This week's game...the game of minions to reap and unique decks to seek that is KeyForge.
Players: 2
Time: 45-90 minutes
Genre: Strategy Card Game
Developed by Richard Garfield, the infamous creator of the collectible card game that is Magic the Gathering, KeyForge has garnered the attention of many with its prestigious backing and unique premise: A card game in which no two decks are the same, yet has no deck-building. Each deck that is purchased contains a combination of three Houses / classes of cards (of which there are seven to be found in the game), with 37 assorted cards and all wrapped together with a distinct card back / name that makes that deck one of a kind, not to be mixed with any other deck. With 104 septillion apparent possible decks to be found (that's 104,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 combinations), each deck offers a wide potential of new flavors and strategies to uncover. Part of me can't ignore the skepticism that this is just an elaborate ploy to force players to buy more decks for new experiences, but it does help ensure a more balanced experience by removing those who would craft the "best" decks through card hunting. For $10, I decided to pick up a unique deck all my own and give this game a go.
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| The seven Houses of KeyForge: Brobnar, Logos, Shadows, Sanctum, Mars, Dis and Untamed. Note: Tokens and such only come with the Starter Kit, though you can likely make do with your own dice, beads and such to still play / enjoy the game. |
My deck is called Osiris "Pharaoh Quasar" Innskeep, which contains the Houses of Shadows, Untamed and Dis. If you've played other collectible card games before, many concepts will be familiar such as minion exhaustion and tapping, though you'll still want to read up on the rules first to learn the terminology and a few new mechanics unique to this game (Note: The rules are only available online; See here for reference). The goal of the game is to forge 3 keys, of which costs 6 amber each. Amber is collected through various means of actions and minions. Each turn, players pick one House and then can play / use as many cards as desired that belong to that House. This is a unique aspect to KeyForge as it does create a constant flow of interesting choices to be made that aren't dependent on waiting mana costs or the likes: Do I play this powerful minion now or save it for later? If I have a hand full of cards from one House and a board full of minions in another House, which is more beneficial to use that turn? Minions also have multiple uses, as they can attack opposing minions or also just "reap" which produces one amber, not to mention many minions also have additional abilities / benefits often listed on them. At the end of your turn, you restock your cards up to your hand limit, so it can be beneficial to play / discard cards if you're looking to generate value / new plays to be made. But from the few games I've played, you also want to be wary of overloading the board as there are some crazy cards that can clear entire boards. It's a game that seems to play a fine line between luck and strategy, but is relatively an enjoyable experience overall.
I'm not certain of what the long-term appeal will be for this game as much of the fun comes from discovering new decks, which could end up being an expensive endeavor. But I can't deny what is the distinct appeal of having a deck that is unique just to me. I'd recommend this game for those who enjoy a bit of chance and are wary enough of the potential investment that comes for added play. If you have any questions about KeyForge, let me know in the comments. If interested in other unique deck-based, strategy cards games, I recommend taking a look at Smash Up and its many expansions as another alternative, which allows more flexibility in deck mixing for added replay-ability. Otherwise, look forward to more posts and impressions on tabletop goodness to come. And happy gaming!
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