Overview
Everyone has played with trading cards at some point in their lives. Trading card games, also known as TCGs, are enjoyed by people from all over the world. No wonder the digital counterpart of this nostalgic hobby is such a hit in the gaming market. The magic of TCGs lies in their simplicity: a card collection around a particular theme introduces some ground rules of engagement upon which players can build their own games. The possibilities are truly endless, which is why these games are loved by creative individuals. That's why more and more developers are building NFT trading card games in Web3. Some of them have already become the biggest games in the industry.
How NFT Trading Cards are better than traditional digital card games?
It’s always a matter of prestige to own something that’s rare and coveted by others; that’s why people love gold or a CryptoPunk NFT. The same dynamic applies to TCGs: a rare card from a beloved collection or brand can be quite valuable. However, in the world of Web2, there was no way to instill true scarcity in these digital collectibles. On top of that, collectibles held little to no value outside the game's ecosystem. But the rise of Web3 technologies like NFTs is changing this scenario. Web3 trading card games offer true scarcity and ownership rights to the players. . In this piece, we’ll list the best of the best for you to enjoy, so let's get right into it:
Best NFT trading card games
SoRare
Are you a sports fan?
If you answered yes, it is very likely that you have a collection of trading cards of your favorite games and players.Well, SoRare is a Web3 platform that allows you to do just that. SoRare has partnered with some of the biggest sports organizations in the world (football clubs, NBA, MLB, etc.) to bring you NFT trading cards of your favorite players. While collecting such a collection of exclusive cards is itself exciting, SoRare has many other perks.
Scout, collect, and trade cards from your favorite sports organizations. Show off your rare collection to your friends or sell it on the open market to make room for new ones.
Form teams with your cards and enter weekly fantasy tournaments hosted by SoRare. The platform gives out token rewards for your player’s performance in the real world. That’s a remarkable use case of digital collectible cards, as it was pretty impossible to do that with physical cards. You can also compete against world class sports managers with your SoRare teams to climb up the weekly scoreboard.
Gods Unchained
We all love a good story. That’s why lore is such a big factor in the popularity of a game. Our next entry arguably has the best lore on this list. Gods Unchained is a strategic NFT trading card game based on different mythologies across the world. With its unique card collection, it creates a world of all powerful gods with varying strengths and abilities.The game features comprehensive card mechanics and allows players to create their own decks. Trade your cards in the open market, collect deities that resonate with your personality, or form a legion of demi-gods to take out other mighty heroes.
As we said above, Gods Unchained is a strategic card game, meaning that players will have to battle their wits against each other to win. Outsmarting your opponents with unique and well balanced deck and other similar strategies is how you make the most of this game. Gods Unchained is built on the Ethereum blockchain and provides players with true ownership and scarcity of in-game items.
Splinterlands
Next up, is one of the most popular games in the Web3 gaming space. Splinterlands is a play-to-earn trading card game set in a fantasy world shaped by blood and power. Collect powerful warriors and build your factions to battle against competing groups for survival. While the usual suspects from the TCG world, like Magic the Gathering and Pokemon, have slow and sometimes tedious matches, there’s no boring moment in Splinterlands. Enjoy fast-paced, action-packed showdowns while earning dimes in this epic trading card game.
Furthermore, the game takes strategy to a whole new level. While most card games force you to pre-arrange your cards and enter chance-based matches, Splinterlands has a dynamic gameplay style called "drafting," wherein the outcome of the gameplay depends on your strategic acumen in the moment and not on pre-arrangement. While the game is free-to-play, if you wish to earn token rewards, you must purchase a Summoner SpellBook NFT. Don’t worry, though; it only costs around $10.
Skyweaver
It should not be a surprise that Skyweaver is one of the best trading card games in Web3 right now. since it was developed by Horizon Labs. The game's lore is amazing, the artwork is stunning, the community is strong, and it proves to be strong on every criteria you can judge a game on.
Skyweaver is a cross-platform, browser-based TCG where players collect mythical heroes, also known as "Skyweavers." These characters fight against brewing dark forces and protect the people of the Sky. The game features 500 base cards that players can unlock. The objective is simple: create a deck of powerful Skyweaver NFT cards and take on other players to win token rewards. You start a game with a base character and a strength prism.
Prisms are the central power source from which the Skyweavers draw their power. There are five types of prisms in the game: strength, agility, wisdom, intellect, and heart. All the character cards in Skyweaver are based on these prisms. So choose wisely, as the type of prism you choose to own will determine the cards you’ll be able to wield in the game.
Berserk
Berserk is a free-to-play TCG developed by Vulcan Forged. The game is partly inspired by Greco-Roman mythology and features ranked strategic battles between players. Berserk primarily features two game modes: - Players vs Player(PvP) and Player vs Environment. A player begins the game with a Vulcanite, and a host of supportive creatures and spells at their disposal. As with other Vulcan-verse titles, you do not need to buy an NFT to start earning money in the game.You can begin with a set of neutral cards from the starter packs. The game also routinely hosts tons of events and giveaways that give non-NFT players a chance to earn valuable in-game items.
As it turns out, the gameplay is quite simple to learn but hard to master, which is a tried and tested strategy we have seen many arcade games follow. It will take you a while to master Berserk and climb up the leaderboard. However, the journey will be worth it.
Conclusion
Web3 game developers have been churning out some remarkable TCGs lately. Although it will take some time for them to gain mainstream adoption, In comparison to other popular gaming genres such as FPS or RPGs, TCGs are most likely to replace Web2 titles first. This is because TCGs are inherently about asset ownership, which is nonexistent in the Web2-based trading card world. Even if some titles manage to create the illusion of ownership and scarcity for their collection, they can only do so within their own closed ecosystem. Web3 TCGs are the future of this genre, friends, and we have listed some of the best you can try right now. If you enjoyed this piece, then check out our other pieces on the best games from various gaming genres like first-person shooters, MMORPGs, strategy games, and more. Stay tuned for more informative articles on the state of Web3 gaming. See ya in the next one.
Ciao!
