While I know first-hand how awesome the digital world of technology is – if I didn’t love it then I’d be in the wrong profession – I’m also the first to admit it can all get a little overwhelming.
Between new LG OLED TVs announcements, almost daily blockbuster show and film launches, and the phone release after phone release (plus so much more to boot) sometimes I just need to shut it all off for a bit and enjoy a little technology detox. And I’m sure you feel the same way.
Back in January, I offered my personal board game recommendations to help you fend off the New Year blues without turning on a screen, and this month I want to do the same for three trading card games (TCGs) that I love – and that don’t require any tech for you to enjoy them.
More importantly, they’ve all just had new releases on March 8. So if you’re reading this when it gets published, your friendly local game store might be running events where you can check these games out in a beginner-friendly environment.
Card games are my go-to way to get away from tech, and I’ve found that they’ve been a really useful tool for meeting new people so I can combat the rise in loneliness brought about in the post-pandemic era we find ourselves in. I hope they can help you too.
So, with that all in mind, here are my low-fi, low-tech recommendations for March 2023.
Magic The Gathering x Fallout
Rather than gaming on a PS5 or one of the best gaming laptops, why not bring the game to the kitchen table with one of the new Fallout Commander Decks for Magic The Gathering. Of the three TCGs on this list, Magic is by far my favorite, and Commander is one of the best ways to play the game.
Ideally played with four players (though games with more or fewer players are allowed), each person has a 100-card deck – one stack of 99 and a 100th ‘Commander’ that sits separately from the rest and can be cast at any time during your turn. By playing a mixture of lands and spells, your goal is to bring your opponent's life totals from 40 to zero (you can also win if their deck runs out of cards or you achieve a special win condition based on the cards you play) before you’re eliminated.
Because of its multiplayer format, I find Commander is more casual and a lot more social than other card games. It’s easier to chat during matches, and sometimes you’ll need to work together with other players rather than against them to stop whoever is ahead from stomping you both.
What makes these Fallout decks special is that they feature exclusive new game pieces and reprints of iconic cards from the game’s 30-year-long history that show characters, themes, and items from the Fallout video game series – which is soon to be a TV show on Prime Video.
There are four to choose from: ‘Scrappy Survivors’ headed up by Fallout 4’s loyal canine companion Dogmeat, ‘Hail Caeser’ for all of you who love to play the villain, ‘Science!’ if you’re fascinated by Fallout’s Nuclear science, or ‘Mutant Menace’ if you’re interested in irradiated monsters and hazards that have been left in wake of the ‘Great War.’
If you’ve never played Magic before, picking up one of these decks is an excellent place to start. Not only does it take all the hassle out of designing your deck – a challenge for newer players – but while I’ve yet to use one of these specific decks myself, I’ve seen plenty of preconstructed Commander decks like these win games straight out of the box.
You can also bling out your new deck with exclusive-Fallout Collector Boosters which offer exclusive reprints and artwork not found in the decks. Though the disadvantage is you don’t know what you’re getting, and one pack can be pricey – so you might be better off buying the exact card you want from your local game store or online (I use eBay and Cardmarket).
Lorcana: Into the Inklands
If you prefer Disney to Fallout or are a little newer to TCGs and frightened by the complexity of the game, then you might want to try Lorcana instead – a game that brings the best Disney films to life in cardboard form.
The game shares a lot of similarities with Magic, chiefly that you have a resource – Ink in your Inkwell – that you use to summon iconic Disney characters, play items, and use special powers. But it has several advantages that I think make it way more approachable for people who aren’t super familiar with card games – while still being a blast for veterans like myself.
The first is that the new Into the Inklands set is only the game’s third expansion. While it does add an exciting new card type – Locations that your characters can visit, and that offer benefits for as long as you have them in play – the card pool is still very easy to wrap your head around.
Also, the recognizability of the Disney characters puts their abilities into context.
The Titans in Hercules are all about destroying Greece and Olympus, so it makes sense that they like to mess with Locations in Lorcana; there are famously 99 Dalmatian puppies (with mum and dad Perdita and Pongo making 101) so it makes sense that you can have 99 of them in your deck instead of the usual limit of four; and the Mousketeers are all about protecting Princess Minnie in the film, so, of course, they’d be Bodyguards who protect your other characters.
Lastly, Lorcana has simplified a few rules you might know from Magic. Rather than special cards you use for Ink, you can play most cards face down in your Inkwell to build up your resources – making deckbuilding way simpler. Plus, opponents can’t play cards on your turn, so you generally only have to worry about what’s on the table in front of you, especially hidden info that can disrupt your strategy for each turn.
If you’re looking to try the game out, a draft or sealed event at your local game store is an excellent way to start. Everyone only plays with the cards they open at the event so you don’t have to fret about someone stomping you with a deck they’ve dropped hundreds on.
Alternatively, a couple of starter decks can be a fun way to learn with a friend. They aren’t the most competitive, but they are well-balanced against each other and show off most of the core mechanics.
Star Wars: Unlimited
Lastly, if you feel three set releases are still too many then why not try Star Wars Unlimited? It has just launched its first-ever set. So if you go and play you’ll be just as much of a noob as anyone else there.
This also means this is the game I’m least familiar with – I’ve only played it once or twice – but so far it seems to be a blast.
It combines a few ideas already seen in this list – the familiarity of characters and locations, cards as your resource (here called Resources), and the Commander (here called a Leader, who’s paired with a Base of your choice) from Magic The Gathering. But there’s also a lot of freedom that satisfies the Unlimited name.
If Luke Skywalker is your Leader, you’re incentivized to play Heroism and Vigilance cards – aspects that fit his on-screen personality. But if you want to throw the odd Villainy or Aggression card in, you can embrace the Dark Side – albeit at a cost of more resources.
Because it’s so new, your local store will likely be running lots of beginner-friendly events. I’ve found store staff are generally very happy to help TCG newcomers get to grips with any of the options on this list (as well as others like Pokemon, Flesh and Blood, and One Piece), and they should be especially ready to aid you and others with this completely new release.
There’s also a Starter Kit on sale that comes with two decks and a bunch of handy cardboard and paper accessories so you and a friend can get up to speed on the new Star Wars Unlimited experience in your own time.
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