As someone without time to sink into designing my own decks, Keyforge has been great fun to get to know. I pick up a few decks for each set that comes out to keep it fresh, don't take it too seriously and get a lot of bang for my bucks playing it a few nights a week with my partner!

Incredibly courageous, that you are making a statement about the addictive properties of gaming. And this one can certainly sneak up on folks. Very glad it is said, I think these types of pointers must be put out there for the people that may not be aware of some of the pitfalls of gaming. Bravo!

I can't tell if you're joking about the word 'tempo' (Italian for 'time' I think!) being invented by MTG players, but that term is from chess and long predates modern games. If you forced your opponent to play a move they didn't want to, then they've lost a tempo - lost time - and you have gained a tempo, because you effectively get two meaningful moves in a row. It's a very useful concept which applies to lots of games.

I love Keyforge. One of the best two player, back and forth card games. It's not perfect, sure. But it's one I want to play all the time

You said “full grip” that’s Netrunner talk, sir! (The best card game of all time)

The quality of your reviews has really reached a high standard. Keep up the excellent work!

Just wonderful. Makes me want to play key forge.

Much props for bringing up Maro's Timmy, Johnny, and Spike concepts! What a well done video!

Fantastic review man. Really appreciated the PSA too. I’ve dropped way too much money down the well of collectable card games over the years. I’m tempted to try keyforge, but I just know the thing will bite

Fantastic review! Can't imagine a better one. Spot on about my feelings about the game and spot on about the addictive/obsessive qualities of games, in general.

As someone who doesn't go down to the local game shop to play the games, Keyforge is something I just can't commit to. While I really like the idea, and could easily buy far too many decks until the only home I have is one made of Keyforge cards, I know that I just don't move in the right circles to actually PLAY the game enough to make it worthwhile.

I reached for my phone after watching this video on my apple tv, just to like the video because of the PSA at the end 🙌🏻

Great video, and your deck “The Surely Pretentious Guard of Bearafon” is so good! I want it 😭

Thanks for enthusing me to go and revisit keyforge!

Thanks for this great review, Dad!

I’m so glad you reviewed this game!!!! this is by far my favorite 2 player game You get so much bang for your buck with this game. Love this game, thanks for your review!

Please try play some Exceed. Its a amazing card game that has great interaction between players, is tactical and strategic, quick to setup, infinitely replayable, cheap to get into, and easy to teach. The only problem with the game is that its so amazing that the developers are not getting enough for their work.

As a Johnny, I fully concur the KeyForge already-built deck is anathema to the Johnny’s designer impulse. The desire to drive a factory issue sedan at a race track is Spike. The urge to build your own car, not drive someone else’s - that’s Johnny. Also - yes, I can “collect” KF decks. But using “collectible” for KF is a strong definition shift for an established industry term.

Have you tried shards of infinity? I wish it got more coverage as it is an absolute blast to play. It is a bit like star realms or ascension but arguably has much more depth without being any more complicated. One of the reasons I love shards is it doesnt try to exploit you by getting you addicted to buying more and more. It is just a really damn fun 1v1 competitive card combat game with a relatively small deck that comes with everything you need.

A very good review of a really smart card game!

Great video, and an Outstanding PSA. You guys rule.

Funny but indepth review. The addiction message is done well too. I always suggest to only buy decks when playing in sealed tournaments. That way you at least get to play every deck you have at least a little bit, as well as fight against that urge to buy decks, crack them, and then let them collect dust.

You're making me want to play this again, I haven't in almost a year

I've played MtG, SolForge, Hearthstone, and even a prototype game a friend is developing and I flat out love them. I've never played one I don't enjoy but the pay-to-play/just buy one more nature of them is enough to stop me ever buying another deck. I just refuse to let myself get addicted and it is a real shame because I doubt I'll ever try Keyforge and from all accounts it sounds great.

Respectful, I think one "unifying" aspect of player types of this game is the plethora of formats that can be used that make the game so much fun. If you think a friend's deck is so good, use it yourself. There is a long debate within the community about "pilots" and deck strength. There are calculators that can tell you if you have a synergistic deck, or one that SHOULD be winning/losing, but busting that is always fun. I've seen an experienced card player go 0-4 with a deck in a tournament. The person who won the tournament used the 0-4 deck against his own winning deck, AND WON!

I NEED ALL THESE CARDS!

You're Justdrown deck is actually pretty good, and according to Decksofkeyforge, it's in the top 95% of decks. (It's mostly because of your logos suite)

I didn’t need it before the review, but now I have this urge to buy and use the village idiot... that sounded better in my head.

Such a great explanation! Such a good game 🤍 I

I'm not sure that the Johnny psychographic maps onto Keyforge as well as you think. I always figured the idea that Johnny plays as a form of self expression specifically requires that he has created his own deck to show off his personal cleverness... this is not possible when all decks are preconstructed as in Keyforge

Magic was always for me: guy with the most money to buy cards (or having a place to buy them near by) plus the guy with the best luck.

An addicted KeyForge player could spend a couple of hundreds. In comparison, I know dozens of Magic players and they've all invested thousands in their decks.

Cats won't eat your face as soon as you die! They have to wait three days, by which point the skin on your face is loose enough for them to get purchase.

I feel there is a missing archetype that this game can appeal to that isn't Johnny. To me, it's about exploring and discovering each deck's strengths and weaknesses and how it synergizes. Something about "sussing out" the kernel of the deck to make it actually sing is a joy to me when I play this game. I actually like the fact that I don't have to spend hours and thousands of dollars building the perfect deck as in MTG, but I spend more time getting familiar with what tools I have in the deck given to me. I like the feeling of learning to "roll with the punches" to achieve victory and the give and take of this game. I know it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.

Loved the ending 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, Very glad you mentioned it, I was just about to ask for child support.

I’m on the fence about this one but I’m leaning towards getting it and trying it out because of one thought I keep having. So anybody with experience with this please tell me if this is true. The thought I keep having about this game is that one of the main things that I’m going to have fun with it is the fact that a player with better skill, but a worse deck can beat a player with less skill and a better deck and seeing how far I can take my Soso deck and pulling off epic victories against decks I know are superior. Is this a fair assessment of one of the joys of this game? I could even imagine having a tournament with a buddy we are each person has three or five decks or so and play till the last deck standing.

The Friday Feature music from PlayStation Access is absolutely freaking me out....

KeyForge is awesome, it's for everybody!

I went from 1 to 72 decks pretty quick helphelp

Used up all your beginnings! 😂😂👌👌👌👌👌

wonderful review!! everything you’ve said is spot on. What a great game!

I am completely confident you understand what an algorithm is.

I love your reviews, but I do feel this one has left off some important details (some playing would be nice). I also hope the game stays around for awhile but I feel like it won't. The thing that makes CCG so interesting is the deck building and the buying of cards.. but not because you're doing those things.. it's because those things let you interact with the game even if you're not playing. Keyforge doesn't have that intrinsic mechanism. You only need to be involved in Keyforge for two reasons - buy/open decks and playing. MtG is top of mind of players because they're always touching their cards, researching deck strategies, looking for cards to buy. The more time you have your hands in the game, the stronger your bond to it is. Until/Unless KF finds a way to get people to do that, its doomed a short life.

for a second, i thought I was watching Mick Foley

Procedurally-generated decks? Is this what eventually leads to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Armageddon? Thanks for a great review as always.

Well my gaming store is now selling display boxes for 45 dollars canadian sooooooo...

“ I am not your dad.... but let’s talk about addiction” 😂

No Pun Included

Buying multiple decks to chase "the best" one seems like it runs counter to the spirit of this game. Yet it seems to be central to its business model. Sad. But theoretically I really like the idea of figuring out how to utilise weird decks. That's how I played Hearthstone: never spend a dime and just try to put something together out of the trash that I have. Doesn't work when almost everybody else spend fortunes to copy current meta decks, though. I am not sure about the theme however.

Did any one say "Yay Bessie!" ....well i just did.

Needs more Bessie

Procedurally generated? Praise the Omnissiah!

If I die and my cat eats my face, she will absorb my strength. That is the law of nature.

Hard pass for me but there’s no denying the uptick in quality of the NPI vids as of late. Love y’all! Keep up the outstanding work and thank you!

I hate Keyforge. I like the game, I like how you are always in a struggle to choose which third of your deck to use every turn, I like how you have to decide if it's fine to reap or if you need to clear the board, I like Keyforge as a game a lot. But I hate the "every deck is random and you have to deal with it" formula. One thing I always teach to new players (mostly kids and parents) when they start playing a CCG is "Never buy a pack of cards, if you need a card, buy it off the secondary market" yes, it sounds like a waste of money but in the long run it will save you a fortune both in money and in space filled with useless cardboard, and Keyforge is the prime example of the opposite of this.

KeyForge is definatly NOT for Jhonnys! The most important thing for a Jhonny is the deck building part. It's creating your own strategy and combos, MAKING something that's trully yours. In KeyForge none of that is present, your deck is not your creation, it's just something random you own.

Your deck is currently 1 in 1,700,000. Sleeve it! ;-)

📝

This exploded here when it came out, but due to under-production and tournament burnout, you'll only rarely see anyone pick it up.

Check out the Keyforge Points & Achievements system (SOLVES the going to TIME endgame problem): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o8d3nrh-nbS6oWQ.html

No, the resemblance though, what am i gonna tell mom

The hidden cost (of buying more and more cards) is why I don't play TCGs and if I did I'd just print the cards and play with people who are okay with that.

0:37 oh, i already hate it lol.

A KF review so late to the "game" is intereseting. I played it for a while now. I don't even like to build decks and I love the colourful artwork but in all honesty, I think KF is a bit boring and basically is pay to win. Yes, you have the chains but in tournaments there seem to be players who put hundreds of *insert currency* into the game to have a new hitter deck with few chains at their disposal. It's boring because you seem to have little control over your game, you just play your deck as the algorithm intended you to do and you can hardly adapt to the deck of your opponent. Now, I just play it casual but its hard to get players play with "your" decks because having your "own" deck is the whole point of the game. I don't think it will last. In contrast Netrunner was a thrill-ride and a duel of minds every game and just the aggressive FFG business method of eleminating cards and refusing to balance the cards destroyed all the fun I had with it.

You said you love Magic because it is like "chess and poker." You need to play BattleCON right now.

I personally dislike the idea of this game very very much, i prefer LCGs since i hate randomness when spending money. There is enough randomness when playing the game already!

As a Johnny player, I can't take ownership or express creativity through a janky deck of loose theme that is just handed to me. It seems more of a Spike thing to with skill alone with a effectively random deck.

I really must recommend SUSD's review of Keyforged for an alternative viewpoint. Personally, I hate Keyforged. The theme doesn't make sense and it doesn't filter down into the cards well. The mechanics are too simple and don't offer as many meaningful choices as Magic or other CCG's. If I play a creature out to the field, why can't I use that creature every turn? Why can I only use it if I choose that house, thereby restricting the cards I can play? Why is this? From the theme, there's no clear reason why choosing a house each turn sets your options for that turn. Am I calling up only one house and saying "Bring all your best dudes!" If so, why can't I call all the other ones as well? Once I have an army of robots, dinosaurs and green men, why can't I swing with all of them? The mechanics are way too simple and offer so few opportunities for interacting with your opponent. Yes this is a race to victory with three thresholds, but sometimes what will happen is after the second key you will draw dud cards that don't meaningfully impact your board at all and you can basically scoop. There's no point in getting to that third threshold at all. That scenario happens in constructed CCG's as well, but in Keyforged it's because you just got the wrong end of the algorithm stick. In a constructed CCG, at least you know that it was your choices that contributed to that outcome. I don't think Keyforged at all appeals to the Johnny type. A Keyforged deck is not a means of self-expression, or at least an excessively limited one. Any expression or creativity comes in playing the cards and its not fun to have to make the best of a bad set of options that you were just handed. If you challenge someone with a broken stick and find out they have a gun, that's not creative. Yes, it's your broken stick but just 'this is mine and no one else's' doesn't make things better. The appeal for Johnny is in the deck creation process, in piloting the deck that you made yourself. The appeal isn't being given a unique rock that no one else has and then being told to bash your opponent who has a forcefield. As you say, Keyforged can be a great game for people who want to just sit down, open some decks and bash them together. But it is incredibly simplistic and doesn't offer the level of meaningful choices that you are making it out to have. The above aside, I do want to say that I thoroughly enjoy NPI and your videos. I just think on this one you missed the mark.

Looks like my previous comment aged poorly as I've now spent over $400 on magic the gathering.

Love this game, but I'm disappointed by how quickly my previous edition's decks feel outdated and almost... antiquated? Like, a deck without warding just feels precious at this point.

Yeesh. As a self-proclaimed "johnny" magic the gathering player, I would argue that Keyforge is much much much more oriented to Timmy and Spike. In fact, Spike ruined keyforge. The game is definitely in decline from its glory year, especially organized play, because the more spikey players will crack decks until they find that 100+ rated deck to crush the competition. If you think magic is lopsided, it has nothing on keyforge. I would consider myself decently skilled at magic. I have been successful with "jank" and where one of the puzzles that really attracts me to magic, especially as a johnny, is that meta game puzzle of figuring out hidden gems that others might have overlooked. Hence why deckbuilding is so much a part of the fun. Keyforge takes this away and also amplifies it because decks are no where near balanced. You can open up a deck that is intro deck power level and play vs a deck that is vintage power level if you understand the magic reference. There isn't a lot as a player you can even do to "outplay" as there isn't the same layering that makes magic such strategic and skill driven game. At first, I enjoyed Keyforge, but it got old fast. Cute idea, but didn't age well.

I bought a few decks, then realized the local scene was dominated by a couple players who had bought multiple boxes to find the best deck. Not to mention you have to memorize the errata since they can't ban single cards out of decks. Kudos for talking about addiction.

There's no real reason why you couldn't build a deck with keyforge. Just pick three houses and put together cards. When you're playing with friends, there's no reason not to.

That's why I play Eternal instead of Magic.

I played Keyforge, and hoped to like it, but didn't find it fun at all. A lot of the actions were confusing, and the theme is not appealing. I just didn't get it.

Agree with most of what you say, but you missed so many important points, such as the thematic aspect. Splashing martians togheter with orks and paladins makes the theme inconsistent and bland. Also everything in this game sells a board control/dudes fighting style of game, but in reality it is a resource management/race game with take-that elements... I think this is the biggest sin.. you have big dudes with swords and claws powered with magical artifacts and spells, and all you really have those things around for is harvesting grapes. These are objective facts, but I could add some personal opinion such as that the gameplay is a bit shallow compared to most strategic card games, the pace of the game is anti-climatic, and the main mechanic of picking a faction, while being original and an interesting, is a bit unsatisfying.

Keyforge, it's like a slot machine but less fun and you can't get your money back!

i so very much hate this game for its incredibly horrible marketing strategies. This takes the terrible TCG formula to the next level and i hope noone else takes it up.

Keyforge is a great game but its also a game that has failed in many areas. The game is mainly played casually because most of the local tournaments have stopped due to lack of players. The game is also super expensive if you are looking to get a great deck. MTG is less expensive to build a high powered deck even if you're buying cards singularly. Its a shame because the game plays well and is really fun. I think its too rigid and there is one way that they can fix it for the better. They need to dump the singular champion deck and instead have a deck made up of 3 champions. One per house. Then instead of selling decks they should sell packs that have one champion house of 12 cards. That way players can mix and match and build their own decks of 3 different houses. This will reduce the waste of dead decks and allow some creativity for ppl to create decks for tournaments. The waste is incredible with this game unless you only buy a few decks for casual play. Its a necessary change because i have seen the interest drop considerably and the decks that used to be found at the cash registers in game shops are now found in the corner in full supply.

Click Bait! It's not a CCG! lol.