Trading card games - Honest review
In this article, we take a critical look at the most popular online trading card games. From card variety to gameplay and usability, each game is evaluated to give a fair review about the game.
Hearthstone: (7/10)
Hearthstone is one of the oldest online collectible card games and was released in 2014. It is the most played online trading card game in the world and was developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It has a large playerbase of the World of Warcraft community, as the extensive collection of cards in the game consists of characters from the Warcraft universe. There are a total of 1106 playable cards at the moment. Cards can be purchased through card packs with in-game gold. For accessing new cards, the game offers daily rewards and challenges. Unfortunately, the rewards are most of the time small and the number of quests is limited. Therefore, it is difficult to get a lot of cards and you have to invest a lot of game time to be able to craft new ones. Hearthstone's artistic design is extremely innovative and impresses with its creativity. It gives the impression of a fold-out board game, with the playing field placed on a table in a tavern. By cleverly combining traditional board game elements with modern graphics, Hearthstone creates an impressive mix of board game and computer game.
Gwent: (9/10)
Gwent, developed by CD Projekt Red, is a tactical card game based on the popular Witcher series. In the beginning, it was a mini-game from the Witcher series. But people liked it so much that it became its own game. Currently, there are over 800 cards in the game, which are divided into two different categories: bronze and gold. Collecting new cards in Gwent is relatively easy compared to other games. You can unlock cards through purchases, rewards and crafting. Gwent rewards you generously with in-game money for quests and achievements, which makes it easier to access card packs. This constant progression gives the game a rewarding motivation to keep playing to complete your decks. Gwent's unique point system and the rule that only one card can be played per turn add an extra intriguing dynamic to the game. Instead of using the life point system of conventional card games, Gwent aims to win rounds by maximizing the total number of points of your cards on the board. Each turn requires strategic thinking, timing and important card placement. They are crucial to score maximum points and outplay your opponent.
Legends of Runeterra: (7/10)
Legends of Runeterra is a strategic card game set in the League of Legends universe. As for the number of cards, Legends of Runeterra has an extensive collection of over 1000 cards. These cards are divided into different regions, each of which has its own game mechanics and styles. Legends of Runeterra's cardcraft system lets you collect cards and expand your collection. You can get cards in various ways, including buying card packs or through in-game currency to craft cards. The game also offers weekly rewards and challenges to provide access to new cards. Regrettably, the rewards turn out to be too little and the number of quests is limited. It always requires a week to wait to get a significant reward. Thus, the game forces you to play for at least a week to be able to improve your deck. This can be frustrating and time-consuming, unfortunately. Furthermore, there is regrettably no option to convert cards to dust to make other cards. What sets Legends of Runeterra apart from other card games is the "chain spell" system. Players can chain cards on other played cards, which opens up new strategic possibilities. You can create chains of cards to trigger combos and achieve powerful combinations.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel: (8/10)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a digital card game based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. It offers a faithful implementation of the physical game in a digital platform and allows you to compete against computer-controlled opponents or other opponents online from all over the world. The gameplay of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is based on the fundamentals of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. The objective is to reduce the opponent's life points to zero by summoning monsters, playing spell cards and traps, and making clever tactical decisions. As for the total number of cards, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel includes an extensive collection of over 10,000 cards. The cardcraft system allows collecting cards through rewards, card packs or in-game purchases. It is possible to de-craft cards and create new cards from them. Although at the beginning you get a considerable amount of in-game currency, later on it is almost completely reduced, which makes it much more difficult to create more decks.
Magic the Gathering Arena: (7/10)
Magic: The Gathering Arena is a digital conversion of the popular collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG). There are an impressive number of over 20,000 individual cards. These include various editions, expansions and special releases. The large variety of cards makes it possible to create an enormous range of strategies and decks, which leads to exciting and varied game situations. There are several ways to obtain cards. One of them is to buy booster packs or special tokens, which are divided into different categories such as Common, Uncommon, Rare and Epic. With such a token, you can then make a card of the corresponding class. Unfortunately, it takes quite a bit of playtime to collect enough gold and tokens to complete your deck, which could get a bit tiring in the long run. Also, there is currently no option to convert cards into dust to make other cards from them.
Shadowverse: (10/10)
Shadowverse is a digital card game developed and published by the Japanese company Cygames. The gameplay of Shadowverse is very similar to Hearthstone. Similar to other digital card games, in Shadowverse you create a deck from an extensive collection of cards and compete against other opponents. The objective is to reduce your opponent's life to zero by cleverly playing cards and using their unique abilities. What makes Shadowverse special are its innovative game mechanics. The game uses the concept of "Evolution Points", which lets you evolve a card in the game to unlock additional abilities and influence the gameplay. Deciding when and how to use these Evolution Points is crucial and can significantly affect the outcome of a game. The total number of cards in Shadowverse is about 2000. This number includes cards that are specifically available for each of the different classes, as well as neutral cards that can be used by all classes. Cards can be created through card packs or in-game currency. At the beginning of the game you get a large number of cards that are almost enough to create a complete deck. As the game progresses, you are continuously gifted with a lot of in-game currency through missions and rewards. Also, you have the possibility to turn your cards into dust and make other cards for it. This lets you continuously build new decks, improve your old decks and keeps you motivated to play.
Final Words
Although not all online collectible card games have been mentioned yet, this article already provides a comprehensive overview of the extent to which these games are worth playing and what special features they bring with them. In the end, however, everyone should make up their own special opinion about each game.