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Web3 trading card games have become all the rage in the world of Blockchain Gaming thanks to the role that Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) play in them. NFTs are high-value digital collectibles that can be earned and traded with other players around the world, and they are an integral part of these games. NFTs offer players true ownership, verifiable rarity and uniqueness, and the ability to earn rewards through play-to-earn mechanics - all features that are often lacking in non-blockchain card games.
Many crypto card games are similar in structure to popular games like Hearthstone or Clash Royale, allowing players to unlock new cards as they progress, build powerful decks, and compete against other players. PvP matchmaking is a common feature among these games.
We have identified a number of top-performing blockchain card games that offer great potential for players. Here are five of the very best of these games and the information you need to start playing and enjoying them right away.
Skyweaver
Skyweaver is a free-to-play NFT card game on the Ethereum and polygon blockchains. It was created by Horizon Blockchain Games which has several other successful titles under its belt. Horizon Blockchain Games also co-created the ERC-1155 NFT standard.
SkyWeaver’s gameplay resembles Hearthstone and many other collectible card games. However, the game has rich lore, a unique art style, and interesting visuals. Each unit and heroes come with their dedicated spell cards on Skyweaver. This mechanism means a lot of thought process has to be put into spell usage.
The game is currently in open beta which was released in February 2022. It was a massive success with more than 2.2 million matches played right after the launch.
The project has received much media attention since it was announced way back in 2019. It has raised $3.75 million in funding rounds led by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Sorare
Created by Nicholas Julia and Adrien Montfort on the Ethereum blockchain, Sorare is a great blend of collectible card mechanics and fantasy sports. Gamers can collect NFT-based player cards and set up their 5-player teams. The prices of cards are determined by their rarity. Their rarity is, in turn, affected by how well they play in real life.
Players can participate in tournaments and earn points and rewards based on the performance of their teams. Sorare currently has dedicated modes for basketball, football, and baseball.
Splinterlands
Splinterlands is a decentralized, blockchain-based NFT trading card game founded in 2018. Splinterlands has over 1.8 million users worldwide and was inspired by classic trading card games like Magic the Gathering.
The game has a fast-paced style of gameplay that doesn't require you to make moves in a battle. The battles are automated. Once cards are chosen and placed, the battle commences and the result is determined by how well your cards are stacked against that of your opponent.
The game is available on both desktop and mobile devices but certain functions can only be accessed on the desktop version. The primary battling mode and the building decks part of the game are integrated into the mobile app itself. The game can be tested for free, with access to a few limited features. Players must pay a one-time fee of $10 to get full access to all the in-game features.
Although Splinterlands mainly exists on the Hive blockchain, in-game cards can be converted into ERC-721 NFT tokens and sold on secondary NFT markets like Opensea, Binance NFT, and others. New players can either buy these cards or buy packs of cards from the in-game marketplace. Players can also rent their in-game cards out for a fixed amount of Dark Energy Shards (DES) per day. DES, along with Splintershards (SPS) are the two in-game currencies that can be earned on Splinterlands. SPS is the game's governance token while DES serves as the in-game currency for purchasing items.
Gods Unchained
Arguably one of the most successful NFT games, Gods Unchained was founded by tech siblings Robert and Jamie Ferguson. The founders went on to create Gods Unchained after working with Ethereum developers around 2015.
Gods Unchained is very similar to Hearthstone but has its unique mana system, along with tons of lore. Players can earn non-NFT cards by playing the game. These cards can then be combined to create NFT assets which can be sold on the marketplace.
To play Gods Unchained, players need to pick their favorite among the six available gods and build a 30-card deck based on their strategy. The game is currently only available on Windows and is free to play.
Axie Infinity Origins
Almost every web3 gamer is familiar with Axie Infinity. This popular NFT-based game is one of the most popular blockchain titles today. It was developed by a Vietnamese studio, Sky Mavis, and has one of the largest in-game economies among blockchain titles.
The game's style is Pokemon-inspired. Players have to collect and train a team of characters called Axies. Each Axie is unique, with its abilities and players must carefully choose which of them to include in their team, as well as relevant battle formations. The Axie battle system is a turn-based card game where players have to eliminate all the Axies on their opponent's team. Players have to carefully choose the cards they play on each turn to maximize their chances of victory.
Axie Infinity is built on the Ronin Network, an Ethereum side chain developed by Sky Mavis. The game's governance token is Axie Infinity Shards (AXS), while the in-game currency is Smooth Love Potion (SLP).
Axie Infinity has suffered a lot of major setbacks recently. SLP has lost a ton of its value and the floor price of Axies have crashed hard during the bear market. But the game is still going strong with tons of updates [link to the Axie Core article] being constantly released by the game developers.
Overall, the future of collectible card NFT gaming is bright. While the bear market has highlighted some weaknesses, NFTs offer players the chance to own and trade valuable in-game assets without interference from centralized institutions. Many collectible card NFT games are already fun to play and have strong gameplay, and they are continually being improved. While there is still room for growth in this genre, the potential for NFT collectible card games is significant.
