TCG TIER LIST - All Currently Available TCGs! (November 2022) 

bro chill out its a OPINION

cope seethe mald

Very bad spelling

​@@pleasestopdisassemblingmylimbs stop using those words

@@superhetoric no

Glad you dig it so much! I haven't played CFV in many years and I'm sure a lot has changed!

Vanguard isn't for me. Personally prefer Yu-Gi-Oh

Most of the money the get is from : FOMO garbage, i mean secret lairs and UB, and collector booster boxes. Because the only format, besides commander, that is striving is Pioneer. And in Pioneer, we don't change more than a couple cards per format ( spqce between set releases).

​@@EpicMTGMusic touche the that is accurate is a gross understatement of a lifetime and believe me I wish I could say otherwise but at the end of the day formats like modern legacy vintage those formats are now dead because they banned cards from those formats even though they will literally print cards that are on the reserve list and sure like you can make an argument that magic the gathering is gotten better because of that sure but at the end of the f****** day why do people invest in a company that only cares to line their own pockets when the player base has openly said to company owners we don't want it this way and you are going and breaking that pseudo contractual obligation

Magic is an S-tier game with F-tier management and G-tier simps who deserve what they get. In all my years of gaming, I've never seen a more brilliant, rich, and expressive idea get punted so hard.

@@draketheduelist I couldn't agree more outside of a sheer act of God

I think Flesh and Blood might push MTG aside. It is easier to learn, and younger gamers are getting into it more. LOTR is coming out a little to late. But is still worth playing for sure. I'm waiting on my MTG LOTR boxes. Will be doing a give away video when I get them.

Awesome thoughts, thanks so much for sharing them! I admit that my Weiss experience is fairly out of date as well. I do have to get back a play another game with more modern decks at some point. But there's one thing for sure that Weiss is top at: collectible cards that people want to chase! So many games have started emulating what they do now!

Magic certainly is in a complicated place right now, but your reasoning is exactly what was going through my mind. Of all the games on this list, MTG is the only one that would take a century to die out after being discontinued. No matter what harm Hasbro/Wizards might do to the game, it's always a safe bet for playability. So many people - myself included - still love the game itself, so even if it's in a rough patch right now it just didn't feel right putting it any lower than at the top. The two games in the top tier are really in there for very different reasons!

Thanks for your thoughts as always, James! Yes, I have high hopes for GA as long as they can get the game into the public's sights. I'm very curious to see how well it takes but the company makes S tier decisions for sure!

I 1000% agree that NA has been shafted regarding promos and all that stuff. SE using it as merch and restricting advertising outside of JPN is soul crushing for what is one of the best games going.

Of the many TCGs I've played, Universus was one of the hardest to get over that initial barrier. You're spot on - there's SO MUCH stuff to try to pay attention to right away when you are trying to play optimally. But your brain does get used to it after a bit! Thanks for the comment - definitely let me know how you feel if you do end up giving it another shot!

Yes, I think the line between the tiers isn't really that sharp and often comes down to personal opinion. DBS's greatest pro is that the Dragon Ball fanbase is rabid, and we are finally getting rumblings of Super returning to TV so there's no reason Bandai would quit printing the cards. Sometimes that's not necessarily a pro - when developers decide to just lean into collectability and the gameplay stagnates - but I always give Bandai huge credit for their interesting mechanics they develop for DBS so I have no doubt it'll be around for a while. I always appreciate your comments! :)

I plan to do another, definitely!

Yes, I hope it goes for a long time! The designers are very creative with new mechanics and I always love to see what they come up with next!

Kitchen table is always the dominant mode of play for tcgs all the competitive scene is is advertising.

It's super easy to give Magic a try with Arena digitally. That can help make your decision! If you have a strong local FAB community it's definitely worth looking into it there as well.

Oh Genesis! That's totally my fault, I DID miss that one. If I had remembered to include it, I feel like I agree with C tier for it - it's a game that's been around a while, looks sharp, and is quite unique among TCGs, but while the KS did well this past year, I'm not sure it had the overall "move the needle" impact that it really could have used to get the game to be easier to find players for. That's another issue I feel has to be weighed in the discussion, and another reason Super Show and others are where they are. No reason you can't enjoy those games, of course - but unless we're going to give everything an A for effort and make the most boring Tier list ever, something's gotta be in the lower tiers so we have to find some way to delineate them. Thanks so much for your comment! I can't believe I forgot Genesis!

It is a super fun game to play!

Thank you! It will be included on this year's list!

I will make a new one later this year! I'm really excited to do it with all the new TCGs that have launched and are still coming!

heard that the OP card game gameplay is not good....

Really doesn't add up at all, in fact I'd argue that WOTC and Hasbro are even worse

It's an incredibly safe bet for long term and collecting. I don't enjoy the game very much, though. I'd rather play most other TCGs than Lorcana, personally! Especially at the current prices, it doesn't feel like good value to buy. I'd *presently* rank it at probably a C, and it's that *high* because it's not going anywhere anytime soon and you should be able to find a store to play it at anywhere you go.

@@MaindeckGames thank you. I'm trying to get my girlfriend to play more TCGs, she likes magic, but it's a little complex and she's a big Disney fan.

I think it can be a great gateway game! I hope it's helpful in getting your partner interested in your hobby! I just feel they went a little *too* safe with the rules, to the point where I find it quite uninteresting to play. Perhaps future expansions can address that, but I also understand that I'm sort of on the opposite side of the spectrum of who they were aiming it at!

@@MaindeckGames for sure. I started with hearthstone and don't mind playing a game with The same sort of complexity as that.

FFTCG has recently taken to using new artists in the industry to create all original artworks for large amounts of the game. There's always going to be some OA in use as they finally get through all the characters, but we've got some smashing artwork in the game these days.

There's a lot of original art in the game now, why it took Square so long to get there is anyone's guess 😅

@@Alnard obviously costs less to use existing assets, plus using existing art is key to promoting nostalgia which in turn helps get some players interested. Not saying it didn't take too long for new art, because it did, but costs and familiarity are key points

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! I'll be doing a new one later this year!

@@MaindeckGames I just got into an indie called Legions Of Will and was wondering if it was like any on this list. I think it's pretty unique and GORGEOUS art.

There's definitely some variance to the art quality - it's not bad across the board, but my bigger qualm is with the graphic design/card layout, fonts, etc. If you're familiar with UFS before it was MHA/UniVersus, that's a game I also would have ranked lower prior to the template redesign around 2020 - and I liked that templating more than Super Show XD But again, that's just my personal take on things. It's great that there are people who love Super Show, and if you like the game and can find a playgroup for it, more power to you! But the list sure isn't interesting if I just call everything "A tier because people like it!" :)

@@MaindeckGames No I understand. I was just trying to fill in some of the points you pointed out with answers.

I appreciate it!

also retro recently came about for ufs. and i really hope that takes off.

Overdress' biggest issue is over triggers, which just obliterated d format interest in my area. Vanguard could have made a great comeback in overdress, but they screwed up so badly

MTG is better than yugioh and it's not even close.

I'm super glad you enjoy it! We all have our own tastes and takes :)

Totally fair - if I were rating from an LGS point of view, I'd also probably adjust a few things! Thanks for the comment!

The biggest issue I had with FAB was that I didn't enjoy the arc of the game - FAB plays as a brawl where characters start at full power and lose power over time. I prefer games where both players naturally build up to a climax (most TCGs). I've heard a hundred times that there's one specific class (Mechanist) in FAB that does that, but that would just shoehorn me into a specific deck when I'd really be looking for a whole system to explore and enjoy. But it's all good, not every game is for everyone! I respect FAB's system and players, I just didn't find it as much fun to play as *other* 1v1 brawler TCGs.

@@MaindeckGames I completely agree with you. I think that because you lose strength over the turns, the game just becomes about making your opponent fizzle out sooner. I find myself conflicted about the game. I think the best way to play the game is Commoner or Blitz, since games will not last as long. People keep telling me that the real game is in Classic Constructed, but I feel like that would just exacerbate the feeling of losing strength. I'm going to continue to give it a chance, but I'm definitely not spending the insane money people do on FaB.

Literally every card game want to sell new sets And contrary to mtg in ygo konami reprint cards so you can get staples without paying hundred of dollars

No worries! We all have our opinions. You mentioned it's a bit biased - yep, any tier list is going to be in some way! That said, I do want to point out a couple of things that do shape my opinion on the two - first, this list was done in early November 2022, which was before many of the recent negative press events for WotC. I'm sure I'll weigh those in more in this year's list! Second, I think my point about Konami's business practices probably wasn't super well fleshed out in this livestream, but the difference between the two is that often Konami's practices with banlist management and power creep (my main issues) have a direct impact on how the game plays, while the negative press events for WotC may reflect poorly on the company, but I don't think they impact the game to the same degree. If I was ranking COMPANIES in a vacuum, you'd probably be much more on the same page as me with their rankings! But this was about the game itself, and while it's hard to divorce how Konami manages the game from its gameplay, it's easier to divorce some of WotC's recent decisions from how the game plays in general because they didn't really impact it. Konami also has a longer track record of those practices, whereas WotC has been spiralling a bit faster lately - and as I said, the deepest spiralling has been in the last 6 months, after this video was made! Appreciate your thoughts though!

Yeah, unfortunately the game has had a lot of trouble finding footing and the outlook is worsening over time :(

That's totally fair. This list was also done before all the fallout from MTG30A, and before the announcement of DBS Digital - two fairly big events that really mold opinions of those games!

Thanks for your thoughts! FoW in my experience is game that tends to be very regional at this point - I think it's the case that if you are in a region where a solid group is together, the game is quite a bit easier to get into and play! I definitely agree that the card quality is great in FoW - though I'll contend that "MTG's flaws" is a very subjective opinion. Solid game for sure either way, so I'm glad you are still loving it!

Copium

Those games had not released when this video was recorded!

That's OK! We can all have different opinions :)

Unfortunately many mtg players are blind to this, it's why they keep getting away with it

I've talked about it in more length in some podcasts - but to give you the most brief version of the reasons, 1) I wasn't a huge fan of the game *usually* operating on a "start strong and lose power" arc rather than many games which use an escalating power arc (where you gain power or resource potential as the game progresses, and 2) I found the moment-to-moment decisions not particularly exciting and felt other games (like UniVersus/MHA) scratched a similar itch but were more satisfying to my taste.

The way I approach a tierlist like this is not just giving my personal taste opinion on the gameplay. My goal was to approach the entire industry and try to rank games as *objectively* as possible. In other words, the question I wanted to try to answer was: if you are looking at getting into a TCG, which game should YOU play? That meant thinking about more factors than just "did *I* enjoy the gameplay". It meant considering how good the organized play support is, how good the casual play is, how expensive is the game to keep up with, how easy is it to find players, how good are the decisions the company makes for the longterm health of the game, etc. If you consider a list like that fake, then yes, it's a totally fake list. Thanks for the comment and I hope you enjoyed my fake list!

GA is very high from a gameplay standpoint, and it's only real drawback is that it's an underdog right now. The company and game are both top notch, simply held back by it needing to organically grow more. It has high potential and a passionate company making good decisions, so it will likely land around A tier for me this year.

I agree! It's great to experience a wide range of games! Hopefully we help people with that here!

@@MaindeckGames just do it!

Duel Masters is not currently in print in the west!

It's called UniVersus! It's the 4th oldest TCG on this list and had some awesome IPs releasing this year to joing MHA!

Grand Archive didn't release until 6 months after this video did. It will be on this year's tier list!

🤣🤣🤣

Same, want to play the cool new decks releasing in the next pack? hope you were skilled enough to buy into a now nearing $500 engine released 2 sets ago that won't get reprinted until later this year by which point it will be swiftly hit on the banlist if those reprints are cheap.

I think most of their player base will agree after they reboot their game 2 time ......

I think that's a totally fair take! My 2c - I don't consider (many of) Magic's decisions to be as much "anti-consumer" as they are simply "not pro-player". Magic has a MASSIVE fan base - with a variety of interests in how they interact with the game - and because of that, they've made a lot of decisions especially recently that I think you and I both agree on being not helpful to the rank-and-file PLAYERS of the game. But I think the majority of them aren't actively harming the players other than their inability to reasonably participate in them (ex: *most* 30th Anniversary items). This vid was made before the impact of the 30th anniversary stuff - and my take would be slightly lower, perhaps, now. I think WotC/Hasbro needs to figure out how to right the ship, but because of how big the game is, they have time to do it. What's very difficult to excuse is why it hasn't happened yet, given the resources they have! And agreed 100% - Wixoss's recent all-foil starter puts starter decks for every other game to shame!

@@MaindeckGames I get what you mean. I approach games from the perspective of a player who frequents my LGS and maybe would attend tournaments (if there were ones I could viably attend *cough cough*) but for kitchen table players and collectors things are maybe a little better. I think part of the reason commander is getting so popular (aside from the heavy marketing push) is that it is a non-rotating format that can be very social. While Pre-cons could be better as a product but they ARE very accessible and once you've started commander its very easy to "pay as you go" with card swaps here or there or slowly collecting cards for a new deck when some cool $3 legend comes out of a new set.

Also, I just realized Exodus wasn't listed. Is that because the game is on a "hiatus" right now?

@@Sadarac152 Definitely the clincher, but also I don't believe Exodus has ever been in distribution and has remained a wholesale direct to retailer seller, which kind of opens a can of worms if I allow it (even if it is likely one of the bigger, if not the biggest, TCG with that business model). For the fans, I hope they are able to pick it back up soon, though!

☠️☠️

We all have our own tastes! Send me your own tier list, I'd love to see it!

Trash game. Surprised he put it that high

SVE released about 7 months after this video was made. Perhaps the upcoming Doctor Who MTG set will help me time travel to fix these issues XD But seriously, it will be on this year's Tier List video which will be towards the end of the year again!

Fair play, I missed that one!

At the time of recording, One Piece was not available at distribution. I only included games that were readily available for a shop to stock!

@@MaindeckGamesman one piece is fire right now. It feels like s tier

I have played Flesh and Blood - enough to make a personal judgment of how much I enjoy the game in general - but this list was taking many factors into account including health and playebase, and it's hard to deny that Flesh and Blood has been making really impressive moves in the TCG space and at this point it's easily one of the best games to play if you are looking for a consistent competitive experience. I'll of course have an updated list later this year, so we'll see how it continues to fair with all the new games that have released or are releasing!

I agree - it's not just your region! The "Big 3" have the staying power and if I were ranking solely on "chances to succeed long term", those 3 would all be S tier and everything else would be below them. But the placement of them is more due to varying levels of appreciation for their gameplay :) Thanks for the comment - always fun and interesting to hear perspectives from outside my bubble!

@@MaindeckGames And thank you for making such videos. They are fun and interesting because of those different views, really appreciate your work :)

as a fab player, i def agree on fab being a ANTI MTG reaction, most players that jumped into fab are MTG players. I love the game, but god damn its so fucking sweaty and spikey, Balance is absolute garbage meanwhile players fail to criticize LSS for poor design choices and unbalances.. while i am a spike player from MTG.. its waaay too skewed towards competitive play that it starts getting unfun and the Toxic positivity the community has towards LSS (company that makes the game) is nearly making me jump into newer stuff or even mtg when they eventually bring back the MPL and more competitive events and mindset.

@@djsk244 Nah. Their only balance snafu was Bravo, Star of the Show meta that put him into living legend within months...balance has been great otherwise. If you don't want to be sweaty then play kitchen table fab with friends.

It's still going 😊

Yes I play it every day with my gf and we have many decks to choose from. Love this game ngl.