end of Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds.
Between the events of Drawing of Disaster and Stolen Worlds, Wario had built his own spaceship to gather treasures without people getting on his way. While he stumpled into the Illusion World, he is challenged by Miss Silverenne if Wario wants some treasures by completing a riddle-based maze. It wasn't until Miss Silverenne took pity on Wario, if mostly because Wario had persisted to a fault, that she deliberately made the maze easy enough for Wario to exit the maze.
Some time after they confessed their own problems - which both are stemmed from the Mushroom World - they made an unlikely friendship (despite Wario finding Silverenne putting too much of a show at times, and Silverenne finding Wario greedy to a fault at times), and plans to have revenge on Mario and Bowser. While Silverenne isn't too keen with planetary conquest at first, she let it slide as it means more people to torment.
Before they go into planetary conquest and forming the W.I.L.D. (Wario's Infernal League of Dread), Silverenne had created magical cards that will be used to capture opposants that dared to stand on their way. Wario quickly had an eurika idea; as a purely spiteful act, Wario instead insist on using them to capture many, many of Mario's friends he made during the heroic plumber's adventures. Silverenne really liked this idea and helped him to capture many of Mario's Partners (and then some), one by one.
It is not until Mario managed to retrieve Goombario and Admiral Bobbery in their respective cards with Kamenia's help, with the latter having an idea to dub them Partner Cards since most of them will eventually contain Mario's past partners of any kind, shape and form.
==Appearances==
===Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds===
The debut of the Partner Cards, as well as multiple sets such as the Star Spirit Set and The Thousand-Year Door set. The Partner Cards were unnamed earlier in the prologue as they are used by Wario to capture many of Mario's past partners, as well as several of Mario's allies and a few enemies of the Mushroom World. It is not until Chapter 1 that they are dubbed as Partner Cards by Kamenia as Mario rescues Goombario and Admiral Bobbery.
Although the Partner Cards not only allows the player to expend their party and experiment to make a dream team, but they are actually also required to unlock any next world by collecting all Partner Cards. Thankfully, the Astral Information Stone (or A.I. Stone) allows the player to find the remaining Partner Cards in each world, as well as detecting Partner Cards that are nearby.
===Paper Mario: The Final Fold===
The Partner Cards reappear in Paper Mario: The Final Fold, with the available ones allowing the player to summon respective Partner to expend the party. Goombario and Goombella are the first Partner Cards confirmed to return.
===Paper Mario: The Cosmic Medallion===
Partner Cards return in Paper Mario: The Cosmic Medallion. They don't have any bearing on the story, though after collecting one, the player can use it to summon the corresponding partner in battle. Partners can also be upgraded, though it costs Coins rather than Shine Sprites. Additionally, partners summoned through Partner Cards cannot be used outside of battle.
==Sets==
The whole collection of Partner Cards reaches over 100 different Partners, ranging from Paper Mario 64, to the Recut version of Sticker Star and Color Splash, to even Stolen World's predecessor, Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster. This also includes a few other Paper Mario games made by other companies other than Intelligent Systems. There are also a variation called Mushroom Allies which contain a Mushroom World habitat, from Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and more.
Please ask for permission to the respective owner of these characters before using them, unless the set is indicated to be free-to-use. You may also make your own set as well, provided that the Partners in your set are one that you had made on your own.
===Introduced in Stolen World===
====Star Spirit Set====
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario 64.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario 64.
 	
====The Thousand-Year Door Set====
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
 	
====Super Paper Mario Set====
Characters that are introduced in Super Paper Mario and were Partners in later games (fanon-wise).	Characters that are introduced in Super Paper Mario and were Partners in later games (fanon-wise).
 	
====Sticker Star Set====
It is recommended a permission before using the Recut partners.
Partners that are introduced in Sticker Star and its Recut version by DMZ.	Partners that are introduced in Sticker Star and its Recut version by DMZ.
 	
====Color Splash Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the Recut partners, including Toadsworth's mecha-kart.
Partners that are introduced in Color Splash and its Recut version made by .	Partners that are introduced in Color Splash and its Recut version made by .
 	
====Drawing of Disaster Set====
Although these Partners are made by , they are free-to-use thus not requiring any permission.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster.
 	
====The Erased Map Set====
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster's expansion campaign, The Erased Map.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster's expansion campaign, The Erased Map.
 	
====Double-Sided Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Double-Sided.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Double-Sided.
 	
====The Ancient Book Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners. Shall he haven't been available, ask to let you know if Ziegs will let you use these partners or not.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: The Ancient Book.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: The Ancient Book.
 	
====Relic Hunter Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Relic Hunter.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Relic Hunter.
 	
====Wonder Journey Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Wonder Journey.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Wonder Journey.
 	
====Heart to Heart Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Heart to Heart.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Heart to Heart.
 	
====The Rise of Shadow Set====
It is recommended to ask a permission before using the partners.
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario 5: The Rise of Shadow.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario 5: The Rise of Shadow.
 	
====Mushroom Allies Set====
Allies (and enemies) from the Mushroom Kingdom, and by extension, the entire Mushroom World.	Allies (and enemies) from the Mushroom Kingdom, and by extension, the entire Mushroom World.
 	
===Post Stolen Worlds===
The set below are the sets from games released after Stolen Worlds, or from prior games whose Partners that aren't used as Partner Cards yet.
====Stolen Worlds Set====
Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds.	Partners that are introduced in Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds.
 	
===Empty Cards===
To use to put characters from respective game and for extra Mushroom Allies. 	To use to put characters from respective game and for extra Mushroom Allies.
 	
This card design is to represent Cards that are undiscovered in-game as well as for use in crossover games.	
==Behind the Scene==
The head director of Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds, , explained that the Partner Cards are made in order to allow past Partners to be on Mario's side without completely shoehorning them within the game's context, which will also applies to future Paper Mario games. There are several reasons for this as will be explained below.
The creation of Partner Cards, gameplay-wise (and in some cases story-wise) is to allow veteran players to see them again and to prove that he studied the past of the Paper Mario series. He even goes into including Kersti and Huey (despite the negative reception toward Kersti) among the roster, as he wanted to have all past Paper Mario games made by Intelligent Systems represented. It also allows new players who are unfamiliar with the Paper Mario series in general to know more about the Paper Mario lore a little bit.
He wanted Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds to have a far more personal stake without relying on Bowser, hence using Wario as an antagonist, who's more familiar as a rival (and even enemy) to Mario than the other reoccuring Mario villains like Tatanga and Wart (when taking games made by other users into consideration) and as a grand throwback to Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Wario's Woods, and the Japan exclusive Mario & Wario where Wario is an outright villain instead of being a rival or an anti-hero. In this case, Wario started the epic feud by sealing many of Mario's past partners (and those whom Wario mistook them for Mario's Partners).
While Sam initially to have the Partner Cards roster to have just have Partners from the two first Paper Mario games and those from Drawing of Disaster, he eventually expanded it to also include sets from other, non-IS produced Paper Mario games as well, with permission from respective users, such as 's Paper Mario: Double-Sided and 's Paper Mario 5: The Rise of Shadow, and even the late developer 's Paper Mario: The Ancient Book. This eventually extend to Paper Mario: Sticker Star *RECUT* and Paper Mario: Color Splash RECUT that were assisted by one of the new storywriters, , and even Kersti and Huey from both versions of respective games.
That being said, Sam is well aware of that the mass amount of Partners available via Partner Cards would eventually makes it difficult to fit them all in one story, thus restricting the Cards' uses as a way to bring back past Partners, although the Cards eventually played a larger role in their debut game, Paper Mario: Stolen Worlds, with an origin and how Wario initially used them to spite Mario to start the story with an emotional impact on the players who already played past Paper Mario games. As of their debut, future Partner sets can be implimented within the whole collection to allow more variety, although not all of the debut's cards are expected to return at once in future installments and crossover games.
It turned out that an earlier version of Partner Cards was planned beforehand, as a variant of the Amiibo cards, and that all of the Paper Mario 64 and The Thousand-Year Door Partners will be available for Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster, but time constraint and potential budget problems caused the developers to drop the idea. Ever since, the final version of Partner Cards, which is in Stolen Worlds, are only available inside the game, and not as separate cards.
The reason of the developers not wanting to create real life version of Partner Cards, other than as collectible cards and not as Amiibo cards, is that the toy-to-life genre had been dead since around 2015-2016, as the genre had too many problems to keep it consistent and potentially hurt the quality of Paper Mario Stolen Worlds.
==Trivia==
*Out of all sets, Paper Mario: The Ancient Book and Paper Mario 5: The Rise of Shadow as standalone games are tied to have the most introduced Partners at the moment, with a staggering number of 15 unique Partners from each game.
**However, Paper Mario Drawing of Disaster as a whole have the most introduced Partners, with 17 Partners. There are 10 in the base game (Rainizia, Bloopelly, Cloudine, Ostralena, Pirlumbus, Secro Spy Guy, Nakitta, Marley, Skotty and Krushok) and 7 in the DLC Campaign, the Erased Map (Stetson, Bayton, Mariaqua, Evelyn, Justine, Jayla and Psy Guy).
Category:Items
Category:Cards
Category:Mario (series)
Category:Paper Mario (series)