This is a guest post from Adam Joraanstad.
I was in a comic book store about 10 years ago looking at the contents of The DC Deck Building Game and all its expansions. Not knowing much about it, I was impressed with all the different heroes, villains, and storylines that were part of the game. Then I saw my favorite flaming-headed hero, Firestorm, and I was sold.
The DC Deck-Building Game was designed by Matt Hyra, and published by Cryptozoic Entertainment in 2012. Playable by 2-5 players, ages 15+ according to the box, but my kids have played this with me as young as 8 years old. Expect a game time of around 45 minutes, depending on the number of players at the table.
Gameplay Overview:
This is overall a fairly basic deck-building style game. The main goal of the game is to defeat the stack of Super-Villain cards and end the game with the most Victory Points.
Each player begins with an identical starting deck of 10 cards and a Super-Hero that has a special ability to build their deck around. Players take turns playing their 5-card hands to earn Power, which is a form of currency used to buy new cards for their deck from the Line-Up.
As a player’s deck grows, they can defeat the current Super-Villain if they are able to create enough Power on their turn. Whoever defeats the Super-Villain adds that card to their deck, and a new Super-Villain is revealed. Players continue taking turns and buying cards until a player defeats the last Super-Villain, ending the game.
At the end of the game, each card you own, not including Starting Cards, can be worth positive or negative amounts of Victory Points that will be added up to determine the winner.
Game Experience:
This deck builder is hard to narrow down to one experience playing it. The group you play with can drastically change your experience playing The DC Deck Building Game. Playing this game with your kids and playing this with an extremely competitive group are going to have very different results.
A large enjoyment aspect of this game depends on the player’s connection to DC Comics. This game is filled with fan-favorite members and villains of the Justice League and is by far the main selling point of this deck builder. The artwork on every card comes directly from the New 52 era of DC Comics, which was the current story arc at the time of this game’s release in 2012. Anyone can certainly enjoy playing even if you know nothing about DC Comics, but when you remove the super-hero art and familiarity, there isn’t much intrigue left.
The mechanics are fairly simple, the deck building is pretty straight forward, and it lacks a good player interaction mechanic. However, the one design feature that stands out is how much the card’s abilities reflect the characteristics of the hero, villain, location, or item the card is based on. Each player’s Super Hero has an ability to build around and guides you towards a specific synergy. The Flash is a DC Comics speedster, so naturally, his deck should be quick. His ability allows you to draw extra cards, and if you combine that with more Flash-themed cards, you can end up drawing extra cards each hand, playing your deck faster. You can see these design intentions throughout every card in the game, which really makes it feel as if you are playing as your Super Hero.
If your typical board game night consists of players new to deck builders or is with your kids and family (especially if they are DC Comics Fans), then I highly recommend this game. I know the box says 15+, but as long as kids can read and comprehend well on their own, then they can easily play this. The game starts out pretty slow and then ramps up quickly once everyone has bought a handful of new cards to create combos with. This slow start makes it really easy for people learning the game to gradually pick up on the strategies without falling behind more experienced players.
The first few turns won’t make or break you either, so it gives players time to learn and make mistakes before the game starts ramping up. The synergies are also pretty straightforward and easy to grasp. For example, if you are playing with your kids and want them to do well, give them Superman (Bonus for playing Super Powers) and have them buy every Super Power (Orange Cards) and focus on ones with Superman in the art. They will most likely beat you or at least make it close.
This simplicity of deck-building strategy is why I find it so good for kids and new players. The strategies don’t overwhelm players like most deck builders can. One major aspect of games I also find hard to teach my kids is player interactions, and this game really doesn’t have much to worry about. There is an Attack mechanic that players can use on others, but in the many games I have played, it seems to be more risk or cost than reward, so it really has never become a prominent part of the gameplay.
Each positive this game brings for new and young players seems to be its downfall for experienced or competitive players. If you and your play group really like to strategize and max out synergies or combos, then this deck builder is going to be too basic for you. As I said before, this is a simple and easy-to-understand deck builder. So, it’s also really easy to build a very good deck.
When I have played this with more competitive style players, we tend to get extremely effective decks after just a few rounds. It typically ends with us just taking down a Super-Villain each turn, one by one, until they run out and the game is over. The lack of super-effective player interactions also leads to dull or boring gameplay when you are trying to be competitive. The Attacks, which can only be used on the attacking player’s turn, tend to feel more annoying than a true disruption to other players’ turns or hands. The best way to interfere with another player is simply by buying cards you think they need. To put it simply it just lacks depth for it to feel truly competitive.
If you are looking for more depth, you can add what seems to be an endless amount of expansions to this base game, or use an entirely different base game. Each additional set is based mostly on modern DC Comics story arcs such as Forever Evil, Death Metal, and Rebirth. Adding expansions can greatly increase the complexity of this game and open more deck possibilities. The original Base game that I am reviewing here is definitely the most basic version. I like to recommend choosing (1) Core/Base Box, (1) Expansion, and (1) Crossover to get a more in-depth and unique game without overloading the system. You can also just pick up the DC Deck Building: Rebirth version of the game, published in 2019. The designers took this base game and added a lot more gameplay elements (Campaign Scenarios, Character Progression, and Character Movement) that really added the depth and complexity it needed.
Cryptozoic Entertainment has other deck-building games like this, but with different franchises, such as Lord of the Rings and even an NHL version. If you are a fan of another theme more than DC Comics, then I recommend starting there instead. These technically can be combined with the DC Comics versions, but I do not recommend it. It’s a fun concept, but the gameplay just doesn’t flow well.
Final Thoughts:
The DC Deck Builder Game is a simple starting deck builder for new players, a laid-back game night with friends, or families with kids who can read and comprehend well on their own. This game really requires a handful of expansions to impress any experienced deck-builder fans out there. For me, as a big DC Comics fan and someone who loves a deck builder, this will remain a favorite to pull out for my family game nights.
Final Score: 3.0 Stars – A beginner deck builder for kids or those new to the genre, but it needs expansions to have the depth of a great competitive deck builder.
Hits:
• No one card dominates
• Cards synergy fits the theme well
• Easy for new/young players
Misses:
• Depth of game complexities
• Player interaction is lacking
• Super-Hero abilities seem unevenly powered
About the Author:
I am a collector of nerdy hobbies from comic books to miniature painting. As an Indy native I have become a regular at GenCon and occasionally work the booth for Tycoon Games. I also aspire to be a board game creator someday, as I am currently working on my first game Outpost Kilo. My favorite games typically include a theme I love, like comic books or zombies, and I always love an good solo game.
