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I've really got back into trading card games over the past year with the kids from classic oop games like 7th Sea and Highlander to lorcana, star wars unlimited and even some mtg! But having got some starters and boosters for Altered TCG, we have been simply blown away by it. It's a long time since I've come across a card game with such unique mechanics and distribution.
All of the cards have a qr code. Not only can you scan and store your collection on the app, you can play with it on BGA - and even trade both physically and digitally. That's a little bit genius. There are no shiny cards in boosters, instead, there's random Foiler cards - scan them, pick one of your existing cards, and you'll be able to order a foil version direct.
There are basically 3 rarities, but all cards come in all 3. Commons are the mainstay of your 39 card deck. Rare versions (3 per booster) are either better or switched into a different colour, with changes in gold text and alt art BUT but you can only include 15 in your deck - so hard choices, and much less of a money game - how very improbable.
And then, 1 in 8 boosters will contain a Unique. And they ARE truly unique. Some are good, some are great, all are weird. But because of the game’s semi digital nature, Unique cards can only be scanned once, and then you have aversion of the card that noone else in the world has. This means the meta is always slightly unpredictable, and you'll never encounter the same deck twice, which counters to some extent net decking and the lack of the sheer joy of pulling, or seeing, a card you've never encountered before.
Some elements are very familiar: 6 different colours factions, each with distinct play styles - ramp, control, direct removal etc. - with the deck style governed by one of 3 faction heroes and their companion, which also makes deckbuilding really intuitive. Even then one faction (Lyra) is largely based on dice rolls - not my thing, but a lot of fun if you like to play the odd - themed around music and magic (and Santa, in the new set), whilst Axiom is Steampunk ramp, Ordis token swarming bureaucracy (very retro White), Mura forest growth, Bravos rush Djinn and Oni, Yzmir slow build interference - and, interestingly, going 2nd. Very counterintuitive to regular tcg playing.
That's because at it's heart, Altered TCG is a euro game. It's not about combat, ever. It's about a journey. Each turn you assign your characters to one of 2 Expeditions, exploring the Tumult - a face down board of locations that gradually reveals. You advance by having the highest matching stats (forest, mountain or lake), and aim for your two Expeditions to meet!
Decks are tight- mono 39 in constructed, 3 colour 30 in sealed/draft. The game uses familiar mana / resource mechanics of MTG, SWU, Lorcana etc: from your opening hand of 6, 3 are placed facedown as resources to begin, with you drawing 2 cards and resourcing 1 on subsequent turns. These resources are used for characters on your Expeditions, equipment to help them, landmarks to give you longer term advantages, or spells to help (or hinder). Cards will often trigger effects when played from hand, but may also do so when Reserved, which is another interesting element of the game: after they have first joined an Expedition, up to 2 cards go into your Reserve area, and can be played one more time before being discarded, often with different costs and effects (for better or worse).
This is an extraordinary game. It integrates a wealth of mechanics with a streamlined app experience and rich, unpredictable meta. You know a game is good when after a single play we go get the starters we don't own. But the game is reasonably priced, with no IP premium, and there's already a vibrant online community trading securely through the app. Oh dear, we seem to be hooked. Like the sound of it? Well you can print and play all 6 starters for free! Head over to Altered.gg to try - but trust me, you'll be hooked!
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