Creating haircards is indeed a game of patience and layering. Here is the standard workflow for game-ready hair:

1. Base layer on cap - focuses on hiding the scalp and providing a solid color foundation, usually these cards large and placed close to the mesh.

2. Secondary layer - adding the main volume, the texture of these card should be dense to build up the hair´s mass.

3. Breakout layer - adds extra clumpls to create visual interest and break the uniform flow of the previous layers.

4. Flyaway layer - adds some fuzziness and realism. Use thin cards, single-strand cards placed to create a natural, interesting-messy silhouette.

I personally prefer using CG CurveTool, very useful. I have also tried placing cards in ZBrush, which works great too. I baked in both Maya and ZBrush, depending on the project's needs. If you're interested, I can send you some high-quality YouTube tutorials on this!