Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Top Digital Card Games Of 2016
The world of digital trading card games sees plenty of entries each year, so there are many options to pick from. 2016 had many options to pick from – whether they were released in prior years, or in some form of alpha or beta, you have plenty of great choices. Here are some of the best.
Hearthstone
Blizzard’s entry into the card game world still has it, and with the recent Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion you can get into the mix with new strategies without having to track down old cards. With weekly tavern brawls and daily quests, getting your collection going is much easier than when the game initially launched. We’ll probably continue to see Hearthstone imitators for years and years to come. Check out the review for the original game here.
Shadowverse
This stylized anime-infused brawl shares some similarities with Hearthstone, but features aspects that make it interesting and different as well. With an evolution system that makes timing your plays a critical part of the strategy and a wealth of classes each with unique cards and mechanics, Shadowverse has lots to offer. You can watch us play a few games in this episode of Test Chamber.
Duelyst
Duelyst offers a more tactical take on things than many digital card games with a board to move your units around and a leader that must be protected in the playspace. If you’re looking for something closer to a “miniatures battle” experience rooted in cards, Duelyst might be the right choice.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
The classic mini-game from The Witcher 3 works surprisingly well as a standalone card game, with a few necessary tweaks to make it come together. Watch us play a few matches in this episode of Test Chamber!
HEX: Shards of Fate
With heaps of single-player campaign content to go along with all the standard drafting and competitive play that most digital card games offer, HEX continues to get great updates and additional cards.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
While it’s not quite the same as traveling around Skyrim and completing quests, Bethesda’s big IP does a great job at serving up card-slinging action. Watch us work the arena in this episode of Test Chamber!
Eternal
Featuring five factions and cool mechanics that take advantage of the digital backdrop, Eternal’s mix of gunslinging and magic is compelling. With dual-faction cards and a resource system that hearkens back to Magic: The Gathering instead of Hearthstone, card game enthusiasts will find a lot to love here.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
