The Abyssal Heaven spoiler season has officially started! As always, I will collect all the spoilers in one convenient spot, and will be updating this post as soon as I can, but new updates should be up by the end of the day. The newest spoilers will always be on top. Make sure you get your preorders in, and don’t forget to support the official creators!
The first European Ascent event was held in Utrecht this weekend, and it was an exciting time for the game. Make sure you check out the VOD on the official Grand Archive Youtube channell for high quality coverage of the event. The production keeps getting better with each event, and its a great place to start learning the meta.
Aside from its exciting gameplay, there was some exciting news that you aren’t going to want to miss. As always, I’ve collected all the important details in one place for you to enjoy! If you’re looking to pick up some Grand Archive, always support your LGS. If that isn’t an option, you can always get product from TCG Player using my affiliate link.
The schedule for Nationals have been announced. Specific dates are too come, but we have locations and months! It’s time to get grinding for Nationals!
Like last year, players who qualify for Day 2 will receive a unique Sword of Seeking promo you aren’t going to want to miss out. This card is so pretty and it makes me wish I was better at the game.
Nationals finalists will get their hands on a beautiful Eternal Magistrate alt art. If haven’t been motivated to get good this season, you’re going to want to after seeing it.
Players who pre-register for Nationals will receive a special backpack. I’ll try to make the announcement as soon as pre-registration goes live, but the official Discord is a fantastic place to stay on top of the announcements.
Ascent worlds will be in Anaheim this year, June 27 to the 29th. Tickets go on sale on the February 2nd, so make sure you start planning accordingly. Remember, this year you can qualify for worlds through normal means or the gauntlet, so keep on grinding!
This year’s worlds promo is a beautiful Spurn to Ash that belongs in everyone’s collection.
and there is a VIP variant!
The most exciting news is the Developer stream happening on February 1st. This will officially kick of the Abyssal Heaven spoiler season, and have some important notes on the upcoming supplement set. You aren’t going to miss out, but I’ll be covering the key points shortly after. Stay tuned for that.
I was at Gamestop the other day and decided to treat myself with a new deck box for my Grand Archive deck. The one I was using at the time was ratty and falling apart. I chose to pick up the GameStop Premium Trading Card Deck Box, but this thing was anything but premium.
The deck box has a slick black vinyl texture with red stitching along its edges that gives the box its alluring elegant feel. There are strong magnets on the flap for secure storage, and two plastic dividers to keep your cards organized. The inside also has this sleek black for the matching aesthetic. It’s a nice looking box, but those looks fade fast.
The plastic covering the bottom of the deckbox came undone on the second day, exposing my cards to the box’s cheap interior cardboard. I should have taken this moment to get my money back, but I wanted to see what would happen. The red stitching that runs along the edges started to come undone shortly after. After my third locals, I started to notice the inside fold of the flap starting to tear away. I am very careful with my trading card and accessories and was surprised at how rough the box looked after only a few uses. It would have been better if I bought cheap plastic ones instead.
I wasn’t expecting a high quality product that would last me forever, but I did expect it to at least make it through the year. I might have gotten a defective unit, but if Gamestop is truly attempting to make their transition to an LGS, they need to do better. If you only have 20 bucks to spend on a deck box, you can do better.
I was sent the five Hero Realms character packs to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
If you’re looking to buy any card games, board games, miniatures, and more, get it over at Game Nerdz using my affiliate links. Game Nerdz offers some fantastic pricing on anything you need, and it really helps me out.
The character packs introduce the class system to the fantasy-themed deck-building game. The playable characters I received were cleric, fighter, ranger, wizard, and thief. Each pack comes with two special ability cards unique to the corresponding class, and a few uniquely themed resource and attack cards. These packs will act as a player’s starting deck. The packs also have a unique character card and authority tracker for flavor.
You will need the base game if you want to play with these cards. Make sure you check out my review of Hero Realms if you don’t know what I am talking about.
If you haven’t played hero realms yet, it is worth checking out. The game is easy to learn and teach, and has some terrific flavor. The cards are high quality, and the texture is wonderful. Make sure you check out my full review!
While the character packs aren’t a necessity, they do not disappoint. The packs are all printed with the high quality and care that I have come to know from Wise Wizard Games. The flavor of each pack is fantastic in both mechanics and art. This game has some fantastic art, and if you like fantasy, you’ll love these character cards.
Power level-wise, the classes feel pretty even. Most games were decided based on RNG, and none of the classes seemed unfair. I preferred using the cleric because I am always the group’s cleric. You can get away with only buying one character pack. I played a few games against a character without one and while the abilities do offer a slight advantage, it was manageable. That said, I would have preferred to play with a class because the class abilities add a fun dynamic to the game.
If you don’t sleeve your cards, you can pack the character packs snugly with the base game, but the box will only fit one character and the base game. You’re going to have to get creative with storage if you are like me and sleeve everything. This isn’t a criticism of the game, but rather something to think about if you’re getting ready to purchase.
I love Hero Realms because of the flavor and gameplay, and I recommend you at least start with that. If you want a way to spice up your Hero Realms game night, you’re going to want to check out the character packs. They aren’t necessary, but they are worth the money.
You can pick up the five-character card bundle on Amazon for $24.94, or the cleric, fighter, ranger, wizard, and thief separately using my affiliate link. It really helps me out if you do.
I was sent a free copy of Star Trek: Star Realms to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions of the game. This will be my honest review. Make sure you check out my review for Star Realms: Frontiers.
I am happy to announce my newest sponsor, Game Nerdz. If you’re looking to buy any card games, board games, miniatures, and more, get it over at Game Nerdz using my affiliate links. Game Nerdz offers some fantastic pricing on anything you need, and it really helps me out.
Star Trek: Star Realms is the officially licenses reskin of the popular Wise Wizard Games. This is a 2-4 player deck building game where players build a powerful space fleet and reduce their opponents authority to zero. Players take turns buying ships, collecting resources, and attacking their opponents.
You get everything you need to play in a very neat and compact package. The game includes:
The included rulebook does a good job of teaching players the flow of the game, but here is a great tutorial by The Board Meeples for you visual learners.
Star Trek: Star Realms is a high-quality board game with sturdy and well-printed cards. The packaging is fantastic. The box art is cool and iconic. The game pieces are packed neatly inside a cardboard insert with the schematics of the iconic Galaxy class ship. The box can fit all 130-sleeved cards and its contents without having to toss out the insert.
The playmat is nice glossy paper, but it won’t survive as long as the rest of the game. This isn’t a huge deal because it isn’t really needed once players learn the rules. It is a fantastic extra to have when learning the game, but it becomes less valuable the more you play. The damage counters are cool and well-made, but I would rather use an ap.
The card quality is fantastic. The card stock has a good thickness and weight, and the cards feel sturdy. I still advise sleeving since you will be shuffling a lot, but the cards can take a good enough beating before having to buy a new set. Unfortunately, the art is a bit disappointing. Fans of the series might appreciate the style, but the illustrations are too dark. Most of the time, I didn’t know what ship I was looking at. The art in the mainline games is a lot better.
That said, the mechanics and flavor are fantastic. Each faction feels unique, the game is easy to learn, and it is a lot of fun to play. Once I got a few games in, I didn’t mind the art because the flavor of faction made up for it. I am speaking as a casual Star Trek fan, and while I can recognize a few of the names, I can’t tell you how accurate of an adaptation this game is.
If you’re looking to start your journey into Star Realms, the Star Trek version is a fantastic place to start. The rulebook is clear, the game is easy to pick up and teach, and the game is a lot of fun. I do wish the game had solo options like Frontiers did, but nothing is stoping you from playing yourself. If you’re looking for a fun deck familiar deck builder to play with your friends, check out Star Trek: Star Realms.
You can pick up Star Trek Star Realms on Game Nerdz ($18.97 + shipping) or Amazon ($24.99) using my affiliate links.
Grand Archive’s newest set has been announced! While not much was revealed, we do have a name and the new RE:Collection decks.
I think the most important announcement this time around is the change to the Proxia Vault policy. All Proxia Vault cards can be proxied indefinitely! Originally, the rule was that these cards could be proxied for the first year of release before having to use official cards. The problem with this rule is that official Proxia Vault cards aren’t accessible to everyone. Now players are free to print their own proxies and even commission their custom versions!
Mortal Ambition was meant to be draftable. Special draft packs will be released for events where player will get packs of world themed relics and three packs of Mortal Ambition. Santa Clara will be the first event to host Mortal Ambition drafts, so make sure you get your tickets while they are still available.
The newest set, Abyssal Heaven, has been announced for March 7th 2025. This will be an expansion set featuring eight-card packs and a continuation of the Mortal Ambition world.
Two new RE:Collection decks were just announced, and I am extremely hyped. The last RE:Collection decks were incredible products, so make sure you have yours preordered as soon as they become available. These new decks will release with Abyssal Heaven so make sure you load up!
I was sent a free copy of Star Realms: Frontier to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
If you want to pick up Star Realms or any other board games at fantastic prices, get them over at Game Nerdz through my affiliate link.
Star Realms: Frontiers is a 1-4 player deck-building card game. Gather your resources and build the best fleet in the galaxy. Loyalty to certain factions may help a player cement their place in the galaxy, but only those with the fastest, ships and abundant resources can rule it. Do you have what it takes?
Star Realms: Frontiers comes with 152 cards, including an 80-card trade deck and 8 oversized challenge cards for solo and cooperative play.
The quality is fantastic. This is a beautifully printed game with high-quality pieces. I am very happy with the weight and thickness of the cards, and they feel durable enough to survive a few years of consistent use. I sleeved them like a crazy person, but the sleeved deck fits snugly in the compact box for easy storage. I like to sleeve card games where I have to shuffle a lot to keep the cards in good condition and because it makes shuffling the decks easier.
Players will take turns spending and generating resources, and attacking their enemies. Each player and NPC starts with a set amount of Authority and the same basic deck. Authority is lost through combat. A player or NPC loses the game when Authority drops to zero. During a turn, players can cast cards that generate resources to buy ships, stations, or bases. Players can also summon units to attack.
As the game progresses, players will upgrade their decks. Building towards a certain faction can give players access to more power, but they are always at the mercy of RNG, especially in bigger games. While going in with a strategy is important, being flexible and adapting to the changes in the trade deck is what wins games.
For those who want to play alone or the group that needs a challenge, Star Realms: Frontiers comes with 8 challenge cards that successfully adjust the difficulty. Players have the freedom to adjust the game to their skill level, but also have access to the added flavor of each imaginative scenario.
The instructions were a bit confusing, so I recommend looking up a guide. Whose Turn? does a decent job explaining the rules. I’ll leave his video bellow:
I love deck builders and Star Realms: Frontiers does not disappoint. The art and flavor did a lot to attract me at first, but the gameplay kept me playing. I love that no two games were ever alike, nor did I ever use the same strategy twice. What I found impressive was that the game never felt solvable. I am sure this opinion will change with more play-throughs, but the game feels fairly balanced.
I don’t always have people to play with, so I appreciate the inclusion of a solo mode. Solo mode has players solve different scenarios. Players are given NPCs and rules on how to run them. If the encounter is too easy, the game provides additional challenges to help adjust the difficulty. Each scenario feels unique, and the challenges add enough depth to keep the game fun and interesting. You can run scenarios with your friends, but I don’t have to friend group to test this properly.
If you enjoy deck-building games, this is a fantastic and compact one to keep on your shelves. Setup is easy and the games go fast, but the onboarding can be a little tricky. Even for the experienced gamer, there is going to be some initial confusion. The game isn’t impossible to learn, but it does require a bit of extra effort. Once players can overcome this hurdle, Star Realms: Frontiers is a very good time. I recommend it to everyone.
You can pick up your copy of Star Realms: Frontiers on Game Nerdz (17.47) or Amazon ($29.99) through my affiliate links.
If you’re trying to pick up the Kongming deck, make sure you always support your LGS. If that isn’t an option, you can find it over on TCG Player through my affiliate link.
If you’re looking for unique sleeves or deck boxes to keep your cards safe, get them over at Gem Accessories. Use discount code churapereviews10 at checkout for 10% off your order.
If you’re trying to pick up the Kongming deck, make sure you always support your LGS. If that isn’t an option, you can find it over on TCG Player through my affiliate link.
If you’re looking for unique sleeves or deck boxes to keep your cards safe, get them over at Gem Accessories. Use discount code churapereviews10 at checkout for 10% off your order.
The Mortal Ambition collector rares have been revealed, and you will want to chase these. I hope my preorder unearths one, but I am never so lucky. The set releases on October 11th. It is a little too late for preorders, but you can probably pick product up from your LGS at launch. You can also pick up Mortal Ambition on TCG Player, but I would wait til after launch for the prices to stabilize a bit. I’m hoping there is enough demand for a second printing because this set is going to be fantastic for folks trying to pick up the game for the first time.
If you’re looking for unique sleeves or deck boxes to keep your cards safe, get them over at Gem Accessories. Use discount code churapereviews10 at checkout for 10% off your order.
