In Brandon Sanderson’s captivating Mistborn series, certain individuals possess the unique ability to metabolize metals to wield magic. They can burn pewter for enhanced physical strength or use brass to gently influence someone’s emotions. However, the true powerhouses are the Mistborn, who have the rare capability to harness multiple metals, enabling them to seemingly fly and even catch glimpses of the future.
Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game cleverly taps into the series’ well-defined magic system, inviting players to channel the formidable strength of a Mistborn. By building intricate combos with their metals, players strive to either accomplish three challenging missions, earning rewards along their journey, or outlast and defeat their rivals by depleting their health to zero.
As the game progresses, characters unlock greater potential, gaining the ability to burn more of the eight available metals with each turn. This activation powers cards, allowing players to advance along mission tracks, engage in battles with opponents, or refine their decks by purchasing new cards and discarding weaker ones. Many cards come with ‘kickers’ offering enhanced effects if you burn additional metals of the same type, encouraging players to specialize. Alternatively, a more versatile strategy involves flaring metals, which temporarily cools them down until refreshed by a matching card in a future turn—a tactic I admittedly underutilized early on to strengthen my deck.
A standout feature of the game is its unique approach to handling damage. In games with three or four players, only one person is marked as the target, making them the sole recipient of attacks. Yet, this is balanced by the target’s ability to strike back at all opponents during their attack turn. When the target takes damage, they have the strategic choice to pass the target token to another player or retain it. This mechanism cleverly prevents players from piling on the leader, but can also be a strategic tool for players with aggressive decks to maintain.
I’m excited to explore more strategies and dive into the game’s cooperative mode, which resonates more closely with the series’ storyline, as the Mistborn band together to challenge the oppressive Lord Ruler. The game feels ripe for expansions too, promising the potential to introduce more beloved characters and storylines from beyond the first book in the series.
