I actually met the creators of this game at Wondercon back in March & they were such wonderful people. Very intelligent, have so much care & interest in card games, & have fascinating business models & products. It was such an unexpectedly joyful experience.
@@risingempirestudios5505yo not gonna lie, didn’t know you were the official RUclips channel for alpha clash. Might wanna considering changing your RUclips name. Will Probably bring a lot more publicity
The editing and production of the turn phases, card text, individual card stats, etc. are. so slick! Made it very easy to follow and understand the game and are so slick
Love to see another video from you guys. Kudos to Johnathan on the pops and production value, they added a lot to the readability and understanding. Love your curation, and would quite happily subscribe to a starter set of every new game you supported.
Not sure I’ll make the move on Alpha Clash, but incredible production and pops on this video. Really excited to see more of this style of video for other games!
Great to see this guys! We're looking forward to be dropping a good amount of Alpha Clash content soon as well! It's awesome to see you guys enjoying the game as well!
EDIT: BEAUTIFUL editing! Great explanation, gentleman. Fun as always. @18:05 Doesn't the Board Game Catan mark the 6 and 8 Locations as the most common rolls (2 D6s) for resources? The 7 (the in-between) is the "robber" with a special effect (no resources). With how popular (and old) that game is... I'd say yes!
damage wiping after each fight has always been a double edged sword to me. nice to not have to track damage but gets annoying when a "beefy boy" gets dropped and you cant pot shot them down. loving the resource system. one of the things The Spoils got right and needed to catch on industry-wide. "Learning to play means dont read your opponents cards." we laugh and its funny, but its actually not a bad theory. teaches a player to focus on their own cards, learn to play your deck. Another perfect game for those wonderful dice trays TC put out for FaB... Those trays are so damn useful!! Just keep increasing my number of TC subscriptions, added this to my list AND my starter bundle has already shipped!! TC is truly the best!!
One really important piece of clashes is that you can obstruct with *multiple* clash cards, and when you do you add all of their attack together and deal it to the single attacker. So if your opponent swings in with a 6/7, you can block with a 3/3, 2/1, and 2/2 to take it off the board. Now each of those obstructers will take 6, so they gone, but you achieved your objective (and this can be a good reason to keep your early "weak" drops on the board as the game progresses). Thanks so much Joe for all of the support. Maybe we can catch up at Gen Con or similar at some point?
@teamcovenant Very true, yes. mulitple chump blocks work!! its easy to support such a great company with great people!! if I ever make it to a Gen Con, it would definitely be a priority to meet up and maybe play a game or 2!!
I find this resource system very refreshing, its the same that they had on the call of cthulhu LCG and i love it because it immeadiately solves two mayor issues with the magic resource system: - It makes it impossible for you to have a game where you dont draw a resource card and automatically lose - You no longer need a "sideboard" mechanic, as a player you can choose to include powerful yet situational cards (cards that destroy a very particular type of creature for example) knowing that if the current matchup is not good for that card you can just use it as a resource. You could also not do that and try to be more consistent, its all up to the player One thing that i find curious is that on the call of cthulhu lcg you drew 2 cards at the start of the turn, assuming that you would use on as a resource and potentially play the other. Drawing only 1 card do you find that you run out of cards in hand quickly in this game?
We've found it's imperative to have a draw plan in your deck, or to win *very* fast. The card draw is pretty freely given on Clash cards in this first set, so establishing your engine on the board is a top priority and where a lot of the value exchanges happen.
An interesting ruling in this game is that a creature with flight maintains flight ability while untapped but once a creature with flight is in an engaged/tapped status it loses flight/lands on the ground after the initial clash ends in which it attacked or activates an effect requiring it to be engaged until it untap's next turn.
Oh, "no summoning Sickness"? That's a pretty interesting way to differentiate your game in the market! Specially since going second doesn't feel so bad this way. Games should also be faster.. I quite like it! It's a simple design change, but works well.
It's definitely worth you both trying some of the Bandai games currently in circulation such as Dragon Ball Super, One Piece and Battle Spirits Saga. The resource system of Dragon Ball Super is just like this one and then the other two games both did something different each time (and of increased refinement in my opinion).
Completely agree, AC is clearly coming out of that line of card games in many ways and we're under-educated due to our being more drawn to the non-anime side of things. Who wants to teach us?!
Our subscription is up for booster boxes, so you can sign up for that today and lock them in without paying anything. You'll be charged 1-2 weeks before the official release date of the first set (The Awakening), which is July 21.
Great game. I'm looking forward to doing some deck building of my own but I just wanted to note that under the rules for Weapons, they can only be attached from the Accessory Zone. So when you moved Moxie's light power armor from one Colonel Edwards to the other, that was a misplay. Which makes sense that you can't just throw armor from one person to another during your turn.
According to 12.6 in the newest rulebook, 1.4: "While a Weapon is attached to a Clash card, you may pay the attach cost of that Weapon in order to attach that Weapon to another eligible Clash card in play." It could use some clarifying, since 12.3 says they can only be attached from the accessory zone. Wonder if it is meant to prevent looping "when attached" triggers. Like "when attached" would only fire from accessory zone, not when moved.
At 34:55 could you put Menacing Magnate back into play ready? The ordering is to put the clash card into Oblivion and then you take a card from Oblivion and put it into play ready. It doesn't say you can't select the Clash card you just put into Oblivion. Effectively it could be a 'blink' effect on a card as long as the resource cost is 2 or less.
Just got my starter pack with 3 boosters, my ONLY complaint is the font is soooooo small. I compared to other card game fonts just to check my eyesight wasn't getting bad. Lol.
the game does plan to have players play in styles similar to MTG like 4 player FFA, Two headed giant or teams. Unfortunately there are no current rules in stone about how to proceed with these game styles. The way we played was FFA and that only 1 clash ground can be in the game zone at an given time so they were cycled fast.
Those iconic rares are definitely in that style. Hand-painted, too. Can't wait to see how that expands into the next set - apparently art direction has been pushed even farther with Wade coming onboard.
I hate "upside down" resources. It's awkward. DBS did the same thing and it just makes the game feel bad. Magic's resource system is excellent and having to balance deck card quality against lands is one of the most interesting parts of the game for me. I'm not saying others should copy that, but the method you've chosen (play any card from your hand upside down) is not great, IMO.
I remember that resource system from Duel Masters, one of the many failed Yugioh-killers from back in the day, complete with its own anime. You basically played the least playable cards from your hand as resources, which does a lot for you... and a not insignificant amount _to_ you, as the cards you use as resources can basically tell on your hand. That can matter a lot for telegraphing clash buffs, or potentially bluffing them out. I don't really get what Traps do at this stage. At most, each color just has two unique traps printed at most, and the precon just uses one per deck, meaning you may as well set them face-up. (This is especially boring for Magnate given that Magnate's Trap is literally called... "Magnate's Trap". Not the finest card name ever devised.) And when counter actions also exist, why bother? There needs to be more trap synergies, IMHO, before the mechanic becomes viable. I imagine traps are gonna' get cut from most early decks, likely to be replaced byyyy... ...Clashgrounds. Holy smokes, are those things good! I can't imagine Moxie not running four UN Headquarters at all times. They seem mechanically analogous to Yugioh's field spells, except that Yugioh's original LoB field spells... let's not mince words, they sucked. They gave 200 Atk to monsters with, even back then, 1500-1800 ATK along extremely narrow Type lines that you couldn't viably build around if you tried because the cards simply didn't exist yet. Not so here, as even +1/+0 attack is serious business. Magnate even has a +2/+0 buff, though he runs the risk of inadvertently sharing his buff with more opposing clashes than not due to Alphas dominating the initial release. In a pinch, he might be tempted to run Amazon Rainforest just to clear his own New York City, not entirely a reaction I think the designers had in mind. Moxie, by contrast, can probably count on her Clashground just buffing her because it only (mostly) applies to other Alpha Hunters, a typing most relevant to exactly the mirror match. I don't think Obstructing actually engages the obstructor from what I saw in the rules, which actually matters a lot for Moxie. She likes building up dummy thicc clashes but doesn't have as many, meaning that an unengaged clash can hold out against swarming strategies far better than if you had to engage each time. For similar reasons, I think a lot of people are sleeping on Magnate's 4/4. Not only is that an _incredibly_ good rate for a 4-drop, probably one of the best rates in the game right now, but Magnate's contender makes it a 4/5 for no cost. Unlike, say, the 2/2 for 2 Webber, 4/5 for 4 is _so hard_ to deal with right now that one might burn a clash buff just to get rid of him.
Steven said in the livestream that he thinks the comments about it being like MTG are people "Trolling", but they really aren't. This game is just like Dragon Ball Super / Force of Will (almost an exact copy). It really doesn't do anything new and inventive in any regard. Don't get me wrong; love the art and theme. Steven's rock-climbing metaphor isn't a perfect fit. With a new TCG popping up every week, it's hard to justify jumping into something that already exists, especially given how expensive and time hungry TCGs generally are. They require a lot of work to get a community together to play the game. Made even worse by the reality that many TCGs fail and die - making all that investment arguably wasted. Rock-climbing doesn't have these issues. Also, this is in no way a criticism of TC covering the game. I'm just defending the criticism people have and will have about the game as I believe they are valid in voicing their opinion. As Zach said; TC doesn't have any games in their catalogue in this genre.
Not sure the exact reference to the "trolling" comment, but I certainly didn't mean to insinuate that it was invalid criticism - more than most games by a reasonable measure are like MTG. Play resources, play things to the board, attack. Saying something is like MTG isn't really saying much. You're right that the metaphor isn't a perfect fit either. I hope I was able to clarify that a little later in the video when ceding your exact points! The metaphor only goes so far as to point out that doing the same things in slightly new/different ways *is* often as good or better than doing something entirely new. Though I will say that rock climbing does have that "fail and die" issue, haha. -Steven
Additional draw a card, put a resource game... in year 2023. What is the point of this game to exist? I think that this is a cycle of MTG clone awakening just to end up a cycle of raised mtg clones and their fall. Nice graphics though. Even i wish the game to prevail as i wish to every single good looking tcg, i give it one more expansion to end. I hope i am wrong.
The answer to your first question can go pretty deep! I often think of it like rock climbing - "you do the same moves and use the same muscles for every new face that you climb, what's the point"? Games have always been a way to tell new stories and immerse people in new, even if similar, universes. For many, playing resources, tapping cards, and fighting for board advantage *is* the enjoyable part of card games. If you love Magic, you might hate Netrunner because it's not the card game equation you enjoy solving. So yeah, ultimately, there's room for as many games as can find an audience. I do not think there's a lack of people who really enjoy the mechanics of Magic, or Dragonball Super, who are also over the moon with an indie superhero theme and a riff on those mechanics. Climbing a different rock wall, even if you're using the same "moves", is the joy of climbing. That's really hit me over the past few years. -Steven
@@teamcovenant that is some beautiful answer Sir! I agree. What i want to tell with my comment was.. why are doing the same mistake again and again. Imo 1 card draw is not a good design, the game suffers in late game, only exception are the players enjoing top decking. I mean VS system understands deck and let people draw at least 2 cards a turn. Not speaking that you are not only playing card from your hand but also settling down mana from it. Wow had at least quest cards to manage card draw in late game. Grand archive have a great idea to have the mana pile a separate deck from which you are putting down a mana card each turn. 1 card draw, and put 1 mana from your hand is imo not a good design, even it is the most symbolic.
I actually met the creators of this game at Wondercon back in March & they were such wonderful people. Very intelligent, have so much care & interest in card games, & have fascinating business models & products. It was such an unexpectedly joyful experience.
Pleasure meeting YOU!
@@risingempirestudios5505yo not gonna lie, didn’t know you were the official RUclips channel for alpha clash. Might wanna considering changing your RUclips name. Will Probably bring a lot more publicity
The editing and production of the turn phases, card text, individual card stats, etc. are. so slick! Made it very easy to follow and understand the game and are so slick
Thank you Patrick! Feels great to be back doing produced video.
Find this starter bundle and booster box subscription here: cov.link/alpha-clash -- Two Constructed Gameplay videos are also up - Torque v Magnate.
Love to see another video from you guys. Kudos to Johnathan on the pops and production value, they added a lot to the readability and understanding. Love your curation, and would quite happily subscribe to a starter set of every new game you supported.
So excited to see more from you guys!
Not sure I’ll make the move on Alpha Clash, but incredible production and pops on this video. Really excited to see more of this style of video for other games!
I’m defiantly in. Wanted to try this after one of my friends told me about it but I as sad he told me about it just after the kickstarter ended
👏🏻
Seems like a fun game to play! I'm in for a Clash Bundle!
Thanks for showcasing this!
That was a fun match 🤘🏽🔥🔥🤘🏽
Love seeing this gameplay
Great to see this guys! We're looking forward to be dropping a good amount of Alpha Clash content soon as well! It's awesome to see you guys enjoying the game as well!
This was a great video, looking forward to getting my clash kit in from you guys.
I love learning games from you guys
We love that you're here.
The Kickstarter campaign had add-ons for a leather deck box and a metal D30, one Moxie and Alpha Hunter themed, one Magnate and Alpha themed
EDIT: BEAUTIFUL editing! Great explanation, gentleman. Fun as always.
@18:05 Doesn't the Board Game Catan mark the 6 and 8 Locations as the most common rolls (2 D6s) for resources? The 7 (the in-between) is the "robber" with a special effect (no resources). With how popular (and old) that game is... I'd say yes!
Looks like a good game. I'll check it out!
Been playing for 2 months. This game is fun.
damage wiping after each fight has always been a double edged sword to me. nice to not have to track damage but gets annoying when a "beefy boy" gets dropped and you cant pot shot them down.
loving the resource system. one of the things The Spoils got right and needed to catch on industry-wide.
"Learning to play means dont read your opponents cards." we laugh and its funny, but its actually not a bad theory. teaches a player to focus on their own cards, learn to play your deck.
Another perfect game for those wonderful dice trays TC put out for FaB...
Those trays are so damn useful!!
Just keep increasing my number of TC subscriptions, added this to my list AND my starter bundle has already shipped!!
TC is truly the best!!
One really important piece of clashes is that you can obstruct with *multiple* clash cards, and when you do you add all of their attack together and deal it to the single attacker. So if your opponent swings in with a 6/7, you can block with a 3/3, 2/1, and 2/2 to take it off the board.
Now each of those obstructers will take 6, so they gone, but you achieved your objective (and this can be a good reason to keep your early "weak" drops on the board as the game progresses).
Thanks so much Joe for all of the support. Maybe we can catch up at Gen Con or similar at some point?
@teamcovenant Very true, yes. mulitple chump blocks work!!
its easy to support such a great company with great people!!
if I ever make it to a Gen Con, it would definitely be a priority to meet up and maybe play a game or 2!!
I find this resource system very refreshing, its the same that they had on the call of cthulhu LCG and i love it because it immeadiately solves two mayor issues with the magic resource system:
- It makes it impossible for you to have a game where you dont draw a resource card and automatically lose
- You no longer need a "sideboard" mechanic, as a player you can choose to include powerful yet situational cards (cards that destroy a very particular type of creature for example) knowing that if the current matchup is not good for that card you can just use it as a resource. You could also not do that and try to be more consistent, its all up to the player
One thing that i find curious is that on the call of cthulhu lcg you drew 2 cards at the start of the turn, assuming that you would use on as a resource and potentially play the other. Drawing only 1 card do you find that you run out of cards in hand quickly in this game?
We've found it's imperative to have a draw plan in your deck, or to win *very* fast. The card draw is pretty freely given on Clash cards in this first set, so establishing your engine on the board is a top priority and where a lot of the value exchanges happen.
Which makes it weird that this game DOES have a sideboard.
Top tier editing Johnathan
He crushed it.
Im all about this game. Full steam ahead!
An interesting ruling in this game is that a creature with flight maintains flight ability while untapped but once a creature with flight is in an engaged/tapped status it loses flight/lands on the ground after the initial clash ends in which it attacked or activates an effect requiring it to be engaged until it untap's next turn.
Oh, "no summoning Sickness"?
That's a pretty interesting way to differentiate your game in the market! Specially since going second doesn't feel so bad this way.
Games should also be faster.. I quite like it! It's a simple design change, but works well.
This game really reminds me of the dragon ball super card game, with a few key differences. I can’t wait to see how this game develops in the future.
Have heard a lot of comparisons to DBS!
Let’s go alpha clash!
alpha clash is getting huge here in the Philippines!
Love it!
It's definitely worth you both trying some of the Bandai games currently in circulation such as Dragon Ball Super, One Piece and Battle Spirits Saga. The resource system of Dragon Ball Super is just like this one and then the other two games both did something different each time (and of increased refinement in my opinion).
Completely agree, AC is clearly coming out of that line of card games in many ways and we're under-educated due to our being more drawn to the non-anime side of things. Who wants to teach us?!
I got to play this with one of the creators at Origins Game Fair and it was a lot of fun. Are the booster boxes ready to ship if I ordered today?
Our subscription is up for booster boxes, so you can sign up for that today and lock them in without paying anything. You'll be charged 1-2 weeks before the official release date of the first set (The Awakening), which is July 21.
Great game. I'm looking forward to doing some deck building of my own but I just wanted to note that under the rules for Weapons, they can only be attached from the Accessory Zone. So when you moved Moxie's light power armor from one Colonel Edwards to the other, that was a misplay. Which makes sense that you can't just throw armor from one person to another during your turn.
According to 12.6 in the newest rulebook, 1.4:
"While a Weapon is attached to a Clash card, you may pay the attach cost of that Weapon in order to attach that Weapon to another eligible Clash card in play."
It could use some clarifying, since 12.3 says they can only be attached from the accessory zone. Wonder if it is meant to prevent looping "when attached" triggers. Like "when attached" would only fire from accessory zone, not when moved.
You guys should do a how to play for Nostalgix TCG! The gameplay is really good.
What game/card are they referring to? Now I wanna see the whole thing!
sold!
Oo a new tcg!
hope this game kicks off me and a friend funded the kickstarter its a fun game
Damn, Alpha clash is completely sold out at distribution level and is getting ready for the next set coming in november 😊🤟
12:56 The shade. 🤣 But yeah… I agree. I’d rather set them aside :)
At 34:55 could you put Menacing Magnate back into play ready? The ordering is to put the clash card into Oblivion and then you take a card from Oblivion and put it into play ready. It doesn't say you can't select the Clash card you just put into Oblivion. Effectively it could be a 'blink' effect on a card as long as the resource cost is 2 or less.
Is it a game rule that you won'r be able to play multiple copies at the same time?
Is there a cardlist that can be printed out?
Looks like the magic at home.
Hope people enjoy the game tho.
Just got my starter pack with 3 boosters, my ONLY complaint is the font is soooooo small. I compared to other card game fonts just to check my eyesight wasn't getting bad. Lol.
Yeah, it must be inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh. I guess we're just supposed to memorize the cards anyway so...more art!
Moxie 🫡
Any chance of a solo or co-op option? For super powered themes I would love to have that
the game does plan to have players play in styles similar to MTG like 4 player FFA, Two headed giant or teams. Unfortunately there are no current rules in stone about how to proceed with these game styles. The way we played was FFA and that only 1 clash ground can be in the game zone at an given time so they were cycled fast.
You can expect to see more support for additional game variants with the release of the 2nd set in November!
If art were like 90s comics, I'd be all in...
Those iconic rares are definitely in that style. Hand-painted, too. Can't wait to see how that expands into the next set - apparently art direction has been pushed even farther with Wade coming onboard.
@@teamcovenant Wade who?
Did Steven notice that his 8 cost card has a discount to play it faster? I think it reads that he just needs two weapons on the table.
unfortunately its 2 un-equipped weapons on the field. card is very precise on its requirements. it has made me sad sometimes in a match.
I hate "upside down" resources. It's awkward. DBS did the same thing and it just makes the game feel bad. Magic's resource system is excellent and having to balance deck card quality against lands is one of the most interesting parts of the game for me. I'm not saying others should copy that, but the method you've chosen (play any card from your hand upside down) is not great, IMO.
I remember that resource system from Duel Masters, one of the many failed Yugioh-killers from back in the day, complete with its own anime. You basically played the least playable cards from your hand as resources, which does a lot for you... and a not insignificant amount _to_ you, as the cards you use as resources can basically tell on your hand. That can matter a lot for telegraphing clash buffs, or potentially bluffing them out.
I don't really get what Traps do at this stage. At most, each color just has two unique traps printed at most, and the precon just uses one per deck, meaning you may as well set them face-up. (This is especially boring for Magnate given that Magnate's Trap is literally called... "Magnate's Trap". Not the finest card name ever devised.) And when counter actions also exist, why bother? There needs to be more trap synergies, IMHO, before the mechanic becomes viable. I imagine traps are gonna' get cut from most early decks, likely to be replaced byyyy...
...Clashgrounds. Holy smokes, are those things good! I can't imagine Moxie not running four UN Headquarters at all times. They seem mechanically analogous to Yugioh's field spells, except that Yugioh's original LoB field spells... let's not mince words, they sucked. They gave 200 Atk to monsters with, even back then, 1500-1800 ATK along extremely narrow Type lines that you couldn't viably build around if you tried because the cards simply didn't exist yet. Not so here, as even +1/+0 attack is serious business. Magnate even has a +2/+0 buff, though he runs the risk of inadvertently sharing his buff with more opposing clashes than not due to Alphas dominating the initial release. In a pinch, he might be tempted to run Amazon Rainforest just to clear his own New York City, not entirely a reaction I think the designers had in mind. Moxie, by contrast, can probably count on her Clashground just buffing her because it only (mostly) applies to other Alpha Hunters, a typing most relevant to exactly the mirror match.
I don't think Obstructing actually engages the obstructor from what I saw in the rules, which actually matters a lot for Moxie. She likes building up dummy thicc clashes but doesn't have as many, meaning that an unengaged clash can hold out against swarming strategies far better than if you had to engage each time. For similar reasons, I think a lot of people are sleeping on Magnate's 4/4. Not only is that an _incredibly_ good rate for a 4-drop, probably one of the best rates in the game right now, but Magnate's contender makes it a 4/5 for no cost. Unlike, say, the 2/2 for 2 Webber, 4/5 for 4 is _so hard_ to deal with right now that one might burn a clash buff just to get rid of him.
Steven said in the livestream that he thinks the comments about it being like MTG are people "Trolling", but they really aren't. This game is just like Dragon Ball Super / Force of Will (almost an exact copy). It really doesn't do anything new and inventive in any regard.
Don't get me wrong; love the art and theme. Steven's rock-climbing metaphor isn't a perfect fit. With a new TCG popping up every week, it's hard to justify jumping into something that already exists, especially given how expensive and time hungry TCGs generally are. They require a lot of work to get a community together to play the game. Made even worse by the reality that many TCGs fail and die - making all that investment arguably wasted. Rock-climbing doesn't have these issues.
Also, this is in no way a criticism of TC covering the game. I'm just defending the criticism people have and will have about the game as I believe they are valid in voicing their opinion. As Zach said; TC doesn't have any games in their catalogue in this genre.
Not sure the exact reference to the "trolling" comment, but I certainly didn't mean to insinuate that it was invalid criticism - more than most games by a reasonable measure are like MTG. Play resources, play things to the board, attack. Saying something is like MTG isn't really saying much.
You're right that the metaphor isn't a perfect fit either. I hope I was able to clarify that a little later in the video when ceding your exact points! The metaphor only goes so far as to point out that doing the same things in slightly new/different ways *is* often as good or better than doing something entirely new.
Though I will say that rock climbing does have that "fail and die" issue, haha. -Steven
49:42 🤣🤣
I wish the card design wasn't quite so cluttered. First impressions anyways.
Yay another math tcg game based on x/x power/def with fast effects that give +x smh nothing new here hard pass
Additional draw a card, put a resource game... in year 2023. What is the point of this game to exist? I think that this is a cycle of MTG clone awakening just to end up a cycle of raised mtg clones and their fall. Nice graphics though. Even i wish the game to prevail as i wish to every single good looking tcg, i give it one more expansion to end. I hope i am wrong.
The answer to your first question can go pretty deep! I often think of it like rock climbing - "you do the same moves and use the same muscles for every new face that you climb, what's the point"?
Games have always been a way to tell new stories and immerse people in new, even if similar, universes. For many, playing resources, tapping cards, and fighting for board advantage *is* the enjoyable part of card games. If you love Magic, you might hate Netrunner because it's not the card game equation you enjoy solving.
So yeah, ultimately, there's room for as many games as can find an audience. I do not think there's a lack of people who really enjoy the mechanics of Magic, or Dragonball Super, who are also over the moon with an indie superhero theme and a riff on those mechanics. Climbing a different rock wall, even if you're using the same "moves", is the joy of climbing. That's really hit me over the past few years. -Steven
@@teamcovenant that is some beautiful answer Sir! I agree. What i want to tell with my comment was.. why are doing the same mistake again and again. Imo 1 card draw is not a good design, the game suffers in late game, only exception are the players enjoing top decking. I mean VS system understands deck and let people draw at least 2 cards a turn. Not speaking that you are not only playing card from your hand but also settling down mana from it. Wow had at least quest cards to manage card draw in late game. Grand archive have a great idea to have the mana pile a separate deck from which you are putting down a mana card each turn. 1 card draw, and put 1 mana from your hand is imo not a good design, even it is the most symbolic.