Spellweaver

Magic: The Gathering spawned an entire generation of professional players, competitions and various clones that try to provide players with alternative experiences. Even Blizzard developed Hearthstone in order to enter this profitable market, and the game actually became one of the most popular in the genre. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any more room for other games.

Spellweaver may not appear very different at first, but there are a few mechanics that actually change the pace of every match. The game is stuffed with content, which includes different game modes, predefined decks, heroes and as many cards as you wish. In fact, it is even possible to craft your own cards and complete quests, all in the name of more resources and rare cards.

First and foremost, probably the most notable features are the hero skill development and the creature speed mechanics. The former should be rather self-explanatory, but the latter requires a bit of explaining. In short, the cards need to have comparable speed in order to attack each other. You can intercept units and block attacks on your hero, as an example, only if the card in question has enough speed to catch up with the attacker.

Once you enter the game and finish the tutorial, you are allowed to choose one of the predefined decks, and they come in a wide variety of themes. Whether you want to use dwarves and elves, or undead soldiers that can raise zombies from the grave, everyone should find what they are looking for. As previously mentioned, there are many cards in the game, and you can even craft your own later on.

As far as the interface is concerned, gamers familiar with other titles in the genre should be able to figure everything out in the first couple of minutes. The only notable difference is that the table extends with a middle piece whenever a fight is going on, and you might get bored of the animation at some point. The artwork is great, on the other hand, and both the backgrounds and the units are incredibly detailed.

In the end, Spellweaver is about as solid as a game in the genre can be, and it is also free. Thus, if you want a change of scenery and you don’t want to lose gameplay depth in the transition, Spellweaver is a great alternative.