Wizards Cup: Review
Information:
Mechanics: Deck Construction, Two-Player, Head to Head, Programming
Age: 10+Player Count: 2 PlayersTime to Play: 15 - 30 Minutes
Game Designer: Seiji KanaiGame Artist: yamamoriPublisher: Pandasaurus GamesYear Published: 2023Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the publisher and Lets Play Games.
Game Designer: Seiji Kanai
Introduction:
In the Wizards Cup players are accumulating the best wizards in their land to duke it out with the opposition. Each player will select six wizards; one as the waiting card and the remaining five to be ordered into a deck based on the order in which they will enter the duel.
Game Anatomy:
Wizards Cards:
There are two identical decks of 18 cards, where each card in this game will have three important factors; strength value in the middle at the top, elemental type in the upper corners, and ability at the bottom.
There are three types of abilities;
- An instant ability that occurs when the card is revealed (lightning symbol),
- An ongoing ability that occurs when the card is in the duel zone (infinity symbol),
- A discard ability that occurs when the card is on the top of the discard pile (sand timer symbol).
Each card will have an elemental type that is used to automatically defeat the elements that are weak against them. The element types are light, dark, fire, water, grass, and the void.
The elemental hierarchy is shown on the card below, however, each card will show which (if any) element they are weak against.
Setup:
- Each player will choose 6 of the 18 wizards.
- 1 wizard will be the waiting card that sits outside of the deck and the remaining 5 will be ordered into a deck based on each player's preference.
How to Play:
A lot of the game is determined by which wizards are chosen at the start of the game and in between rounds. Each player's wizard will be revealed one at a time and they will commence dueling. The winner of each duel will be determined in order of the following three conditions;
2. Elemental strengths and weaknesses.
3. Highest value of the wizard.
The winner of each duel will remain in combat until they are defeated. If an opponent defeats all five of the other player's wizards they will gain a victory token and a new round will commence. The first player to reach two victory tokens wins.
At the start of each subsequent round, the players can swap out one of their wizards. This helps to strengthen their deck to combat the opposition for the next round. After this, players will choose the order of their five wizards and the waiting card before combat.
Final Thoughts:
- Tricky to set up the cards in a way to counter your opponent's hand of cards.
- Plenty of variability with the wizards you use.
- The game comes to life as you try and outmaneuver the original deck of your opponent.
- Perfect for traveling and doesn't require a table to play.
I can safely say Wizards Cup is a game that is very unique in my collection. This is a game where there isn't too much space for decisions during the rounds. Instead, you are doing most of the planning by programming in the round setup steps. After that, you are simply playing a version of the card game ‘War’. Due to programming and the variety of available wizards, this game is far from boring. You will feel tension throughout the duels and a good sense of satisfaction as you finally outmaneuver the opponent's combination of wizards. If you enjoy unique head-to-head games that are also perfect for traveling then this is a great addition to your collection.
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