Meet the Colony!
Our team is made up individuals who have been involved in the world of TCGs for years.
Each member brings their own unique talent and expertise to the Shard Bugs universe.
Game Creator/Developer
Luis Silva
AKA: 2Fluent
NATIONALITY: Puerto Rican-American
SOCIALS: YouTube
CONTACT: shardbugs@gmail.com
General contractor, farmer, father, husband, writer, and TCG enthusiast; Luis has been collecting and playing trading card games since 1999. He’s played and or collected Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Marvel & DC Versus System, Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana, Vanquishers TCG, Sorcery, and many more small and developing indie games. He has created the Shard Bugs TCG game as an outlet for creative thinking and writing, to create a community of TCG players and collectors, and to prove that a small indie card game can prioritize its community and their enjoyment.
“I’m owner or co-owner of now six companies, and each have become successful because of putting team building and client needs as their main focus. My promise is not to create a one-off set of cards, but to create a passionate community led by the equally passionate artists, writers, and game developers. We are going to continue building the world of Shard Bugs into an enjoyable game and comic series.”
Gameplay Developer
Nate
AKA: Mythos
NATIONALITY: American
CONTACT: nathan.shardbugs@gmail.com
Florida-based creative developer specializing in conceptual design, gameplay mechanics, and balance. Nate has been active within the indie TCG community for more than two years now and plans to be involved for many, many more. He has a soft spot for pulp sci-fi, high fantasy, and cosmic horror.
As a former firefighter and current trauma supervisor, his top priorities are organization and communication. He is interested not only in creating a high-quality gaming experience that will be fun and memorable, but also in building and investing in a lasting community.
Art Director
Kundu del Castillo
NATIONALITY: Mexican
SOCIALS: Instagram | TikTok
CONTACT: kundudelcastillo@gmail.com
Mexican concept artist, illustrator, and writer specialized in TCG and board games. Kundu’s favorite genre is fantasy in any of its permutations, but he leans toward medieval (dragons) and sci-fi (cosmic horror). He arrived in the indie TCG scene almost by accident and has now participated in several projects over four years.
Kundu cares not only about the quality of his craft, but—to provide a solid product that lives on in the memory of players—he also aims to deeply understand the meaning and intentions behind his clients’ needs. As a psychologist, he tries to convey his understanding of the human mind into accessible and relatable visual storytelling.
In addition to this, Kundu also tries to help other artists by making art tutorials on TikTok, where he has developed a beautiful community of about 350K followers.
Production Coordinator
Gregory
AKA: Geeps
NATIONALITY: American
Geeps has been a TCG enthusiast since the late ‘90s, starting with Pokémon and later delving into the worlds of Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!. He was a tournament grinder for several years, but eventually became more involved in community-building, particularly through Discord.
Geeps’s role at Shard Bugs includes product, printing, and shipping logistics, as well as internal infrastructure management. He sees Shard Bugs as being more than a TCG—he sees it as a brand.
Marketing/Social Media
Alyssa
AKA: LilMiss
NATIONALITY: Puerto Rican-American
CONTACT: info@shardbugstcg.com
Wife, mother of seven, and avid card collector: Alyssa was born in Philadelphia and raised in Florida, where she began her journey into TCGs in 1999 with Pokémon. Since then, she has been involved with multiple indie card games and has backed numerous Kickstarters. You can find her posting on the official Shard Bugs Discord under the alias Moma Shard.
In addition, Alyssa also loves to sew and crochet, and she can often be found creating cosplay costumes for her children. If you have questions related to marketing or creating content for Shard Bugs—or if you just want to talk about crafts—Alyssa is the person to reach out to.
Lead Editor
Scarlett Roberts
AKA: MassacreVegan
NATIONALITY: American
SOCIALS: Portfolio | Instagram
CONTACT: scarlettsroberts@gmail.com
Scarlett is a technical communicator from Central Florida. At Shard Bugs, her primary role includes writing, editing, graphic design, and the implementation of documents and game pieces! Scarlett has as much love for the English language as she has for TCGs and CCGs; she grew up playing card games and carried that hobby with her into her adult life, where it has culminated into a career.
In her free time, Scarlett also enjoys creating music, playing video games, and discussing sociolinguistics.
Web Designer/I.T.
Jose Just
AKA: JayCyber
NATIONALITY: Puerto Rican-American
SOCIALS: Instagram
CONTACT: prosperwebdesign@gmail.com
Jose Just—also known as JayCyber on Twitch—is a seasoned web designer and I.T. specialist with 15 years of experience in building visually stunning websites. For the past eight years, he has been the web and app developer for Vanquishers TCG; while working there, he honed his skills in creating functional and engaging online experiences for trading card game communities.
Jose's approach to web design is to turn clients’ ideas into something truly unique—websites with eye-catching visuals and innovative design elements that set them apart from the norm. His dedication to blending aesthetics and functionality ensures that every project he takes on is not only user-friendly, but also visually memorable.
Community Manager
Kevin Rodriguez
AKA: KevMo
NATIONALITY: Mexican-American
CONTACT: bug.whisperer@protonmail.com
Kevin is an I.T. manager by day—but, ironically, he prefers to live out in nature, among the trees, where the wi-fi is terrible. He loves both animals and bugs alike, and he can often be found trying to befriend them.
An artist, musician, and an avid player of video, board, and card games, Kevin has decades worth of TCG experience. He grew up playing Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and later started playing Magic: The Gathering, Sorcery: Contested Realm, and other TCGs. He is the creator and host of his own podcast and has experience being a prominent figure in other gaming communities.
Kevin aims to spread awareness of the Shard Bugs game and brand and to help grow its community through active engagement, open communication, event strategy, and media promotion.
Senior Artist
ZipDraw
NATIONALITY: Mexican-American
SOCIALS: Linktree
Things Zip likes: original characters, aliens, robots, storyboards, fan art, and comics.
Favorite visual artists: Joe Mad, Frank Frazetta, J. Scott Campell, Jim Lee, Alessandro Barbucci, Barbara Canepa, Scottie Young, and many others.
His tools of the trade: pencil, paper, scanner, computer, Photoshop, and his mitts.
“I'm just a sexy and awesome and humble artist, trying to get by and rule the galaxy.”
Artist
Ninamarie
AKA: AcyFaust
NATIONALITY: American
SOCIALS: Instagram
CONTACT: setouchi@yahoo.com
Born and raised in New York, Acy is a self-taught artist who is always keeping busy with passion projects. About four years ago, she branched out into the indie card game community and has worked on various TCG projects since, including some of her own. As a store manager in retail, she dedicates her spare time to her art, which is her primary hobby.
Acy plays Magic: The Gathering and Force of Will, and she enjoys horror, sci-fi and fantasy. Her favorite video game series are tied between Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed. Birds are her favorite type of animal, and she jokes that she'll be the crazy bird lady when she gets older! She also loves collecting Squishmallows.
Artist
Ray of Sand
NATIONALITY: Chilean
SOCIALS: Instagram
CONTACT: info.rayofsand@gmail.com
Ray of Sand is an illustrator with extensive experience working for various card games, editorials, and working with animation. In addition, he has personal art that he cultivates parallel to his work as an illustrator. As of late, he has started specializing in TCGs and has worked on a wide range of games, including: Mitos y Leyendas in Chile, Kodem TCG in Mexico, and Skate TCG in Florida.
An illustrator by profession, he has been building his career with effort and dedication, which has subsequently led him to learn a variety of graphic techniques and aesthetic styles.
Artist
LEVIKODA
AKA: Levi
NATIONALITY: Mexican
CONTACT: levi.animarts@gmail.com
Levi is a concept artist and comic author from Mexico City with roughly 10 years of experience in digital media. He enjoys telling amusing and entertaining stories filled with blasts of color and bold and expressive lines, and he has worked with companies like Supercell and Xbox to make illustrations for social media.
Levi also likes to animate and hang around comic conventions, sharing his art with the community. His favorite games are Pokémon and Splatoon, and he loves sea creatures, reptiles, and most types of insects!
Artist
Alma Faustica
AKA: Carlos Valdez
NATIONALITY: Mexican
CONTACT: karlosgvaldez@gmail.com
Carlos is an illustrator, writer, and multidisciplinary artist from Guadalajara, Mexico. Throughout the years, he has developed a unique visual style by primarily dedicating himself to the creation of surreal, dream-like, introspective, and dark compositions.
His most recent works include a comic entitled Mares Routines, and his third book: Insomnia Delirium and Other Evils.
Artist
Steve Ozminkowski
AKA: CenterPoint
NATIONALITY: American
SOCIALS: Website | Instagram | ArtStation
CONTACT: contact@ozminkoski.art
Steve is a professional Karate instructor and Zen practitioner from Rochester, NY. Originally used as a form of meditation, Steve has evolved his abilities as a primarily self-taught artist. Steve has worked in inks, spray paints, colored pencil, carpentry (both fine and general), on miniature game pieces, and most recently in acrylic paints on canvas.
Steve paints under the pseudonym “Ozminkoski,” which is the original spelling of his grandfather’s name, as an homage to his influence on Steve's art. The signature with which Steve stamps all of his work is the Japanese spelling of his name and can be Romanized with either the traditional or the pseudonymous spelling.
Steve works part time as a freelance illustrator and painter, as well as a custom fabricator. He is available for commissions.
Artist
ArtCrypt
NATIONALITY: American
SOCIALS: Linktree
ArtCrypt has spent his entire life drawing monsters and mastering abstract expressionism. His work has appeared in several indie card games, including Dream Book and Lore.
He has always used drawing as a way to explore and understand the things that interest him, and he compares his artistic process to that of crafting an essay from lines and color instead of words.
"Something draws you in, and you draw it out."
Artist
Gabriela Luna
AKA: Gabba
NATIONALITY: Mexican
SOCIALS: Instagram
CONTACT: gabba.works@gmail.com
Gabba is a concept artist and illustrator with a keen eye for detail and a solid foundation in industrial design and education. Her creative journey is deeply influenced by a love for gaming and animated series, which she believes play a crucial role in shaping culture and have immense educational potential.
She has professional experience as a 2D artist developing concept art and illustrations for board games, video games, books, social media, and web pages since 2018.
Her work combines artistic prowess with a passion for storytelling, thoughtfully crafting each design element to bring characters and worlds to life. She also has experience in narrative design and UI/UX game design, both of which enrich her artistic vision by providing unique perspectives.
Artist
Nelygibi
AKA: Nallely
NATIONALITY: Mexican
SOCIALS: Instagram
Nallely, better known as Nelygibi, is an animator and illustrator from Michoacán. She mainly utilizes digital techniques and studied at Digital Arts University in Guadalajara.
Nelygibi has worked with independent stop motion projects, as an animator and concept artist in Other Girls Show, and as color artist and illustrator in Run Nuki.
Artist
María Ayuso
AKA: Mei Syren
NATIONALITY: Spanish
SOCIALS: Instagram
CONTACT: maria_ayuso@hotmail.es
María Ayuso, known online as Mei Syren, is an artist and illustrator based in Madrid. She holds a degree in fine arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and has completed various training courses in graphic design and digital illustration. She currently works as a character designer for the indie video game studio Abylight Barcelona.
Mei loves to create fantastic, futuristic characters and pin-up girls in a style that draws inspiration from the world of comics and video games. It’s worth mentioning that she is a collector of Pokémon cards and is passionate about everything related to this IP. In her free time, she reads, dances, sings, and loves eating sushi!