While Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering – arguably two of the biggest names in digital CCGs (collectable card games) – continue to pass Nintendo Switch by, the genre's growth in the mobile market has seen plenty of other alternatives see the potential of making the jump to Ninty's hybrid hardware. British studio PlayFusion has already brought Lightseekers to the platform – complete with the functionality to scan physical cards into the game – and now it's doing the same with its latest project, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions.
With Games Workshop pumping out licensed tie-ins to its Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 universes at an alarmingly fast rate (there are two coming to Switch next month alone), the consistency in quality running through them has dipped as often as it's peaked. However, Champions can confidently place itself among the better uses of Warhammer's revitalised fantasy world, presenting a distinctly different CCG that attempts to set itself apart from those bigger names with some alternative ideas.
Rather than choosing a single hero and building a deck around their key qualities, Champions takes cues from the unit-focused battles of the tabletop game and splits each side of the battlefield into four channels. You assign a champion to each channel and it's through these characters that you'll play certain cards. For instance, only wizards can cast spells so having at least one in play is vital if you want a magical edge in effect. Each champion also has a certain lane in which they're most effective, and you'll find certain ones match up better or worse against others.
To add more of an RPG approach, each champion goes into battle with their own unique set of objectives. Think of these as mini-quests that need to be completed in order to make their card shift and activate the next challenge (and eventually unleash a powerful blessing). It might be activating a certain buff or playing a particular unit. With only two moves per turn (there’s no mana here, so every game has a more level playing field from the start) you’ll need to balance champions being engaged with another unit in play, planning for upcoming objectives, countering your opponent’s champion and more. As a result, games can be a little slower, but they can often be considerably more satisfying for those who’re tired of the classic rules of Magic and the like.
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is currently one of the biggest trading card games out there today, and the versions on iOS and Android have proved just as popular with mobile and PC players. So much so that we now have this Nintendo Switch version, which features full cross-play compatibility with those smartphone editions. It’s an important feature as it means Switch adopters have a full and competitive community of players to battle, rather than relying purely on servers designed for a single platform.
Of course, the downside of moving away from smartphones and PC is the lack of consistent data coverage. If you are planning to take the battle online – and this is where Champions is at its best, including the new Arena of Echoes mode which adds in extra stipulations and greater rewards – then you will need access to a decent Wi-Fi connection. Unfortunately, you’ll need to have consistent access to Wi-Fi to access any other mode – even deck building and solo play. The addition of new modes such as the increased challenge of the Realm Trials give players plenty to enjoy, you just need a constant connection if you want to enjoy them.
This is a free-to-play the game in the age of Fortnite so there has to be something in play to make money for its developers. You can play through the solo content and unlock cards, and level up to earn even more, but with the premium Champions Pass you’ll get a ‘free’ card every day, enjoy increased XP and more. We found it easy to build a competitive deck by earning them through play, so those paying for the Pass simply have access to a little more variety at a faster pace. You can also scan physical cards into the game to access them digitally, but you’ll need to do this via the smartphone or web versions. Thankfully, all accounts across mobile, PC and Switch are unified so you’ll be able to import cards from other versions to use on your Switch.
Conclusion
In the highly competitive world of CCGs, PlayFusion has taken one of the biggest fantasy licences and seamlessly melded it with a card battling system that's both easy to grasp and different enough to set itself apart from its contemporaries. With the addition of extra modes, including the Arena of Echoes and Realm Trials, and the option to scan in cards from your physical deck, there's a deep and customisable experience that's ideal for genre veterans. Joy-Con controls work well enough – enabling you to play in docked mode – but it's at its best when played intimately in handheld mode with the touchscreen. The need for a constant internet connection will irk some, but for those that are willing to be tethered to Wi-Fi, PlayFusion has served up a fine rival to the likes of Hearthstone.
Comments 23
Yeah, but when is game of the year solitare being ported?
Meh... give me Hearthstone on Switch Blizzard!
Where is my hearthstone!!
Oh look it is yet another Hearthstone ripoff "free2play" game full of micro-transactions and pay2win.
Honestly I never saw what the appeal was with these games in the first place, but most of them seem to be like gambling.
Rather have Magic the Gathering.
I'm surprised we don't have Gwent on Switch.
MTG Arena and Hearthstone are enough for me. Seems cool though.
Yikes. Online connection required. Kinda kills the portable play.
I understand certain modes requiring online, like Mortal Kombat X1 which has 2 modes that need it, but that game still lets you pay Klassic Tower and Story mode offline.
You can just play Hearthstone at home or on the GO via BattleNet on hardware just about everyone under the sun already has. Not sure why bother with a Mobile clone now on Switch.
Not my type of card game. We need Slay the Spire. Monster Slayers will keep me going until then though.
I still want Yu-Gi-Oh
I like war hammer AoS the table top game is i will get this and see how it is.
I'm more of a 40K type of guy, but I do like Games Workshop.
I might settle for this if Yu-Gi-Oh doesn't get localized.
Title comes off kind of cheap because Hearthstone crushes this and most of its competition for good reason.
It's like saying you don't need Super Mario Bros because you have Commander Keen as a platformer. Commander Keen might be great, but it doesn't hold a candle to Mario.
Still much prefer Hearthstone or Magic. In that order. Or, you know, Pokemon!
Gwent please!
I’m always up for another ccg especially with the Warhammer license.
Hearthstone and Pokémon are free to start and are enjoyable without spending a dime. I’ve got mine on both my iPad and laptop. MTG is the tcg experience but you might want to pony up for a theme deck to get started.
IRL Star Wars Destiny is fantastic. 😃👍
I downloaded this.....because free.
They showed me a playing field with a million things going on and then proceeded to give me a text based tutorial.
/Delete
Going to have to put in a lot more effort than a cheap text popup to teach me your game. Especially considering it's f2p and will eventually ask for your credit card.
Next!
@Reignmaker I dont agree with you here. The only reason Hearthstone is that more popular is just simply because its way too casual. This title however is a lot more complex and requires a lot more strategy to it which makes it more fun for me but its off putting for casuals that do enjoy the simplicity of hearthstone
@Vepra I completely agree with you, it’s one of the most tactical CCG’s I’ve played and far from being a Hearthstone clone. It’s also be no means pay to win, the 4 starter decks are very well constructed and contain a few of the “essential” cards, also within your first few dozen games it throws card packs at you far more than Hearthstone ever has so have plenty of cards to adjust those starter decks and make them more personal. Apart from the gameplay and theme (both of which a perfect for me) the one thing that pushed this above most other CCGs is being able to scan physical cards in to the game, being able to purchase cards and have a digital equivalent is huge, I can build a deck home then before playing it against a friend or at a store I can test that same online without having to purchase additional cards. Also as with most digital items the physical cards are much cheaper so no need to ever use IAP.
Warhammer Champions is incredible, and it sucks that people will pass it off because of the art or other superficial reasons. I don't even like Warhammer but this is one of the highest quality TCGs out there.
Downloaded the game a while ago and currently playing it. It's simply one of the best card game out there, only second to Magic in my opinion! Gameplay is very different from Magic, with a very strategic declination, it's fast to play and illustrations are wonderful.
There is no pay-to-win here, just play the solo campaign, collect cards and build your desired decks, then challenge online opponents or friends
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