Nevera Duels

Really creative new game on the scene. Like a darker version of Magic with even more possibilities!

interesting game new game mechanics. using your good cards as fuel for the other cards is interesting and the level system is cool. The end game mechanism of having 8 cards in the discard is also really neat. Overall really enjoy the game. Last thing the ascetics of the game are great, but the box it comes in is terrible and I will be devising a way to store it better, overall great game just need more budget to create a better storage solution.

I'd love to give this game a better review, but it's more like there's the framework of a great game there, as opposed to the game in it's current form is great. I especially hate saying that since a lot of the issues seem likely to be related to budgetary concerns, and the release price was quite generously modest... but I'd be lying if I said the issues that are there in it's current form as of writing this weren't concerns.

• There's some clarity issues on rules, including things in the rulebook not matching up with the cards. The biggest one is that I'd imagine many abilities that last "till end of turn" don't actually say anything of the sort. While some are easy to guess at, others are actively confusing (the Fungus/Dryad/Treants protection... does it only last one round? Does it negate that much damage total, or one hit up to that amount? Can it stack?)
• There are a lot of targeted "status effects" and no real way to keep track of them. I'd recommend tearing scraps off pieces of paper to write the effect on and place it on appropriate cards/abilities. Again, I imagine the price would have reflected the inclusion of tokens, but it's honestly a bit of a hassle not having them.
• On supplies, deck sleeves are a must... otherwise, card "stealing" abilities are just begging to confuse which cards need to go back to which box during cleanup. I can't say I'm crazy about this both because I'm not much of a sleeve-r at the best of times, and this game's proclivity to alter the deck between games makes it potentially inconvenient (def reccomend just sleeving all 72 cards, I suppose).
• Game can feel a little slow... it seems like there's a lot to be said for just cranking out extra mana or draws and upgrading your minions for the first many rounds before starting to throw punches... makes for a slow buildup before players start truly reacting. Similarly, the amount of defensive and lockdown abilities seemed to favor strategies such as two status/defensive plays, one attack play... making for a slow pace even once things get aggressive. It's also crucial players play fast... plan their turn (and then adapt it if necessary) while their opponent plays... Players with analysis paralysis turn the game into a bit of a slog.
• Related to the complaint above, the game doesn't just feel slow, it goes longer than you'd think, too. While not TOO much longer, I've definitely never finished a game in under 40 minutes. I think something that might have helped would have been lower HP totals for the minions... It really takes a long time to whittle 20 hp away with anything other than a level 3, to say nothing of 50 hp.

There's a lot to like here too... It seems like there's a variety of valid win condition strategies despite the pretty straightforward endgame trigger (pirate lockdown combined with shadow ramp is amusing, as is "Mill" strategies involving fielding a Wraith and a Chained late-game). It's pretty easy to learn and teach, but has a lot of strategic depth. It's quite reactive/adaptive and benefits from decent versatility in terms of changing up deck composition (I would have loved a third creature type from each faction to make "mono-color" decks, but admittedly it would have changed the face of the game quite a bit). The ascension mechanic and it's flexibility and depth were impressive. But... the game feels like a bit of a hassle to play, and a hand outstays it's welcome due to it's length.

It's a fascinating study in novel design, and I really applaud the creator in terms of that creativity... and if exploring things with distinctly different mechanics is your bag, it's very worth a try. But... I can't say it's a thing I see myself choosing to play much. I would be interested to see what the designer could do with a bigger budget on a future project through.

A Necromancer, Minion themed game. Excellent combat and ascend mechanics, constant attack and defend. Excellent card art and abilities. A quick, two player, compact game you can take with you anywhere. I highly recommend this fun game.