I find the Deck building
Dominion is our choice for the best deck building
Although Dominion is the undisputed champion of deck building
What is a Deck Building Board Game?
Before we get to the list, let’s go over what a deck builder actually does.
Deck building
Most deck building
Various cards usually interact with one another in different ways, and the goal is to build a powerful deck and use it to take control of the game.
RELATED: The Best Party Board Games
The Best Overall Deck Building Board Games
Dominion
Number of Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 30 Minutes
Ages 14+
Difficulty: Hard/Medium
If you could only try one deck building
Each player starts with 10 cards in their decks, 7 coppers and 3 estates. You shuffle these cards together and then draw 5 of them. After that the game begins and players start taking turns. During your turn you can play action cards and buy other cards from the supply.
Action cards have a number of different effects, from drawing you extra cards to letting you attack your opponents. Then there are Victory cards. Players get Victory points for having Victory cards in their decks at the end of the game. Having the most Victory points at the end is how you win the game.
There’s a dilemma, however. Victory cards usually don’t do anything, meaning that although they’re all-important once the game is over, they’re useless while the game is going on.
This dilemma is one of the main things that makes Dominion’s gameplay so rich. If you focus on loading up on Victory cards, your deck won’t have the power to compete and continue gaining Victory cards.
It’s these fundamentals that make Dominion such a great game. Dominion doesn’t have a crazy amount of flare. Indeed, some people actually find the theme basic and a bit boring. But what Dominion might lack in theme, it makes up for in its gameplay.
If you’re looking to try out the deck building genre, I recommend starting with Dominion.
| PROS | CONS |
| Very Strategic Gameplay | Some Players Find the Theme/Aesthetic Boring |
| Well Balanced | Not Much Player Interaction (AKA Multiplayer Solitaire) |
| Extremely Re-playable |
Where to Buy
You can buy Dominion and its expansions from Amazon, or, if you’d like to try your hand at playing online, you can play Dominion for free on Dominion.Games.
Ascension
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
Ages 13+
Difficulty: Medium
Ascension is one of the most popular deck building
The main difference is that Ascension offers another way to earn Victory points (they’re called Honor points) aside from buying cards. In Ascension, you earn Honor points by defeating monsters. This gives the game more player interaction than Dominion.
Another big difference is that Ascension randomizes the card pool that players buy cards from. This means that not all players will have the same cards to choose from. Naturally, some players will have access to better cards, which gives the game a big element of luck. There’s still a lot of nice strategy here, just less so than Dominion.
One of the things I like most about Ascension is the accessibility. It’s super easy to learn, and the games are fast paced and don’t drag on too long. This makes it the perfect game for people who prefer things on the lighter side.
Overall, Ascension is an awesome deck builder, and a great option if you’re looking for an alternative to Dominion.
| PROS | CONS |
| Fast Paced | Involves a Good Deal of Luck |
| Easy-to-Learn | |
| Interactive Gameplay |
Where to Buy
You can currently buy Ascension from Amazon. If you’d like to try out a digital version, you can get the free app for Apple or Android. You can also purchase a digital version on Steam.
Tanto Cuore
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 45-60 Minutes
Ages:13+
Difficulty: Medium
Tanto Cuore is a Japanese deck building game that has garnered a lot of attention recently. It’s basically a Dominion clone with a lot of added flavor.
Each player plays as the Lord of a mansion and hires maids to fill out their house to become the King of Maids! The end goal is simple enough, the player who has the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins! Player’s acquire Victory Points by employing a variety of maids and ‘Love’ cards that allow for different strategies. You can even employ Private Maids that stick around to use their special powers each per turn! Some give you a bonus, or affect your opponents in a negative way. But beware, your opponents can make your maids sick or give them bad habits, affecting your maids in negative ways and decreasing your Victory Points. The game art is in the Japanese anime style and uses the theme of maids commonly seen in anime!
Developer Description
The gameplay in Tanto Cuore functions almost the same as Dominion, except for one significant change: Tanto Cuore has a chambering mechanic that lets you remove cards from your deck to gain extra Victory points. This brings an interesting dynamic that lets players choose between using their cards for their effects or tucking them away for Victory points.
Tanto Cuore is similar to Ascension in that it’s fast-paced and user friendly, and it has a bigger element of luck compared to Dominion. That said, I think that TC keeps more of the strategic depth of Dominion while also adding lots of flavor.
Tanto Cuore isn’t for everyone, however. The theme is inspired by Japanese Anime, and uses a lot of imagery that some players find off-putting or risqué.
Overall, Tanto Cuore is an amazing deck building
| PROS | CONS |
| Fast Paced | Involves a Good Deal of Luck |
| Strategic Gameplay | Anime Theme Isn’t for Everyone |
| Interesting Theme |
Where to Buy
You can buy Tanto Cuore and its expansions from Amazon, or, if you’d like try it online, you can currently play Tanto Cuore on Steam.
Quarriors!
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30 Minutes
Ages: 13+
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Quarriors! is personally one of my favorite deck building games ever. Okay, so technically, it’s not a deck builder since it doesn’t use cards. Instead, it uses dice. The dice, however, function the same way that cards typically do, except you can roll them. The dice produce various effects depending on which side they land on, giving the game an awesome source of randomness and excitement.
As a Quarrior, a mighty, mystical warrior only you have the power to capture dangerous quarry from the untamed wilds. You must conjure the mysterious powers of Quiddity, cast powerful spells, and summon your creatures to battle if you hope to overcome your rivals and earn your rightful place as the champion of the Empress.
Developer’s Description
Quarrior! uses the same market mechanic as Dominion, but instead of drawing cards, you draw your dice from a bag and roll them. Some of the die-faces represent money that you can use to buy more dice, and other sides are creatures that you can summon by paying money. Similar to MTG, the creatures in Quarrior! have Attack and Defense values and can do battle against your opponents creatures. If your creatures survive for an entire turn, you get points.
Then, once a player reaches a predetermined amount of points, they win the game. In my opinion, this system gives the game a wonderful feeling of tension and puts players more “in the moment” than typical deck builders.
| PROS | CONS |
| Strategic Gameplay with Lots of Decision-Making | Lots of Randomness |
| Cool Theme | |
| Lots of Player Interaction | |
| Unique Gameplay |
Where to Buy
You can buy Quarriors! from Amazon. If you’d like to try it online, you can visit the official Quarriors!‘ website to get the app.
Deck Building Board Games Vs Trading Card Games
Deck building
Although there are some pretty intricate deck building
This isn’t to say that deck building
This is all to say that deck building
Best Deck Building Board Games for Fans of Magic: the Gathering
Epic Card Game
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 25-45 Minutes
Ages: 8+
Difficulty: Medium
Epic Card Game is basically a self contained, copycat version of Magic: the Gathering. You’ll be playing with cards from four different alignments (colors): Good (white), Evil (Black), Sage (Blue), Wild (Green). If you’re an MTG fan, all of this is no doubt familiar. That’s the beauty of Epic Card Game. It doesn’t try to hide it’s similarities to Magic, but rather embraces them.
Let’s take a look at a few of the cards as an example. “Attack From the Clouds” costs one gold to play and says, “Your Champions gain Airborne this turn. Draw 2 cards.”
“Night Lord” on the other hand, costs one gold, has six power and four toughness and says, “When this card attacks, The defending player loses 3 health and you gain 3 health.”
Some hardcore MTG fans find the similarities between the two games frustrating. If you think you might fall into this camp, I would recommend a game I mentioned above, Quarriors!, Instead.
So how does the deck building elements of Epic Card Game work? Well, there’s two different ways to play. You can either shuffle all the cards together and deal each player a deck of 30 cards. Or you can choose to do a draft. I highly recommend doing drafts once everybody has a good grasp on how the cards work.
Overall, if you’re looking for a deck building game that scratches some of the same itches as MTG, you can do no better than Epic Card Game. You get much of the same epic combat, and the hard decision making without the big entry barrier and sustained financial cost.
Best for Kids
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30-60 Minutes
Ages: 10+
Difficulty: Easy
Most deck building
Luckily, however, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle took the concept and made it extremely accessible. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is the perfect introduction into deck building
Players take on the role of a Hogwarts student: Harry, Ron, Hermione or Neville, each with their own personal deck of cards that’s used to acquire resources. By gaining influence, players add more cards to their deck in the form of iconic characters, spells, and magical items. Other cards allow them to regain health or fight against villains.
Developer’s Description
You and your kids don’t need to be Harry Potter fans to enjoy this game, either. Obviously, the theme is more appealing if you are, but it’s still an awesome game regardless.
If you have kids you want to introduce to the deck building genre, there’s no better way to do it than with Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle.
Best for 2 Players
Ascension
Number of Players: 2-4
Play Time: 30-45 Minutes
Ages 13+
Difficulty: Medium
Ascension is an awesome game, and it really shines when you play it with 2 players. Other popular deck builders like Dominion are best played with 4 players, but not Ascension. Why is that? Let me explain.
Ascension is awesome with just 2 players, because there’s a big element of randomness and luck involved in the game. With 3 or 4 players, this luck really starts to become a downside, since it seems almost impossible to execute your strategy enough to overcome the luckiest player.
With two players, however, luck plays less of a factor, and yet still adds the intended variety and randomness to the game.
The bottom line is, Ascension, when played with 2 players, becomes one of the most fun
End Step
If you can only get one game, it has to be Dominion. After all these years, it’s still the most balanced and well done deck-builder in the world. If you’re a big fan of TCGs like Magic: the Gathering or YuGiOh!, I recommend giving Epic Card Game or Quarriors! a try.
Whatever your preferences are, there’s the perfect deck building
Until next time, I wish you and your friends/family the best of luck with all of your gaming adventures.
