Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links

Although there are hundreds of trading card games out there right now, every hardcore fan of the genre knows that everything started with classics like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!, back when the computer versions weren’t even a thing yet. Naturally, the genre has evolved a lot in the meantime, which is why games like Hearthstone have managed to tip the balance in favor of slightly more casual games.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is a TCG sporting the classic mechanics, which means that you can easily jump straight in if you are a veteran of the genre. However, even beginners can learn the basics in record time, thanks to the great tutorial that teaches you everything you need to know about the cards and the combat itself. After that, you are free to start your own duelist career and see how far you can go.

The gameplay mechanics are not overly complex, but they do allow for some pretty interesting strategies after you gain a bit of experience. There are both attacking and defending positions on the board, and the ultimate goal is to use the cards to reduce your opponent’s health while keeping yourself out of harm’s way. Naturally, it’s important to make the best use of your cards in the meantime.

The cards are randomly drawn from the deck, so you do not have too much control over this aspect, but the composition of your deck is left up to you. As you progress and manage to win fights, you can earn better and better cards, although none of them are of much use if you do not know what to do with them once you draw them in a fight. Hence, it’s an “easy to learn, hard to master” situation.

Since there’s not much joy in defeating the computer over and over again, there’s an online multiplayer component included as well, which allows you to duel with other players and compete for a place on the leaderboard. The graphics are quite obviously ported from the mobile version, but at least the interface has been optimized for computer use, which is a plus.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links does not try to reinvent the wheel, which is something many players will find to their taste. Hence, if you are looking for an established TCG with neat tactical options and a great multiplayer community, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links is the way to go.