Summary
Deck builders are great for gamers looking to test and build their strategic minds. In deck builders, players must not only build their decks with cards that synergize, but they must also know how to perfectly execute their chosen strategy. While many deck builders exist that pit players against other players - both virtually and in the real world - there are also many great games that allow players to take on AI enemies with their decks and even adventure through enthralling stories!
PvE deck builders offer all the fun of traditional andpopular digital card gamesby allowing players to build decks and execute their unique strategies without the stress of facing another player who has min-maxed their deck to an unbeatable state. Luckily, game developers have noticed the potential of this genre and given fans many unique twists on the gameplay.
Space Cowboy RPG With Social And Combat Decks
Griftlands
Griftlands is a deck-building rogue-like where you fight and negotiate your way through a broken-down sci-fi world. Every decision is important, be it the jobs you take, the friends you make, or the cards you collect. Death comes quickly, but each play offers new situations and strategies to explore.Play as Sal, Rook, or Smith. Three unique character campaigns with their own specialized decks, abilities and maps to explore. Sal is an adventurer out for profit and revenge. Rook is an aging spy working his own agenda. Smith is an idle loafer who might just save the world. Each playable character’s story takes place in a unique environment, with different factions and locations to explore and exploit.Hire mercenaries, find pets, or impose upon your friends to accomplish your goals. Each character has unique negotiation and combat decks to draft from. Get powerful item cards from fallen foes, or as rewards. Test your combat decks against powerful foes with unique mechanics and attacks. Overcome obstacles with the power of your fists - or your words. You’ll need to pick your cards and play them right if you’re going to survive. Build two decks simultaneously, balancing the tradeoffs of each.
Griftlandsputs players in the shoes of classic space rogues and gives them two decks to build and use. One deck for dialogue checks and persuasion and one deck for combat when that doesn’t work!
Being able to choose from three different characters and experience three different stories with their own branching lines and strategies makesGriftlandsan experience that will stick. WhileGriftlandsis technically a roguelike, with how long the runs last, tagged with a heavy story emphasis, it feels more like a traditional RPG with deck-building mechanics. It’s justlacking the traditional medieval setting of traditional RPGs.
Inscryptionis an eery and dark roguelike game that takes a lot of inspiration from titans in the genre likeSlay The Spireand evenHearthstone.Inscryptionpits players against enemies with a deck of monster cards and items that they must use to impress the dark, mysterious entity watching over them.
Like most modern deck builders,Inscryptionadds its own flair to the genre. Ripping out a tooth to deal damage to the opponent and sacrificing a squirrel to summon a strange larva that will eventually turn into Mothman are just a couple of the creepy plays players can expect to make during a run ofInscryption.
Across The Obeliskis one of thebest strategy card gameson the market due to the depth of its deck building andthe variety of its available classes. Players must form a team of four adventurers and build a deck for each one with unique cards.
Every class inAcross The Obeliskfeels unique and has many different build paths. Players can choose to be a single target, brute force bruiser or a DoT damage poison master safely tucked in the back line. What’s really great aboutAcross The Obeliskis that it can truly be enjoyed with friends or playing solo.
Monster Traintook the world by storm and quickly becameone of the best strategy gamesavailable, especially for players who enjoy deck-building and wave defense games. InMonster Train, players don’t simply face one set of enemies, they take on multiple layers of enemies in gameplay that’s somewhat reminiscent of tower defense games.
The clan and card combinations giveMonster Traina ton of replay value and make every run feel unique.Monster Trainis especially great for players who love min-maxing and building extremely broken decks that will reward them for their 4D chess playstyle.
Slay The Spireis the gold standard for both roguelikes and deck builders alike. The game is extremely addicting, and every class offers so many different viable builds and playstyles.Its vast mod libraryalso adds layers of replay value that cement its place as a titan of the genre.
Slay The Spireis easy to learn and hard to master. Players can hop onfor a quick run or spend hours trying to get the perfect discard deck, to deal 100+ damage with one card.