#How to get Mystic to play Hearthstone

[madnessatdawn]

I decided to play Marvel Snap. I did so for only a few reasons and only those reasons. Those being that Rogue, Gambit, and Storm are in this game.

[radramblog]

“magic is hearthstone now lol”

I’m taking a second shot at talking about Magic this week, because things happened and everyone is required to have an opinion on it.

In the hallowed words of a meme from a discord I’m in, “COME ON, 5 second without drama”.

Or without yet another spoiler season this year. Even if there’s a huge number of players this doesn’t actually affect, this still makes a total of 9 releases (10 if you count Mystical Archive, more if you count other little things) for the year so far, and we’re only just getting to August. That’s kind of insane.

So what the fuck did WoTC do this time?

Oh.

Huh.

While I’m sure someone stumbling across this post on Tumblr is going to know already, I also know that some of my mates read this and haven’t played Magic since, like, 2016, so I’ll give a brief explanation of Historic.

Historic is a Magic: Arena only competitive format that encompasses every card available on the program; this includes every Standard set from Ixalan onward, as well as “special” sets such as Jumpstart, Mystical Archive, and the Kaladesh and Amonkhet block Remastered sets. Some of these special sets, as well as the occasional “Historic Anthology” drops, have served to inject specific cards into the format- as an example, May’s Anthology 5 included several Artifact-themed cards, some Flashback spells like Ancient Grudge, the Phyrexian Praetors, and the Dragons of Tarkir Commands. In essence, Historic is like the Modern of Arena.

This format is pretty cool, though due to the huge number of releases it can be relatively volatile. This new news comes hot on the heels of the suspension of Brainstorm- a temporary period before it’s decided whether the card should get banned or not.

And what is that news? Well, Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, apparently. An injection of 782 new cards to this format, which will likely completely and utterly change how it looks and plays. Many of the new cards are highlights from Modern Horizons 1 and 2, which will likely lead the format to play much like the paper format that was those sets’ namesake.

However, not every card in the set is a reprint, and that’s where the controversy comes into it. 31 cards are new, digital-only cards with effects that by-and-large would be difficult to impossible to replicate in paper. Comparisons to digital-only card games like Hearthstone and Eternal were inevitable, as was the bitching from players that the game is Ruined Forever. Alarmism and fatalism and all that fun stuff I got sick of approximately 10 fuckbusted mythics ago.

For reference, these are not the first and only MTG: Arena, digital only cards. The program has a small handful of cards intended only for the New Player Experience- a tutorial, really, but you can keep them. Most of these cards are about as terrible as that comment suggests, but there are some exceptions that people are upset about- Goblin Gang Leader basically being a possible second copy of Beetleback Chief for singleton formats, and I’m sure the 15 people playing Ogre tribal would love Ogre Painbringer, but it isn’t good. The only real standout is Inspiring Commander, a card that would legitimately be good in a lot of white EDH decks, but without a paper printing, isn’t likely to make it into them anytime soon.

The key difference between these and the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons cards are that these could be printed in paper, whereas those ones absolutely could not (Well, mostly). They feel a lot like the Playtest cards from Mystery Booster, which were frankly a lot of fun. Davriel’s effect reminds me of many a Hearthstone card- particularly Kazakus, what with basically not explaining any part of what the card does and involving much RNG. Pool of Vigorous Growth is literally just Momir Basic on an Artifact, and Shoreline Scout just puts fucking Tropical Island into your hand. I’m not saying you couldn’t try some of these effects in paper, but I am saying you probably shouldn’t bother.

And that is, in part, why I am actually not worried, like, at all for the state of Historic, or Magic in general, with the release of these cards. For one thing, we’ve seen 22 of the 31 new cards at time of writing, and pretty much none of them are likely to break into the Historic format in any significant level. They just aren’t powerful enough, especially considering the other cards added simultaneously- fucking Yawgmoth and Ponder are here, not that many people are going to play Baffling Defenses. I’m sure one or two will pop up in Historic Brawl, but that format is inherently sillier anyway.

I’m of the opinion (and to be fair I’m ready to be wrong about this) that the digital-only cards in JHH are mostly just going to be a fun quirk for the limited format. Honestly, some of these look interesting enough for me to consider playing the game for the first time in months. But the majority power level on them is just that, Limited fodder, and I’d be surprised if many of the rares/mythics really took over like certain ones from the first Jumpstart did. Looking at you, Muxus.

And WoTC isn’t stupid. What this set, Jumpstart Historic Horizons, is intended to do is three pretty clear things.

Firstly, it’s to push the Historic format closer to what paper formats like Modern and Pioneer look like in power, while also potentially spicing it up with cards from other formats (I don’t know, we might see a Commander card or something). This is good, actually, because it gets us closer to actually having those competitive formats playable online without resorting to the distressingly old MTGO client.

Second, it’s to experiment with digital-only design. I’m kind of surprised Historic is the testing grounds for this, but for now, it’s ultimately probably fine. If the format was so utterly ruined by these cards that people really start rocking the boat, I’m sure they’ll make a separate format for these. Whether or not we se more in future depends a lot on the response to this set.

Thirdly, it’s just another Jumpstart set. I understand the first one was very popular on Arena, though I never played it, but it means that people are going to be buying in to events, and buying gems for Wildcards for all the new stuff. It’s going to make money. But hopefully it’ll be fun doing it.

I really do wish people weren’t so doomsday about these things, because I want to be able to express a positive opinion on things without getting my head cut off. Tome of the Infinite looks fun! Sarkhan, Wanderer to Shiv is cool, and I like the recontextualization of Shivan Dragon as a card- same with Kiora and Kraken Hatchling. And I want more cool, powerful cards on Arena, so that funky formats like Gladiator and Historic Brawl have more to play with.

So I guess what I’m saying is, I’m cautiously optimistic about Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. God knows someone has to be.

[violetsystems]

#personal

I walked up to the Nike store over lunch Friday.  I’m not running the marathon.  The last few months I’ve barely scratched four miles.  My times have been under nine minutes which is good enough for me under the circumstances.  I picked up that shirt with the hot dog.  I liked the message.  Why Ketchup when you can lead?  Maybe I was just hungry.  These days I bring my lunch to work and leave the office for an hour to walk.  The personal politics of this city seemingly follow me around every waking minute of the day like I’m some superhero in need of more work to do.  So much so that worrying about anything outside of this city let alone country is distracting and possibly unsafe.  People try shit with me every day here in Chicago.  They apparently try the same shit on the Internet too.  If someone could imagine trying to process the exhausting amount of times people have started shit with me it would be mind shattering.  I do sometimes think people just hate me for no reason.  I used to be more concerned about the logic.  I also used to be a little less self confident and less focused.  Sometimes you lead to get away from things.  I’ve been travelling to New York every two months since January maybe.  I used to go to Asia twice a year for three weeks at a time by myself.  Led a boring existence in hostels sleeping on shitty mattresses for thirty dollars a night.  These days people ask if I have any exciting plans to leave the country.  I say it’s not safe for me to and they blink.  I go to New York instead and somehow this is less exciting, adventurous or dangerous enough to people to sound like a getaway.  It’s true I can’t get away from anything in New York.  It’s all right there.  And so am I.  Safe and sound at this point.  NYPD running club stalking my Instagram.  Fire department too probably.  That’s neither here nor there.  My phone reminded me of all the pictures I had taken there over the years.  All those morning coffees overlooking the WTC memorial.  I saw my hair slowly get shorter and my face less fearful.  I’ve also seen my hair get more grey.  Time passes.  People forget about all the actions you made on your path to transformation that were brought on by positive decisions in your life.  They just see you as they see you.  Jealous of how you got there without them having any say in the matter.  A walking contradiction in so far as nobody has ever asked how I feel about anything.  They pretend to already know.  Have plans for me I will never know.  Set traps on a daily basis that I walk through comically like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.  To be honest people have talked so much shit about me by now I don’t see how they can have any more say in how I live my life.  That’s largely a decision I have to police for myself.  Because people cross the line with me every day here in this beautiful Sanctuary city we call Chicago.  If you know how a sanctuary city in America is supposed to work in these modern times you know we are the city that works.  We are one of the most progressive big cities in America albeit highly dysfunctional.  If you don’t believe me Conde Nast seems to think so for the third year in a row.  I lead the pack in every way in that respect.  Because I live here.

Now that I’m finally on vacation I’m ready to enjoy it.  Partially by leaving the city entirely.  I still have to mow my mom’s lawn this weekend.  On the outside it must look like I lead a very lonely existence.  People try to get me to be part of their shit for sure.  And then people from my hometown schedule entire events in New York City the exact dates I’m there and pretend I’m invisible.  I’ve given up on any dj’ing dreams almost quicker than I gave up trying to stream Hearthstone.  The more information it seems I divulge on here magically someone tries to subvert it.  And it’s not even hidden very well anymore.  Sucks to be me.  I shudder to think anyone recognizes that I’ve been visibly part of a protest movement on my commute every day.  Shuttling in on the pink line to work doing my best.  My best is never good enough.  People expect more.  People need a hero.  People need my attention when they pretend I don’t exist.  The psychological reality I’ve come to face is bleak at best.  But it just has taught me better than to react to things that ultimately are not worth my time.  People waste my time daily.  Trying to trick or punk me in some abusive way and hide it under some community action or artistic protest.  Targeted by every fringe movement imaginable.  Hoping to catch me in a paradox of free speech and hang me like a martyr.  This all is what I deal with any time I walk out the door.  And yet when I drop off in Queens people bubble up to me asking for directions or a safe space to catch their bearings.  Back home these days I have adopted an invisible eye roll and a deep breath.  People are awkward and project their fears and politics on me daily.  The trick is to know where it is all coming from.  When it’s an organized action of a mob of public opinion stalking you at every turn it can be frustrating at best.  People see me as a convenient enemy.  A target dummy.  The unfortunate thing people don’t see is that people watch this.  Part of the whole aesthetic that drew me to obscure street wear brands like Undercover was the silent troll of it all.  People are either genuine or they are not.  There is some mystic way of finding that out.  That can be informed by wisdom, life trials and maybe the road you travel.  But the “vibe” you get from people is a lot more than magic.  Except when you are more in control of your reactions.  Body language.  Tone.  Intent.  Situational factors.  Where you are at in your life.  These are all things that speak in a moment.  The quicker we react to things the more we miss these hidden messages.  We may think someone is nice and walk away bothered by one particular thing they said in passing conversation.  You make a decision to say no.  You resist.  You say you need to think about it.  And the facade breaks down.  People didn’t get what they wanted from you.  So they gaslight you and tell you you are crazy.  Berate you and tell you hateful things if you are lucky.  Mostly they’ll just say them behind your back and people will begin to believe it.  And years later people find out all the times it was too late to do anything about this.  There is no closure unless you want to open up a pandora’s box of hurt feelings and betrayal.  Part of leading is never looking back I guess.

There are mornings like today when I look at my life and see it as completely broken.  And then I think about how some things never changed.  They grew.  How I can’t be enough for some people after all these posts.  How my politics aren’t readily obvious in what I silently accept and what I bark off on my lunch break.  Like I don’t care what gender you are when you use the same bathroom as me.  You don’t see me rush you down and celebrate on Instagram.  But when somebody leaves a dead bird at the entrance to my work at 7:30 in the morning I’m a little less amused by the social experiment you are trying to achieve.  How your good buddies Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are fighting the good fight against freedom of speech while denying a woman’s right to choose.  How none of this makes any fucking sense and yet people live their lives in chains as they watch CNN, Fox News, or whatever for profit company they’d like to view the world through.  And meanwhile I can sit in my home and play video games with people in China.  A portal is open to a country I’ve visited on my own and by myself.  I read an article once about an ex consulate who claimed viciously anyone visiting China by themselves was putting their privacy and freedom at risk.  I didn’t really get that vibe in Shanghai.  I just ate McDonald’s.  Again your mileage may vary.  Part of my extended family plays sports on an all female team in China.  One of the very first trips to Asia I made was to China via Beijing and HK.  South Korea was on that trip.  I felt very safe in South Korea.  So much so that I visited there almost fourteen times up until the very first summit between North and South Korea.  I would argue that trip jeopardized my privacy far more than setting foot into Mainland China.  But again politics are personal.  Pizzas are forever.  McDonald’s in China for the record is pretty good.  Although the fries were soggy.  Part of leading is having your own opinions and beliefs about things.  If you are me you notice you lead alone often.  There is a crowd out there bubbling.  Conde Nast seems to think so.  There’s a place everyone fits in.  Even me I guess.  But looking back only slows me down.  People want me to react but never respond in a calculated way.  They’re afraid of listening to me speak.  Always probing my weaknesses.  Always trying to set me up to fail.  If I ever look back it is to my successes.  The successes nobody sees.  Like a giant firewall was placed over my life and all the good I have done here in America.  How many movies have they banned in America again?  Mine is still in production I guess.  If I never become a star that’s fine.  I was just trying to make sure you shine as bright as you are to me.  That’s the only star I follow out here in the dark.  Make sure you follow your heart in whatever you do.  And make sure your heart is full of love before you shut the door.  Hate and anger can only lead you so far.  For now I’m shutting the door on work for the entire next week.  More time to think about you.  <3 Tim

[hamofjustice]

Tagged by @drippity who probably knows a lot of this already but sure I’ll do it for my adoring fans

RULES: tag 10 of your followers you wanna know better.

Nicknames: Aqua, Ham (Aquaman, Aquasaur, Menty...)

Height: 5'9", I'm taller than my parents

Time right now: I started this post at 8 am but I'm sure it won't be by the end

Last thing I googled: “gw2″ because @5mogoncc is talking about it, before that a lot of WoW stuff about C'Thun and his followers so I can make some custom Hearthstone cards lore-consistent without having played WoW yet

Fave music artist: Hmm... Toby Fox, Shnabubula, Virt, Pongball, and a bunch of people inspired by Toby would all be up there

Song stuck in my head: Alphys Takes Action by Coffe K/Luke Neujahr

Last movie I watched: Arrival and The Secret Life of Pets on the same day. They were alright, neither one is my new favorite but I don’t want to spoil anything that I liked about them either. Before that, I saw Megamind on TV, and I think that actually might be.

Last TV show I watched: Star Trek Voyager, which I've been rewatching almost every night due to one of our syndication channels picking it up, though I had started doing so on Netflix anyway. I grew up with this and I still love it.

What I’m wearing right now: A Super NES shirt and khaki pants

When I created this blog: My archive says June 2014, so just 2 2/3 years ago

The kind of stuff I post about: New and cutting edge shitposting/memes, relatable moments in life and video games, game or game-inspired music, cool shit

Do I have other blogs?: Nope

Do I get asks regularly?: Nope, though I think I've only posted a prompt for one once lol

Why did I choose my URL?: It was a goofy Craig Ferguson inspired name I used sometimes in MMOs and League of Legends to come off as the "LOUD HERO IS HERE FOR GREAT JUSTICE! DID SOMEONE ORDER A LARGE HAM?" type of player (though pretending to be like that is tiring lol), and a name I was going to switch to since Aquamentus is owned by Nintendo. Now I just go by MrAquamentus because that's the name YouTube autosuggested for me when Aquamentus was taken, and I'll probably switch my URL to that one of these days. Then I'll answer this question again for that URL

Gender: a dragon-man

Hogwarts House: Probably Ravenclaw. Yep, just took a test to confirm. I definitely respect Hufflepuff but I don't think I am one

Pokemon team: Mystic has been my aesthetic since RBY, but Valor’s cool too

Fave colors: Purple, blue, red, the occasional pink

Average hours of sleep: 6-8

Lucky number: 4 or 5 or multiples thereof make my brain happy

Favourite characters: Twilight Sparkle and Spike (MLPFIM) and The Doctor (Who), on some points of their rollercoaster rides of writing quality and character development. Even if I haven't played WoW yet I feel like Anduin Wrynn is pretty great based on what I've read about him. EDIT: And Bowser how did I forget Bowser I’m sorry I have failed you my king

Dream job: I've always been drawn to making games, filling my notepads and computers with levels, enemies, concepts, formulas, etc. but not being a particularly gifted artist or coder. Some part of me has also just wanted to run an independent shop of some kind, though. Especially a buy/sell/trade card game shop with tables for people to play at that hosts tournaments and shit, that’d be fantastic. Just the idea of things like deciding on prices and coming up with special daily deals and choosing what music to play all sound like fun. I used to be interested in being a golf course designer, but that's kind of a subset of "level design for a game I enjoyed" really, just IRL with a huge budget

Number of blankets I sleep with: Like three, usually using one of them for neck support

Following: 349 lmao, doesn't feel like it. A few dozen of that is probably sims 4 cc blogs i keep impulse-following from my recommendations

Alright, I'll tag some people I know outside of Tumblr and some who've been giving me hella notes lately, idk how active or into this kind of thing some of you guys are but here we go

@patty2448, @zigcereal, @greybaum, @quantanimobae, @tarhole, @jzag96, @cro-iba, @bumblebeeky, @rei-ayudame, @topazlight

[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

What are the best iOS & Android Card Games?

Gwent

Age of Rivals

Shards of Infinity

Miracle Merchant

Meteorfall: Journey

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Hearthstone

Exploding Kittens

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Frost

Card City Nights

Star Realms

GWENT

Developer: CD Projekt S.A. Platforms: iOS, Android Price: Free-to-Play (IAPs)

It took its sweet time, but the official spin-off of the The Witcher 3 card game has finally made the jump from PC to mobile. It's quite different from what it was like at launch and it's gone through several updates and revisions, meaning that us mobile jockeys get a game that's tight and quite unique compared to some of its contemporaries. It's a power-struggle between two people, but it's less about pounding each other's cards into dust or attacking life-points - it's simply a best-out-of-three bout to have a bigger number than your opponent at the end of the round.

This simple concept can inspire a surprising about of cunning and card combos, with card advantage being a very important concept. As a free-to-play game there are IAPS and micro-transactions, but it's pretty tame for the most part and you can still get access to a lot of cards through gameplay. One potential draw-back is that the meta can shift quite a lot, so knowing which cards to purchase out-right may be problematic. Still, this is a pretty great card game and a wonderful breath of fresh air for the mobile CCG market. Check out our GWENT tips guide if you want to help with getting started.

Age of Rivals

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw. Check out our Age of Rivals review for more.

Shards of Infinity

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further, and our Shards of Infinity review can tell you why.

You might also like....

Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well. Read our Miracle Merchant review for more.

You might also like...

TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year 2018 award, and our Meteorfall review can tell you why.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks. Read our Reigns: Game of Thrones review for more.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite.

In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks. Read our Frost review for more.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

We have a Star Realms review if you want to know more.

Other iOS & Android Card Game Recommendations

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than twelve card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[hsmedievalstockmusicjournal]

Composing the Main Themes

is When beginning to compose my themes, I had to consider many things, such as what makes music characteristic of a setting or scenario, how I should structure my pieces, how can I make the music memorable etc. I looked at various sources of inspiration for different aspects.

I was mostly inspired by composer, Adrian Von Ziegler. His method of composing music is, in a sense, non-cinematic (which is a common feature of stock music). Almost all of his celtic music has a clear structure with identifiable sections with catchy, repetitive ostinatos. However, a considerable amount of his music features the same lead instrument (Uilleann Pipes) which makes it more difficult to establish different settings or scenarios.

Instrumentation: Instrumentation is an important aspect when establishing different places as certain instruments can be associated with different places, for instance, an organ is a common feature of churches. Because I wanted my themes to represent specific settings or scenarios, I listened to multiple sources to see what instruments are used.

For the Tavern theme, I was inspired by the shire music in Lord of the Rings (specifically the second part of Concerning Hobbits), the main theme of the game Hearthstone, and the market and themes in the game Neverwinter Nights. I knew I would feature folk instruments such as guitar, fiddle, tin whistle, etc., but to end the piece I wanted to have a heroic ending and combine the live band sound with a small orchestra (string section and light brass).

When composing the Royal Castle theme, I was largely inspired by Adrian Von Ziegler’s piece “For The King”. I felt it was one of his stronger pieces that more accurately represent the idea of royalty. I wanted to feature an entire orchestra to give the impression that the castle is large but I also wanted some folk-like instruments to play some minor parts to represent peasants of the castle. I was also inspired by the Castle Theme in the Neverwinter Nights game with the use of woodwind instruments and melodies.

For the Mountain theme, I originally intended the piece to be mostly choir. However after the first draft of the piece, I found that I wasn’t quite satisfied with the way that it sounded but I still wanted to keep the ostinato that I had composed. For the first section of the piece, I wanted the music to represent an epic, astounding mountain. For this I was inspired by the music from the Lord of the Rings, and to do this I used a large brass and string orchestra. However, I still wanted to feature a choir in the music. So for the second section, I was inspired by the Misty Mountains Cold song from The Hobbit. I used a gregorian choir to achieve a similar sound.

For the Battle theme, I wanted the drums/percussion to play a more significant role than the other pieces to force the idea of war drums and powerful, hard-hitting action. I also wanted to feature brass instruments to present the medieval trope of war horns (specifically used by orcs and dwarfs). I was inspired by various sources. Midway through composing the piece, I wanted to feature some woodwind instruments, such as piccolo and english horns, to introduce a different feel that contrasts the powerful brass. This also would represent a royal army so that their are two identifiable armies battling.

For the Mystic Forest theme, I was inspired by the use woodwind instruments Forest Day Theme 1 in the Neverwinter Nights game. However, I wanted to retain some aspects of the Tavern theme to keep the soundtrack grounded in the same place so I used some folk instruments such as the dulcimer and tin whistle. I also used a celtic harp which gave a strong, mystic quality. I used a small string section to add some tension to the music.

Structure: When working on the structure for my themes, I was again mostly inspired by Adrian Von Ziegler’s celtic. Having a clear, non-cinematic structure with loop-able sections is an important factor for typical stock music as the person who wishes to buy the music may need the music to continually play for long time in their productions. However for certain themes, I had explored other forms which some themes benefitted from.

For the Tavern theme, structuring the music was fairly simple as I wanted the music to have a live band quality to it, almost like the band is jamming. For the opening of the piece, I used the repeating lead line from the guitar and harp and then introduced the main ostinato (which acts as a verse). I then focused on having verse/chorus sections with small interludes in between and variations on the verses/chorus. As mentioned before, combined the live band style with a small orchestra to create a heroic ending.

For the Royal Castle theme, I focused on having multiple sections but with an ostinato/A section that returned after other sections (so A, B, A, C, A etc.). For the intro, I began the piece by having a stripped down version of the A section but with a introductory lead line played by woodwind instruments. To end the piece, I simply used the same stripped down A section but with a concluding lead line. I also made the tempo gradually slower to make it clear that the piece was ending.

For the Mountain theme, I did something a little different. There are only 2 main sections in the piece that aren’t repeated. The A section, which has the epic brass and strings, and the B section, which has the gregorian choir (as well as percussion and small string section). For the introduction, I simply  I made the B section quite simple as the A section is really epic. This also allows for it to be looped if needed. To end the piece, I slowly faded the music out as I wanted it to feel like the person is gradually moving away from the mountain.

For the Battle theme, I decided have various sections with a repeated A section. The intro is the A section without any lead/ostinato and less percussion. I had changed the time signature from 4/4 to 6/8 for the B and C section to achieve a different feel but also because it felt faster. The B and C section is supposed to represent a royal army. The C section is more toned down to provide some needed contrast to the music. For the outro, I aimed to get an epic, climactic ending, but also it could loop back to the beginning if needed.

For the Mystic Forest theme, I wanted the piece to move quite slowly to keep the sense of mystery. There is a main section that is repeated but is changed the second time it is heard. For the B and C section, I wanted to have changes in tone to keep the piece quite mysterious. For the outro, I wanted to make a climactic ending so the final chord resolves to a major and slow the tempo down at the end to let the piece settle.

I focused on composing the music and achieving a good representation of the settings or scenarios before using more advanced virtual instruments to gain a greater sense of realism. This meant I was only using the standard instruments on Logic Pro X.

Links to Inspirations:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXxy3Y8daks&t=26s&ab_channel=Hearthpwn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yrXn43qPOo&t=195s&ab_channel=Gamesoundtracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEm0AjTbsac&ab_channel=Nevariy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SBQvd6vY9s&t=10584s&ab_channel=GandalfTheWhite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chLZQtCold8&ab_channel=JamayrProductions

[jundzerg-blog]

Magic: The Tilting

I remember the moment that I decided to play Magic: The Gathering. I had become jaded after so many years of online first person shooters and RTS/MOBA games. After competing on various levels over the years I began to hate it. As I got older, I’m 27 now, my reflexes have gotten worse. It may seem stupid but there’s a big difference between my twitch reflex at 16 and now. I commented on how Hearthstone was kind of fun and I was called a filthy casual by a close friend of mine. Long story short the only card game in town is Magic.

When I first got into it I had no idea what I wanted. I started out playing Standard around the time Oath of the Gatewatch came out. I thought Mist Intruders were badass and that Ingest was a sweet mechanic. I was also drawn to Pauper since it’s decks were generally cheaper and I have a thing for older cards. Modern was way out of my league so for the first year or so I avoided it. I’d look at decks like Jund or Affinity and dream of a day where I could justify playing something like that. How could I do that when I barely understood the basics?

Fast forward a few months prior to Peregrine Drake being reprinted as a common and thus warping the format of Pauper. I messed around with various archetypes with my one true love being Mono Black Control, a midrange black devotion deck. I wasn’t very good at it but it broke up the tedium of playing linear decks. Before that I had played Burn and Affinity along with some tier 3 jank and had grown tired of playing aggro all the time. In Modern I built a budget Mono-Red Burn along with some other useless decks that I thought were cool.

I also decided to go to my local LGS since I had just moved to the area and I wanted to see what format they were playing. I wanted to make some friends but I failed miserably. I realized that I barely knew anything about Magic and that Standard / Modern was a foreign land to me. I had a horrible night. I sat there awkwardly with my budget Eldrazi starter deck and was generally treated like pure shit. I know that I look like a total meathead but this was far from what I was expecting. Long story short I decided to concentrate on playing Magic Online, even with it’s incredibly shitty client, because it allowed for more freedom of use, cheaper decks overall and that I could qualify for pro tours or generally play in tournaments in my underwear.

But as time went on I became increasingly displeased with Magic as I hit a huge plateau which led me to taking most of 2016 off from Magic. I played some pauper here and there during the Drake era but I didn’t touch the game until around October of last year. I continued to look at articles, read about the meta and contemplate coming back. But honestly that was the best decision I ever made. Taking a break allowed me to change my perspective on the game itself and whether or not I wanted to really invest my time and money into it. October of 2016 was a strange time for me. I was still reeling from major changes in my life that went back to 2015 but I was finally coming out of the fog. Unfortunately life has a way of throwing more landmines at you as time passes. Crazy ex-girlfriends and health issues of family members became more apparent. But I decided to sell my MTGO collection and buy a modern deck that I could play, one that I had been dreaming of for months, Naya Burn.

I figured if I was going to play this format for the length of years I would want to approach it with a style of deck that I was already familiar with. I played some 300 games between October and December of Burn. Turn 1 Fetch, Shock, Goblin Guide; Turn 2 Fetch, Shock, Monastery Swiftspear and suspend Rift Bolt;, Turn 3 Swing with Guide and Swiftspear (With Prowess) and optimally play Atarka’s Command to pump the squad. Even though I had my games where I couldn’t top deck that final bolt that I needed to win the game I learned some very important lessons during that time. I also found my first true love, Ad Nauseam, during this time. After playing a single game against it I knew that I wanted to play it.

Ad Nauseam was my first combo deck. I feel like it takes the linear non-interactive gameplay of Burn and let’s you put two or three pieces together at the same time, “gotcha” if you will, and win through unfair methods. I was hooked. There was something undeniably cool about going into unlife, sitting at -37 life points and saccing all of my Simian Spirit Guides and lands for a giant Lightning Storm. But I was also faced with the same problem that had plagued me with Burn. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for change. You could play a Mystical Teachings / Peer Through Depths package instead of Spoils of the Vault but that was about as far as customization goes with the deck. Anything else and you begin to dilute the deck and it becomes less optimal.

I also made the mistake of building Eldrazi Tron, or as I call it lovingly, Spaghetti Tron. At the time it was cheaper, with the most expensive parts being Chalice of the Void, and it was exciting to play a new archetype in Modern. Sure people had tried to put Eldrazi into Tron shells for years but it never seemed that great. But it’s ironic now that I see it being very popular and yet I can’t stand the thought of playing it. I hated the games where I had Tron online, sometimes double Tron lands, and no threats to play because I was so flooded. I hated the games where I would land a turn 2 Thought-Knot Seer and still lose because they had answers to everything and I would get flooded out. I found to my horror that it felt worse than playing Burn. I hated playing Tron in Pauper and I honestly have no idea why I built it in Modern.

Again my time in Magic has had some defining moments that worked out in a strange but successful way. Even though my friends criticized me for it, I sold my collection minus Ad Nauseam, and decided to do something crazy. I decided to play fair. I built Jund and Junk from the $985 I had invested into Magic over the course of the past year. I had contemplated getting into Legacy and dropping Modern all together but in hindsight I am glad that I stuck with Modern. Around the same time, after the Golgari Grave Troll and Gitaxian Probe bans, Death’s Shadow Jund became a thing. It was a minor investment to build the deck as I managed to do so prior to the price spikes. I also figured I would decide against waiting for MM17 that way I can have my investment secured instead of trying to procure the pieces for GBx in a fluctuating market.

There is something undeniably pleasing about “Junding em out”. Winning a game through perfection is different from winning through unfair means. Sheer card quality, advantage, discard and answers are my tools now. I never really understood what made Tarmogoyf the poster child of Modern, Bob; The Dark Confidant so famous or why Liliana of the Veil cost so much. I had always been on the receiving end of a turn 1 Thoughtseize not on the side that makes the decisions on turn 1 that can affect the rest of the game. It took me two weeks of pouring over lists, reading primers and testing things out before I decided on a list for both Jund and Junk. I had never put that much time into something related to Magic. I was too used to just picking up a list online and playing it for a few months with the only changes being one or two sideboard pieces. Now I had to learn how to actually sideboards effectively and use the disadvantage of playing a fair deck in a largely linear and unfair format against my opponents.

I am by no means a good Magic player. I am still relatively new to Modern as I can honestly say I’ve only played a little over half a year. But I feel that I have finally found my place in the format. Where I can put my feet up, watch the disparity of the market and ride the ebbs and flows of the meta over the coming years. I still play Ad Nauseam from time to time when I want to relax and not interact with my opponent, but I feel a sense of belonging in the BGx archetype. Old school Jund midrange may be falling in popularity due to the meta but having options between Junk or Jund feels great. Being able to tweak my deck to respond to the meta is rewarding. I still need more time and reps to really understand my lines of play in various matchups because I am still not accustomed to really caring about what my opponent is doing. But I feel like in the long term this will be the way that I want to play. It’s difficult but very rewarding. Not having to really worry about whether or not a piece of my deck is going to get banned is a very comforting thought also. I’m not paranoid and I don’t really care that Splinter Twin was banned because it was before my time. But I do understand that the Mothership has to police formats effectively in order to keep everything balanced. Through looking at the history of BGx, regardless of which variant, I saw that it’s always around in some shape or form. Many say Jund isn’t tier 1 right now but I feel like it’s impossible for it to never be tier 1. Death’s Shadow Jund is a natural evolution of the deck. Somehow through ingenuity Death’s Shadow Aggro and Jund became one. I will always have faith though and I stand by my investments into the archetype. At the end of the day it’s because everyone loves a turn 1 discard spell.

[waynekelton]

GWENT Tips - How to get started on mobile

It’s already past its one-year anniversary on PC and has been through significant changes but Gwent is finally here on mobile. It is such a timely and refreshing CCG and, sure, it’s a beloved IP and has an incredible amount of visual effects and polish. It’s pretty and feature-rich upon launch, what with resounding audio effects, detailed orchestral scoring and flashy premium card animations.

Gwent is a powerhouse because in its innermost guts, the game’s structure is radically different from the competition. It isn’t a battle per se but rather a power struggle between two players to keep a higher total across three rounds. Card advantage is incredibly important, and the drawing and hand management mechanics almost minimize the RNG of top-decking entirely. It has a massive cardpool with tantalizing synergies across the various factions. In this guide we’ll be covering basic play, deckbuilding strategies, its currency system, and lastly some best practices to outmanoeuvre the game’s monetisation scheme.

GWENT Mobile Tips

How do I play Gwent?

What are the microtransactions like?

What are my progression rewards?

How do the different factions work?

What is a Gwentsday?

How does the Arena work, and why should I bother?

What are the optional cosmetics like?

Tell me about seasonal play and limited formats.

How should I spend my time in-game to maximise my rewards?

What makes Gwent different from the competition?

What’s the big fuss about Thronebreaker and where is it?

GWENT Android version?

How do I play GWENT?

GWENT is available as a free-to-play game on iOS and Android (and PC).

A match of Gwent is a best-of-three rounds. The active player plays one card from their hand per turn and resolves its effect, then passes play to their opponent. Most cards are units which add their power to its owner’s total. To win a round, simply have the greatest power total when your opponent passes. To enliven things, Gwent’s draw structure is rather unique: 10 cards for each player to start, then three additional draws at the start of the second and third rounds. There are mulligans for each round, so decks are very consistent.

What are GWENT's micro-transactions like?

Relatively tasteful and par for the course. There are introductory specials which are the absolute best bang for your buck, but beside the cash shop Ore is used to craft ‘kegs’ which are card packs. Scraps are for creating specific cards and are gained normally but also by ‘milling’ or converting unwanted cards. Lastly, meteorites are purely cosmetic and makes a given card ‘premium’ by adding an animation to it. Because kegs made through in-game currency are locked to a specific set, your best bet to get specific cards through crafting. The meta has been pretty unpredictable so far in this past year, so don’t spend too quickly.

GWENT progression rewards

Each match won gives ore. Each level gives reward keys, which are used in the reward book to unlock skins and oodles of in-game currency. In the beginning, the game treats you to a sweet honeymoon phase, showering you with keys which jump-start whichever dream deck you aim for. The biggest one is hitting level 60, thereafter barrels will always contain an extra rare. This is just one of many ways Gwent rewards experience over expense. (Time over cash). It has a rush of freebies which should be spent advisedly.

GWENT Factions

Each faction has an exclusive pool of cards and leader abilities, as well as a few key mechanics that cement their unique identity. The Northern Realms are all about a generalist approach, with about equal options for buffing friendlies and debuffing the opposition, with some utility thrown in. The Scoia’Tael are the non-human sentients, representing the mystical races like elves and dwarves along with some more exotic denizens.

They have special bonuses for diverse unit sub-types and a heavy reliance on their unique Trap cards, setting up giant reactions to enemy moves. The Skellige are the ghoulish and morbid faction, with plenty of self-sacrifice and graveyard interactions. Death is just another resource to them, and their decks tend to be strongest at the finish line. Monsters are dynamic, swelling their ranks and devouring each other. They have the biggest creatures and the largest swarms.

What is a Gwentsday?

Every Wednesday is Gwentsday and has bonus experience for every match. The game is always doing timed promotions like this, either for different factions or else to promote a new set or season start. Basically just either follow them on social media or simply peruse the landing page in-game for a notice about any time-sensitive bonuses.

How does the Arena work, and why should I bother?

The arena is Gwent’s draft format wherein you build a deck by selecting cards one at a time from a batch of offerings. The resulting deck, which is assembled without respect to provision costs, is used until you lose three matches or win nine. At the end of the run, you get a payout depending on how well you did. The cost of entry is a little higher than the price of a keg, but a keg is also part of the guaranteed reward bundle for participating, so the Arena is worthwhile if you like the creativity and flexibility required by the draft format.

It takes a lot of experience and familiarity with the entire card pool to draft quickly and confidently.

GWENT deckbuilding tips

First, consider your starting faction and leader ability. These should be selected based on the cards already unlocked and personal playstyle preferences. Each deck must have at least twenty-five cards, twenty-three units and be under the provision limit. Stronger or more distinctive cards have higher provision costs, as displayed in the bottom right. The deck editor has robust filters for sorting which cards you want. Use the search function to hone in on specific keywords and synergies you want, and craft a few clutch additions, and you’ll have a custom deck in no time.

What are the optional cosmetics like?

There are leader skins, which alter your commander’s outfit and appearance. Premium card versions display a short looping animation, really makes the cards pop and come alive. Player avatar icons are unlocked either through the reward book or else exclusively through achievements. There are also avatar borders, card backs and battleground skins as well. Please note that most if not all of these are unlocked through consistent play and doled as rewards for highly specific achievements. Animated cards are premium and can be purchased at-will, but the more prestigious cosmetics simply depend on long-term investment, though a few glamorous ones are also sold directly for pure cash.

GWENT seasonal play and limited formats

Each month has its own special format with a unique twist on the default rules. The current season, for example, gives every unit Resilience and keeps it around from round-to-round unless destroyed. Simple to read and understand the change, but it has massive implications for deckbuilding. Each season has its own unique reward and title unlocks, so going deep into a given season is much better than splitting your time evenly throughout the year. The rule shifts in this optional formal create a side meta which is never the same twice.

How should I spend my time in-game to maximize my rewards?

Login and do your daily quests. Also, plot a direct course between your existing collection and the next card or two you want. This means researching deck archetypes and making a budget to streamline the path between your current setup and the next best thing. Have a decent deck for each of the factions, but be as specific and focused as possible.

For the most bang for your buck, simply imitate the leaders or a specific synergy. Invest in some high quality neutral cards, like the Witchers, who are all conditionally strong and can be slotted into a variety of decks.

GWENT vs. Hearthstone vs. everyone else

Theme, progression and gameplay. For any Reiner Knizia fans out there, Gwent owes a good bit of its heart to Blue Moon. Even though a single match of Gwent doesn’t take more turns than Hearthstone, it feels so much more tense because of the structure. Every single card matters immensely. Card advantage is king, and efficiency is the dominant paradigm. Deckbuilding is incredibly intense, and matches often come down to a single decision.

Progression is generous, with the game offering in-game currency for daily logins, for played matches, level-ups and achievements. It has more systems in place to unlock cards for free than almost any other game out there, except for perhaps Eternal. Lastly, for anyone with a bit of familiarity or fondness for the Witcher books or games, this game is full of flavor text and allusions. All of the major characters are cards and their characters have been well-translated into in game effects.

What’s the big fuss about Thronebreaker and where is it?

Thronebreaker is Gwent’s standalone single-player expansion. It has matches spanning a pretty long campaign with cel-shaded graphics and voice acting as well as an original storyline with some choose-your-own adventure flavor. It came out a little over a year ago and is a premium companion game to Gwent, though it serves as a robust introduction. It’s still worth recommending for PC users but has no sign of making the leap to mobile anytime soon.

Do you have any tips of your own, or further question about GWENT? Let us know in the comments!

GWENT Tips - How to get started on mobile published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

New Mobile Card Games

We get told of new games to consider quite regularly, so until we evaluate them properly we'll keep track of new releases here as an 'FYI':

Mythgard (Beta)

Maze Machina

What are the best iOS & Android Card Games?

Gwent

Age of Rivals

Shards of Infinity

Miracle Merchant

Meteorfall: Journey

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Hearthstone

Exploding Kittens

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Frost

Card City Nights

Star Realms

GWENT

Developer: CD Projekt S.A. Platforms: iOS Price: Free-to-Play (IAPs)

It took its sweet time, but the official spin-off of the The Witcher 3 card game has finally made the jump from PC to iOS. It's quite different from what it was like at launch and it's gone through several updates and revisions, meaning that us mobile jockeys get a game that's tight and quite unique compared to some of its contemporaries. It's a power-struggle between two people, but it's less about pounding each other's cards into dust or attacking life-points - it's simply a best-out-of-three bout to have a bigger number than your opponent at the end of the round.

This simple concept can inspire a surprising about of cunning and card combos, with card advantage being a very important concept. As a free-to-play game there are IAPS and micro-transactions, but it's pretty tame for the most part and you can still get access to a lot of cards through gameplay. One potential draw-back is that the meta can shift quite a lot, so knowing which cards to purchase out-right may be problematic. Still, this is a pretty great card game and a wonderful breath of fresh air for the mobile CCG market. Check out our GWENT tips guide if you want to help with getting started.

Age of Rivals

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw. Check out our Age of Rivals review for more.

Shards of Infinity

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further, and our Shards of Infinity review can tell you why.

You might also like....

Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) (Review) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well. Read our Miracle Merchant review for more.

You might also like...

TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year 2018 award, and our Meteorfall review can tell you why.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks. Read our Reigns: Game of Thrones review for more.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite.

In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks. Read our Frost review for more.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

We have a Star Realms review if you want to know more.

Other iOS & Android Card Game Recommendations

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than twelve card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

Recently Released Card Games

Not everything release gets to claim a top spot, either because there's no room for it or we weren't fans of it at review - maybe we haven't reviewed it at all yet. Still, it's worth letting you make up your own minds so here's a summary of card games released recently:

Fluxx Digital

Mythgard (Beta)

What are the best Card Games on Android & iOS?

Gwent

Age of Rivals

Shards of Infinity

Miracle Merchant

Meteorfall: Journey

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Hearthstone

Exploding Kittens

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Frost

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

Card City Nights

Star Realms

GWENT

Developer: CD Projekt S.A. Platforms: iOS Price: Free-to-Play (IAPs)

It took its sweet time, but the official spin-off of the The Witcher 3 card game has finally made the jump from PC to iOS. It's quite different from what it was like at launch and it's gone through several updates and revisions, meaning that us mobile jockeys get a game that's tight and quite unique compared to some of its contemporaries. It's a power-struggle between two people, but it's less about pounding each other's cards into dust or attacking life-points - it's simply a best-out-of-three bout to have a bigger number than your opponent at the end of the round.

This simple concept can inspire a surprising about of cunning and card combos, with card advantage being a very important concept. As a free-to-play game there are IAPS and micro-transactions, but it's pretty tame for the most part and you can still get access to a lot of cards through gameplay. One potential draw-back is that the meta can shift quite a lot, so knowing which cards to purchase out-right may be problematic. Still, this is a pretty great card game and a wonderful breath of fresh air for the mobile CCG market. Check out our GWENT tips guide if you want to help with getting started.

Age of Rivals

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw. Check out our Age of Rivals review for more.

Shards of Infinity

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further, and our Shards of Infinity review can tell you why.

You might also like....

Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) (Review) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well. Read our Miracle Merchant review for more.

You might also like...

TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year 2018 award, and our Meteorfall review can tell you why.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks. Read our Reigns: Game of Thrones review for more.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite.

In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks. Read our Frost review for more.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends

Developer: Bethesda Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free

Devastating combos: Bethesda’s entry into online card battling has the normal variety of twists on the race-to-zero archetype that most card battlers end up parroting to some extend or another. It has two lanes, one of which is a ‘shadow’ lane granting cover to units slotted there. The other change is truly radical though, and alters the core idea of card advantage. Players who lose a large chunk of life in a single turn get extra draws as compensation the next turn.

This acts as a huge counterbalance and means that showy and impressive turns in some cases actually become victims of their own success. Getting the most bang from your buck from each and every card still matters, of course, but the card-draw granted from life loss is a devious catch-up mechanism, especially when combined with the ‘Prophecy’ keyword.. Standard, with not much else to distinguish it from the crowd aside from the setting and its tweaks to the formula, but a worthwhile entry with intelligent design and classic appeal for Skyrim fans. Read our Elder Scrolls Legends review for more.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

We have a Star Realms review if you want to know more.

Other iOS & Android Card Game Recommendations

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than ten excellent card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten. Below is a list of previous members of this list, lest we forget:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

GWENT iOS - 13 Tips & Tricks to get you started

It’s already past its one-year anniversary on PC and has been through significant changes but Gwent is finally here on iOS. It is such a timely and refreshing CCG and, sure, it’s a beloved IP and has an incredible amount of visual effects and polish. It’s pretty and feature-rich upon launch, what with resounding audio effects, detailed orchestral scoring and flashy premium card animations.

Gwent is a powerhouse because in its innermost guts, the game’s structure is radically different from the competition. It isn’t a battle per se but rather a power struggle between two players to keep a higher total across three rounds. Card advantage is incredibly important, and the drawing and hand management mechanics almost minimize the RNG of top-decking entirely. It has a massive cardpool with tantalizing synergies across the various factions. In this guide we’ll be covering basic play, deckbuilding strategies, its currency system, and lastly some best practices to outmanoeuvre the game’s monetisation scheme.

How do I play Gwent?

What are the microtransactions like?

What are my progression rewards?

How do the different factions work?

What is a Gwentsday?

How does the Arena work, and why should I bother?

What are the optional cosmetics like?

Tell me about seasonal play and limited formats.

How should I spend my time in-game to maximise my rewards?

What makes Gwent different from the competition?

What’s the big fuss about Thronebreaker and where is it?

GWENT Android version?

How do I play GWENT?

A match of Gwent is a best-of-three rounds. The active player plays one card from their hand per turn and resolves its effect, then passes play to their opponent. Most cards are units which add their power to its owner’s total. To win a round, simply have the greatest power total when your opponent passes. To enliven things, Gwent’s draw structure is rather unique: 10 cards for each player to start, then three additional draws at the start of the second and third rounds. There are mulligans for each round, so decks are very consistent.

What are GWENT's micro-transactions like?

Relatively tasteful and par for the course. There are introductory specials which are the absolute best bang for your buck, but beside the cash shop Ore is used to craft ‘kegs’ which are card packs. Scraps are for creating specific cards and are gained normally but also by ‘milling’ or converting unwanted cards. Lastly, meteorites are purely cosmetic and makes a given card ‘premium’ by adding an animation to it. Because kegs made through in-game currency are locked to a specific set, your best bet to get specific cards through crafting. The meta has been pretty unpredictable so far in this past year, so don’t spend too quickly.

GWENT progression rewards

Each match won gives ore. Each level gives reward keys, which are used in the reward book to unlock skins and oodles of in-game currency. In the beginning, the game treats you to a sweet honeymoon phase, showering you with keys which jump-start whichever dream deck you aim for. The biggest one is hitting level 60, thereafter barrels will always contain an extra rare. This is just one of many ways Gwent rewards experience over expense. (Time over cash). It has a rush of freebies which should be spent advisedly.

GWENT Factions

Each faction has an exclusive pool of cards and leader abilities, as well as a few key mechanics that cement their unique identity. The Northern Realms are all about a generalist approach, with about equal options for buffing friendlies and debuffing the opposition, with some utility thrown in. The Scoia’Tael are the non-human sentients, representing the mystical races like elves and dwarves along with some more exotic denizens.

They have special bonuses for diverse unit sub-types and a heavy reliance on their unique Trap cards, setting up giant reactions to enemy moves. The Skellige are the ghoulish and morbid faction, with plenty of self-sacrifice and graveyard interactions. Death is just another resource to them, and their decks tend to be strongest at the finish line. Monsters are dynamic, swelling their ranks and devouring each other. They have the biggest creatures and the largest swarms.

What is a Gwentsday?

Every Wednesday is Gwentsday and has bonus experience for every match. The game is always doing timed promotions like this, either for different factions or else to promote a new set or season start. Basically just either follow them on social media or simply peruse the landing page in-game for a notice about any time-sensitive bonuses.

How does the Arena work, and why should I bother?

The arena is Gwent’s draft format wherein you build a deck by selecting cards one at a time from a batch of offerings. The resulting deck, which is assembled without respect to provision costs, is used until you lose three matches or win nine. At the end of the run, you get a payout depending on how well you did. The cost of entry is a little higher than the price of a keg, but a keg is also part of the guaranteed reward bundle for participating, so the Arena is worthwhile if you like the creativity and flexibility required by the draft format.

It takes a lot of experience and familiarity with the entire card pool to draft quickly and confidently.

GWENT deckbuilding tips

First, consider your starting faction and leader ability. These should be selected based on the cards already unlocked and personal playstyle preferences. Each deck must have at least twenty-five cards, twenty-three units and be under the provision limit. Stronger or more distinctive cards have higher provision costs, as displayed in the bottom right. The deck editor has robust filters for sorting which cards you want. Use the search function to hone in on specific keywords and synergies you want, and craft a few clutch additions, and you’ll have a custom deck in no time.

What are the optional cosmetics like?

There are leader skins, which alter your commander’s outfit and appearance. Premium card versions display a short looping animation, really makes the cards pop and come alive. Player avatar icons are unlocked either through the reward book or else exclusively through achievements. There are also avatar borders, card backs and battleground skins as well. Please note that most if not all of these are unlocked through consistent play and doled as rewards for highly specific achievements. Animated cards are premium and can be purchased at-will, but the more prestigious cosmetics simply depend on long-term investment, though a few glamorous ones are also sold directly for pure cash.

GWENT seasonal play and limited formats

Each month has its own special format with a unique twist on the default rules. The current season, for example, gives every unit Resilience and keeps it around from round-to-round unless destroyed. Simple to read and understand the change, but it has massive implications for deckbuilding. Each season has its own unique reward and title unlocks, so going deep into a given season is much better than splitting your time evenly throughout the year. The rule shifts in this optional formal create a side meta which is never the same twice.

How should I spend my time in-game to maximize my rewards?

Login and do your daily quests. Also, plot a direct course between your existing collection and the next card or two you want. This means researching deck archetypes and making a budget to streamline the path between your current setup and the next best thing. Have a decent deck for each of the factions, but be as specific and focused as possible.

For the most bang for your buck, simply imitate the leaders or a specific synergy. Invest in some high quality neutral cards, like the Witchers, who are all conditionally strong and can be slotted into a variety of decks.

GWENT vs. Hearthstone vs. everyone else

Theme, progression and gameplay. For any Reiner Knizia fans out there, Gwent owes a good bit of its heart to Blue Moon. Even though a single match of Gwent doesn’t take more turns than Hearthstone, it feels so much more tense because of the structure. Every single card matters immensely. Card advantage is king, and efficiency is the dominant paradigm. Deckbuilding is incredibly intense, and matches often come down to a single decision.

Progression is generous, with the game offering in-game currency for daily logins, for played matches, level-ups and achievements. It has more systems in place to unlock cards for free than almost any other game out there, except for perhaps Eternal. Lastly, for anyone with a bit of familiarity or fondness for the Witcher books or games, this game is full of flavor text and allusions. All of the major characters are cards and their characters have been well-translated into in game effects.

What’s the big fuss about Thronebreaker and where is it?

Thronebreaker is Gwent’s standalone single-player expansion. It has matches spanning a pretty long campaign with cel-shaded graphics and voice acting as well as an original storyline with some choose-your-own adventure flavor. It came out a little over a year ago and is a premium companion game to Gwent, though it serves as a robust introduction. It’s still worth recommending for PC users but has no sign of making the leap to mobile anytime soon.

GWENT Android version?

As of publication, it is slated for Q1 2020. The iOS version was a long time coming, with several updates and delays, but hopefully since one mobile version is done, the Android version will make its release window. The good news is that both account synchronisation and cross play are working smoothly, though a GoG account is required. Expect a limited beta and then release sooner rather than later.

Do you have any tips of your own, or further question about GWENT? Let us know in the comments!

GWENT iOS - 13 Tips & Tricks to get you started published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

No luck of the draw? Perhaps some quality strategy games you can play without internet instead!

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

Recent Releases

Not everything release gets to claim a top spot, either because there's no room for it or we weren't fans of it at review - maybe we haven't reviewed it at all yet. Still, it's worth letting you make up your own minds so here's a summary of card games released recently:

Fluxx Digital

Age of Rivals (Review)

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw.

Shards of Infinity (Review)

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further.

You might also like....

Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) (Review) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant (Review)

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well.

You might also like...

TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey (Review) (GOTY 2018)

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year award, you know.

Reigns: Game of Thrones (Review)

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost (Review)

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite. In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends (Review) 

Developer: Bethesda Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free

Devastating combos: Bethesda’s entry into online card battling has the normal variety of twists on the race-to-zero archetype that most card battlers end up parroting to some extend or another. It has two lanes, one of which is a ‘shadow’ lane granting cover to units slotted there. The other change is truly radical though, and alters the core idea of card advantage. Players who lose a large chunk of life in a single turn get extra draws as compensation the next turn.

This acts as a huge counterbalance and means that showy and impressive turns in some cases actually become victims of their own success. Getting the most bang from your buck from each and every card still matters, of course, but the card-draw granted from life loss is a devious catch-up mechanism, especially when combined with the ‘Prophecy’ keyword.. Standard, with not much else to distinguish it from the crowd aside from the setting and its tweaks to the formula, but a worthwhile entry with intelligent design and classic appeal for Skyrim fans.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms (Review)

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

Hall of Fame

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than ten excellent card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten. Below is a list of previous members of this list, lest we forget:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

No luck of the draw? Perhaps some quality strategy games you can play without internet instead!

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

Age of Rivals (Review)

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw.

Cultist Simulator (Review)

Developer: Weather Factory Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $6.99 

We were excited when we head that the indie hit card game Cultist Simulator was heading to mobile. While it's a niche proposition on PC, as a mobile game it's excellently suited to fit in with the on-the-go drop-in/drop-out playstyle of mobile gamers. Even in a market as arguable crowded as mobile card games, Cultist Simulator manages to slide right in and carve out its own little spot, offering a great combination of roguelike and narrative design elements, similar to what Reigns does but with more moving parts.

The mobile app is an excellent translation of the PC game, and works like a dream. Very replayable, you won't regret embarking on this particular quest to unlock the mysteries of the occult.

Shards of Infinity (Review)

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further.

You might also like....

Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) (Review) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant (Review)

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well.

You might also like...

TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey (Review) (GOTY 2018)

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year award, you know.

Reigns: Game of Thrones (Review)

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost (Review)

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite. In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends (Review) 

Developer: Bethesda Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free

Devastating combos: Bethesda’s entry into online card battling has the normal variety of twists on the race-to-zero archetype that most card battlers end up parroting to some extend or another. It has two lanes, one of which is a ‘shadow’ lane granting cover to units slotted there. The other change is truly radical though, and alters the core idea of card advantage. Players who lose a large chunk of life in a single turn get extra draws as compensation the next turn.

This acts as a huge counterbalance and means that showy and impressive turns in some cases actually become victims of their own success. Getting the most bang from your buck from each and every card still matters, of course, but the card-draw granted from life loss is a devious catch-up mechanism, especially when combined with the ‘Prophecy’ keyword.. Standard, with not much else to distinguish it from the crowd aside from the setting and its tweaks to the formula, but a worthwhile entry with intelligent design and classic appeal for Skyrim fans.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms (Review)

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

Hall of Fame

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than ten excellent card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten. Below is a list of previous members of this list, lest we forget:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/