5 Free-to-Play Card Games (TCG) You Should Try
All the TCG presented in this article have been tested and approved. They are free and can be played on a mobile phone, which is quite useful and trendy today. Another advantage of those games is that you can build great decks and reach higher ranks without investing money in them. Some of them are also available on other platforms, such as computers, video-game consoles, ...
Shadowverse
Platforms: Android, Apple iOS, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
Shadowverse is a free-to-play Japanese strategic multiplayer digital card game offering 400 cards and countless combinations. N°1 competitive card collecting game in Japan, it offers real time multiplayer battles and powerful heroes with distinct skill sets. It employs an anime art style and plays similarly to Hearthstone, but the developers tried to minimise the impact of randomness on match outcomes. Three kinds of cards are available in your decks: followers, spells, and amulets. Something which distinguishes this game from Hearthstone, apart from the universe, is that your cards can evolve throughout the battle. What is more, your character does not have any health points at the beginning of the game and you cannot attack the opponent's creatures directly.
For more information: https://shadowverse.com/
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
Platforms: Android, Apples iOS, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a strategic multiplayer card game which was released on the 31st of May (2017). It is based on the Elder Scrolls series. You collect cards, build your decks, and challenge opponents with turn-based matches. The deck are made of between 50 and 70 cards, which is far more than Hearthstone's decks. The board is divided into two sides, called lanes: the "Shadow Lane" where all creatures cannot be targeted for one turn; the other lane does not have any effect on the creatures you play. Your character has health points at the beginning of the game, and also a number of runes (one for every 5 points of starting health). Each time you lose health and lose one of the runes, you receive a card from your hand and can play it immediately if the card is a "Prophecy" one.
For more information: https://legends.bethesda.net/?locale=en
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Gwent : The Witcher Card Game is a spin-off of the well-known game "Gwynt" from The Witcher 3. In Gwent, you have the opportunity to collect cards, build your favorite deck and clash with your opponents. You can choose between a "solo" mode, or a competitive one (friendly or ranked matches). In addition, a story campaign is offered to the player, who can make choices in the dialogues.
In this TCG, the battles are divided in three series of rounds, in which you have to manage a three-row battle formation in order to counter your opponent's strategy. This means: you can lose a round, and still win the war.
For more information: https://www.playgwent.com/en
Hearthstone
Platforms: Android, Apple iOS, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows
Do we really have to present this well-known TCG? Maybe not... but let's summarize the main ideas of this game.
Hearthstone, originally known as "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft", is a CGG Game created by Blizzard Entertainment and inspired by the universe of World of Warcraft. It uses the elements, characters, and relics of Warcraft. In this game, you collect cards, build your decks, and play turn-based games against other opponents. The decks are composed of 30 cards, and you have to select a hero with a unique power. Many expansions have been released, each one with a particular feature and new decks / cards. You can choose between friendly or ranked matches, and standard or wild mode. In the wild mode, you can play all the cards from the game. In the standard mode, you can only play basic decks and cards from the expansions of the ongoing year. As a consequence, you rediscover the game and some players can stop playing for a while if they don't like the new expansions.
For more information: http://eu.battle.net/hearthstone/en/
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links
Platforms: Android, Apple iOS
Everyone knows the famous card game called "Yu-Gi-Oh!", but you may not know that a free mobile game was released and has to be tested if you love the series. Find Yugi, Kaiba, Mai and many more characters of the series, and challenge your opponents in real-time battles. If you played the "real card game", you won't have any trouble reaching higher ranks in this mobile version.
For more information: https://www.konami.com/yugioh/duel_links/en/
As you can see, all these games have the same basis: a deck built on your own, cards to collect... But, they offer different universes, and it's up to you to decide which one you prefer. You election can be influenced by the previous games of the developers, or by series they are based on. Personally, I have to say Hearthstone stays my favorite one, for now... Let's hope some new TCG's will be released soon.
If you want to have a look at the gameplay of all these games in more details, take a look at the website called "Twitch", which is the world's leading video platform and community for gamers. The streamers broadcast, you watch, you discover, you learn.
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