Ah, deck-building games. It sometimes feels like they’re a dime a dozen, but that’s not an indication that there’s too many out there. If anything, the reason there have been so many deck-building games entering the market in the last fifteen years is because of how attractive and satisfying the systems can be. They manage to pack an unparalleled sense of momentum and exponential growth into ever-expanding stacks of cardboard that endlessly grow and reshuffle as you play.
These days the biggest problem one is likely to suffer is that the sheer number of deckbuilding games make it difficult to figure out where you should start in selecting one for your owntabletop. A wide selection is a nice problem to have, and it’s one we can help you with. Here’s our list of some of the best deckbuilding games currently on the market.
Updated on June 15, 2025, by Davis Collins: In a world where the most common sorts of card games are either avenues for gambling or expensive trading card games with a significant pay-to-win element stemming from the high cost of the most effective cards, a deckbuilding game that comes from a single box and puts everyone on an even playing field is extremely refreshing. We’ve updated this list to contain more games, including some which tie into major franchises.
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game
Be a team of Marvel heroes
The foundation for one of the most popular series of deckbuilding games on the market, Legendary lives up to its name, delivering a heroic experience for you and your friends to enjoy.
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game is a cooperative deckbuilding game that casts the players as superheroes and tasks them with dealing with one of the many supervillainous enemies it has ready for them. Each villain has their own deck of hazards and enemies associated with them, and their own scheme they’re working toward.
Fortunately, the players also have a deck with cards representing the various heroes they’ve chosen. They share a deck (which means all of them are playing the entire team rather than each of them playing one hero), and use its resources to combat the bad guys. It’s a very satisfying game. It has lots and lots of expansions adding more and more of the marvel universe to it, and is partially responsible forthe large number of superhero-themed deckbuilding gameson the current market.
Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game
Play as the empire and the rebels!
This simple, short 2-player Deckbuilding game casts one of its players as the Empire and the other as the Rebellion, and has them reenact the Star Wars trilogy’s conflict between those two factions.
Star Wars: The DeckBuilding Game is a two-player deckbuidling game that manifests as a duel between the Galactic Empire and the Rebellion, each represented by one player. Each player uses their own deck to attack their opponent, shift control over the force between them, and get more cards which they’ll eventually be able to shuffle into their deck and wield against their opponent.
One ofthe best Star Wars games on the market, this game is a really satisfying tug of war, with both players constantly nudging things in their own favor. It has enough different elements to be interesting while still being easy to learn. If you’re looking for something to introduce a friend to the deckbuilding genre, or if you want an example of that genre that’s reasonably quick, this game is for you.
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game
A petish…for some competish.
Ever wanted to build a killer deck and battle epic monsters? That’s Ascension for you. This acclaimed card game lets you collect cards to take down enemies and rack up serious points.
For starters, you can tell this fantasy adventure deckbuilding game was designed by former Magic: The Gathering champs. Its strategy and mechanics feel sharp. The core gameplay loop is simple yet satisfying - you acquire powerful cards, use them to defeat monsters, and earn honor points. It’s easy to pick up but has depth that seasoned card slingers will appreciate.
The available card pool is always shifting, so you have to think on your feet and adapt your tactics. This means no two games really play out the same way. Of course, itdoescome down to the luck of the draw, which we know rubs some folks the wrong way if they prefer total control. But if you may look past that one thing, it’s pretty much aces.
Dominion
This is the best place to start if you’re new to deck-building.
Dominion is arguably the father of all deck-building games, being one of the oldest games of this genre, and still holds up today.The new streamlined rules of the 2nd Edition make it even easier than ever to get started.
Dominion is one of the oldest deckbuilding games, essentially the founder of the genre in its modern form. To be clear, however, that’s not why it’s on this list. If it had been released yesterday, its accessability and fulfilling gameplay would still warrant its inclusion. On top of that, it has fifteen expansions that have been steadily released since 2008, each with their own special flare that breathes new life into the system.
Because of how simple the core mechanisms of Dominion are, the game is easy for new players to learn. Dominion, for all of its purity and minimalism, ought to be the first deck-builder you try out. It will give you a solid foundation of the object of a deck-building game, which will go on to inform your perspective on other games of its ilk.
Star Realms
Packs a lot of gameplay in a small box of cards.
Star Realms, earns its position as a mainstay in the world of deck-building games. It’s a simple to learn and fast-paced experience that makes it ideal for a wide range of ages and experience levels.
Star Realms pits two players against each other. They begin with the same humble set of ten identical cards, representing a mixture of combat value and money, and the goal of reducing their opponent’s authority (their life total) to zero, at which point they’ll be deemed the ruler of the galaxy.
What makes Star Realms great is how easy it is to teach and play. You’ll have a river of cards to choose from, countless ways to amplify your deck with more powerful spaceships that will smash your opponent into oblivion. Turns are quick and decisions are simple to digest, yet compelling to strategize. It offers a dynamic, clean experience and is also fairly affordable to jump into, making it an easy choice for anyone’s game shelf.
Clank! Catacombs
Clank! handles luck in very creative ways, making you push the envelope with every turn.
Clank! A Deck-building Adventure took the hobby gaming scene by storm as a beautiful marriage of deck-building and moving pawns around on a board.Throw some dungeoneering and dragons into the mix, and you have what is a thrillingly tight race to acquire the most loot.
Clank! Catacombs sees players building their own deck, which they’ll use to navigate a cavernous dungeon, trying to steal more treasure than their opponents in as little time as possible. The catch is that many of the cards in your deck are “clank” cards, which make noise. Noise accumulates over time to arouse a jealous dragon who does not take kindly to intruders.
This game shines because of its variability. Clank! Catacombs uses a modular tile system where players craft the dungeon as they explore it, making for an unpredictable and new experience every time you play. It’s easily the strongest title in the game line to this day, and well worth a look. And if you favor sci-fi settings over a fantasy theme, you can try outClank! In! Space!, which borrows the same mechanics and boasts a healthy array of references to sci-fi media.
Undaunted: Normandy
A tightly balanced experience for two players.
Undaunted: Normandy is a two-player head-to-head combat game modeling the European theater of 1942 World War 2.No other World War 2-themed game has as much personality as Undaunted: Normandy, and that’s because of its emphasis on deck-building.
Undaunted: Normandy is a light, tactical war game about managing your deck of cards. Your deck largely represents soldiers on the field. The more cards you have in your deck that correlate to any particular squadron of troops, the more likely you’ll be able to activate that group. However, that also means you’ll be activating other squads on the map less often. This creates a very intriguing mind game wherein you must manage the density of cards in your deck so that it doesn’t cater too heavily to any one group.
The other interesting aspect of Undaunted: Normandy is how casualties are dealt. When you or your opponent inflicts damage on your squad, you permanently lose a card out of your deck that represents the squadron that lost a troop. This element weaves nuance into your deck-building decisions, and, if you find yourself getting attatched to your soldiers, a bit of emotion as well. This is part of what makes Undaunted: Normandy so great.
Great Western Trail
Rewards careful planning, taking a more methodical approach.
Great Western Trail positions you as a rancher herding cattle from one side of the U.S. to the other in the effort to sell the most valuable lot. You’ll be stopping at checkpoints, interacting with merchants and buyers, and trading away your humble starting cattle for higher-value cattle, such as the prized Texas Longhorn.
Great Western Trail is definitely a heavier title on this list, but it deserves a place in anyone’s collection for the depth of strategic decisions it offers. Every action in every turn offers ample options for you to choose from, all with the intent of maximizing the total value of the cattle cards you’re holding by the time you reach Kansas City.
Great Western Trail is a game that places less emphasis on how and when you acquire cards into your deck. Its more concerned with making you think strategically about how to use what’s in your hand. It’s a nice deviation from most other deck-building games, where the driving force is making your deck bigger and bigger.
Dune Imperium
Best for value, theme, and replayability.
Dune Imperium became an overnight hit in 2020 preceding the movie’s theatrical release.It’s a deck-building worker placement title with immense depth and satisfying player interaction.
One ofmany tabletop games based on the sci-fi classic, the cards that you acquire in Dune: Imperium have multiple functions. They provide resources and abilities, but they are also used to place your agents on the board to gain even more rewards. The most meaty decisions often come from your hand, trying to figure out the best sequence of plays will maximize the effect of your turn. It’s a majestic design that few others have managed to encapsulate this well.
Expect an in-depth experience that makes great use of its theme and setting to bring you an engaging and immersive game you’ll want to play again and again. The award-winning game has also spawned sequels which have been equally well received.
FAQ
What is an example of a deck-building game?
A deck-building game is any game whose core mechanics center around adding and removing cards from your personal deck to make it more efficient at doing something.
Often, deck-building games will start players out with the same set of cards, and it’s then up to them to make choices as to how they will fine tune their deck to accomplish something specific to achieve victory.
What makes a good deck-builder game?
Good deck building games will give players several options. They will give them the freedom to experiment with different card combinations to achieve their goal. In the best case scenario, a deck-building game will combine ease of play and quickness with a robust array of card options to choose from.
Is MTG a deck building game?
No. While Magic: The Gathering involves building a deck before playing with it, it is not a deck-building game because players do not add or remove any cards from their deck in the course of a single game. The main element that makes a game a deck-building game is the notion of changing cards in your deck as a core mechanism of the game.
