Valve is ready to roll out the closed beta for their new and upcoming online collectible card game called Artifact. Although the game has received a few complaints due to its monetization model, it’s looking to directly compete with other great collectible card games that are currently out on the market. However, since the game will be in closed beta, there will be a whole bunch of people who won’t get invited and can’t play the new game. Here are six other fantastic card games out right now on the market that you can play instead though.
Hearthstone
It’s hard to argue with the fact that Hearthstone is still the king of online card games. Hearthstone brought new life to deteriorating card game genre back in 2014 and has never lost its position as the number 1 online card game currently on the market. It’s being held alive by frequent expansions that often bring in new players and keep old players interested. Although the game sometimes gets slammed for its recurring use of rng mechanics, the game is still beloved by many.
Gwent
Studio Projekt Red’s Witcher-based card game Gwent takes quite a different approach than other card games use. Instead of card fight it out and attacking life points, Gwent is a game all about accumulating the bigger board which will automatically win you a round. The game exists of a best of 3 which means that winning two rounds grants you the victory. Gwent is also considered to be the card game with the least predatory monetization system and rewards you with new card packs quite often, making it ide al for players with less money to spend.
Duelyst
Similarly to Gwent, Duelyst takes a very different approach to the way card games are played. In Duelyst, monsters are played on a playing field and can be moved around. Players take turns playing new monsters, moving their monsters, and attacking, making the entire game much more tactical than normal card games already are. Although it’s a novel title and might not be for everyone, Duelyst is a great game to check out if you want something else than just playing cards.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
It feels a bit unfair to put Magic: The Gathering Arena on this list since it is basically MTG online and MTG is by most considered to be the best card game that has ever been created. This already gives it a bit of an unfair advantage against most other online card games on this list. Nevertheless, MTG Arena is simply the best online version of Magic: The Gathering that has ever been created and if you’re a fan of online card games there’s literally no reason not to give it a try, you know since it’s MTG.
Eternal
Although Eternal looks a lot like a straight-up Hearthstone clone, it manages to have its own identity. Eternal is a fine mix of the simplicity of Hearthstone and the complicated mechanics of more traditional card games like MTG. You can mix colors, play instant cards during your opponents turn, choose your own defenders, etc. It has a lot in store for new and veteran card game players and similarly to Gwent is one of the most generous card games on this list. You will be swimming in free packs while playing this game.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
The Elder Scrolls: Legends, or TESL for short, is from the same developers as Eternal although it looks a lot more like a traditional card game rather than a Hearthstone-inspired card game. TESL will also feel a lot more familiar to people who grew up MTG rather than Hearthstone. TESL features two separate lanes as well as a mechanic where you get to draw free cards when losing health which sets itself apart from other games on this list. It’s also very polished and features absolutely fantastic Elder Scrolls art.
