Numbers fly fast and often in Hero Realms: only four turns in, you might have the chance to deal ten points of damage in just one round. Hero Realms is at its best when you first see that fifteen or twenty point swing of damage fly across the table, and when that happens only a few rounds into the game. It helps that the reward is crushing your enemies, and driving them before you. This is a game all about making combinations that work, and rewarding you for your effort. This works right alongside how the right cards together already synergize: collecting multiple green cards can help you force your opponents to discard their hand, while several yellow cards become stronger by how many champions you have in play. These champions also trigger ally abilities, helping cause even more chain reactions. There are also champions, which are cards that can stay out turn after turn to repeat their effects, or at least deflect damage from you to them. This can be anything from card draw to extra cash, or just a heaping amount of new damage. This is in part because of the ally ability which White Wizard bases their games on: if you already are playing a red card during your turn, playing another will allow both cards to use a secondary ability they have listed. The point isn’t to collect points, but cards that will inflict as much damage as possible.Īlmost every card you can collect feels incredibly powerful, and that’s because most have ways to chain to become even stronger. Hero Realms gives each player 50 life points, and expects you to make sure your opponent(s) will end up with zero. Typically, deck-builders have you interact minimally with your opponents, instead focusing on an abstract goal of victory points to measure success by. Hero Realms (and its predecessor) twist the formula to make the format more aggressive. Everyone’s deck is going to have some great cards, but if you are able to take advantage of your cards more reliably than others, you have a massive advantage. Deck-building hinges on the concept of creating synergy: purchasing the right cards that work well together to get stronger benefits. There is a center row where you (and everyone else) can purchase new cards, with the hope of improving your deck faster than your opponents to win. The Gameplay: Deck-Building For MurderĪnyone that has played a deck-building game will be familiar with the formula: you start off with a deck of ten cards, which is mostly made up of starter economy cards. Sometimes, games that are made to be hybrids feel flat, but Hero Realms does not: if anything, its aggressive and speedy combat is sometimes faster than the players can keep up with. A spiritual sequel, this high-fantasy themed card game combines the dueling of Magic: The Gathering with the deck building style of Ascension. They made a game that was inexpensive, easily accessible, and fun to play.Īfter a break working on other projects, White Wizard is back to take their second pass on their flagship idea in the form of Hero Realms. When they first created Star Realms, their first card game, it was a surprise success it took the deck-building genre and made it more direct and confrontational. White Wizard games is a company that did what all good companies do: find a hole in an established market, and fill it.

Hero realms print and play