Cardboard Corner: Review of Ashes Reborn (aka Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn)

Note: This is purely a review of Ashes Reborn. I have not played the original Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn. and therefore cannot comment on the differences between the two, except to say that many people say Ashes Reborn is Ashes1.5. The rules are apparently the same, but card effects have been refined and better balanced.

It's been said before, and it's worth repeating to kick off this review: Magic: The Gathering is one of the largest inflection points in the tabletop games industry. Thirty years and counting, fresh content is still being released. The community and tournament system still exist. And with unique cards and rarity, the after market is literally a million-dollar industry. But it's not a perfect game. Obscure combos can destroy an opponent before they have effectively had a chance to play. The overly large decks combined with the randomness of card shuffle is an extremely strong factor in outcomes. And mana screw is a real thing. As a result, many games have since looked to put their own spin on dueling wizards but optimize the model to balance gameplay. One game which has done this extremely well yet in its own unique fashion is Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, now being printed as Ashes: Reborn (2021).

While technically playable 3-4 players, Ashes is essentially a two-player, PvP game that sees players talking on the roles of powerful phoenixborn (magic wielders) trying to reduce their opponent's life total to zero. Players choose a phoenixborn (of which there are six to choose from in the core box), build a deck of cards around it (spells, events, upgrades, etc.), and try to defeat their opponent by playing said cards over a series of phased rounds. At this high-level, the experience is certainly Magic-esque. A level deeper, however, shows what makes Ashes special.

First is definitively resources. No more mana screw, the resources needed to play actions, spells, creatures, etc., are not determined by card draw. Instead, each player has a pool of ten dice which they roll at the beginning of a round to determine resources available. Customized, the dice exist in three different classes (in matching colors) that allow players to supplement their phoenixborn in specific ways. Charm dice, for example, weaken your opponent's minions (natch). Ceremonial dice allow the player to summon minions from their discard pile—at a price, however.  Natural dice ping for one damage.  And so on. Cards specify the die faces (runes) needed to play the card, dice which in turn are spent like resources in other games to play cards. Dice being dice and not always coming up as desired, there are ways of manipulating them should the player roll poorly. Side actions allow a player to throw away one card to rotate one die to a desired face. Certain cards allow for similar manipulations.  Given higher class die faces can be spent as lower class, the dependency is not as restrictive as it may sound.  It's extremely rare for a game to be decided by a bad roll.

Another major point which sets Ashes apart is that players can choose their opening hand of five cards. No more hoping to draw that card which is critical to your plans. Instead, players start with the cards they want. And again, the dice are open to manipulation, which means players can be reasonably confident they will start the game on firm footing. While this does render the first round or two of a game semi-predictable, it also means players can get to the meat of the game faster on more even footing. Few people finish a game of Ashes thinking that non-determinism cheated them from victory.

And yet another key aspect is art. Comparing Magic art of yesteryear to today is like night and day. Magic art is now amazing compared to the high school scratchings of its early days. But it's still not as good as Ashes. Ashes is phenomenal. With white backgrounds and minimalist borders, there is “huge” space per card. The vibrancy of the colors, the usage of nature, the consistency of theme, and effective use of graphic design and formatting—this is one of the most beautiful card games I own--and that is saying a lot considering I own more than a dozen, and am familiar with many more. I simply cannot praise the art enough.

And the hits keep coming. Another great thing about Ashes compared to many other PvP expandable card games on the market is that it comes with six pre-constructed heroes playable out of the core box. A wide variety of experiences possible, there is no need for expansions or extra copies for a complete experience. If players do eventually find they want more, expansions have been packaged in a consumer-friendly way. Similar to Marvel Champions, Ashes Reborn's added content is based on hero packs. Players can read about a new release, decide if they like the hero, and buy it or not. That purchase will give them a new hero with pre-constructed deck, no need to hunt for cards. There is no rarity or randomness. And lastly, Ashes is now coming out with a PvE format ("Red Rains: Corpse of Viros") in which one or two players can tackle an enemy controlled by the game, cooperatively.

This review has been one long comparison to Magic, which is not fair. Ashes stands strongly on its own two feet. It's clear designers put significant time into giving players multiple paths to victory. Each of the core-box heroes feels unique and requires practice to pilot. Good decisions are rewarded, both long and short term. Theme comes through extremely well in the manner in which spells are played, then used to conjure.  The decks are tight with 95% of cards feeling useful. With maximum two actions per turn, gameplay is fast, bouncing quickly back and forth between the players. And perhaps most importantly, the playing field is tense and consequential.  It can be a loosey-gooset experience, but it's also a gamer's game where each decision and play matters.

Of all the 'dueling magicians' card games I own, Ashes Reborn is the one which best delivers that feeling.  Casting runes, spreading atavistic conjurations, the silent, knife-fight-in-a-phone-booth interactions, the decieving simplicity of design, the weight of each decision--I almost grow a beard and light a gnarled, wooden pipe each time I play. Sure, it follows in the footsteps of Magic: The Gathering.  Credit is due.  But the game offers its own, unique take that addresses Magic's issues to create an identity of its own with tighter gameplay.  The apprentice has become the master.  Whether or not Ashes is actually better will depend on the player/group, of course.  If you like such games, or have never tried such a game, Ashes Reborn offers an excellent experience worth a go or two or thousand.