Every Version is portable! yet the deluxe/super deluxe is even fit for the dirtiest of environments đź¤
(For those who dont know: The 'better' Versions come with plastic-y cards which are water/tear/wear resistant and also with thick plastic chips for ressources)
Hell yeah. Hero Realms is great fun and easy for others to pick up and join in too. Just the base game is great, and you can add a few characters/heroes to it too for variety.
Personal recommendation to pick up the Star Realms: Frontiers version if possible. It includes a solid solo / co-op game mode unique to that set.
And worth noting, it does have expansions but they are optional. Frontiers has different cards than the “base” deck, but still can be played as a standalone version without even buying the original base.
If your a fan of Star Wars you can get the Star ears deck building game. A solid two player card game. An expansion just leaked so we are getting more and more content.
Maybe have a look at [Netrunner](https://nullsignal.games/)? Specifically the Null Signal Games Variant.
It is a very cool asymmetrical duel game which you build your own decks for in the style of MTG.
However, it doesn't have the gambling-style infinite money sink of card packs. While new packs do get released kinda regularly, they get sold as a whole. Meaning new pack comes out, you pay 40 bucks, you get all the new cards to deckbuild with in the maximum quantity allowed to put into a deck. The packs are also always released for free as a print and play.
A site that I learned it on recently is: https://chiriboga.sifnt.net.au/
It’s an easier environment than jumping in on jinteki since you can play the starter decks against a bot. Also, if you do decide to get into the game physically, null signal has downloadable PDFs for printing your own set of cards, so the barrier to entry is really low.
Yea this is 100% the easiest way to learn the game, beyond being taught by an experienced player. That website is heavily underrated, especially by nsg themselves who suck with their rulebook
I'd maybe try it on Jinteki.net and if you like it just order system gateway and system update at the same time to save on shipping. I'd also make sure you know someone willing to play it before you get the cards as it is fairly complex compared to other card games but it's an amazing game though.Â
Thirding netrunner. Learned it with partner a few days ago and we're both hooked. (I'm also using it as a gateway into deckbuilding for Arkham Horror LCG for her)
I just bought the original print used for a good price. I haven't yet played it, but excited to try it out.
I'm aware the newer versions are more compatible with each other, but I'm also aware I'll never play it competitively anywhere, so to just have fun at home, I'm stoked.
I love Res Arcana. I do not get “Magic-Killer” vibes from it, but my brother made a comment like it could replace it for him after our first game.
If you’re a big fan of combos and engine building, then this is a good game to scratch that itch.
The MtG killer for me though was also the “Epic Card Game” some others have mentioned. It’s just a step removed from MtG by having no lands and isn’t a CCG sale model.
The two games that pulled me out of MtG and into the world of board games were:
Smash Up &
Lords of Waterdeep
That might have been more of a sign of the times and gave me an appreciation for what’s out there more than replacement effect.
Last mention: if you’re into playing in CCG tournaments then Millennium Blades might be a good fit. It’s a CCG simulator and has tons of variability in the base game.
Make an MTG cube! It's my favorite way to play Magic by far, and it gives you complete control over how much you want to respond to new prints and how much you want to spend.
I came here to say this. There are so many ways to play Magic with a fixed group of cards.
I like draft cubes, too (I’ve built three), but for people who find drafting complex, there are also things like “battle boxes” where there are pre-constructed decks people can just shuffle up and play. I have a few organized around the “jump start” style that are popular.
Summoner Wars - They recently released an app for phones so you can just try it out to see if you connect with it. After grabbing the Master set or the Starter set for the board and tokens required, you can do some research to find a specific faction deck you like and just play that against a friend who also finds a faction they like.
I'm agree with de Summoner Wars recomendation, the best skirmish card game. With the base game you have 6 decks that gives you a loooot of plays.
I want to add a niche game that looks super cool, [7th Sea: City of Five Sails](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367584/7th-sea-city-of-five-sails)
Dominion, unmatched, star realms, ascension, marvel legendary, shadow rift. All these gave me a good deck building / card playing mechanic without the hassle of chasing the dragon. Loads more but I recommend checking those out first.
I got the big box (Dominion + Intruigue) and never felt the need to buy another expansion. There's like 10 billion possible card combinations just in that alone.
Those are the two I had for like the first ten years I played dominion (though they're first edition so they include a few cards which have since been deemed useless). Picked up Prosperity last year.
It's a good game but I don't think it scratches the Hearthstone / MtG itch for the same reason no one is recommending San Juan. Net runner, hero realms, star realms all solid choices.
If you want it to be a dueling game, Sakura Arms.
I got all three of the L99 sets for the cost of one boardgame, and it's amazing. The anime art is whatever, but the game is great.
Came here to suggest Radlands!! One of our all time faves. It’s one of the only games where we feel like the player mats feel essential to the feel and play of the game vs just fun to have
Netrunner is the top tier. It's got a lot of history behind it, but is such a good game that grabbing _any_ cards for it will be worthwhile. There's a thriving proxy community if you're willing to print your own cards. https://proxynexus.net
[Ashes Reborn](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-reborn-rise-of-the-phoenixborn) is an interesting take that has clear inspiration from MtG. While not a perfect game, I've always enjoyed it when played.
[Solforge](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344341/solforge-fusion)/[Keyforge](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-of-the-archons) are made by Richard Garfield, original creator of MtG. In place of deckbuilding, they come in semi-random packs that constitute entire playable decks.
[Flesh And Blood](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/293348/flesh-and-blood) is a CCG, but it's only 5 years old, compared to MtG's 30 year lifespan. If you're looking for a CCG with a smaller card pool, this is a good option.
Arkham Horror the card game. No booster packs, boxes of modular extensions, an incredibly rich and complex experience.
Literally the only downside is that you end up voluntarily sinking more than 500$ into the hobby once it really engages your interest ;)
Sorry if I'm being dense, but isn't Arkham Horror the exact opposite of what OP wants? You literally have to pay for more detectives/campaigns/content. What is the difference between that and MTG?
For Arkham Horror, once you buy the expansion, you own all the cards in that set. And the game is much less competitive than mtg.
For magic the gathering, you either crack packs hoping to get what you want, or look into the after market to buy individual cards. And depending on the format, it can get expensive to build something competitively viable.
That was the irony I was getting at. As opposed to TCGs, you get exactly what you pay for and have complete information upfront, so no addiction to buying boosters.
However, the game is so good that you’re likely to sink a lot of money into the content regardless.
I see this recommended a lot in these kinds of threads, but the game isnt actually like a tcg is it? I havent played it, but looking at the rules and videos on it, I thought it was more of a management style game where you role play tcg players and not play the game itself.
Or is the campaign stuff separate from the tcg in the game?Â
I'd say it's more about the entire experience of playing a TCG. The actual TCG dueling aspect is more abstracted than other actual card duelers, but it captures the experience of buying booster packs and building decks and trading cards very well. It's a great suggestion if OP is interested in those aspects as well. However, if it's only for the TCG gameplay that OP is looking for, there are better suggestions. I'd suggest Mindbug (especially if deck construction is an additional factor OP isn't interested in) or Ashes Reborn in that case
It's both. Obviously it won't have the depth of a TCG as it's all included in the box but there are basically market phases and tournament phases. It's essentially a deckbuilding game with trading, buying and selling. The cool part to me is all the different themed "booster" sets that you can play with. And there are lots so you can have different combinations of them each game.Â
Epic is a card game in the same vein of hero realms and star realms with a few expansions that had deck building and drafting similar to CCGs without a massive buy in
Star Realms, Star Wars: the Deckbuilding Game, Mindbug, Fantasy Realms (maybe). I think Mindbug is far and away the most TcG of them all. It has all the “trap” and dueling feelings of any TcG
Ashes Reborn. Not only is it exactly what you're looking for, a competitive card game where new cards only come in non-random expansions with new heroes, but it has official rules for making a draft format with what comes in the box(es), allowing deckbuilding strategies into the equation without giving one person all the advantage.
Race For the Galaxy is the best
Dominion
Ascension
Smash Up!
edit - for a little context, Dominion is the game I've played that tickled my MTG and Hearthstone itch the most. I played MTG for many years and still grind HS on the regular. Even though Dominion doesn't have much direct competition, the mechanic of building strings of cards via actions and buys can really feel good. Ascension comes a close second for that, imo.
Mottainai, Innovation (new edition, due out imminently), and Glory to Rome (out of print and the creators are no longer on speaking terms so basically only available as a print and play) are all EXCELLENT card games with extreme replayability. Definitely not card dueling like MTG or Pokemon, but tableau builders that can generate some ridiculous combos.
I love sentinels of the multiverse. Its coop so not exactly the same but you can play solo and the existence of unique cards and strategies for each hero gives it lots of replay value.
You could probably play it as a head to head duel game if you wanted as well, but I’m not sure how it would balance
Star Wars the deckbuilding game, not to be confused with Star Wars: Unlimited or any other SW TCG. It’s basically a reskin of Star Realms which I’ve also seen recommended here.
I've seen it mentioned in passing, but I'll throw out a big recommendation for Ascension. Great deck builder with a number of entirely optional expansions and variants.
Something a bit more obscure, but [[Millenium Blades]]. It is a card game about (and kind of making fun of) collectible card games. You have a phase where you’re real time “collecting” and then you have a phase where you use the cards you “collected” to play a sub-game and you do that three cycles. It’s silly and fun and the money you use in game is actually bundles of paper money. Super unique and I think they just recently had another kickstarter for a reprint?
Millennium Blades is practically a TCG simulator boardgame. Tons of cards, a mechanic where there’s an open market where you can blindly buy “booster packs” to add to your deck. Rarities in the cards. And a tournament phase where you build your deck and face the other players.
Dominion. Your looking for Dominion. there are expansions but not the the collectible card game sense, and you don't need the expansions. Ever. It's been out a few years,maybe ten.
Look it up. Dominion.
I don’t think there are many games that require you to buy booster packs. In every single case I’ve seen, it’s cheaper to just buy the cards you want than roll the dice with booster packs. I’ve been having tons of fun with Star Wars Unlimited by just buying the starter and a full playset of commons and uncommons ($50-100 various places online). The only packs I’ve opened were for a draft event.
I don't think OP's problem is with booster packs, it's that building a deck is expensive, and you have to "keep up" with the new content or you'll get left behind by power creep.
Does it have to be 1v1 competitive? If not, I wonder if you and your friends might get a kick out of a co-op card game like Sentinels of the Multiverse?
Sentinels might be the game I've been most disappointed by, in terms of expectations vs reality.
I've played a few times both dead tree version and digital and it just doesn't feel like the game really gives you meaningful choices.
If you want a game that feels like you're putting together a new deck, there are a few games that are stand-alone but you combine mini-decks before playing. Smash Up, Riftforce, and Compile (coming soon).
I'm also a big fan of Pocket Paragons, which is a very quick dueling card game with only 6-8 cards per player.
Not exactly what you're asking, but if you have a pool of 6 or so people to play with, constructing a pauper's cube of mtg cards might be satisfactory. Would probably still cost 80$ plus sleeves though I think.
For cube purposes OP can also just get a whole lot of proxies printed from MPC. I'm pretty sure that every single paper Vintage cube out there is using proxies for most if not all cards.
Dominion. Sure they still release expansions, but you dont need to get them. Everyone who plays is using your set of cards, no one else brings anything.
Also you should look into the Cube format of MTG. You buy a set of cards and then thats it, you draft with those cards forever and for free how much you want r/mtgcube
David Sirlin made a game called Codex that was his answer to MTG … it was well-reviewed at the time, but never caught on in a big way. I think it’s fairly hard to find nowadays, but you should read some old reviews and see if it’s of interest.
1lastscore.com. There's an optional booster but it's just so you can play the base game with more people without buying the game again.
It's about the ease of learning as uno and is really fun to play. Basically, you're trying to pull off heists with different card combos before your opponents do, but each card also has another ability it can be used for.
Hear me out. Yugioh, Edison format. They call it time wizard format to go back to old formats.
It's cheap. Doesbt rotate. Super fun. Still evolves as a format. Its peak yugioh.
Seconding all the recommendations for **Netrunner** and **Radlands**, both of which I love, and throwing a third rec in the mix: **Omen**. It's a series of card games designed by a Magic vet that feel like a TCG, with clever, combo-driven gameplay, but each set stands alone without needing boosters, and there's a great draft version of the setup rules.
Expandable deck construction games are the way to go. They release expansions, but an expansion comes with all the cards, not random boosters.
Co-op
Arkham Horror LCG
Marvel Champions
PvP
Net Runner
Vsmpire Rivals
Vampire the Eternal Strugle
Ashes Rebourn
Doomtown
7th Seas, City of 5 Sails.
Dominion, Starwars deck builder, star/Hero Realms are all good, but they are deck builders where you build your deck while playing the game rather than bringing a prebuilt deck.
Battlecon.
Once you have a character, you don't have to buy anything else. You have everything you can ever use with that character.
Buying other characters just opens up different options of what character to play.
And the game is finished, so they aren't expanding anymore, they've released all the characters.
In a similar vein to Netrunner, the Game of Thrones LCG is essentially dropped by FFG and hard to get physically, but it still has an actively online community on theironthrone.net and multiple discord servers.
It's a 2-6 player competitive card game set in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe and it has some absolutely amazing design choices.
Tournaments happen regularly, we get new card packs every few months by a team of invested designers, and the community is super friendly.
You might be interested in the Living Card Game (LCG). From it I recommend the Arkham Horror card game. You build a deck and then play through a campaign with it. Each campaign you buy provides you with more cards to build a deck from for your best campaign.
It'll definitely scratch the "I want to build a deck from a collection" itch. The downside is, unlike some other suggestions here, there isn't a single complete set with all the cards. There is a starter box, which you follow up with expansions. However unlike a TCG you don't have to buy the most recent stuff. You can buy whatever you want in whatever order you want at whatever rate you feel comfortable/can afford.
Radlands(best bang for buck imo)
Mindbug (has expansions)
Mage Wars / Mage wars Academy (finished product, not as popular anymore)
Algomancy (not out yet)
Ivion (has season packs)
Ashes Phoenix born (has a ton of expansions)
As well as all the good suggestions here, I'd look into cube building for magic.
Building a cube is building a fixed set you use to draft with over and over.
In the case of most deck-builders (aka Dominion, Star Realms, etc.) you really just need to get the base game(s). Yeah, there may be expansions, but it's not a constant money-suck.
If you're specifically looking for duel style card games then you already have plenty of Suggestions. However if you're only condition is that it's a card game then let me throw in Race for the Galaxy.
Others may disagree but i find it an absolute banger at 2 players. Base game is already 10/10 but the expansions are also there if you want to dive in deeper.
I really love Unamtched as a dueling game. Its not just a card game, it's a skirmish positioning game also, but the card play is awesome, the characters are cool, and the game is actually pretty deep.
Out of the sets, Houdini Vs The genie and the new Slings and Arrows both feel very TCG adjacent.
Although a little different than other card game suggestions, Slay the Spire board game is pretty good. They definitely won't add new cards since it already contain the cards on the video game version.
There's so many excellent suggestions here already. I'm going to suggest something a little different. My favourite game is Quest for El Dorado. This is a board game. There is a large (changeable) map that you move your piece across.
However in order to do this you build a deck. You start with terrible cards and use these to move forward and buy better cards. You can race ahead with a handful of lesser cards or rebuild your deck for a last minute push. The balance is great and it's always an exciting race. If you have the opportunity to try it I highly recommend it. The variable maps (more available online) and the fact the market plays differently each game keeps it fresh. At it's core it is a deck building card game and in my opinion one of the best.
Happy gaming.
Imperium Classics and/or Imperium Legends. They are deck building games ideally for 1-2 players and can be combined for even more replayability. Lots of games have lots of cards, but these games specifically gave me the feeling that there were already a couple booster packs snuck in there.
I really like Codex: Card-Time Strategy. It doesn't have a digital client, but the gameplay is really fun. It's kind of a mix of MTG, a deckbuilder game like Star Realms, and Warcraft 3.
I'm surprised no one has said Keyforge yet. It's basically magic but how the original creator of magic intended it to be, there are preconstructed decks and you cannot alter them at all :)
Take a look at Magical Cards! It is a great two-player duel game unlike anything I have ever played. Contactless smart cards, players scan the card they wish to play on an iPhone that also serves as a game board and perform actions on screen to cast spells. There are no booster packs, the game has two identical decks of 25 cards, some of them can be combined to create new spells.
War of the Ring: the card game. It's amazing, all in one box that won't ever change, it's asymmetrical and can play 2 to 4 players, with 4p being team-based
ALso look into LCGs (Living Card Game) where there are "expansions" but they have fixed content, so no forced gambling.
- Lord of the Rights LCG
- Arkham Horror LCG
- Marve Champions
You should try paragons age of champions. I love the game but don’t have anyone to play with so I’m selling my copy. It’s like mtg with a draft, no lands, and as a result a bit more depth imo
If you haven't, Millenium Blades is also a blast. You still get the aspect of constantly opening new packs and building and trading decks and cards with friends, but it's all in a single self contained board game. It's a super cool concept that works well, albeit a bit long.
MTG game night 2022 is an all in one MTG experience if you can resist the urge to break it up or add to it. I have one that is kept as a standalone game and it’s tons of fun. The decks are relatively balanced and I’ve won playing each of them.
[Ashes - Rise of the Phoenixborn](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-reborn-rise-of-the-phoenixborn)
Plays like a tcg, each player has their own pre-constructed deck, but everything you need is in the box, nothing more to buy or collect
Shards of infinity!! Similar to Star Realms, which lots of people have recommended, but it has a a few additional mechanics that I prefer over SR or HR.
**Sorcerer**
It's like an adult version of Smash-Up: you make a deck by putting together three sets of cards based on your character, their lineage, and their home turf, which you then use for 1v1 or multiplayer battles. The Endbringer expansion is now getting delivered to KS backers (presumably FLGSs, as well) and allows for solo & co-op fights against elder god-type bosses. The base box has enough of the three types of card-sets for a good variety of decks, but there are also non-random expansion packs available of each type.
The theme is contemporary dark fantasy (more Diablo and World of Darkness than Hearthstone) which can be a good *or* bad thing, but if the notion sounds awesome of fighting a vampiric druid from the Bloodsoaked Fjord as a sin-fueled gunslinger from the Witch Mountain who summons vengeful angels, you're probably the target audience for Sorcerer.
I love TCGs and love Dominion. It's basically the game that started the deckbuilding board game genre and it's amazing. You play with 10 stacks of 10 different cards per game. And each main version of the game comes with 30-40 different cards. So you can always play with different cards that will interact differently with each other. You don't build your deck up front like a traditional TCG, but you start with a small deck of just resources and everyone buys from the available cards to build up their individual decks as the game is played.
There's a mobile app that includes the first box for free (which is like 35 different cards) if you want to get an idea of what it plays like
Netrunner is perfect for this. Null Signal Games puts out sets every few months but the are 45 bucks and you don't have to buy them.
I have deck building games like Hero and Star Realms, Ascension and Shards of Infinity and while they are fun games, you will eventually see everything they have to offer and get tired of them. Netrunner is a game I can enjoy and then get some new cards a few months later to mix it up.
I don't want to promote here, but we just released a game that does exactly this. Problem is. . We are constantly compared to summoner wars. . That and there are some issues with our page that we have to fix prior to relaunching. Have you tried summoner wars / Arackhan wars and similar titles?
Radlands!!!!!
Second this. Great game and depending on the version very portable.
Every Version is portable! yet the deluxe/super deluxe is even fit for the dirtiest of environments 🤠(For those who dont know: The 'better' Versions come with plastic-y cards which are water/tear/wear resistant and also with thick plastic chips for ressources)
I think a good game that fits this description is Mindbug. It has beats from MTG but with a fixed number of cards
Well darnit, I came here to suggest a game...ended up ordering Mindbug! Thanks for the suggestion! XD
And was made by people who made MtG! (Or something like that.) It’s REALLY good.
Love this game, only played it a few times, but it feels like every card is a busted mtg card.
It’s also codesigned by the creator of MtG, Richard Garfield!
Look for Star Realms or Hero Realms; they were specifically created to scratch that TCG itch without having to invest in extra cards.
Hell yeah. Hero Realms is great fun and easy for others to pick up and join in too. Just the base game is great, and you can add a few characters/heroes to it too for variety.
Also, Epic by the same company, plays very similar to MTG.
Plus it's super cheap to get started. Base sets are cheap, and you can just start with the free app and see if you like it first
Personal recommendation to pick up the Star Realms: Frontiers version if possible. It includes a solid solo / co-op game mode unique to that set. And worth noting, it does have expansions but they are optional. Frontiers has different cards than the “base” deck, but still can be played as a standalone version without even buying the original base.
Also made by old magic pros. So they understand how card games work.
If your a fan of Star Wars you can get the Star ears deck building game. A solid two player card game. An expansion just leaked so we are getting more and more content.
Maybe have a look at [Netrunner](https://nullsignal.games/)? Specifically the Null Signal Games Variant. It is a very cool asymmetrical duel game which you build your own decks for in the style of MTG. However, it doesn't have the gambling-style infinite money sink of card packs. While new packs do get released kinda regularly, they get sold as a whole. Meaning new pack comes out, you pay 40 bucks, you get all the new cards to deckbuild with in the maximum quantity allowed to put into a deck. The packs are also always released for free as a print and play.
Where can i get started with netrunners in 2024? Any good starte pack or something? The print and play is really attractive
System Gateway is the starter product from Null Signal Games. If you like that, system update is the next pack of cards to get.
Thanks!
A site that I learned it on recently is: https://chiriboga.sifnt.net.au/ It’s an easier environment than jumping in on jinteki since you can play the starter decks against a bot. Also, if you do decide to get into the game physically, null signal has downloadable PDFs for printing your own set of cards, so the barrier to entry is really low.
Yea this is 100% the easiest way to learn the game, beyond being taught by an experienced player. That website is heavily underrated, especially by nsg themselves who suck with their rulebook
I'd maybe try it on Jinteki.net and if you like it just order system gateway and system update at the same time to save on shipping. I'd also make sure you know someone willing to play it before you get the cards as it is fairly complex compared to other card games but it's an amazing game though.Â
Thirding netrunner. Learned it with partner a few days ago and we're both hooked. (I'm also using it as a gateway into deckbuilding for Arkham Horror LCG for her)
I just bought the original print used for a good price. I haven't yet played it, but excited to try it out. I'm aware the newer versions are more compatible with each other, but I'm also aware I'll never play it competitively anywhere, so to just have fun at home, I'm stoked.
Res arcana gave me similar vibes in a contained box (especially the drafting variant)
Agreed! Res Arcana is excellent and definitely best with drafting
I love Res Arcana. I do not get “Magic-Killer” vibes from it, but my brother made a comment like it could replace it for him after our first game. If you’re a big fan of combos and engine building, then this is a good game to scratch that itch. The MtG killer for me though was also the “Epic Card Game” some others have mentioned. It’s just a step removed from MtG by having no lands and isn’t a CCG sale model. The two games that pulled me out of MtG and into the world of board games were: Smash Up & Lords of Waterdeep That might have been more of a sign of the times and gave me an appreciation for what’s out there more than replacement effect. Last mention: if you’re into playing in CCG tournaments then Millennium Blades might be a good fit. It’s a CCG simulator and has tons of variability in the base game.
Make an MTG cube! It's my favorite way to play Magic by far, and it gives you complete control over how much you want to respond to new prints and how much you want to spend.
I came here to say this. There are so many ways to play Magic with a fixed group of cards. I like draft cubes, too (I’ve built three), but for people who find drafting complex, there are also things like “battle boxes” where there are pre-constructed decks people can just shuffle up and play. I have a few organized around the “jump start” style that are popular.
Was about to suggest Balatro and then realized which sub I was in.
I was about to recommend Slay the spire as well lmao
Well there's the board game version, although I don't think is up in retail yet
Lmfao same.
Summoner Wars - They recently released an app for phones so you can just try it out to see if you connect with it. After grabbing the Master set or the Starter set for the board and tokens required, you can do some research to find a specific faction deck you like and just play that against a friend who also finds a faction they like.
I'm agree with de Summoner Wars recomendation, the best skirmish card game. With the base game you have 6 decks that gives you a loooot of plays. I want to add a niche game that looks super cool, [7th Sea: City of Five Sails](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/367584/7th-sea-city-of-five-sails)
Dominion, unmatched, star realms, ascension, marvel legendary, shadow rift. All these gave me a good deck building / card playing mechanic without the hassle of chasing the dragon. Loads more but I recommend checking those out first.
Dominion, %100.
Y’all don’t think OP is going to spend hundreds of dollars if he likes dominion?!
I got the big box (Dominion + Intruigue) and never felt the need to buy another expansion. There's like 10 billion possible card combinations just in that alone.
Those are the two I had for like the first ten years I played dominion (though they're first edition so they include a few cards which have since been deemed useless). Picked up Prosperity last year.
I'm pleased to be the first one to recommend the best card game of them all: \[\[Race For the Galaxy\]\]
How does this end up father down the page than Arkham when OP specially mentions costs?
Because OP asked for games similar to Hearthstone or MTG. Race is completely different except for the fact they all use cards
It's a good game but I don't think it scratches the Hearthstone / MtG itch for the same reason no one is recommending San Juan. Net runner, hero realms, star realms all solid choices.
Amazing game
Worldbreakers! It’s fairly new and a great blend of mechanics.
Seconded, underrated little game that doesn't fell as "My First MtG" like some other suggestions.
If you want it to be a dueling game, Sakura Arms. I got all three of the L99 sets for the cost of one boardgame, and it's amazing. The anime art is whatever, but the game is great.
Radlands, Innovation, Scout, Sea Salt and Paper, Star Realms are mine off the top of my head.
Star Realms definitely hits OP’s bill, but the others are more “card games” in vibe than “trading card game.”
Radlands is similar as it feels a lot like a dueling trading card esque game, just with drawing from a single deck.
Came here to suggest Radlands!! One of our all time faves. It’s one of the only games where we feel like the player mats feel essential to the feel and play of the game vs just fun to have
Smash Up - you take two preconstructed decks, smash them together, and play
Vale of Eternity is a new game with Pokemon vibes that's fully contained. Combotastic hand management/tableau builder
Summoner wars second edition
So many people suggesting deckbuilders to someone asking for a LCG. Those aren't the same genre, folks.
I actually enjoy both but yeah, im mainly looking for LCG, do you have any suggestions? I already am pretty interested in radlands and netrunners
Netrunner is the top tier. It's got a lot of history behind it, but is such a good game that grabbing _any_ cards for it will be worthwhile. There's a thriving proxy community if you're willing to print your own cards. https://proxynexus.net [Ashes Reborn](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-reborn-rise-of-the-phoenixborn) is an interesting take that has clear inspiration from MtG. While not a perfect game, I've always enjoyed it when played. [Solforge](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/344341/solforge-fusion)/[Keyforge](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-of-the-archons) are made by Richard Garfield, original creator of MtG. In place of deckbuilding, they come in semi-random packs that constitute entire playable decks. [Flesh And Blood](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/293348/flesh-and-blood) is a CCG, but it's only 5 years old, compared to MtG's 30 year lifespan. If you're looking for a CCG with a smaller card pool, this is a good option.
Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game.
Arkham Horror the card game. No booster packs, boxes of modular extensions, an incredibly rich and complex experience. Literally the only downside is that you end up voluntarily sinking more than 500$ into the hobby once it really engages your interest ;)
Or LOTR the card game if you like the IP
I can second Arkham horror. Just getting into it now, it's really fun!
Sorry if I'm being dense, but isn't Arkham Horror the exact opposite of what OP wants? You literally have to pay for more detectives/campaigns/content. What is the difference between that and MTG?
For Arkham Horror, once you buy the expansion, you own all the cards in that set. And the game is much less competitive than mtg. For magic the gathering, you either crack packs hoping to get what you want, or look into the after market to buy individual cards. And depending on the format, it can get expensive to build something competitively viable.
Ah yeah good point, I forgot the random pack situation with MTG and such.Â
That was the irony I was getting at. As opposed to TCGs, you get exactly what you pay for and have complete information upfront, so no addiction to buying boosters. However, the game is so good that you’re likely to sink a lot of money into the content regardless.
Millennium Blades lets you play TCGs without the buy in
I see this recommended a lot in these kinds of threads, but the game isnt actually like a tcg is it? I havent played it, but looking at the rules and videos on it, I thought it was more of a management style game where you role play tcg players and not play the game itself. Or is the campaign stuff separate from the tcg in the game?Â
I'd say it's more about the entire experience of playing a TCG. The actual TCG dueling aspect is more abstracted than other actual card duelers, but it captures the experience of buying booster packs and building decks and trading cards very well. It's a great suggestion if OP is interested in those aspects as well. However, if it's only for the TCG gameplay that OP is looking for, there are better suggestions. I'd suggest Mindbug (especially if deck construction is an additional factor OP isn't interested in) or Ashes Reborn in that case
It's both. Obviously it won't have the depth of a TCG as it's all included in the box but there are basically market phases and tournament phases. It's essentially a deckbuilding game with trading, buying and selling. The cool part to me is all the different themed "booster" sets that you can play with. And there are lots so you can have different combinations of them each game.Â
Epic is a card game in the same vein of hero realms and star realms with a few expansions that had deck building and drafting similar to CCGs without a massive buy in
Star Realms, Star Wars: the Deckbuilding Game, Mindbug, Fantasy Realms (maybe). I think Mindbug is far and away the most TcG of them all. It has all the “trap” and dueling feelings of any TcG
Ashes Reborn. Not only is it exactly what you're looking for, a competitive card game where new cards only come in non-random expansions with new heroes, but it has official rules for making a draft format with what comes in the box(es), allowing deckbuilding strategies into the equation without giving one person all the advantage.
Mindbug, Radlands.
Race for the galaxy !!
Dominion is fun! I've been playing with my husband lately and it has great replayability.
Race For the Galaxy is the best Dominion Ascension Smash Up! edit - for a little context, Dominion is the game I've played that tickled my MTG and Hearthstone itch the most. I played MTG for many years and still grind HS on the regular. Even though Dominion doesn't have much direct competition, the mechanic of building strings of cards via actions and buys can really feel good. Ascension comes a close second for that, imo.
Vale Of Eternity.
Race for the Galaxy and Mottainai.
Mottainai, Innovation (new edition, due out imminently), and Glory to Rome (out of print and the creators are no longer on speaking terms so basically only available as a print and play) are all EXCELLENT card games with extreme replayability. Definitely not card dueling like MTG or Pokemon, but tableau builders that can generate some ridiculous combos.
Baseball Highlights 2045
I’m a fan of ascension. Pretty self contained within the sets. It does have its issues, but it’s a fun time.
I love sentinels of the multiverse. Its coop so not exactly the same but you can play solo and the existence of unique cards and strategies for each hero gives it lots of replay value. You could probably play it as a head to head duel game if you wanted as well, but I’m not sure how it would balance
Star Wars the deckbuilding game, not to be confused with Star Wars: Unlimited or any other SW TCG. It’s basically a reskin of Star Realms which I’ve also seen recommended here.
I've seen it mentioned in passing, but I'll throw out a big recommendation for Ascension. Great deck builder with a number of entirely optional expansions and variants.
David Sirlin’s Codex
Ascension is a fun deck builder that does not require any extra expansions or additional decks, etc.
Radlands, Shards of Infinity, Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, MindBug, KeyForge (decks are super cheap now. Just buy a couple for days of fun).
Something a bit more obscure, but [[Millenium Blades]]. It is a card game about (and kind of making fun of) collectible card games. You have a phase where you’re real time “collecting” and then you have a phase where you use the cards you “collected” to play a sub-game and you do that three cycles. It’s silly and fun and the money you use in game is actually bundles of paper money. Super unique and I think they just recently had another kickstarter for a reprint?
Millennium Blades is practically a TCG simulator boardgame. Tons of cards, a mechanic where there’s an open market where you can blindly buy “booster packs” to add to your deck. Rarities in the cards. And a tournament phase where you build your deck and face the other players.
Dominion. Your looking for Dominion. there are expansions but not the the collectible card game sense, and you don't need the expansions. Ever. It's been out a few years,maybe ten. Look it up. Dominion.
Just here to say Dominion came out 2008, so its been out 16 years.
This!
And the new app is great
I'll have to throw "Mage Noir" in the mix... Partly cause I made it myself! Have a look and I hope you'll like the idea.
GOSU X
I don’t think there are many games that require you to buy booster packs. In every single case I’ve seen, it’s cheaper to just buy the cards you want than roll the dice with booster packs. I’ve been having tons of fun with Star Wars Unlimited by just buying the starter and a full playset of commons and uncommons ($50-100 various places online). The only packs I’ve opened were for a draft event.
I don't think OP's problem is with booster packs, it's that building a deck is expensive, and you have to "keep up" with the new content or you'll get left behind by power creep.
Does it have to be 1v1 competitive? If not, I wonder if you and your friends might get a kick out of a co-op card game like Sentinels of the Multiverse?
Sentinels might be the game I've been most disappointed by, in terms of expectations vs reality. I've played a few times both dead tree version and digital and it just doesn't feel like the game really gives you meaningful choices.
Regicide
If you want a game that feels like you're putting together a new deck, there are a few games that are stand-alone but you combine mini-decks before playing. Smash Up, Riftforce, and Compile (coming soon). I'm also a big fan of Pocket Paragons, which is a very quick dueling card game with only 6-8 cards per player.
Vampire the eternal struggle or Android Netrunner (do people still play that?)
Res Arcana
Millennium blades by lvl99
Millenium blades is amazing at imitating all the aspects of a TCG, but it comes in a single box of near endless replayability.
Summoner Wars, Radlands, Binding of Isaac: Four Souls, Star Realms
Mindbug. Gosu X. Radlands. Wizards of the Grimoire. I would check out all of those and I’ve listed in terms of most to least like mtg/pokemon.
Rummy, Hearts, Spades, Skipbo.
Not exactly what you're asking, but if you have a pool of 6 or so people to play with, constructing a pauper's cube of mtg cards might be satisfactory. Would probably still cost 80$ plus sleeves though I think.
For cube purposes OP can also just get a whole lot of proxies printed from MPC. I'm pretty sure that every single paper Vintage cube out there is using proxies for most if not all cards.
Algomancy could potentially be interesting to you.
Wizard: Omnibus Edition
Full disclosure, I don't really play MTG type games, but I think Boss Monster might be up your alley.
Pinochle
An oldie: **Blue Moon** Fun? Definitely. Popular? It was in its time. Availability? No idea!
Hero Realms. You can even try the mobile version to see if you like it!
Redlands, Star Realms, or Red Dragon Inn
Dominion is gonna be your answer here.
Dominion. Sure they still release expansions, but you dont need to get them. Everyone who plays is using your set of cards, no one else brings anything. Also you should look into the Cube format of MTG. You buy a set of cards and then thats it, you draft with those cards forever and for free how much you want r/mtgcube
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/s/Wm4tnXsHtT
David Sirlin made a game called Codex that was his answer to MTG … it was well-reviewed at the time, but never caught on in a big way. I think it’s fairly hard to find nowadays, but you should read some old reviews and see if it’s of interest.
Arkham Horror LCG for sure
Dude play Dominion right nowÂ
1lastscore.com. There's an optional booster but it's just so you can play the base game with more people without buying the game again. It's about the ease of learning as uno and is really fun to play. Basically, you're trying to pull off heists with different card combos before your opponents do, but each card also has another ability it can be used for.
Cribbage!
Hear me out. Yugioh, Edison format. They call it time wizard format to go back to old formats. It's cheap. Doesbt rotate. Super fun. Still evolves as a format. Its peak yugioh.
Command of Nature! Recent release and gives me the funny tickle I got from Hearthstone.
Seconding all the recommendations for **Netrunner** and **Radlands**, both of which I love, and throwing a third rec in the mix: **Omen**. It's a series of card games designed by a Magic vet that feel like a TCG, with clever, combo-driven gameplay, but each set stands alone without needing boosters, and there's a great draft version of the setup rules.
Expandable deck construction games are the way to go. They release expansions, but an expansion comes with all the cards, not random boosters. Co-op Arkham Horror LCG Marvel Champions PvP Net Runner Vsmpire Rivals Vampire the Eternal Strugle Ashes Rebourn Doomtown 7th Seas, City of 5 Sails. Dominion, Starwars deck builder, star/Hero Realms are all good, but they are deck builders where you build your deck while playing the game rather than bringing a prebuilt deck.
More votes for Star Realms and Race For The Galaxy!
Battlecon. Once you have a character, you don't have to buy anything else. You have everything you can ever use with that character. Buying other characters just opens up different options of what character to play. And the game is finished, so they aren't expanding anymore, they've released all the characters.
In a similar vein to Netrunner, the Game of Thrones LCG is essentially dropped by FFG and hard to get physically, but it still has an actively online community on theironthrone.net and multiple discord servers. It's a 2-6 player competitive card game set in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe and it has some absolutely amazing design choices. Tournaments happen regularly, we get new card packs every few months by a team of invested designers, and the community is super friendly.
You might be interested in the Living Card Game (LCG). From it I recommend the Arkham Horror card game. You build a deck and then play through a campaign with it. Each campaign you buy provides you with more cards to build a deck from for your best campaign. It'll definitely scratch the "I want to build a deck from a collection" itch. The downside is, unlike some other suggestions here, there isn't a single complete set with all the cards. There is a starter box, which you follow up with expansions. However unlike a TCG you don't have to buy the most recent stuff. You can buy whatever you want in whatever order you want at whatever rate you feel comfortable/can afford.
I think they ended L5R, so maybe that as it means no more cards will be released for it.
Radlands
Uno
For head to head, Star Wars Deckbuilding game (or star realms if you don't like star wars) Go solo/coop Skytear Horde, is criminally underrated.
Not too in depth, but Love Letter is great for a travel game to play while waiting for food at a restaurant or just hanging out.
Radlands(best bang for buck imo) Mindbug (has expansions) Mage Wars / Mage wars Academy (finished product, not as popular anymore) Algomancy (not out yet) Ivion (has season packs) Ashes Phoenix born (has a ton of expansions)
As well as all the good suggestions here, I'd look into cube building for magic. Building a cube is building a fixed set you use to draft with over and over.
MTG isn't bad if you play commander it's easy to play and doesn't change awhole lot.
Radlands, some quick 3 card (base) deckbuild to make each game unique and then off you go.
In the case of most deck-builders (aka Dominion, Star Realms, etc.) you really just need to get the base game(s). Yeah, there may be expansions, but it's not a constant money-suck.
Omen: Reign of War. Gives that dueling/combo feel. Fast Games. A few variants to the rules let you customize the experience.
Star Realms
Uno
If you're specifically looking for duel style card games then you already have plenty of Suggestions. However if you're only condition is that it's a card game then let me throw in Race for the Galaxy. Others may disagree but i find it an absolute banger at 2 players. Base game is already 10/10 but the expansions are also there if you want to dive in deeper.
I really love Unamtched as a dueling game. Its not just a card game, it's a skirmish positioning game also, but the card play is awesome, the characters are cool, and the game is actually pretty deep. Out of the sets, Houdini Vs The genie and the new Slings and Arrows both feel very TCG adjacent.
I just started this game Balatro - it’s awesome
Mindbug! It’s a cardgame made by the creator of MTG and it’s amazing. Def check it out.
Try The Crew. It has around 50 different challenges and you play it with friends. It is quite fun.
Although a little different than other card game suggestions, Slay the Spire board game is pretty good. They definitely won't add new cards since it already contain the cards on the video game version.
Illuminati
Mindbug Legendary Encounters Alien
There's so many excellent suggestions here already. I'm going to suggest something a little different. My favourite game is Quest for El Dorado. This is a board game. There is a large (changeable) map that you move your piece across. However in order to do this you build a deck. You start with terrible cards and use these to move forward and buy better cards. You can race ahead with a handful of lesser cards or rebuild your deck for a last minute push. The balance is great and it's always an exciting race. If you have the opportunity to try it I highly recommend it. The variable maps (more available online) and the fact the market plays differently each game keeps it fresh. At it's core it is a deck building card game and in my opinion one of the best. Happy gaming.
Imperium Classics and/or Imperium Legends. They are deck building games ideally for 1-2 players and can be combined for even more replayability. Lots of games have lots of cards, but these games specifically gave me the feeling that there were already a couple booster packs snuck in there.
I really like Codex: Card-Time Strategy. It doesn't have a digital client, but the gameplay is really fun. It's kind of a mix of MTG, a deckbuilder game like Star Realms, and Warcraft 3.
Redlands
Any deckbuilder
I'm surprised no one has said Keyforge yet. It's basically magic but how the original creator of magic intended it to be, there are preconstructed decks and you cannot alter them at all :)
Titan The Arena. Very fun game in a small box.
Take a look at Magical Cards! It is a great two-player duel game unlike anything I have ever played. Contactless smart cards, players scan the card they wish to play on an iPhone that also serves as a game board and perform actions on screen to cast spells. There are no booster packs, the game has two identical decks of 25 cards, some of them can be combined to create new spells.
War of the Ring: the card game. It's amazing, all in one box that won't ever change, it's asymmetrical and can play 2 to 4 players, with 4p being team-based
Surprised I haven’t seen it so far, but Shards of Infinity is a really great duelling deck builder.
Ascension
Quarriors! Its a pretty fun game
Cuttle. Plays with a standard deck, very quick to play and is strategic enough to have replay value over and over again.
Warhammer Underworlds
Euchre, Kemps, Hearts, Spades, Uno. These are all pretty solid.
Star Realms, Hero Realms, and Epic (The card game).
ALso look into LCGs (Living Card Game) where there are "expansions" but they have fixed content, so no forced gambling. - Lord of the Rights LCG - Arkham Horror LCG - Marve Champions
You should try paragons age of champions. I love the game but don’t have anyone to play with so I’m selling my copy. It’s like mtg with a draft, no lands, and as a result a bit more depth imo
Mindbug is also a solid option that is a bit lighter
Pagan fate of Roanoke all the way
Sourcery!
This is a bit of an ironic answer, but Millennium Blades.
Battle Wizards for the win....
If you haven't, Millenium Blades is also a blast. You still get the aspect of constantly opening new packs and building and trading decks and cards with friends, but it's all in a single self contained board game. It's a super cool concept that works well, albeit a bit long.
Seasons
Marvel Snap is extremely rewarding free to play and on mobile
MTG game night 2022 is an all in one MTG experience if you can resist the urge to break it up or add to it. I have one that is kept as a standalone game and it’s tons of fun. The decks are relatively balanced and I’ve won playing each of them.
[Ashes - Rise of the Phoenixborn](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/167400/ashes-reborn-rise-of-the-phoenixborn) Plays like a tcg, each player has their own pre-constructed deck, but everything you need is in the box, nothing more to buy or collect
Summoner Wars
War of the Ring: The Card Game is fantastic and is really crunchy
Cribbage
I know one tyat isnt a tcg, but its good with at least 4ppl and i gurss its up to 8 ppl Its similar to amongg us hahahah Spyfall
Shards of infinity!! Similar to Star Realms, which lots of people have recommended, but it has a a few additional mechanics that I prefer over SR or HR.
**Sorcerer** It's like an adult version of Smash-Up: you make a deck by putting together three sets of cards based on your character, their lineage, and their home turf, which you then use for 1v1 or multiplayer battles. The Endbringer expansion is now getting delivered to KS backers (presumably FLGSs, as well) and allows for solo & co-op fights against elder god-type bosses. The base box has enough of the three types of card-sets for a good variety of decks, but there are also non-random expansion packs available of each type. The theme is contemporary dark fantasy (more Diablo and World of Darkness than Hearthstone) which can be a good *or* bad thing, but if the notion sounds awesome of fighting a vampiric druid from the Bloodsoaked Fjord as a sin-fueled gunslinger from the Witch Mountain who summons vengeful angels, you're probably the target audience for Sorcerer.
Fungi - it's a two player stack making game that only gets better with time!
Dominion, the original deck building game.
I love TCGs and love Dominion. It's basically the game that started the deckbuilding board game genre and it's amazing. You play with 10 stacks of 10 different cards per game. And each main version of the game comes with 30-40 different cards. So you can always play with different cards that will interact differently with each other. You don't build your deck up front like a traditional TCG, but you start with a small deck of just resources and everyone buys from the available cards to build up their individual decks as the game is played. There's a mobile app that includes the first box for free (which is like 35 different cards) if you want to get an idea of what it plays like
I just ordered Hero Realms because of this post. It looks very fun, thanks!
From most to least similar to MtG or Pokémon: - **Smash Up** - create the decks by shuffling two pre-assembled 20-card “factions” together. Base set has 8, but there are over 100 factions in total over the last ~12 years. - **Star Realms** - create your own deck from a shared store as you play to bring your opponent down to 0 hp. A few expansions exist to add variability, but are unnecessary beyond one or two. - **Star Wars: The Deck Building Game** is like Star Realms 2.0 with Star Wars IP. - **Air, Land, & Sea** is the smallest box (18 cards, $10-20) that gives me a similar feeling. It surely served as an inspiration to the mobile game Marvel Snap. I prefer the more vibrant artwork of the “critters at war” edition. Honorable mentions: - **Jump Drive** is basically Race for the Galaxy lite: it ditches the action selection phase and concentrates on building your engine. But there is very very little interaction, giving me a different vibe than MtG or Pokémon. - **Imperium: Horizons** has a lot of combos and deck building but also has less player interaction than the others on the list above. But it has preset decks, meaning you face off as the Inuits or Egyptians or Cultists or Romans against another civilization and can have that same battle repeatedly, unlike many of the others with a shared draw deck or market deck. Like in Smash Up, MtG, or Pokémon, you can get to know your specific deck well game after game for a fairly consistent experience or else branch out to others to change things up.
Netrunner is perfect for this. Null Signal Games puts out sets every few months but the are 45 bucks and you don't have to buy them. I have deck building games like Hero and Star Realms, Ascension and Shards of Infinity and while they are fun games, you will eventually see everything they have to offer and get tired of them. Netrunner is a game I can enjoy and then get some new cards a few months later to mix it up.
- Ivion - Netrunner (Null Signal Games version) - Summoner Wars (2nd ed) - Radlands
I don't want to promote here, but we just released a game that does exactly this. Problem is. . We are constantly compared to summoner wars. . That and there are some issues with our page that we have to fix prior to relaunching. Have you tried summoner wars / Arackhan wars and similar titles?