Card battlers, card battlers, card battlers, as far as the eye can see. It seems the CCG craze is truly in full swing, with pretty much every major franchise releasing either a new side series or a card game companion app to a larger mainline game.
Why is that? Well, probably because they look nice, mainly. Plus there's a very tactile feel to a card battler that a tablet facilitates beautifully - fanning a set of cards in front of you wonderfully replicates the real life action, and can make you feel like a badass professional poker player.
Even if this poker player is faced with a load of cards with zombies and killer plants on, sure.
But given every game dev and their mum is bringing out a card battler these days, which are the best ones? Well, these five of course!
5. Titanfall: Frontline
It truly is the year of the CCG spin off. Titanfall might have made its name as a wallrunning, double jumping, quick blasting shooter, but Frontline is an altogether different beast.
It's a CCG (obviously, it wouldn't be in this list otherwise would it, ya dummy), and it's presented with the same cool, dirty sci fi look as the mainline games.
It may not be the most imaginative card game out there, but it's still got a huge, cool brand behind it.
And calling in a Titan is still the best feeling ever.
4. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes
This only just came out, but you can already taste the polish glistening off its virtual lawn.
Ew, polish and mud taste bad.
It may just be Hearthstone with a brains and fertiliser themed lick of paint, but Hearthstone is one hell of a game to base yourself on, and the PvZ art style is an even better lick of paint to give.
3. Pokemon: TCG Online
Pokemon: TCG Online is amazing because it's (sort of) exactly like playing Pokemon cards in the playground when I was five years old.
Only sort of though, because in this you actually have to play by the rules and use energy cards and so on, not just play the coolest move and then beat up your younger brother when he complains.
2. Clash Royale
Clash Royale is one of the best games on mobile. It's incredibly well balanced, has a very fair free to play model, the difficulty curve's trajectory is spot on, and - above all else - it has the most gorgeous presentation, as you would expect from Supercell.
I'm still playing it now!
1. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
The absolute boss of CCGs. Probably the one that sparked this whole trend off in the first place, Hearthstone is amazing.
Its mechanics are beautifully crafted, with each battle building to a tense crescendo, and while it has an incredibly deep metagame, it's also very accessible for those new to card battlers.
It also has the most generous free to play model I can think of. And of course, it's from Blizzard. So you know it's good.
