Wizards of the Grimoire

Wizards of the Grimoire is a two-player head-to-head battle game. You are wizards and you deal damage to each other by casting spells. To win the game, you need to reduce your opponent's health points to zero. This structure is pretty common. However the way you pick spells to use and manage mana needed to cast them is interesting. The game certainly offers something new. 

There is a market of spells from which you can pick new spells. There are all sorts of spell, and they are categorised into three types. Orange spells mostly deal damage. Green spells mostly help you gain mana. Purples spells are the quirky ones. At the start of your turn you can may take one spell from the market to become your own. You can have at most six spells in your play area. 

Every turn, by default you will draw three mana cards. They are numbered from 1 to 4, with 1's being the most common and 4's being the rarest. This might make the game sound luck-heavy, but mana strength is less important than you might imagine. When you cast a spell, it requires a specific number of mana cards, regardless of strength. These mana cards are placed below the spell, and you activate the power of the spell. Spells have a cooldown period. Every turn, one mana card below a spell is removed. You can cast the spell again only after all mana cards have been removed. 

At the end of your turn, if you have any mana cards remaining in hand, you can perform one basic attack by spending a mana card. Now the mana strength is important. You deal as much damage as the strength of this card. 

The game is a race to reduce your opponent's health to zero. The key in the game is how you assemble your combination of spells. Some spells combo well. You should also watch your opponent's combo. After he claims a spell, there is not much you can do to defend yourself against it. In this sense, the game is a little solitairish - you compete in building the most efficient damage-dealing machine. If yours is more efficient than your opponent's, there isn't much he can do to stop you from winning. So drafting to deny your opponent a important card can be crucial. It is also satisfying to create nifty combos. After you have six spells, you can choose to replace an existing spell. However you need to have left it idle for at least one turn. Sometimes it is worthwhile. 

Green spells usually help you gain more mana.

Orange spells deal damage.

This particular orange spell deals damage but also helps in gaining mana.

One fun combo I had was this. I had a card which gave me mana but I had to give one mana card to my opponent. I had another card which dealt damage to my opponent if he had a mana card of a specific value in his hand. By having the first card, I could guarantee that my second card always worked. Even if my opponent had used up all his mana cards (which would have been a good defence against my second card), I could give him a card, and I knew exactly what value it was. 

Wizards of the Grimoire is a clever card game about making powerful combos and managing your mana. You want to have just enough mana to power your spells and not too much, which would be a waste. Despite the head-to-head battle theme, I find this more like a race game in which you do your own stuff building the most efficient damage-dealing machine. The interaction is mostly in the card drafting aspect of the game. However it is crucial and you must pick your cards wisely. You're a wizard, aren't you?