I’m regularly surprised at the amount of “game” that can be packed into only eighteen cards. Button Shy is a publisher who has made this formula work for years now with their wallet games. Mysticana: A Foundation Deck, is a core deck of eighteen cards that gives players three unique games. On top of the three games in this deck, players can also pick up expansions that utilize this core deck for even more gaming.
In this review, I’m going to share my thoughts on the Mysticana: A Foundation Deck along with the two expansions that are available at the time of this writing.
The Foundation
Let’s start with what you get in the core game. The heart of Mysticana are three suits of cards in blue (water), red (fire), and green (earth). This is a “rock-paper-scissors” mechanic where water beats fire, fire consumes earth, and earth wins over water. I love that the back of each and every card is a reminder of the suit hierarchy in the game.
Cards are numbered 2 through 6 with an “avatar” card in each suit. This card has a slightly different use in each of the games that you play, but it’s very similar to an Ace in a deck of cards. So, let’s take a look at the three games that come in the core eighteen cards of Mysticana.
Nine Perils (solo)
In Nine Perils, you’re working to avert nine disasters that are represented on the line of cards that you put facedown on the table. There are three difficulty levels in the game that changes the number of cards you’ll have at your disposal in your hand. Each round, you’ll reveal a peril in the facedown line. Then draw a single card and play a card to a line that is just below the peril line of cards.
After nine rounds, you’ll compare the card below the peril card using the number and suit of the two cards. In Nine Perils, the avatar card has no number value but has a ranking based on the card it lines up with in the column. Creating a tie with the peril in a column will allow you to avert two perils at once by comparing two columns to the right.
Nine Perils is all about planning and predicting what’s coming in that peril line. At the hardest difficulty (one card in hand), it felt totally luck based. At easy and medium, the game was a nice little puzzle. This could easily be played co-op if you are sitting around with another player, making decisions on card placement together.
Sorcerers’ Showdown (two players)
If you told me that this was the only game mode in Mysticana, I’d be completely fine and the $12 price point. Sorcerers’ Showdown is a two player trick-taking game that uses the numbers and suits in a natural hierarchy. Players start the game with a hand of eight card with two cards in the game being discarded. Players will choose two cards to place facedown to the side that will come back into play in the second round.
Like most trick-taking games, the leader plays a card and the follower has to play a card in the same suit. If they don’t have a card in that suit, they can play any card from their hand. If the same suit is played, the highest number wins the trick. If a better suit is played (ex. water beats fire), that player wins the trick. In this game, the avatar cards act like a one but has a unique power.
If a player wins the trick with an avatar card, they also steal a previously won trick from the player. In round one, if a player wins all six tricks, they win the game. If not, you’ll move onto round two. In the second round, players pick up their two reserved cards, the other cards are shuffled and four cards are discarded before dealing five cards to each player.
In each round of Sorcerers’ Showdown, the number of cards in hand decreases, making rounds shorter. This also giving more importance to the two cards that each player reserves at the start of the round. The player who earns all the tricks in any round will win the game.
Sorcerers’ Showdown is near perfect in my book when I think of a wallet game. It’s quick, competitive, easy to teach, and can be played in a small space. This game makes Mysticana shine.
The Path Ahead (two to four players)
In this two to four player game, players are trying to predict the strength of the card coming off the top of the deck. By simply saying “stronger” or “weaker”, the active player predicts the strength of the top of the deck against the top of the discard pile. The avatar cards in this game count as a one, the lowest value in each suit.
Much of this game is card counting and tracking what’s already been revealed. When the active player is incorrect, they take a consequence card from the top of either card stack. If a player has three consequence cards at the end of their turn, the round ends and these values count against their final standing. If you make a match of two identical numbers or three cards of the same suit, you can discard these cards into the discard pile in the order you decide. After a couple rounds, the player who earned twenty or more points ends the game. The player with the lowest score wins.
In my opinion, The Path Ahead is the weakest game in the trio. In our first four player game, we got caught in a very tedious loop. Every single time a player earned a third card, they were able to discard their earned consequence cards. The first round ended up running over fifteen minutes. Our three player games were a better experience but this game mode wore out its welcome each time we played.
A Flexible Design
The Mysticana core deck is really solid, with Sorcerers’ Showdown being the most impressive game mode. Each card contains an excellent illustration and the way designers Dustin Dobson and Jamie Thul built different game modes around this Eighteen card deck is impressive. Due to it’s portability, Mysticana is a game that is perfect for a date night game.
Let’s not stop now! Let’s talk about the two expansions before finishing out this review.
Cave of Djinns Expansion
This solo expansion is made up of six double sided djinn cards. You’ll build a pyramid with gaps to support cards from the Mysticana deck to be placed around the four sides of each djinn. These cards have a “riddle” on them that tells you what cards they want on the orthogonal sides.
Each turn, you’ll draw two cards and place the two cards in any open space next to a djinn. When you solve the riddle on one of the six djinn, you’ll gain the bonus reward on the card. These will allow you to reclaim, move or switch Mysticana cards that are on the table. To show that you’ve solved the djinn’s riddle, you’ll flip one of the surrounding cards over the top of the djinn.
The goal is to solve all six djinn cards to win the game. This solo puzzle is really well done and a strong expansion for anyone who enjoys solo gaming. The gameplay is simple to understand but may take you a couple plays to win. In this game mode, avatar cards can be used as a one or seven, the lowest or highest card of the suit. Cave of Djinns is my favorite of the two solo experiences in Mysticana and a great pairing for a single (or co-op) gamer.
Arcane Artifacts expansion
This expansion introduces artifact cards that will be part of this two to six player game. Each round, players are dealt two cards. Players will decide if they want to keep or replace a single card of the two. You’re ultimately looking to have the best combination of cards to beat a card that will be flipped out off the top of the Mysticana deck. The artifact for the round can give players additional value based on it’s criteria.
Arcane Artifacts is part chance and is going to rely on players deducing what card could show up. Players can drop from the round and gain a single point if they feel like they have a weak set of cards. The players will get the sum of their card set with avatar cards copying the value of the scoring card for the round. The player with the most points will gain points equal to the scoring card for that round. Play continues until one person reaches 30 points or 20 points for a shorter game with the max of six players.
Playing into the active artifact during the round can give players a big boost. This game mode has a high level of chance but it plays really well with three or more players. If you want to play Mysticana with three, four or five players, this expansion is the way to go.
Final Thoughts
When you think about what Mysticana does with eighteen cards, it’s pretty impressive. I personally think that the 2-player trick-taking experience in the Foundation Deck is solid enough on its own. Each expansion adds a little something new to the formula but still leans into the rock-paper-scissors hierarchy. Mysticana is another great addition to the Button Shy line up.
You can purchase Mysticana: A Foundation Deck plus both expansions from your local game store or online through the Button Shy webstore.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- The Sorcerers’ Showdown is worth the price of Mysticana
- Simple rulesets are easy to learn and teach others
- Avatar cards have fluctuating values based on the game mode
- Foundation deck can be expanded even further
Lows
- Not all game modes will be a hit
- Expansions don’t fit into the Foundation Deck wallet
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
