Introduction to Trading Card Games

If you think card games are a thing of the past, well think again. Collectible card games have a lot of fans among grownups and it’s an industry that still sells millions around the world. Collectors spend as much money for cards as those who play video games. Other video game franchises also have trading card versions.

Origin of Trading Card Games
Known as TCG, it’s also called the collectible card game. It started in 1993 as a different type of playing cards similar to a 52-card deck. Card games have been recorded since the 12th century. There were baseball card collectibles in the early 1900s but there were no definite rules on how to play them.

The rules employed in TCG are much more complex and the cards vary. It’s like playing a strategy tabletop game. TCG is different from another type of game called deck-building game in which players use the cards as a sort of currency during a game.

The player collects cards with different attributes and features by random. Players can also trade cards or packs.

The first TCG was Magic: The Gathering by Richard Garfield. It is still considered today as the best TCG.

How Do I Play
Beginners can usually start with an intro deck consisting of basic cards that can be put into play. By collecting more cards, trading with other players and buying booster packs, the player can have more choices during the duels.

Cards usually contain instructions on how they are used. The different TCGs have their own set of rules, but we’ll be using Magic: The Gathering or MTG as an example.

The players begin the game with a life of 20 points each. Each one must have at least 60 cards. Once a player’s life is at zero, the remaining player will win. They take turns attacking each other using creatures and casting spells. In MTG, there are seven types of cards, namely; land, creature for attacking and defending, artifacts for equipment and items, enchantment, planeswalker which has abilities different from creatures, and sorcery and instants which can both be cast only once. The rules take time to master, but once you know how the cards work, you will be hooked. To cast spells for example, you have to understand how mana works. In MTG, you have to cast cards called lands to obtain mana.

The Best Trading Card Games of All Time
If you want to give TCG a shot, here are the best games you should check out. Some of these games also have digital versions.

1. Magic: The Gathering
2. Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Pokemon
4. Duel Masters
5. HEX: Shards of Fate
6. World of Warcraft
7. Scrolls
8. Urban Rivals
9. Legend of the Five Rings
10. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
11. Star Wars: The Card Game
12. Middle-Earth Collectible Card Game
13. Shadowfist
14. Android: Netrunner