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Who needs Hearthstone? Try these rival card games
If you’re searching for something new, then take a look at these wickedly enjoyable alternatives.
Clash Royale draws in millions of online viewers
© Supercell
Tired of waiting for Hearthstone's next expansion, or fed up with losing to Secret Paladins and Dr. Booms? Fear not, digital card games have never been so popular and there are plenty of other compelling options out there, each with its own quirks and unique mechanics.
Loyal fans will tell you that each of their preferred games is the best, so why not give a few of them a try to find out which one you're going to love? From dark, competitive fantasy games with enormous strategic depth, to addictive digital Pokémon apps for the casual gamer, there's definitely something for everyone. Take a look at some of our favourites.
Earthcore: Shattered Elements
This is probably the coolest looking card game out there. The minions look fantastic, the sound effects are amazing, and the animations when you craft cards or attack in battle show an unprecedented amount of detail – but that's not all there is to like.
Earthcore pits the elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Dust against one another, and features a completely innovative lane combat mechanic that sees players whittle away at each other's health points by winning elemental duals between the cards they've played. With three factions to choose from, the Myth Keepers, Tempest Riders and the Iron Brotherhood, a bunch of original mechanics, a well written single-player campaign, ranked leagues, and plenty of great rewards to earn, this game provides hours of entertainment.
It's free-to-play so if you're looking for something fresh and exciting, then download it right away.
Clash Royale
One of the biggest releases of 2016, coming from the creators of Clash of Clans, Supercell believe Clash Royale will be the next huge free-to-play mobile game, and they might well be right.
Clash Royale is a kind of mini-MOBA hybrid, where a real-time-strategy area is controlled via the collectable cards you use to drop units onto a battlefield in order to destroy your opponent's base. It's pretty straightforward to play, since there are only a few dozen cards to choose from, and only eight you can use per game, but that doesn't detract from how much fun you can have dropping your angry summons into the carnage, or blowing up weakened towers with a well-timed fireball.
It's a great game to play on the go since it can be played with one hand and matches can only last four minutes, so if you're looking for something to play on the way to work or whilst you're watching TV, then it's definitely worth picking up. It's picking up plenty of traction on the eSports circuit too, with millions of viewers tuning in to the game's official tournament held in Helsinki just this weekend. It's well worth keeping an eye on this mobile game, as this could get even bigger.
Magic Duels: Origins
Magic: The Gathering is the foundation for most modern card games, and Magic Duels is now the most accessible way to play it. If you're a fan of Hearthstone and you want to find out where all the ideas came from, or if you're an MTG player and you need a digital version of the game, then Magic Duels is definitely the way to go.
It's another free-to-play game, available as an app and on a variety of consoles, and like Hearthstone you can purchase digital card packs in order to build your own decks, and battle friends or strangers online.
There's a huge amount of depth to the game, but straightforward tutorials and an introductory campaign make the learning curve fun, and will earn you many of the cards you need to start out. There's an in-game currency so patient players don't need to buy tonnes of packs, and with countless deck possibilities to play around with, this is a game that could keep you occupied for months.
World of Tanks: Generals
Available online and on mobile devices, World of Tanks: Generals is a strategy card game in which players battle one another using World War 2 tank themed cards.
Players deploy their tanks on the squares of a small game board and move across the board on their turns, looking to destroy enemy tanks and the enemy HQ. Ability cards provide some unique ways to swing a battle in your favour, by ramping up a tank's damage for instance, and adds a decent level of strategic depth. With different armies to choose from and plenty of fun cards to research with the in-game currency, there's lots to keep you entertained.
World of Tanks: Generals is an impressively well balanced game so if tanks are your thing, or you want a Wargaming app to play with on your phone, then this is a must-have game.
Spellweaver
One of the newest additions to the world of digital card games, Spellweaver is a promising title developed by indie studio Dream Reactor that might well be worth checking out.
The gameplay is roughly based upon MTG, with creatures, spells, artefacts, lands, and enchantments all options for the players, but with some added levels of strategic complexity. With in-match hero levelling, a speed mechanic that determines whether a creature can attack or block an enemy creature, and some unique mana features, it feels like a game that has taken the best gameplay aspects from other collectable card games and improved upon them. It does have a steep learning curve but there’s a tutorial to help you out.
Spellweaver is generous with its rewards so you'll quickly be able to build some powerful decks without emptying your bank account.
Hex: Shards of Fate
Hex has quickly become a popular digital card game, often compared to the likes of Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, and fits a similar formula: two players duelling one another with preconstructed fantasy-themed decks.
Whilst there are daily tournaments for competitive players to buy into, a detailed PvE (player versus environment) campaign mode with a variety of challenging opponents provides a great introduction for newer players. It's a highly rewarding game with devastating combos, subtle card interactions and numerous smart mechanics for players to master.
One of the defining features of Hex is the ability to level up your hero, selecting specialised class talents and equipping them with weapons and armour to give your battles a unique feel, and creating new playstyles.
Solforge
Getting into a collectible card game can be quite a confusing process, but Solforge is easily one of the most accessible games out there. This Kickstarter funded game has been through multiple revisions and updates, and Stone Blade have done a fantastic job of listening to community feedback.
This fantasy-themed game has some totally fresh mechanics we absolutely love, with five different lanes to assign your creatures to, an in-match card levelling system, and four different factions to choose from. The result is a tense, highly-strategic experience for players, with huge amounts of breadth in terms of deck choice. There are various game modes in which you can play human opponents, but also skilled A.I. programs suitable for newer or more casual players.
Easy to learn but hard to master, Solforge is a great option if you're looking for an original card game to get into.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Online
Who doesn't remember their first Pokémon pack, or playing Pokémon Red or Blue on their Gameboy Colour? If you're feeling nostalgic, or just looking for a fun app to play, then Pokémon TCG is a good way to go.
There are dozens of crazily powerful cards to make Pokémon battles truly thrilling, with spectacular comebacks a plenty and loads of incredibly tense matches. Veterans will be please that they've stuck to the traditional, complex Pokémon battle model, but whilst the notion of building a 60 card deck might seem daunting, it's actually a pretty straightforward game to play once you get into it and the in-game wizard will do most of the deck building for you.
You'll start off with lots of cards but you can buy more, trade with others, or even redeem codes found on real world packs.
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