Games Like Magic: The Gathering

If you love a good game of deck-building and collectible cards, you’re in luck! This entire list of options features games like Magic the Gathering, whether the similarities run through mechanics, collecting, or engines. You’ll find each game comes highly rated by folks who enjoy Magic the Gathering – all with even more worlds, genres, and themes to explore. These games can also enrich your free time by providing enjoyable and rewarding experiences outside of competitive play.

What is a Trading Card Game?

A trading card game (TCG) is a captivating type of card game that combines the thrill of collecting with the strategic depth of competitive play. In a TCG, players gather cards that feature unique abilities, characters, or attributes, and use these cards to build powerful decks. The goal is often to outmaneuver opponents, reduce their life total, or achieve specific objectives through clever strategy and tactical play.

One of the most exciting aspects of trading card games is the vast pool of cards available. New sets and expansions are regularly released, allowing players to constantly update and refine their decks. This dynamic nature keeps the game fresh and engaging, as players can explore new strategies and combinations with each release.

Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the world of TCGs, the blend of collecting, trading, and strategic gameplay offers endless hours of entertainment and challenge.

Definition of a Trading Card Game

A trading card game is defined by several key characteristics that set it apart from other types of card games:

• Large Pool of Cards: TCGs feature a vast array of cards, each with unique abilities and attributes. This diversity allows for endless deck-building possibilities and strategic depth.

• Collecting and Trading: Players collect cards through purchases, trades, or in-game rewards. The trading aspect adds a social element, as players can exchange cards to complete their collections or improve their decks.

• Competitive Gameplay: TCGs are inherently competitive, with players building decks to outsmart and outplay their opponents. The gameplay often involves intricate strategies and tactical decisions.

• Regular Releases: New sets and expansions are released regularly, introducing new cards and mechanics. This keeps the game evolving and encourages players to stay engaged and adapt their strategies.

In essence, a trading card game combines the joy of collecting with the excitement of strategic competition, making it a beloved genre for gamers of all ages.

Top Picks for Games Like Magic: The Gathering

Dominion

Age: 13+ (Community 10+) Players: 2-4 Time: 30 minutes

If you’re looking for a non-collectible card game like Magic the Gathering, try Dominion. It’s centered around inheriting a kingdom you want to expand and that kingdom that you currently rule is small but full of rivers and trees. Right outside your border stretches a wide variety of fiefs and freedoms. You and your fellow players (2 to 4 total) will compete as monarchs who also want to secure what is seen as unclaimed land. This process of expanding requires you to fill up your treasury so you can hire minions, reinforce your castle, and build new buildings.

The gameplay aspect has a selection of cards that players can purchase in-game when they can afford them. This leads to constructing decks on the fly and playing cards as soon as you draw them, and this means games become fast and tend to last under half an hour. Each success in the game will net you victory points that in the end will determine who wins the game. The game comes with 500 different cards and before gameplay begins you choose 10 of 25 possible Kingdom card types. This helps ensure every game is different, with a huge range of experiences for all.

In Dominion, players manage their discard pile by shuffling it back into their deck when they run out of cards, similar to other card games.

Warhammer: Invasion

Age: 13+ (Community 12+) Players: 2 Time: 45 minutes

Warhammer: Invasion is a two-player card game based on the Games Workshop classic miniature wargame Warhammer. You and one friend compete to manage resources, build a kingdom, and attack your enemy. Each player can choose a different faction to support or mix cards and create an alliance of various factions.

Gameplay is similar to Magic the Gathering in that you construct a deck of cards where you draw cards and use resources to play the cards you draw. Unlike Magic: the Gathering, there is no blind collecting model with randomized packs of cards. Instead, you know what you buy when you purchase the cards. The core set comes with 220 cards with 4 factions allowing you and your friends to have a wide variety of matches.

The game’s unique characteristics, such as its rich lore and strategic depth, make it appealing to fans of the original Warhammer. Unlike its big brother Warhammer, this card game can be played in 45 minutes versus the minimum three-hour games that the miniature wargame runs. So, if you love the original but don’t want to devote tons of time to its play, grab this card game version instead.

Tower Siege

Age: 12+ Players: 2 Time: 60 minutes

Another non-collectible card game like Magic the Gathering, Tower Siege uses customizable strategy combined with luck and ruthless play to create a wickedly fun time. The game works as a duel between 2 players, aged 12 and up, and usually lasts for about an hour. Players control a mighty Mage each and must struggle against one another to survive. As the Mages battle, they may employ the help of their Scrolls, Relics, Items, or Minions – all found in cards in their hands. But the order in which they are played – and the combinations thereof – will determine who wins. Toss in some dice to decide the outcomes, and you’ve got a world of magical fun and stiff competition at hand. Ultimately, players must keep their Mage alive and their Tower intact. Whoever stands till the end wins.

If you’re looking for even more fun, add the Tower Siege Expansions: Elemental Adversaries, Fiendish Foes, or Thaylen’s Rogues.

Ascension: Deck Building Game

Age: 13+ (Community 10+) Players: 1-4 Time: 30 minutes

Ascension: Deck Building Game was first released as Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer. It’s a quick-moving deck-building game the whole crowd will enjoy – at least if they like games like Magic the Gathering. You and your friends each start with small decks and your goal is to acquire better cards so that you can earn the most points. Those better cards are acquired by spending runes.

The more powerful cards let you get more runes and keep adjusting your deck. This purchasing power makes the game a dynamic experience where players have to pay attention and adjust to each other player’s choices – and that’s where the challenging strategy fun really comes in. Fans of Magic: The Gathering Arena will appreciate the similar gameplay mechanics and features found in this gathering arena.

And part of what makes this game so special is that it was designed by Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour champions Brian Kibler, Justin Gray, and Rob Dougherty.

Barons

Age: 12+ (Community 10+) Players: 2-6 Time: 60 minutes

Travel back in time to the era of Knights and castles in the game of Baron, a card game like Magic the Gathering. Your goal is to form the first cathedral in the realm – but you’ve got to keep an eye out for the evil king and pope who don’t want you to succeed. This card game uses 4 different decks of cards to represent four types of land: rivers, pastures, forests, and mines, and each deck contains cards that represent actions, knights, and buildings (including church/cathedral cards needed to win).

Every card offers three functions. They can be placed face-down to serve as land, they can be placed face-up to serve as an action, knight, or building, or they can be discarded for in-game currency to pay for other cards you might need more.

At the onset of every game, players begin with a castle card surrounded by a land care of every type. When the player’s turn comes around, they must play cards to build out the barony and gather resources. Play is done in three phases in order:

1. First, a player must place knight and action cards and use their building abilities.

2. Then they must add land or buildings to the barony.

3. Finally, they must tax as many as four adjacent lands to be able to draw more cards.

Compared to other games like Lorcana and Final Fantasy TCG, Barons stands out with its medieval theme and strategic land management.

Whoever first builds a church followed by a cathedral in their barony wins the game.

Cosmic Encounter

Age: 12+ Players: 3-5 Time: 60-120 minutes

Cosmic Encounter is a strategic board game that utilizes decks as you and your friends compete with one another for control of the universe. Each of you takes on the role of being the leader of a unique race of aliens and each of these alien races comes with their own special abilities. As the game progresses you need to establish colonies on planets outside of your home star system. To win the game you have to establish five colonies.

Gameplay consists of drawing cards, navigating alliances that can shift at any second, and making the most tactical play at every turn. While the game time runs anywhere between one and two hours, you and your friends will have a blast trying to build a galactic empire with this game like Magic the Gathering. In contrast, the One Piece Card Game, launched in 2022, offers unique gameplay mechanics like DON!! cards and features stunning artwork and rare cards, making it highly appealing to both players and collectors.

Ashes Reborn

Age: 14+ Players: 1-2 Time: 30-60 minutes

In case you’re wondering, yes Ashes Reborn is the follow-up game after the original Ashes by Plaid Hat. The new game features substantial improvements to the original iteration, with simplified card text for easier management, streamlined rules, and more balance adjustments to keep things as fair as possible. The game includes over 375 cards, but you can add expansion sets to your heart’s content for additional play for years to come.

The expandable card game lets players use unique cards and custom dice to create the ideal deck for play. With the deck, players can call forth powerful spell combos, bring in allies, and fight off opponents in fast-paced action. All, of course, with powerful, strategic magic in hand. Fans of Ashes Reborn will find similarities in the strategic depth and accessibility of the Star Wars: Unlimited trading card game, appealing to both casual players and long-time fans of the Star Wars franchise.

The game offers twists and turns from the old game and keeps players on their toes. You’ll need to choose your hand wisely, engaging with the First Five mechanic to start off with 5 cards of your choice. From there, players must use their dice intentionally to gather resources for casting spells and fighting off monsters. The game also engages with the unique action system which allows either solo or duel players to choose the focus of their strategy with precision, using short actions, quick engagements, and powerful adjustments to counter.

Thunderstone

Age: 12+ Players: 1-5 Time: 60 minutes

For those of you who love fantasy-themed deck-building games, it can be hard to pick which one to try. Thunderstone is a great choice, highly recommended as a top pick for folks who love games like Magic the Gathering. The game starts with a selection of cards that are randomly picked. Every player begins with basic decks of weak cards, and as the game progresses there’s a chance to buy better cards. The cards available for purchase can be characters like warriors or items like weapons and torches.

Thunderstone also has a dungeon deck in play. This deck is created by combining several different times of monsters. The monsters have different strengths and weaknesses. This variety means you’ll need to plan ahead so that you can maximize your purchases and have an effective deck.

With each turn of play, you and your friends have a choice to either fight monsters or go to town and purchase what you will need for battle (that is, buy more cards). The game ends when the titular Thunderstone is revealed from the dungeon and claimed by a player. Like similar games, the winner of the game is decided based on who has the highest number of victory points at the end of the game.

Condottiere

Age: 10+ Players: 2-6 Time: 20-45 minutes

For those looking for a break from traditional fantasy game settings, Condottiere is a card game set in 13th-century Italy in which English soldiers have returned from the Crusades as mercenaries-for-hire by various city-states. As Italy lacks a strong national army, you and your friends take on the roles of Condottiere – commanders of mercenary soldiers – who are tasked with not only defending the city-state that hired you but also gaining provinces.

While auctions in a game aren’t really that unique, what makes this game stand out is that during every auction every player loses their bid over territory. In effect, this means players are bidding on the number of troops they are willing to sacrifice to potentially win a province. To keep your friends on their toes, you can use special effect cards to keep bidding sessions impossible to guess.

Nightfall

Age: 12+ Players: 2-5 Time: 45 minutes

Urban fantasy, creatures of the night, and deck-building all collide in a game set in a world where it’s been more than a week since the last sunrise. Nightfall comes from AEG, and offers quick-paced gameplay and the opportunity for you and your friends to play in a unique, mysterious world. For those experienced in playing Magic: the Gathering, there are a number of elements that will not only feel familiar but should help make you feel right at home.

Prior to the game starting, there is a card draft in which you and your friends get to pick which cards will be available for purchase and who will have access to these cards. Cards have a primary color and two linking colors. Linking colors allow other players to create a “chain” that can result in a lot happening in just one turn. Unlike in Magic, there is no blind purchasing, though – you know what you will get when you buy the core game and any of its expansions.

Card Games Similar to Magic: The Gathering

If you’re a fan of Magic: The Gathering, you might be on the lookout for other card games that offer similar gameplay mechanics and experiences. Whether you prefer digital or physical collectible card games, there are plenty of options to explore. Here are some top picks that you might enjoy:

Digital Card Games

• Hearthstone: Set in the World of Warcraft universe, Hearthstone is a popular digital collectible card game known for its accessible gameplay and vibrant card art. Players build decks and compete in fast-paced matches, using a variety of spells, minions, and heroes.

• Legends of Runeterra: This strategic card game is set in the League of Legends universe. It offers deep gameplay mechanics and a rich lore, allowing players to build decks with champions and spells from different regions of Runeterra.

• Gwent: Originating from The Witcher series, Gwent is a digital collectible card game that emphasizes strategic deck-building and tactical play. Players compete in best-of-three matches, using unique cards and abilities to outwit their opponents.

• Shadowverse: A Japanese digital collectible card game with a distinctive anime aesthetic, Shadowverse offers a variety of game modes and a rich storyline. Players can build decks with cards featuring beautifully illustrated characters and powerful abilities.

Physical Collectible Card Games

• Yu-Gi-Oh!: A long-standing favorite in the trading card game community, Yu-Gi-Oh! features a large player base and regular tournaments. Players build decks with monsters, spells, and traps, aiming to reduce their opponent’s life points to zero.

• Pokémon Trading Card Game: Based on the beloved Pokémon franchise, this trading card game allows players to build decks with their favorite Pokémon and battle against each other. The game is known for its accessibility and appeal to younger players.

• Cardfight!! Vanguard: This Japanese trading card game offers a unique gameplay mechanic where players use “leader cards” to command their units in battle. The game is fast-paced and strategic, with a strong emphasis on deck-building.

• Force of Will: Set in a fantasy world, Force of Will is a trading card game that combines complex gameplay mechanics with rich storytelling. Players build decks with resonators, spells, and rulers, engaging in strategic battles to achieve victory.

These games offer a range of gameplay experiences, from fast-paced and competitive to strategic and complex. Whether you’re looking for a digital or physical collectible card game, there’s something on this list for every type of player. Dive into these worlds and discover new adventures and challenges that await you.

Also Read: Create Fun for All with These Kids’ Card Games

Conclusion

You’ve seen them here: the best games like Magic the Gathering. Many of the options have the card-collecting aspect or expansions, but many also come as entirely self-contained games. Since collecting Magic the Gathering cards can get pretty expensive, choosing some of these other options is a great way to get started in this sort of card gaming world. Once you’re comfortable with these games and fully understand if you really love them or not, you can start collecting your Magic cards and complete your game set.

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