I Yu-Gi-Oh Switch a deep enough CCG for me?

[jon bones]

I love card games - played Pokemon a bit as a kid, Magic for many years and dipped into games like Arkham Horror and NetRunner as an adult.

I've been waiting for a good solo CCG style game for iOS/Switch and it seems like Yu-Gi-Oh is one of the better reviewed options. I'm not really in the mood for a roguelike, so Slay the Spire is off the table. I like the idea of building a collection in-game over time.

My only concern is the depth of Yu-Gi-Oh - I never played it but there was always a stigma that the core gameplay was weak compared to Magic and others. Is that true? How good is this for someone who has no nostalgia or love for the franchise?

 

[Deleted member 2172]

Kotaku recently did an article on the Yu-Gi-Oh Switch game and its longevity/depth, might be worth a read:

https://kotaku.com/yu-gi-oh-on-switch-is-all-the-yu-gi-oh-i-ll-ever-need-1837621002

 

[Taker34]

You can't get a TCG more deep than YGO. It's easily one of the most versatile card games ever made in my humble opinion and that's also its biggest problem. There are so many cards and combinations out there that I can't imagine how someone can start from scratch nowadays and not feel overwhelmed.

The newer YGO games do a great job of slowly introducing more card types to you as you play though. I'd say give it a try if the game's not too expensive.

 

[Zukuu]

The game is riddled with "new game mechanisms" on a constant basis to a point where it imo jumped the shark. The base game is nothing compared what Yugioh has become. There is also not a standard cycle - only a banned / limited list - which means every card that was ever released can be played. At least that was still true few years ago.

 

[Zalman]

I grew up with all these card games, and YGO is by far my favorite. I think it has the strongest gameplay mechanics. Taker34 worded it better than I could.

 

[Kyuuji]

Never played Magic but from the sound of your OP I'd be surprised if you felt let down by YGO or the game. It's a brilliant card game.

The only thing as has been mentioned is that it might be overwhelming coming into it completely new. I played it a lot in my teens and I'm lost with some of the newer systems. The game does do a good job of introducing the basics though, and tiers up on complexity as you work through it.

Switch game as a wealth of content and I've been having a blast with it.

 

[AlanOC91]

Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution can be as deep as you want it to be essentially. You have a very in-depth campaign spanning quite a few number of hours, reverse campaign duels, unlockable duelist challenges and that's before you even jump into the online or draft modes.

Online will be where you need to strategieze, you'll be coming up against people who will want to make the best possible version of their favorite decks so the duels won't be cakewalks.

Having said that, high meta Yu-Gi-Oh! is often a 2-3 turn affair before the duel ends, you should be aware of this. It may also force you to run specific cards to stay in the duel after turn 2 (cards such as Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring).

Ultimately, for the price, I think there is plenty on offer!

 

[Gundam]

I personally love playing YGO every now and then because of its simplicity. It's complex in that there's a lot of card interactions, but it's nowhere near the strategic depth of Magic.

It's got just enough bluffing mechanics to be stimulating, if you liked the depth of Pokémon, I'd say go for it. It's been a minute since I've played Duel Links on Mobile so I don't know the state of the game, but I'd say give that and some of the tutorials a whirl to see if you'd like the mechanics in a single player game. It's free so you don't have much to lose.

 

[AStrangerIsHere]

It's nice, I guess. I have the Steam version, Yu Gi Oh! Legacy of the Duelist, and I play it sometimes.

Because of how the game works, most of the time... No, all the time, the only strategy available is to put a big monster and to pound your opponent with it, and I have to admit, it feels nice to do it. But that's also almost all you can do in YGO. There's little possibility in terms of deck building. Having one big creature is almost a promise of victory, because the opponent will have to beat it to be able to win, no overrun with a lot of little creatures, no death with direct damage, etc. And it's fast, with certain deck, it's possible to win in 3/4 turns. And most of the decks will use a different base, BUT they will almost use the same traps and spells. And a lot of deck will use some, how should I say? Generic type of creature? the only comparison possible would be the zombies introduced with War of Ravnica in Magic, who have the Amass ability. In YGO, there's a lot of similar creatures, with their own set of abilities, and a lot of deck use them, which in my opinion reduce what you can build as a deck, or at least, what good deck you can build - because their interactions are very powerful.
But that's my experience with Yu Gi Oh! Legacy of the Duelist on Steam.

So I won't say it's bad, I like it, but Magic offers far more possibilities in term of strategy and deck building. But I'm not sure you will find a single player games like YGO Switch on the market, or at least they are very rare. For its price, it's choke full of content. So, in its genre, I think it's one of the best. And I must say, if an upgrade was avaible on Steam, I would buy it without any hesitation.