Deck-Building Games Explained for Beginners

Everyone at the table starts with the same small, weak hand of cards. By the end of the night, each of you is holding a very different engine that you built yourselves. That is the appeal of a deck-building game, and it is also why the genre can look confusing from the box: nobody shows up with a prepared deck, and nobody opens a booster pack.

What a deck-building game actually is

Wikipedia's overview defines a deck-building game as a card or board game in which construction of a deck of cards is a main element of gameplay. The key detail is timing: players build their decks during play, typically by buying cards from a central market, rather than assembling a deck beforehand.

A typical turn follows a loop. You play cards from your hand, use what they give you to acquire something from the market, and put the new card and your used cards into your discard pile. When your draw pile runs out, you shuffle the discard pile and start again. That shuffle is the heart of the genre, because the cards you just bought finally show up in your hand.

This is a general description of the genre. Individual games change the details, so treat the rulebook as the final word.

Is it like a trading card game?

Partly, but the differences matter most for your wallet. According to the same Wikipedia overview, each player has their own deck, as in collectible card games. Unlike those games, the cards are not sold in randomized packs, and most of the deck is built during the game instead of before it.

For a household on a budget, that is the practical takeaway:

• No chasing rare cards. Everyone who plays uses cards from the same box and the same market.
• No deck-building homework. You do not need to study card lists or buy extras to be competitive.
• One purchase covers the table. Everything needed to play is in the base game, though many publishers do sell expansions. Those are optional, so skip them until you know you will play often.

How do you win a deck-building game?

There is no single answer, and that is worth knowing before you buy. Wikipedia notes that some deck-building games are competitive and others are cooperative. Competitive games usually end with a count of some kind of points or a goal, and cooperative ones have you win or lose together against the game itself. The name of the winning condition changes from title to title.

Because the page does not give a universal win condition, I will not either. Before the first turn, find the "goal" or "how to win" paragraph in the rulebook and read it aloud to the group. If you are playing cooperatively, our guide to cooperative board games covers how that style works.

Examples worth knowing

Wikipedia lists several well-known titles, with release years: Dominion (2008), Thunderstone (2009), Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game (2012), Star Realms (2014), Hero Realms (2016), Clank! (2016), and in 2020, Lost Ruins of Arnak and Dune: Imperium. The article describes Dominion as the first popular deck-building game that set the standard for the genre, although it credits StarCraft: The Board Game (2007) as the first, a claim tagged "citation needed."

I am not quoting prices for any of these, because they change by store and edition. A cheaper way to try the genre is to ask a friend who owns one, or to check whether a local library or game café lends or hosts one.

How to play your first game without wasting a night

1. Read the goal first. Know how the game ends before anyone shuffles.
2. Play one round face-up. Let everyone see the market and talk through the first turn.
3. Buy a little of everything early. A common beginner mistake is hoarding one type of card. Your first purchases should help you learn what the cards do.
4. Watch the reshuffle. When your draw pile runs out, the cards you bought finally appear. Count how many reshuffles you have had.
5. Keep it short. Aim for a game the group can finish in one sitting. For tips on teaching, see our guide to teaching a board game in 10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How do you win a deck-builder?

It depends on the game. Many competitive ones use a points-based or goal-based ending, and cooperative ones are won or lost as a team. Check the goal in the rulebook before you start.

Is it like a trading card game?

Only on the surface. Each player has a deck, but there are no randomized packs and most of the deck is built during the game, according to Wikipedia's overview of the genre.

Do I need to buy expansions?

No. The base game is meant to be complete on its own. Treat expansions as an optional upgrade after you have played enough to know you like the game.

Sources

• Deck-building game — Wikipedia