What is Deckbuilding in Board Games?

Written by Emma Garrett

It’s a minefield, defining ‘deckbuilding’. It’s not an alleyway of the gaming universe I have spent much time exploring (yet) so my first steps of research were befuddling. It felt like a barrage of acronyms, secret passwords you had to decode before you were allowed any further. Internet explanations referred to MTG, TCG, CCG, TL;DR (though you’ll know these yourself by the end of the article!). This is more than just a mechanic, this is a world within a world. 

What is Deckbuilding?

‘Deckbuilding’, is a simple game mechanic that can happen in a standard board game. Players start with low powered cards. Playing them allows new cards to be purchased and added, usually to the discard pile. When your original deck is empty, the discard pile is shuffled, so now you have a chance to draw those more powerful cards. The same thing happens again and the game builds along your chosen strategy. There must be thousands, but currently, Dune: Imperium is the highest rated game on Board Game Geek that includes elements of deckbuilding. A deckbuilder like Slay The Spire uses cards and storytelling in their gameplay to combine two popular genres. In all of these examples, the deckbuilding happens during play as part of the game. 

Tabletop Deckbuilding

Then there are entire deckbuilding universes like Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering (MTG), and Disney Lorcana. You can’t buy these in their entirety. You buy boxes or packs that include a selection of the available cards. Sometimes a defined pack selection, and sometimes a random selection. Here, the building of the deck happens before play. You come to the table with your chosen deck and the gameplay is then engaging your opponent with the deck you’ve curated. These games are TCGs - Trading Card Games - or CCGs - Collectible Card Games. Not everyone who collects the cards plays, often they’re collected and traded for the artwork and the joy of collecting.

What is Deckbuilding?

TL;DR stands for ‘too long; didn’t read’ and isn’t another category in the world of deckbuilding, but if you need that for this – it’s simply collecting specific cards to play a game. As a mechanic, deckbuilding is invigorating and powerful, leaving you feeling like you’ve made all the choices to get to your victory or, frustratingly, defeat. 

3 Deckbuilding Games

Star Realms 

Star Realms, a tiny box of cards, is a deckbuilding game for two players. It’s a gripping cosmic battle, that builds beautifully in intrigue and power as you build your deck. Players start with identical decks containing only the smallest ships and choose to purchase bigger and better ones on future turns. It pays to specialise because when they’re drawn together, cards of matching alignment can gain extra benefits. 

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Living Forest

Living Forest is a beautiful family game featuring deckbuilding. Players create a deck of Guardian Animal cards that form their animal helpline. This helpline starts equal for each player and during parts of the game you are able to attract new animals to help you out in future turns. Most actions require the symbols that guardian animals provide, so the more powerful the deck you create, the more you’re able to achieve. 

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Clank!

Clank! mixes deckbuilding with dungeon crawling. When I see people talk about standalone deckbuilding games, as well as Dominion, it’s always Clank! that comes up. You start with a small number of cards and playing them allows you to gain more cards. At the same time, you’re exploring the map and fighting the bad guys. There are plenty of versions to try, including Clank! In! Space!

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