A New Type of Deck Builder
# of Players 2
Time: 30
Age: 12+
Gamer Type: Casual/Moderate
Game Type: Deck Building/Battle
Complexity 6
When it comes to high-end card games there are generally two types. The first type is a Collectable/Tradable card game, where you build a deck of character/ability cards over your career. The second is the type where you build a deck from the same pool of cards as your opponent. The problem with the first type is that new players often have a hard time keeping up with the early adopters.
The Story of Atlas Break
Alternatively, the game advanced in a way where the new expansions supplant the old, rendering them useless. With the deckbuilding genre, we have seen amazing balance at the loss of portability. Atlas Break by Adrestia is a new type of deck builder. It comes in a small package and has a lot of playability.
In Atlas Break, you are a champion who is representing your race in a massive battle. You strive to earn influence so that you can be the Champion of Champions in the field. The game is a unity style game; however, it has an interesting element that Champions can recruit cards from any category, which adds to the adaptability of the story. Unlike games such as Smash Up, you are not limited to one or two races. This adds a cool feel to the game and earns Atlas Break a score of 6.5 of 10 for the story.
Atlas Break: Art
The artwork in the game is beautiful. The flavor text is a little corny. One slight knock is that all of the cards have the same back, which can make separating the bounty cards out a little slower.
The box is a standard size, which makes the game nice for storing. The box also has excellent artwork on it. The artwork in this game really draws the player into it, thus earning a 7 out of 10 for art.
Mechanics
Game mechanics is the Achilles heel of any pure card game. There are only so many things that you can do with a deck of cards. In the spirit of amazing card games like “Dominion,” Atlas Break makes full use of the mechanics available to present and strong offering here.
There are dual randomizers of shuffled cards in different piles, augmented with a deck shuffling mechanic. This adds enough randomization that the game is not static. The card types and races also create an element of choosing which mechanics you want to use. This gives the game a score of 6 out of 10 for mechanics.
Strategy
Atlas Break has a good grasp of offense, defense, and rush. While you are building a deck the whole game, the engine building method is present but underrepresented. That being the only drawback, Atlas Break has an amazing level of strategy for a small box card game.
As you can see the cards your opponent purchases, you can build your deck to reply to theories, and assume that they will be doing the same. This also leaves massive room in expansions for “blind draws.” A strong 8.5 for strategy in a card game.
Novelty
This game has a lot of elements that you expect to see in a high-end card game. It pays homage to the games that came before it but is by no means a clone of any game. This is a solid entry into a very crowded genre that could see significant tournament play. Playing the game left testers wondering what the core v. expansion relationship would be, so we eagerly await this for what we feel is a very novel and interesting card game, 7 out of 10.
Atlas Break: Overall
This game is a great offering from Adrestia studios. With a total score of 35, this game is a monster of a small box deck game. Depending on which champion you choose, you have different powers that can help or hinder your playstyle. We found picking a random champion made the game more interesting, but there is plenty of room for developing your game style around a single champion.
If you are an MTG player or a Dominion fiend, this is a great game for you to keep in your pack to play with your friends. It is also a good one to have because you are not carrying $10,000 worth of cards or 6 big boxes with you. It is a great fast game with deep strategy, and something any card-flopper should have in their collection.
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