Join the world of CCGs and LCGs
Collective Card Games (CCGs) seem like a dying genre. But they are going strong and a new offshoot of them known as Living Card Games (LCGs) have recently taken the market by storm.
Today there are many popular CCGs out there. There’s no better time than the present to dive into card games.
Here are the most popular CCGs (and LCGs) out there today.
10. Marvel Champions: The Card Game
Become Iron Man, Spiderman, or one of the other Marvel superheroes and battle your enemies.
Marvel Champions is a must-have if you are into the Marvel comics and movies. Fantasy Flight Games released it last year (2019). The artwork is amazing and who doesn’t dream of being Spiderman flying between buildings or Iron Man taking on adversaries?
Ok. So no real flying will occur as you play this but you still get to be a superhero. This one is a little different than games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon in how the deck building works.
When buying expansions for it you will know what cards you are getting. All packs are created equal, unlike Magic.
The game is played by setting up one of the scenarios and picking one of the villains. Then each player picks one of the five superheroes. At that point, you can build your deck or use one of the pre-built decks that come with the game.
After all the characters are decided upon, it’s time to dive in. This is a cooperative game so players take turns playing cards and working together to take down the enemy. Each player will play cards, turn their hero card over (one side is the hero, the other their alter ego), or do a number of other actions until there is nothing left they can do.
Once all heroes have played, the villain takes a turn. Players win by killing the villain. They lose if any hero is killed by the villain or the villain completes his scheme.
Do you have what it takes to be a superhero?
9. Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Can you resist the terror to unravel the story?
An adventure awaits in Arkham. Great mysteries are happening and only the detectives that dare enter can solve them. Do you have what it takes to solve the mystery before the monsters defeat you or you succumb to the horrors in your mind?
No. Not making this one up. That is just what Arkham Horror is about. You set out on an adventure through scenarios to discover the dark secrets in Arkham. But as you go you’ll face perils from within such as psychosis and monsters that relentlessly attack.
The game plays out in different phases. How you do in one phase affects the next. So be careful as you go.
Each player picks a detective and then builds their deck according to the specs for that person. Then the game begins by players completing actions and taking turns exploring the building. There are four phases each round which reveal monsters, new cards, and more.
Arkham Horror is a cooperative game that follows a storyline, immersing the players in the adventure. If you are after an experience and love frightening adventures, check this out, released by Fantasy Flight Games in 2016.
8. Lord of the Rings
Adventure into the land and complete quests before it's too late.
Lord of the Rings: The Card Game sets you on a quest. You may find yourself battling king spiders or caught in a web as you go through the adventure. But that is only one of the three found in the core game.
Most people are familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This game, released in 2011 by Fantasy Flight Games, has amazing artwork centering around those characters. Although it doesn’t fully follow the movie plot, this card game has great story development.
Lord of the Rings can be played with one to four people cooperatively. Start by building your deck and picking your focus such as leadership or tactical. Then select your heroes for the adventure.
Begin your turn by collecting resources and deciding who to set out on the quest. Some enemies will be drawn from the encounter deck which may result in battles and possibly the defeat of your heroes.
If you beat all the quest cards for the adventure you pick then you win. If all your heroes die or you get to 50 on your threat dial its game over.
7. Legends of the Five Rings: The Card Game
Clash of the clans. Can you defeat the enemy Viking group and rule the land?
Ever dreamt of being a Viking in battle? Or maybe a warrior defending a dynasty? In Legends of the Five Rings, you step into a world of warring clans. Can you build the strongest clan to defeat your foe?
If you know anything about CCG’s you may already be familiar with Legends of the Five Rings. It was first made in 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group and later discontinued in 2015. It was recreated by Fantasy Flight Games in 2017. Both versions are similar in the storyline but are incompatible with each other.
The original version was a true CCG in nature. Some cards in packs were rare and you never knew what you were going to get to build your deck. The most recent version released in 2017 is an LCG. It’s also a deck-building game but each expansion pack is the same.
Both versions of the game require you to pick a clan. Then you will go through several different phases depending on whether you are playing the original or the new. The phases consist of drawing cards, battling, replenishing, and more.
To find your way to victory, take your opponent’s honor or defeat their clan.
6. Star Wars: The Card Game
Which will prevail, The dark or the light? May the force be with you.
If you love Stars Wars, you’ll likely enjoy Star Wars Customizable Card Game. It’s not thematically perfect but still great fun. And who wouldn’t want to get to play as the dark side? Or be Master Jedi Luke Skywalker?
Star Wars Customizable Card Game was first released in 1995 by Decipher Inc. It’s out of print but remains a popular and fun game. If you have the opportunity to buy this, it’s well worth it.
It’s a two-player head to head battle. One person plays as the dark side and the other the light side. After choosing which side you want, you’ll pick ten objectives and fill your deck accordingly. You’ll draw four objectives and put three of them in front of you.
On your turn, start building up to battle. Once ready you can attack your opponent. There are also force cards that help you complete your goals to win.
The light side finds victory by destroying three objectives on the dark side. The dark side wins by moving their death star counter to 12.
5. World of Warcraft
Defeat your enemies in battle. Will the deck you build be enough?
World of Warcraft was released in 2006 by Upper Deck Entertainment and eventually switched hands to Blizzard Entertainment in 2010. It’s a game similar in play to MTG with a few differences. But you are still out to defeat your opponent’s hero.
To play, you and the person you’re playing against will both have a deck. As with other CCGs, the deck will consist of abilities, weapons, and more to aid in your quest to defeat the opposing hero.
You will play your hero and then on your turn have the opportunity to play cards from your hand to aid in the battle. Should you take the other player’s life points down to zero you win.
World of Warcraft might be difficult to obtain but if you can it still is popular among gamers. After the trading card series production stopped, Blizzard released an online version of the game. It’s a huge hit today.
But if you want to battle in the traditional tabletop form during game night, pick up a copy of World of Warcraft.
4. Android Netrunner
Hack or be hacked. Stop the hackers and build your wealth while you can.
Android Netrunner puts you right into the action of being a hacker or stopping one to keep your gains. Do you have what it takes to advance your agenda before it’s all stolen?
Android Netrunner was first published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2017 as a takeoff from the original Netrunner produced by Wizards of the Coast.
In it, you will be trying to advance your corporation to make the biggest gains. All while the runners are trying to hack you and steal everything. If you are a geek or geek at heart, this one fits the bill.
Each player picks a side, either runner or corporation. They then begin by completing a variety of actions each turn to complete their objectives. They are both trying to score agenda points.
However, if you are the corporation you will be trying to score the points while hiding your assets from the runner. The runner will be trying to acquire enough hardware and goods to hack you.
To win the corporation must obtain all seven agenda points or force the runner to discard their whole hand. The runner wins by successfully stealing enough from the corporation.
3. Yu-Gi-Oh!
Battle to the death in the Konami hit Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh is a worldwide sensation. It’s been around since 1999 when Konami launched the card game based on the Japanese show. Go head to head to beat your opponents in epic battles.
Each player creates their own deck of monsters, spells, and trap cards that will help them take out the other player. So you need to create the best deck you can.
You will have 8000 life points to begin the game. Once started you will play monsters and cast spells in an effort to kill the other player’s monster.
You will lose if you run out of cards in your deck or life points. You can also lose if a condition card is played that is an automatic loss card.
Do you have what it takes to beat the enemy monsters?
2. Pokemon Trading Card Game
Join in the hit game Pokemon and become the ultimate trainer.
Who doesn’t love a good battle? What about battling with cute little creatures? Okay, maybe that is taking things one step too far. But whatever battle type you are, Pokemon is a game people of all ages love.
When talking about Pokemon you might immediately think about the worldwide craze started by Pokemon Go a few years back. Or maybe you are a Nintendo Switch gamer and play a few of the Pokemon games that Nintendo created.
However, there is another level of Pokemon that many people love. The Trading Card Game. It was first published in 1996 by Media Coast with Wizards of the Coast taking over in 2003.
The gameplay is simple yet exciting. Each player starts with a deck of 60 cards. Decks contain Pokemon cards, energy cards, and more. On your turn, you will be laying down Pokemon to use in battle. There will be one active Pokemon and up to five in the bank.
You then can add energy to your Pokemon which is required to activate their battle powers or even help them retreat. Whoever runs out of cards first, has six defeated Pokemon, or has no more Pokemon in their bank and they need one, loses.
This game is easy enough for kids to understand and enjoy (it was actually designed for kids) while remaining entertaining for adults. The artwork is nice which brings an added bonus to the game.
1.Magic: The Gathering
Join in one of the longest and most popular CCGs ever created. Cast spells and battle to the end in Magic: The Gathering.
Magic: The Gathering Remains one of the most popular CCG’s today. First created by Richard Garfield in 1993 it quickly became popular and led to the rise of CCG’s. Dive in and become a planeswalker casting spells and defeating enemies.
If you’re new to Magic you’d want to get a Core set or a Deckbuilder’s set. These are starter packs containing lands, booster packs, guides to get started, and more.
The game is played by two or more people going head to head casting spells after collecting mana. Each player’s deck is unique depending on how they built their cards up.
Magic has five colors that put a unique bent on attack and defensive strategies. Those are red, white, blue, black, and green. If you choose to play with strategies from the white realm you will take on a more defensive peacekeeping strategy while those from the black or red are out to destroy.
Over time you can collect, grow, and evolve your deck allowing your strategy to solidify. There remains an element of chance depending on the draw of the cards but lessens if you call a mulligan or build the right deck.
After building your deck, you can find a group to join locally or even participate in tournaments. Sky’s the limit with this CCG and it keeps growing!
