No love for Tyrants of the Underdark? It's a fantastic deck-builder + area control which scales well with all player counts and has unique deck preparation each game.
I am not saying it’s justified, I don’t know because I haven’t tried it, but that seems to be a game that has faded in popularity a lot over the years. Just not front of mind anymore.
I agree. Its one of the first ones to really nail the combination of deckbuilding + X for me, in its case area control. Dune nailed deckbuilding + worker placement in the same way for me.
Plus it's underrated how it makes deck culling easier for beginners by rewarding them with points for doing so, as well as theming it to promoting. Like many Ascension-likes though, the combos don't feel as present, maybe that's why?
I recently played Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade and I was impressed at how thematic it felt and actually how fun it was. I expected a cash grab. Instead I got a pretty good deck builder.
In my opinion Clank! (as a system) is the best deck building game ever period. Also it is one of my favorite board games of all time as well but the deck building mechanism and how it works with the exploration and moving around the map - simply awesome!!!
I like Clank a lot, but the deck building element is such a small part of it that I personally wouldn't rank it highly among deck building games. Obviously, YMMV. 😊
Yeah, I think the deck building part is a bit weak. The synergies of "In Space" don't work well, as it is too hard to get multiple of one tags unless you just get lucky. Certain resources are far better than others, and in general the movement/purchasing power is more useful than the abilities. It's a great idea, but a truly great deck builder needs to have interesting decks emerge.
I don't understand the others. The deckbuilding is the main mechanism of Clank! and it's main engine. I understand that argument about, say, Arnak or Dune but not Clank!
Tyrants of the Underdark is fantastic! Deck building and area control. excellent! And the deck building in Rococo Deluxe is amazing ( no shuffling of cards but you can choose).
Yes and no. I used to like it, but the production is so crappy especially that of the new edition and it would need some more variability of the board setup. Also, the card designs and half-decks could be done better. And The 'tuck-away mechanism' isn't that great. As far as I know the insert still doesn't support sleeved cards. It's a bit of a nightmare. It needs a major overhaul with love.
@@andrethannhauser6302 - Fair point. It’s just my subjective perception because I rarely hear any reviewer sing its praises but this is a skewed perspective now that you bring it to light. And to your point with nearly 8000 ratings…..it seems to be quite well received at 160.
@@andrethannhauser6302 I also think its underrated in that no one ever really talks about it. I think I enjoy it more than any other game they mentioned in this list as far as deck builders go.
Since co-ops were mentioned a few times: Xenoshyft! I like the game arc, and I like the mechanism of being able to play cards onto other player's boards to get the cards into their deck. If you like small quirky deck builders, give Flip City a try. It combines with push your luck nicely, and it has 2 different win condions and seems to be about the right game length.
Thunderstone Quest is my favorite. I have so much fun I don't even care if I win. The feeling of leveling up heroes and equipping them with weapons and getting treasure is just so good. Has such a cool feel while still being a straight deck builder
Imperium: Classics and Legends are a massive pain to learn, but once I got my phd in the rules, it is easily one of my favourite pure deck builders. Domonion for the simplicity, Imperium for the complexity. I like Dune and Arnak well enough, but if I had to say what percentage of my time was spent thinking about the deckbuilding in either vs the other elements of the game, both are at less than 10 percent, so i would not really include them
Nice to see Siege of Runedar getting some love, it's a really fun co-op game and the deck building feels unique, when you get a new card you have to get rid of an old card, so your deck is always the same size.
I have to say I'm with Zee. Pure deck builders don't do much for me, but as an element of larger games? Love it. Top 3 would probably be Dune, Lost Ruins if Arnak, and Endless Winter. Though I've not played a lot of the ones listed.
Maaaaaaan!! Nobody EVER talks about Dale of Merchants, but it has been on my Wishlist since I first fell back into the boardgame hobby (You know, after a childhood of Sorry, Monopoly, and Catan, when you reach your 20s & realize that there is a whole world of boardgames unknown to the general population)
Y’all need to give Arctic Scavengers another spin. The skirmish phase still shines on as an extremely unique mechanism to this day. Also extremely theme rich… something deckbuilding games STILL struggle with so many years later.
My Top 10 Deck-Building Games: 1. Legendary Marvel 2. Codex: Card-Time Strategy (surprised this wasn't on Tom's list) 3. Lost Ruins of Arnak 4. Eternal Chronicles of the Throne (HUGELY underrated) 5. Masters of Mutanite 6. Dungeon Alliance 7. Clank! 8. Path of Light and Shadow 9. Shards of Infinity 10. Tea Dragon Society (great intro game)
So, I’ve given myself some time to try to get used to the new seating arrangement. But, You guys sitting in a “living room” feels weird. Bring the game table back. You guys will have some place to put your clipboards, drinks, hands. You can sit more comfortably. Everything else is great, just slide the table back up to the chairs. You guys just don’t look as comfortable.❤
Star Wars The Deckbuilding Game is getting a lot of love in our family. Yes the theme and artwork is perfect, but it’s the Force mechanic combined with the ability to attack enemy cards in the market row (galaxy row) with units plus Capital Ships protecting a series of “final boss” bases?! What?! Yes please, give us all the expansions, so good!
Very surprised Baseball Highlights 2045 didn’t make a list. I am aghast that that my #1 Deck Building game didn’t make a single list, Tyrants of the Underdark. Dudes on a map where gameplay is driven by deck building, c’mon!
Every time Tom comments about Aeons End I feel like he’s playing a different game than me. I don’t feel like the game is very difficult to play well, my young son has enjoyed it as well and he does NOT play heavy games or anything. It’s also normally pretty easy to discard your cards, it’s typically just discard the card that gets more ether first or the spell that does more damage. If anything it’s a game I play less because it’s too simple personally.
As much as the theme of the game is a little bit tough to digest, KamiGami Battles is one of my favourite Deckbuilders, specifically for the chaining mechanic, but i also just love a good combat/duel deckbuilder.
Dune Imperium is such a great game, top 5 all time for me. I do tend to like Deck Building as a mechanism within a bigger game, rather than the deck building being most of the game. Dominion is a weird one for me, where it’s obviously a classic, but I just can’t seem to muster any interest in it. It just looks so drab to me, but who knows, maybe if I gave it a try it’d surprise me.
I feel the same way about Dominion. It's so ugly and I have zero interest in trying it. I'm probably wrong, but if I were ever to play it over Clank!, Quest for El Dorado, or Dune Imperium, it would take someone else really wanting to play it and introduce it to me.
I expected to not like Baseball Highlights (and it has such a stupid name), but what constantly impresses me about it is how so many games end up coming down to extra innings. The feeling of pulling it off against your opponent in Game 7 in extras is such a fantastic way to end a game.
Shards of Infinity was the first deck builder I ever played and honestly I’m kind of sad that I started off on such a high note because to me there is nowhere left to go. Cannot recommend it enough
Shards of Infinity has a "saga collection" coming to Kickstarter this summer (they're aiming for late June or early July) that will have a sort of remastered version of all the game content, all at once.
@@markusbiewer2756 I feel you. I have literally everything now and JUST purchased a nice box to hold it all (not themed to the game or anything). And they are revamping, so there's a lot of hints from the team on social media that an upgrade pack might not exist, given the extent of the tweaks to the game.
My personal favorite from ones i've played and in my library is Dale of Merchants. Another interesting one I discovered in a game shop library is Choosing Sides , I thought the combo mechanism it uses is very interesting.
I don’t think I’ve even played 10 deckbuilders, but I absolutely love the ones I do have. My ranking would probably go dominion, clank!, dune imperium, marvel legendary, lotr fellowship of the ring deck building game
Where's Mage Knight?! It's really strange to me that it didn't show up at all. Did it even get a mention? (nevermind, it gets mentioned) It's probably the heaviest deck building and exploration game ever made with different Clix figure mages, some innovative mechanisms for combat, and a ton of content. Every action you take in that game is driven by card play from the deck you're building.
Personally, I don't feel I'm building a deck in MK. It has more of an rpg feel to it, character development, than deck building. You cannot transform your deck easily* , you mainly spice it up, evolve it. Best card came for me, but not top10 in deck building. *iirc only 1-2 cards allow you to completely change it if you want.
I just bought Stalingrad as my first undaunted game. I'm loving it. So if you haven't played undaunted don't let the size and campaign of Stalingrad scare you off. It can be your first choice.
Heart of Crown is one of my favourites. It is from Japanime, so Tom dismisses it, but in this case he should not. Back a princess and build support. Great pure deckbuilder.
I also agree with Heart of Crown. It’s my personal favorite deck builder, but people will always pass on it because of the theme. I’ve never had anyone hate it after playing and they usually end up loving it.
Star wars Deck Building game has 4 players rules in the box but you need 2 versions of the game. I hear its really good but i need to investigate further
Just also noticed they used my picture for it from BGG, hehe. It is such a good game and criminally overlooked. Glad there's an expansion in the works!
Chris' pick of cowboy Bebop really surprised me. I don't ever hear people talk about that game. I have it surprisingly. I bought it back when it came out. My biggest complaint is the card quality is very poor. After a couple of plays the cards got kind of sticky. Definitely cards you need to sleeve to get several plays out of them. I'm more surprised by it than anything. There are dozens of better Deck builders out there but it's still a solid game especially if you like cowboy Bebop.
As a fellow Bebop fan I really appreciate that Chris put Space Serenade on this list. I've only tried it on Tabletopia but would like to get this at some point; I do think 10 is appropriate but as many franchise games aren't great this seems better by comparison.
Summer Camp is a streamlined (but good) deck builder, but I think Flip City is even more streamlined. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but one of the reasons I own Flip City is as an entry level teaching tool for the deck building genre. Would I start people with Summer Camp now? Probably. 😊
I'm a little surprised nobody mentioned Tyrants of the Underdark or Taverns of Tiefenthal. They're both fantastic games that would make my top 10 deck builders.
Deck building games were initially thought to solve the problem of how to create a CCG in a box. Unfortunately there hasnt been one to come close to this experience. Puzzle Strike tries to incorporate head to head interaction which gets it close to a solution. Another issue is the constant hand shuffling limits long term planning which is a big part of CCGs (hand management). I personally believe that actual solution is NOT to combine the gameplay elements, but rather to separate them into 2 game phases. Phase 1 is the deck building phase where the players deck is created. The 2nd phase is where the decks are then used in head to head battle.
Every time deck builders are mentioned, someone will always say Android, Arkham Horror or Magic the Gathering. And I die a little inside. I'm so glad you spelt it out to avoid any confusion.
Can confirm that Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade is real. I only played it once but had a lot of fun from what I remember (and being the deck building fan of my group, won)
We had a board game tournament at my house where after each game my kid and I rated the game. March madness style the higher score moved on. Dominion did okay but was beat by 4 other deck building games. Our winner was a deck builder, Star Realm. Surprised it did not make it on any lists. Too basic for them??? A pair of Cryptozoic made it pretty far: Penny Arcade and Rick and Morty (which to play with kids I had to remove 4 of the location cards from the game).
Surprised Eminent Domain wasn't on Tom's list. The Harry Potter co-op game is fun, as is the 2-player version of it. And I love the Cryptozoic game: The Hobbit and DC Deckbuilder. Dominion is my #1 game (not just deckbuilder) of all time by a lot, and I hope they keep pumping out the expansions.
I had the reverse experience to Chris when I first played Dune Imperium. I thought it was trying to do too much, and ending up a jack of all trades as a result, master of none. But man was I wrong! One more play and I was hooked!
I just noticed I have only 4 deck building games in my collection. Clank in Space Dune Imperium Lost Ruins of Arnak Viscounts of the West Kingdom I would have a hard time to find 10 deck building games that I like enough to put into my TOP10 list. 3-4 spots would stay empty and #10 would be Dominion as an honorable mention because it basically started the genre. :D
Chris Yi, starting off strong with the love for Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade! Love that game - stays in my top ten of all games (#9, currently), along with Hardback (#8) and Legendary Marvel (#4). Definitely helps to be a fan of the anime because the theme is so well done, but I also think the game plays very well.
I guess Eminent Domain is getting buried in the past XD. I'm surprised the Hunger get so little love.. we always crack up when someone fails to make it back in time bc they ate too many humans, it's kind of like when you esplode in Galaxy Trucker. Surprised Fort doesn't get the love. Surprised Monumental gets so high but Imperium's too complex? Glad someone finally mentioned Trains lol. Finally gotta give shoutouts to Ruthless, Seize the Bean, Gate, Flip City, and Rune Stones!
I love how y’all can rattle off game after game that influenced others. I could see there being a series of videos on the history of games by type/genre/mechanism.
Tyrants of the Underdark is a very good choice! A deck builder / area control «War Game». In our gaming group, Tyrants or Dune is often chosen when playing this type of games. 👌
I just want to thank you guys for at least including some deck building in your deck building games list. =P. Don't mind me i'm just salty that GI Joe didn't show up.
GI Joe is really great, and would probably make my top ten, but it's hampered by the rulebook and Renegade has yet to put out any kind of updated rules or even a FAQ.
@@msltoh Yeah and they said that. But it just seems like I keep hearing the same games being mentioned over and over. What's the point of focusing on a genera? If half the games are just the same top ten lists anyways. The funny thing is I knew that going in but still watched the video anyways.
I was always under the impression that Zee was just good at finding obscure games no one else on earth ever heard of. Now, I just think Zee is making stuff up and these games don't even exist. :P
As much as I love Deck Building Games. I'm surprised how many of these I've not tried. I do enjoy the Hunger, but that has to do with that I see it as a racing game with deck building. However my favourite is the Resident Evil games. Tanto Cuore and Kanzume Battles are two quite fun deck builders from japanime. So you shut your mouth Mr Vasel 😉 Fort is also a light one. This was a fun watch now I need to go hunting a bit for some of these titles. Especially Undaunted!
I expected Clank! higher and on more lists however, watching this TOP makes me want to play ~80% of those games (I haven't heard of ~half of them, adding to at least to-watch-review list and then maybe to-play list).
I'm sure the Tim Fowers Word Games, Paperback and Hardback would be in Tom's Top 20. I would have put it in my Top 10 for how unique this one is. I love word games and deck building games and the combination is perfect.
@@chuckm1961 Nice to hear that! By everyone I meant the 'Best At - X player(s)' on bgg and reviewers I heard talking about it. What is your preferred player count?
@@ExozikI enjoy the concept of Paperback, but it ends up being a little too long…and even longer with more players. With the new edition coming it sounds like there are rules for a quicker game, so that would be great.
Quacks of Quedlingberg is more of a deckbuilder than century lmao. I do love it, it's a great builder, but it has only a hand and a discard, it has no deck.
It's hard to beat Dominion, since it's got so many options and endless different deck combos to play it with. Some suck, but with a random deck generator app, this game is always awesome to play. Sucks to try to keep up with a complete set though lol But totally worth it IMO
I agree with Dominion at #1. I can't say I really care for the Ascension/Marvel Legendary-style market most deckbuilders have these days, it sounds cool but in practice it's just not as strategic.
A problem for me with deckbuilders is that they seemed like the default mechanic for IP cash grabs for a while. It put me off the genre for a while, so there are a number of titles I maybe ought to try. My Sister-in-Law and Nephew love Star Realms so I'm probably going to end up trying some more eventually
Not surprised about Dominion. It’s a classic and is where most modern deck builders are based from. Such a soooliddd game. Great choice!!! Also, I am not surprised about how high Dune Imperium is. One of my all time favorite games as well ☺️😌😌
@@thedicetower I started my board game hobby at the end of the pandemic. One of the first games I got was Dominion. Since I really got into the hobby, I watched lots of YT with people taling about their fav games. I'm pretty sure it was the guys from NRB and you (separate videos of course) talking about game genres and when Dominion came up, it was praised by both but it was quite old and 'there were better deckbuilders out there since'. I saddened me a bit since I got a fresh copy of the 2nd edition a month earlier. ;) But I might be mistaken about you, I've searched to my viewing history and could not find it within 30 minutes...
@@nkesteren Ah. So I said there might be some I like more than Dominion. And as the years gone by, it's quite possible - Dune Imperium, etc. but Dominion just keeps rising to the top.
Cant believe noone mentioned RUNE AGE, it has the best PvP combat mechanism ive seen in a deckbuilder, each faction feels unique and thematic, there are multiple modes to play (coop, race, PvP, 1vAll), amazing art. Granted, you need the expansion... and its criminal it only had 1 expansion 😞😓😩
Yes! I completely agree with this - with the expansion you have so many options for variable setup, especially since the player factions are so different from each other. The player vs player fights are always tense and exciting. Truly a gem of a game!
Really surprised moonrakers wasn't on this list at all. I love it. Greate sitting on the edge of your seat deckbuilder. I think I like it more than Dominion.
No love for Tyrants of the Underdark? It's a fantastic deck-builder + area control which scales well with all player counts and has unique deck preparation each game.
I am not saying it’s justified, I don’t know because I haven’t tried it, but that seems to be a game that has faded in popularity a lot over the years. Just not front of mind anymore.
@@DavidSupina I know - it surprises me given the popularity of Dune as a worker placement deck builder - ToTUd was there first and did it well.
I agree. Its one of the first ones to really nail the combination of deckbuilding + X for me, in its case area control. Dune nailed deckbuilding + worker placement in the same way for me.
They mentioned it at the end when they were reading through live viewer comments.
Plus it's underrated how it makes deck culling easier for beginners by rewarding them with points for doing so, as well as theming it to promoting.
Like many Ascension-likes though, the combos don't feel as present, maybe that's why?
The gaming experience, variety, and knowledge of these guys is mind boggling!
I recently played Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade and I was impressed at how thematic it felt and actually how fun it was. I expected a cash grab. Instead I got a pretty good deck builder.
Companies keep surprising me when they make a board game from an IP and ends up being fun.
Tom, please make a top 11-20 deck builders video for those of us that are also huge fans of the mechanism 🙂
Agree
Or just pin a comment at the top with it
Yes agree
Kodachi rules. A unique push your luck deckbuilder. Thanks for bringing this one into play, Zee. If people don't know about it, they should.
Still don't know why it doesn't have a decent solo mode
In my opinion Clank! (as a system) is the best deck building game ever period. Also it is one of my favorite board games of all time as well but the deck building mechanism and how it works with the exploration and moving around the map - simply awesome!!!
I like Clank a lot, but the deck building element is such a small part of it that I personally wouldn't rank it highly among deck building games. Obviously, YMMV. 😊
Yeah, I think the deck building part is a bit weak. The synergies of "In Space" don't work well, as it is too hard to get multiple of one tags unless you just get lucky. Certain resources are far better than others, and in general the movement/purchasing power is more useful than the abilities. It's a great idea, but a truly great deck builder needs to have interesting decks emerge.
I don't understand the others. The deckbuilding is the main mechanism of Clank! and it's main engine. I understand that argument about, say, Arnak or Dune but not Clank!
Tyrants of the Underdark is fantastic! Deck building and area control. excellent! And the deck building in Rococo Deluxe is amazing ( no shuffling of cards but you can choose).
Tyrants of the Underdark is a very underrated deck building game.
Yes and no. I used to like it, but the production is so crappy especially that of the new edition and it would need some more variability of the board setup. Also, the card designs and half-decks could be done better. And The 'tuck-away mechanism' isn't that great. As far as I know the insert still doesn't support sleeved cards. It's a bit of a nightmare. It needs a major overhaul with love.
@@andrethannhauser6302 - Fair point. It’s just my subjective perception because I rarely hear any reviewer sing its praises but this is a skewed perspective now that you bring it to light. And to your point with nearly 8000 ratings…..it seems to be quite well received at 160.
@@andrethannhauser6302 I also think its underrated in that no one ever really talks about it. I think I enjoy it more than any other game they mentioned in this list as far as deck builders go.
I know it's not perfect, but there is a special place in my heart for DC Deck-Building Game.
Agreed, it was first introduction into deck building and was instantly hooked, and played it a ton.
Since co-ops were mentioned a few times: Xenoshyft! I like the game arc, and I like the mechanism of being able to play cards onto other player's boards to get the cards into their deck.
If you like small quirky deck builders, give Flip City a try. It combines with push your luck nicely, and it has 2 different win condions and seems to be about the right game length.
Thunderstone Quest is my favorite. I have so much fun I don't even care if I win. The feeling of leveling up heroes and equipping them with weapons and getting treasure is just so good. Has such a cool feel while still being a straight deck builder
I agree. This is not only my favorite deck builder but my favorite game. Love it.
Imperium: Classics and Legends are a massive pain to learn, but once I got my phd in the rules, it is easily one of my favourite pure deck builders. Domonion for the simplicity, Imperium for the complexity.
I like Dune and Arnak well enough, but if I had to say what percentage of my time was spent thinking about the deckbuilding in either vs the other elements of the game, both are at less than 10 percent, so i would not really include them
This is a great one, but I haven’t gotten it to the table frequently enough, so I keep having to relearn it, which is such a pain lol.
I bought Imperium both versions from an auction. I never made it past the rulebook on a 1 player game. Sold the pair. Made good money on it though.
The gulf of music knowledge that exists between Chris and Tom is one of my favorite things of all time.
Nice to see Siege of Runedar getting some love, it's a really fun co-op game and the deck building feels unique, when you get a new card you have to get rid of an old card, so your deck is always the same size.
I have to say I'm with Zee. Pure deck builders don't do much for me, but as an element of larger games? Love it.
Top 3 would probably be Dune, Lost Ruins if Arnak, and Endless Winter.
Though I've not played a lot of the ones listed.
Maaaaaaan!! Nobody EVER talks about Dale of Merchants, but it has been on my Wishlist since I first fell back into the boardgame hobby (You know, after a childhood of Sorry, Monopoly, and Catan, when you reach your 20s & realize that there is a whole world of boardgames unknown to the general population)
This is my personal favorite from my library and from deckbuilders ive managed to play.
Y’all need to give Arctic Scavengers another spin. The skirmish phase still shines on as an extremely unique mechanism to this day. Also extremely theme rich… something deckbuilding games STILL struggle with so many years later.
Arctic Scavengers: The ORIGINAL deckbuilder. Don't let Dominion fans lead you astray.
Great list! Summer Camp is probably my favourite. Great theme, awesome race, and pretty light and quick.
I recently just started seeing Arnak more as a deck builder and my scores have indeed gone up. 🎉
My Top 10 Deck-Building Games:
1. Legendary Marvel
2. Codex: Card-Time Strategy (surprised this wasn't on Tom's list)
3. Lost Ruins of Arnak
4. Eternal Chronicles of the Throne (HUGELY underrated)
5. Masters of Mutanite
6. Dungeon Alliance
7. Clank!
8. Path of Light and Shadow
9. Shards of Infinity
10. Tea Dragon Society (great intro game)
So, I’ve given myself some time to try to get used to the new seating arrangement. But, You guys sitting in a “living room” feels weird. Bring the game table back. You guys will have some place to put your clipboards, drinks, hands. You can sit more comfortably. Everything else is great, just slide the table back up to the chairs. You guys just don’t look as comfortable.❤
I must be the only in the world that like deck building games (Star Realms is my favorite) but can't stand Dominion. It really bores me to death
Nope. I totally agree 😅
I despise dominion. I will leave a gaming day if dominion is being played.
Star Wars The Deckbuilding Game is getting a lot of love in our family. Yes the theme and artwork is perfect, but it’s the Force mechanic combined with the ability to attack enemy cards in the market row (galaxy row) with units plus Capital Ships protecting a series of “final boss” bases?! What?! Yes please, give us all the expansions, so good!
Very surprised Baseball Highlights 2045 didn’t make a list. I am aghast that that my #1 Deck Building game didn’t make a single list, Tyrants of the Underdark. Dudes on a map where gameplay is driven by deck building, c’mon!
Every time Tom comments about Aeons End I feel like he’s playing a different game than me. I don’t feel like the game is very difficult to play well, my young son has enjoyed it as well and he does NOT play heavy games or anything. It’s also normally pretty easy to discard your cards, it’s typically just discard the card that gets more ether first or the spell that does more damage. If anything it’s a game I play less because it’s too simple personally.
Wide variance based on player count. 2p it’s pretty easy. 4p it’s actually pretty tough
As much as the theme of the game is a little bit tough to digest, KamiGami Battles is one of my favourite Deckbuilders, specifically for the chaining mechanic, but i also just love a good combat/duel deckbuilder.
Ruff Ghanor was just launched yesterday. Very cool story, great graphics and amazing gameplay.
Dune Imperium is such a great game, top 5 all time for me. I do tend to like Deck Building as a mechanism within a bigger game, rather than the deck building being most of the game. Dominion is a weird one for me, where it’s obviously a classic, but I just can’t seem to muster any interest in it. It just looks so drab to me, but who knows, maybe if I gave it a try it’d surprise me.
I feel the same way about Dominion. It's so ugly and I have zero interest in trying it. I'm probably wrong, but if I were ever to play it over Clank!, Quest for El Dorado, or Dune Imperium, it would take someone else really wanting to play it and introduce it to me.
I expected to not like Baseball Highlights (and it has such a stupid name), but what constantly impresses me about it is how so many games end up coming down to extra innings. The feeling of pulling it off against your opponent in Game 7 in extras is such a fantastic way to end a game.
Shards of Infinity was the first deck builder I ever played and honestly I’m kind of sad that I started off on such a high note because to me there is nowhere left to go. Cannot recommend it enough
The single best pure deck builder out there!
Shards of Infinity has a "saga collection" coming to Kickstarter this summer (they're aiming for late June or early July) that will have a sort of remastered version of all the game content, all at once.
Yeah, now that I have almost everything... 😞
@@markusbiewer2756 I feel you. I have literally everything now and JUST purchased a nice box to hold it all (not themed to the game or anything). And they are revamping, so there's a lot of hints from the team on social media that an upgrade pack might not exist, given the extent of the tweaks to the game.
I love Undaunted. I also love that they now have solo modules for all of the scenarios for Normandy and North Africa. So well done.
My personal favorite from ones i've played and in my library is Dale of Merchants.
Another interesting one I discovered in a game shop library is Choosing Sides , I thought the combo mechanism it uses is very interesting.
I'd love to see this same list made by Mike, Joey and Roy... just saying!
Pretty sure Mike explicitly dislikes deck building as a main mechanism 😂
Aeon's End for me. :)
I would love a top 10 dominion expansion list!
So many amazing deck builders not included. Tyrants Of The Underdark, Venom Assault, Arctic Scavengers, Marvel Legendary, GI Joe Deck Building.
Xenoshyft and Tyrants of the Underdark. Nightfall with expansions as well. Splendid Deckbuilders.
I don’t think I’ve even played 10 deckbuilders, but I absolutely love the ones I do have. My ranking would probably go dominion, clank!, dune imperium, marvel legendary, lotr fellowship of the ring deck building game
Friedemann Friese’s Friday is a great deck building game.
Where's Mage Knight?! It's really strange to me that it didn't show up at all. Did it even get a mention? (nevermind, it gets mentioned) It's probably the heaviest deck building and exploration game ever made with different Clix figure mages, some innovative mechanisms for combat, and a ton of content. Every action you take in that game is driven by card play from the deck you're building.
Personally, I don't feel I'm building a deck in MK.
It has more of an rpg feel to it, character development, than deck building.
You cannot transform your deck easily* , you mainly spice it up, evolve it.
Best card came for me, but not top10 in deck building.
*iirc only 1-2 cards allow you to completely change it if you want.
Because it not a deck building game at all...
I just bought Stalingrad as my first undaunted game. I'm loving it. So if you haven't played undaunted don't let the size and campaign of Stalingrad scare you off. It can be your first choice.
On deck builder that I like a lot but is really a hidden gem is Battle for Greyport. Take a look at it, it's really good :)
Heart of Crown is one of my favourites. It is from Japanime, so Tom dismisses it, but in this case he should not. Back a princess and build support. Great pure deckbuilder.
Litereally the best deckbuilder. Toms hate is massively unjustified
I don't hate Japanime games (there are a few I enjoy!). But I really dislike most of their themes.
I also agree with Heart of Crown. It’s my personal favorite deck builder, but people will always pass on it because of the theme. I’ve never had anyone hate it after playing and they usually end up loving it.
Definitely a good one as is Core Worlds and For Glory
Not liking the themes of Japanine games is very far from an unjustified reason.
Star wars Deck Building game has 4 players rules in the box but you need 2 versions of the game. I hear its really good but i need to investigate further
I have a lot of Deckbuilding games. Rune Stones is one of my favorites but it doesn't seem to get much love.
Played it just last week. Really enjoy Runestones.
I love deck builders! Many of these are in my top 10. I also love Harry Potter and Tea Dragons
Baseball highlights 2045 and hero realms (especially with the solo campaigns) are 2 of my favorites that I don’t really see getting much love.
Yeah BH2045 is the best 2p one. Yes even over Star Wars - the gameplay is BH2045 is about 10x more fun than in Star Wars
I wish they would reprint Baseball Highlights 2045. I can't seem to find it anywhere.
@@mikemudrow Noble Knight games is prob the best site to get it from. Shipping though
Love deckbuilding, love Dice tower -> Insta video like
Thanks for the video!!
Can't believe Star Realms didn't make the top 10. Lots of good expansion, including different ways to play.
Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade getting some recognition, yes! One of my fave deck builders
Just also noticed they used my picture for it from BGG, hehe. It is such a good game and criminally overlooked. Glad there's an expansion in the works!
Zee´s reaction to Tom´s "rules" was awesome! 🤣
I have the cowboy bebop game Chris. Bought it because of the show (my number 1 anime of all time) but it actually IS a good game!
Chris' pick of cowboy Bebop really surprised me. I don't ever hear people talk about that game. I have it surprisingly. I bought it back when it came out. My biggest complaint is the card quality is very poor. After a couple of plays the cards got kind of sticky. Definitely cards you need to sleeve to get several plays out of them. I'm more surprised by it than anything. There are dozens of better Deck builders out there but it's still a solid game especially if you like cowboy Bebop.
As a fellow Bebop fan I really appreciate that Chris put Space Serenade on this list. I've only tried it on Tabletopia but would like to get this at some point; I do think 10 is appropriate but as many franchise games aren't great this seems better by comparison.
Summer Camp is a streamlined (but good) deck builder, but I think Flip City is even more streamlined.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but one of the reasons I own Flip City is as an entry level teaching tool for the deck building genre. Would I start people with Summer Camp now? Probably. 😊
I'm a little surprised nobody mentioned Tyrants of the Underdark or Taverns of Tiefenthal. They're both fantastic games that would make my top 10 deck builders.
Is taverns of tiefenthal a deck-building game? 🤔
It is. If Arnak and Endless winter are deckbuilders....so is Taverns. It's just combined with push your luck
@@daanrousseau7845 Thanks, I did not know that. Ill check it out!
1:19:44 What card did Tom mean by the "blind pirates"? Couldn't find anything on google but i'm curious to see what's it like 😄
Deck building games were initially thought to solve the problem of how to create a CCG in a box. Unfortunately there hasnt been one to come close to this experience. Puzzle Strike tries to incorporate head to head interaction which gets it close to a solution. Another issue is the constant hand shuffling limits long term planning which is a big part of CCGs (hand management). I personally believe that actual solution is NOT to combine the gameplay elements, but rather to separate them into 2 game phases. Phase 1 is the deck building phase where the players deck is created. The 2nd phase is where the decks are then used in head to head battle.
a small correction about shards of infinity , it has 3 expansions not 2, and when you combine all three the game is an absolute masterpiece!
Every time deck builders are mentioned, someone will always say Android, Arkham Horror or Magic the Gathering. And I die a little inside. I'm so glad you spelt it out to avoid any confusion.
Yes, deck construction should be considered a separate mechanism.
@@TorIverWilhelmsenIt is. A lot of people just aren't aware of it.
Can confirm that Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade is real.
I only played it once but had a lot of fun from what I remember (and being the deck building fan of my group, won)
We had a board game tournament at my house where after each game my kid and I rated the game. March madness style the higher score moved on. Dominion did okay but was beat by 4 other deck building games. Our winner was a deck builder, Star Realm. Surprised it did not make it on any lists. Too basic for them???
A pair of Cryptozoic made it pretty far: Penny Arcade and Rick and Morty (which to play with kids I had to remove 4 of the location cards from the game).
I'm surprised Tom didn't even mention "Core Worlds" - I remember him loving this game.
For me Heart of Crown replaced Dominion in my collection. It does everything Dominion does in a fraction of the shelf space.
Surprised Eminent Domain wasn't on Tom's list. The Harry Potter co-op game is fun, as is the 2-player version of it. And I love the Cryptozoic game: The Hobbit and DC Deckbuilder.
Dominion is my #1 game (not just deckbuilder) of all time by a lot, and I hope they keep pumping out the expansions.
I had the reverse experience to Chris when I first played Dune Imperium. I thought it was trying to do too much, and ending up a jack of all trades as a result, master of none. But man was I wrong! One more play and I was hooked!
I just noticed I have only 4 deck building games in my collection.
Clank in Space
Dune Imperium
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
I would have a hard time to find 10 deck building games that I like enough to put into my TOP10 list. 3-4 spots would stay empty and #10 would be Dominion as an honorable mention because it basically started the genre. :D
Valley of the Kings CAN and IS mean as it is advantageous to destroy things in the pyramid so that other people can’t complete their sets.
tyrants of the underdark is pretty good. Somehow it just never gets mentioned.
I mentioned it!
Zee you try a lot of button shy games. Try “at the helm”! It’s a deck building game with 13 cards but you will love it!!!
Chris Yi, starting off strong with the love for Cowboy Bebop Space Serenade! Love that game - stays in my top ten of all games (#9, currently), along with Hardback (#8) and Legendary Marvel (#4). Definitely helps to be a fan of the anime because the theme is so well done, but I also think the game plays very well.
Shadowrun crossfire is a great deck builder that’s always overlooked
I loved that Stall out interaction 😊
I guess Eminent Domain is getting buried in the past XD. I'm surprised the Hunger get so little love.. we always crack up when someone fails to make it back in time bc they ate too many humans, it's kind of like when you esplode in Galaxy Trucker. Surprised Fort doesn't get the love. Surprised Monumental gets so high but Imperium's too complex? Glad someone finally mentioned Trains lol. Finally gotta give shoutouts to Ruthless, Seize the Bean, Gate, Flip City, and Rune Stones!
I love how y’all can rattle off game after game that influenced others. I could see there being a series of videos on the history of games by type/genre/mechanism.
Tyrants of the Underdark is a very good choice! A deck builder / area control «War Game». In our gaming group, Tyrants or Dune is often chosen when playing this type of games. 👌
I just want to thank you guys for at least including some deck building in your deck building games list. =P. Don't mind me i'm just salty that GI Joe didn't show up.
GI Joe is really great, and would probably make my top ten, but it's hampered by the rulebook and Renegade has yet to put out any kind of updated rules or even a FAQ.
@@msltoh Yeah and they said that. But it just seems like I keep hearing the same games being mentioned over and over. What's the point of focusing on a genera? If half the games are just the same top ten lists anyways. The funny thing is I knew that going in but still watched the video anyways.
I was always under the impression that Zee was just good at finding obscure games no one else on earth ever heard of. Now, I just think Zee is making stuff up and these games don't even exist. :P
Don’t you mean Chris with Cowboy Bebop😂
As much as I love Deck Building Games. I'm surprised how many of these I've not tried.
I do enjoy the Hunger, but that has to do with that I see it as a racing game with deck building. However my favourite is the Resident Evil games.
Tanto Cuore and Kanzume Battles are two quite fun deck builders from japanime. So you shut your mouth Mr Vasel 😉
Fort is also a light one. This was a fun watch now I need to go hunting a bit for some of these titles. Especially Undaunted!
I haven't played very many, but Millennium Blades is pretty fun.
Not a deck building game. Not even close.
I expected Clank! higher and on more lists however, watching this TOP makes me want to play ~80% of those games (I haven't heard of ~half of them, adding to at least to-watch-review list and then maybe to-play list).
Interesting one! Thanks for the List!
I'm sure the Tim Fowers Word Games, Paperback and Hardback would be in Tom's Top 20. I would have put it in my Top 10 for how unique this one is. I love word games and deck building games and the combination is perfect.
I hear everyone saying that paperback is mainly a solo game.
@@Exozik "Everyone" is wrong.
@@chuckm1961 Nice to hear that! By everyone I meant the 'Best At - X player(s)' on bgg and reviewers I heard talking about it. What is your preferred player count?
@@ExozikI enjoy the concept of Paperback, but it ends up being a little too long…and even longer with more players. With the new edition coming it sounds like there are rules for a quicker game, so that would be great.
Love paperback
Quacks of Quedlingberg is more of a deckbuilder than century lmao. I do love it, it's a great builder, but it has only a hand and a discard, it has no deck.
Shadowrun Crossfire is a good cooperative deck builder.
Twisted Fables, deck building meets fighting game. Fast, interesting gameplay.
It's hard to beat Dominion, since it's got so many options and endless different deck combos to play it with. Some suck, but with a random deck generator app, this game is always awesome to play.
Sucks to try to keep up with a complete set though lol
But totally worth it IMO
How is DC Deck Building not on their list? They have so many different sets. It's much better than the Marvel Legendary.
I agree with Dominion at #1. I can't say I really care for the Ascension/Marvel Legendary-style market most deckbuilders have these days, it sounds cool but in practice it's just not as strategic.
A problem for me with deckbuilders is that they seemed like the default mechanic for IP cash grabs for a while. It put me off the genre for a while, so there are a number of titles I maybe ought to try. My Sister-in-Law and Nephew love Star Realms so I'm probably going to end up trying some more eventually
Not surprised about Dominion. It’s a classic and is where most modern deck builders are based from. Such a soooliddd game. Great choice!!! Also, I am not surprised about how high Dune Imperium is. One of my all time favorite games as well ☺️😌😌
I love Dominion, but two years ago all content creators kept saying there were better deckbuilders out there, including Tom. But here we are.
Hey, I'll accept this if true, but I don't remember saying it. Do you remember where/when I said this?
@@thedicetower I started my board game hobby at the end of the pandemic. One of the first games I got was Dominion. Since I really got into the hobby, I watched lots of YT with people taling about their fav games. I'm pretty sure it was the guys from NRB and you (separate videos of course) talking about game genres and when Dominion came up, it was praised by both but it was quite old and 'there were better deckbuilders out there since'. I saddened me a bit since I got a fresh copy of the 2nd edition a month earlier. ;) But I might be mistaken about you, I've searched to my viewing history and could not find it within 30 minutes...
@@thedicetower Got it: th-cam.com/video/D85rIfWjM7k/w-d-xo.html
@@nkesteren Ah. So I said there might be some I like more than Dominion. And as the years gone by, it's quite possible - Dune Imperium, etc. but Dominion just keeps rising to the top.
Cant believe noone mentioned RUNE AGE, it has the best PvP combat mechanism ive seen in a deckbuilder, each faction feels unique and thematic, there are multiple modes to play (coop, race, PvP, 1vAll), amazing art. Granted, you need the expansion... and its criminal it only had 1 expansion 😞😓😩
Yes! I completely agree with this - with the expansion you have so many options for variable setup, especially since the player factions are so different from each other. The player vs player fights are always tense and exciting. Truly a gem of a game!
I don’t consider Resist! a deck builder, but it’s a cool solo game for sure
Dune Imperium and Arnak are great. I really enjoy Paperback.
Resist! Love that game
Core Worlds with its first expansion is still a 10 for me.
That was my number 11.
@@thedicetower holds up remarkably well after...more than a decade?
Love Century Golem Zee! Haha.
Really surprised moonrakers wasn't on this list at all. I love it. Greate sitting on the edge of your seat deckbuilder. I think I like it more than Dominion.
it's not really a deckbuilder as much as it is a game with deck building elements in it. it's almost more a bluffing/ social game.
Draconis invasion and vikings gone wild are 2 not mentioned that are fantastic