# Common mistakes & anti-patterns

> A living list of the traps that make decks worse — and the fixes.

## What & why

Most weak decks fail in a handful of predictable ways. Here are the traps that come up
most, each with its fix. This page grows as new patterns show up — think of it as the
checklist of things to _avoid_, next to the deck-craft pages that show what to do.

## The traps

**Two facts on one card.** If the answer has an "and", it's really two cards, and the
learner can't grade it cleanly. → [One card, one fact](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/one-fact/)

**A front that displays instead of asks.** "The powerhouse of the cell" is a heading;
the learner reads it and feels familiar without recalling anything. Turn it into a
question. → [Ask, don't display](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/ask-dont-display/)

**Paragraph answers.** A long back can't be judged in one breath, so self-grading
becomes a guess. Keep the answer crisp; move context below it. →
[Answers you can self-grade](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/self-gradable/)

**Cloze overuse.** Blanking out every other word leaves nothing to recall from, and
piling many blanks into one sentence quietly multiplies your review load. Blank the one
word worth recalling. → [Cloze](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/cloze/)

**Orphan cards.** "And its capital?" or "the verb above" only makes sense next to a
sibling card the learner may not have seen for weeks. Each card must stand alone. →
[Write for the stranger](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/write-for-the-stranger/)

**Trick questions.** Deliberately tricky or ambiguous prompts test whether the learner
can read your mind, not whether they know the material. Ask plainly.

**The everything deck.** A 2,000-card "complete" deck impresses no one who quits at
card 50. Scope it to something finishable. →
[Small decks that finish](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/small-decks/)

**Decoration dressed as Rich Media.** An image that adds nothing just makes a Basic
card heavier. Use Rich Media only when the image _is_ the question. →
[Rich Media](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/card-types/rich-media/)

## Related

- [One card, one fact](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/one-fact/)
- [The 10-minute overview](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/getting-started/overview/)
- [Publish checklist](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/workflow/publish-checklist/)

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[Read this guide on Deckberry](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/tips/anti-patterns/)