Before getting our coffin nails out, let's give credit where credit is due: Magic: The Gathering is a monumental success. Firstly and singularly, it has the most superlatives of any expandable card game/trading card game/collectible card game/whatever you want to call the business model which sells randomized packs of cards at varying rarities, which in turn can be played in a duel with a friend within a ruleset that is expanded upon and toyed with by each new card released. Richard Garfield created Magic in 1994, and the gaming world literally has not been the same since. Magic has significant presence on the collector's market (let alone the trading card market) and has significant presence on the tables of numerous tournaments and millions of homes. Magic is the first, the biggest, the most successful, the longest lasting card game still producing fresh content on the market. Kudos and congrats to Wizards of the Coast, the game's producer, on this success. It. is. deserved.
But as of 2024, thirty years and counting since Magic's release, time and commercialism have caught up. Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of games which base themselves on Magic's model, some loosely and some closely, have emerged in that time. Like the student who overtakes the master, many of these games have learned from Magic's flaws and created fairer, richer, better gaming experiences. It's also important to observe that many of the games which iterate on Magic hold to an artistic vision. For decades, with its Dungeons-and-Dragons motif, Magic did also. But in the past couple of years Magic has significantly expanded its business model. One area is wildly alternate card formats. Another area is a digital client for online play; tournament tables and kitchen tables now have internal competition. Still another area is the addition of new IPs. Rather than a single game, Magic is now a game platform, a marketable engine on which other IPs, for example Warhammer, Transformers, Street Fighter, Fortnite, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, and others can put their characters, imagery, and iconic pieces, and yes, sell them. I think it's fair to say that the player experience used to be at the core of Magic. Making money seems to have taken over. In case you missed that, Magic has sold its soul. It's gone from unique game to marketable commodity. What happened to Star Wars after it was acquired by Disney is now happening to Magic...
I understand nobody wants to talk trash about Magic. It's the holy grail, and unkind words are heresy for people who love the game. I wholly understand. Thousands and thousands of people have put their blood, sweat, tears, not to mention thousands and thousands of dollars, into the game. If that is you, congrats on being passionate about something, truly. I mean zero disrespect to you or your interests. But do let me ask you this: If Magic were released in 2024, would it garner the same player base? Would it inevitably rise to the top where it has been for decades? I didn't think so. Sure, some people would enjoy it; every TCG that comes out these days finds a niche. But more people would be frustrated by its business model and simplicity. To be clear, the game system is simple. It's complexity is found in the growing encyclopedia of keywords that are steadily bolted onto the game with every new release cycle. Modern players would also be incredibly frustrated with the randomness of resource draws. It's round five and I have one mana! Did anybody test this game?!?! I have actually seen World Grand Finals of Magic decided on the fact one player could not draw the land they needed multiple rounds in a row. It was painful to watch. And the broken combos... Anybody see the final where a player had nothing to do so they stacked dice for their opponent while they comboed? The fact Magic's community had to come up with its own rules and formats to fix its flaws says a lot. Life support is another way of putting it. The bottom line is such game systems do not rise to the top in 2024. Designers learned. TCGs got better. Like a buggy video game, Magic would have been shredded if it were released today. Which leads to...
If Magic is the only game you've ever played, it's time to try something new. It's time to give credit where credit is due to Wizards of the Coast, but also call a spade a spade—to look around for other games, games which are just as fun (if not more fun) and whose artistic integrity is still intact. The myth surrounding Magic should exist, don't get me wrong. Passion should still be passion. But it should be in hindsight, like your grandpa who fought in WWII. Put a picture on the wall. Give it a bust in the Hall of Fame—hell, give Magic a whole wing in the Hall. But the actual game played on the table should no longer be lauded as “great” in the context of modern games. Too many flaws. Let's see what else there is today that's worth our time and money.
I offer for your consideration a short list of games that can easily replace Magic at the kitchen or game store table. They clean up rules to make things fair. They have undergone significant testing to avoid broken card combos and ensure economy is balanced and less non-deterministic. They offer their own, unique artistic vision. They have deeper, more sophisticated systems that don't rely as heavily on keywords. And most importantly, they are just as fun as Magic if not more. Gaming has come an immense way since 1994, and here are five games to show how far:
Ashes Reborn (aka Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn) – Rollin' the bones, Ashes replaces Magic's resource system with dice. Instead of random land cards, player's spells, creatures, etc. are paid for from a dice pool. At a small cost the dice can also be manipulated, meaning the player does not have to live with what they roll—as they do with a shuffled Magic deck. An extremely tight game, Ashes feels like a silent knife fight in a phone booth. As players are allowed to choose their starting five cards, games start smoother and on even playing field. The one drawback for potential players is that the game is not purely collectible; all releases are fixed. But don't let that stop you from trying it.
Star Wars Unlimited – This game combines a simple rule set with the Star Wars heroes, villains, droids, space ships, and lightsabers fans love. Play occurs across two battlefields (ground and space) with heroes and villains capable of epic actions. Accessible to children but with a decent amount of depth for adults, it's a good all 'rounder with fun art worth collecting.
Flesh and Blood – If there is a true Magic killer, then Flesh and Blood is it. A hero-centric battler set in a grimdark world, Flesh and Blood offers a nuanced rule set but balances itself across its heroes and “colors” markedly better than Magic. The resource system is fair and unstoppable combos that wipe the board are not possible. Due to this balance, the game has an incredible tournament scene. It's also worth noting that the publisher releases two versions of cards: one for collectors and one for players, meaning it won't cost an arm and a leg to get a competitive deck up and running but if you want to collect, you can.
Grand Archive – Don't be put off by the cutesy look; I'm not a fan of such Japanese anime, either. The game itself is great. On top of spells and allies, it fully embraces the idea of improving your hero. In rpg style, players upgrade through the course of a match, becoming more powerful and stronger. Grand Archive likewise offers a unique resource system with both risk and reward. With multiple play styles to dig into, it can have you coming back time and again to make something work. Grand Archive is starting to appear more often on people's radars, and like Flesh and Blood is organically building a devoted player base and tournament scene—many of whom are former Magic players.
Altered – This game abandons the standard card game ethos of: let's beat each other silly until only one is left standing. Instead, Altered offers a race, a race wherein players try to unite their hero and spirit tokens, through card play, from opposite sides of an expedition track. It's from the same company that made Dixit, Seasons, and other great games, but offers a surprising variety of card play in six lanes. Its business model starts with physical cards for collecting, but offers players the ability to sell and trade cards on a digital platform, something no game has ever offered before. (As of the writing of this article, Altered has yet to be released. It can be played on BGA or print-n-play as warm ups for physical release.)
And there are dozens and dozens more such games available on the market. I am not a fan of Disney's Lorcana (too simple), but for many people it would occupy the spot of Star Wars Unlimited, i.e. an accessible TCG with nice collectibility. Summoner Wars is another game to recommend, though its grid-based combat and lack of collectibility may hurt it for some. Summoner Wars recently saw release 2.0, which means it's available. Keyforge is literally a unique expandable card game. Every deck sold is different than the next. Keyforge struggles mightily with theme but works from the premise that decks are printed according to an algorithm, meaning you'll never see the same deck twice. If anything, the concept is intriguing. I have not played them, but there are also games like Sorcery, Alpha Clash, Runeslingers, Final Fantasy TCG, and Vanquished out there for people looking for something other than Magic. These look solid—games which have iterated on Magic in positive fashion. They may not be available in a year or so, so play them while you can.
And those are just live games, i.e. games actively being published and therefore more likely to be available online or playable at a game store near you. Beyond the live games there are dozens of extremely good dead games, i.e. games no longer in production but still available on the secondary market. That may only be the dusty backshelf of a store, but is more typically online somewhere—and typically at a higher price point than originally sold (typically, but not always). There is a long list of dead games (literally thirty years' worth), but for me Android: Netrunner, Star Wars Destiny, Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game, Warhammer: Conquest, 7th Sea CCG, and others are all Magic killers. They don't all have the same level of collectibility of Magic (which game does?) but are definitely worth trying.
In summary, I'm tired of people comparing every new expandable card game that comes out to the greatness of Magic. I roll my eyes seeing someone online complaining how something in a new game doesn't work like it does in Magic. Let's say it loudly and clearly together: Magic is full of flaws. The mana system inherently leads to imbalanced, unfair games. Unless house rules are implemented, or an alternate format used, it's also possible for one player to sit down and A-B-C combo you before you play a card. And c'mon, Magic has sold its soul to the almighty dollar by becoming a game platform for other IPs, which leads to legitimate questions about the game's artistic soul. What's next? Pokemon in Magic format?!?!?
Tom Cruise was great in the 80s and 90s, maybe even the early 2000s. But he's not the same anymore. Newer actors and actresses have emerged who do the action/stunt thing better. You see the hitch in Cruise's gait. You see the plastic surgery stretching his wrinkles. You see he's past his prime. Let's give grandpa Cruise his due, give him a star on the walk of fame, then be open to the idea that there are people who have done it better since. All of the games I listed above have done it better than Magic. Let's give them their due. Let's try and play them instead of the same ol', same ol'. Let's re-christen Fridays to 'TCG Night' or 'Friday Night Fun' or some other clever phrase that I'm too exhausted to think of. There are so many more games worth people's time and money.
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