With a busy life and a plethora of excellent card games vying for your attention, it can be difficult to find the card game that is right for you. Is it f2p friendly? How much time do you need to invest grinding? Can I fit a match in between my video conferences, while baking a pizza, or before the kids start acting up again? We hope to help you find an answer to all these questions in this handy article that compares the three games: Mythgard, Gwent, and Legends of Runeterra; and how each might be the right choice for you.
Setting: Immerse yourself!
A game's setting and theme can be just as much a reason to play as the strategies and mechanics involved. Both Gwent and Legends of Runeterra are based on the well-established IP's of 'The Witcher' and 'League of Legends' respectively, while Mythgard is inspired by real-world mythologies.
If you are partial to the medieval aesthetic of swords, magic and monsters the world of Gwent should suit your tastes like a flagon of fine ale! But if you like your trolls and dragons in a more futuristic setting drenched in lasers and neon lights then Mythgard might impel the awakening of your inner demigod! If you want something in between, with spellcasters fighting alongside steampunks and pirates, then Legends of Runeterra is sure to make a hero out of you!
Mechanics: What's so special?
Unlike the other two games, in Gwent players don't have a life total and units don't attack each other directly. Instead, the health of a player's units are added up to try and win 2 out of three rounds by ending with the highest sum. The board is split between two rows: ranged and melee, which dictates how cards interact with each other. Cards do not have a cost to play, but instead use provisions that influence deck size and the number of high value cards a player can use. This moves resource management from gameplay to the deckbuilding part of the game, and makes the focus of rounds revolve around recognizing when to cut losses or not over-extending your forces for a win.
Mythgard has a unique lane system that player's minions can use to move across the board and attack enemy minions or players in the opposing three lanes. Resources are managed by shuffling a card in hand back into your deck to increase mana and gems that are used to pay the cost of other cards. Combined with the special abilities provided by Paths and Powers, Mythgard players have a great deal of flexibility and diversity in their deckbuilding options so long as they stay mindful of their resource management strategy.
Legends of Runeterra has a very different turn system where both players gain mana, draw cards, and can play cards on each other's turn. Along with creatures not needing rush or zeal to attack or use abilities the turn they are played, this makes for a very dynamic and engaging gameplay. A limited amount of unspent mana can roll over to be used as a temporary mana boost to play spells the next turn, which represents the games resource management mechanic. Heroes are special allies that level up when certain conditions are met. Players see what heroes the other is using at the start of a match, which gives insight into what their game plan might be.
Deckbuilding: Pick a side!
Gwent only lets you play one faction at a time, which limits you to cards in that faction and neutral cards. Each faction has several base powers that can shape what kind of deckstyle within that faction you want to play. With no playing cost and round based gameplay there is no aggro, midrange, control or curve management per se. Gaining power quickly isn't necessarily good as once you pass your opponent can still play cards and catch up, making pacing and not overplaying your hand important.
In Mythgard you can use cards from as many factions as you like, but since card cost also includes the gems of burned cards many decks just run two or three colors for increased consistency. Some factions have better tools for aggro, like red, orange, and blue, while others are geared towards control like yellow, purple, and green. Cards with increasing rarity decrease in the number of copies that can be included in a deck, so rarer cards become rarer to come across in gameplay as well. Since cards are burned for mana and gems, managing your hand becomes a balancing act for resources that rely heavily on your deck inclusions. Cards with a higher gem cost lean towards decks with less color diversity so you can consistently play those cards when needed.
Legends of Runeterra limits decks to two factions and six hero cards. With a maximum of three copies of a card allowed, players can range from six different heroes for more diversity to three copies of two for more focused consistency. With mana gain and card draw occurring on each player's turn along with mana rollover for spells, managing resource scarcity tends not to be as much a problem. Deckbuilding should focus on optimizing your curve, and/or packing spells that can swing momentum in your favor with spell mana saved from a slow start.
Gameplay: What's your style?
Since Gwent has a round system that requires two wins, matches tend to have a consistent duration of around 10 minutes. Turns go back and forth so gameplay is quick, engaging and requires a proactive focus of your opponent's strategy to gauge when you should pass or continue the fight. Knowing what to mulligan as the start of every round and how to budget your cards and power are keys to success.
Legends of Runeterra also has a fast back-and-forth gameplay within each player's turn, so it also is not conducive to go AFK during a match unless you want to miss reacting to an opponent's spell or ability. Like Gwent, the gameplay moves quickly, with both players reaching max mana within 5 turns. This narrows the gap between aggro and control. While a breakout aggro games could last just a few minutes, most games last around 10 minutes but rarely much longer as most heroes level by that point and a leveled hero often gives enough swing to close out a match.
In Mythgard turns tend to slow down as resources dwindle. With a higher starting life than Runeterra's 20 max, card draw being offset by burning cards for resources means matches tend to be much more thoughtful and slower as buring cards is a strategic choice of its own. While an optimal start for an aggro deck can certainly finish in a couple minutes, average matches can last 10, but a control mirror grindfest lasting 15 mins or more is not unheard of.
Conclusion: I choose...everything!
There is always more minutiae to dissect when comparing and contrasting such widely different games. But if you have trouble deciding, remember that you don't have to. The beauty of all these games is that they have decent rewards systems that make them more or less free to play, with premium purchasables limited to aesthetics that let you show your support for the devs. All have magnificent artwork and budget decklists for players at all experiences and skill levels.
Along with the NephilimGG team, each game is surrounded by its own enthusiastic and positive communities that are more than happy to welcome newcomers to the fold and share experience and favorite experiences! If you haven't already, you can join the NephilimGG discord to start your adventure as a Mythgardian, Runeterran, or denizen of the Northern Realms!