Ivion Review

boardgamequest.com:

We review Ivion, a herocrafting card game published by Luminary Games. In Ivion, players each create a hero and then battle it out in the arena.

When it comes to dueling games, there is no shortage of options. From the juggernaut that is Magic: The Gathering, down to small, indie titles like Allegiance: A Realm Divided, I always love seeing what innovations designers come up with.

Today, we are going to look at Ivion, a fantasy-themed dueling game that will have you battling your opponent for supremacy. Does it have what it takes to stand out in a crowded genre? Let’s find out.

There are three different versions of Ivion, each themed around two different heroes. The characters are all interchangeable though, letting you get some variety in your battles. Players will alternate taking turns until one player has been reduced to zero life. On a player’s turn, they will first draw a card, and then gain three action tokens and their initiative token. Different actions you can take on your turn include:

• Play a card from your hand: These will cost action tokens and/or power, and have a variety of effects. Many will be used to attack your opponet. • Move 1 tile: Costs 1 action token • Spend a resource (action or power) to remove a status effect from your character • Spend your initiative token to either gain a free movement or draw a card.

Any action tokens not used are carried over for the player’s next turn. Initiative tokens however are lost if not used (Yes, it’s true. If you don’t use it, you lose it). Players will also have a few feat cards that stay in play outside their deck. Two are abilities and one is an ultimate card. These give the character special powers and help to make them feel more unique.

Turns will go back