Ignore the first part of the TA blurb. Card upgrading is a liminal mechanic that only comes into play on a limited number of occasions, as a tutorial and single player story mechanic. It has no effect on regular and competitive play, as non-upgraded cards make no further appearances (can't be crafted, will not appear in packs), and the upgraded versions of the card *are* the regular play versions (and branching upgrades are considered two entirely different cards).There is no card upgrades during matches, no timers when you do upgrade, and upgrades have absolutely no impact on the meta., is not the next coming of the digital CCG, but the finest evolution of the Hearthstone paradigm to date. It goes further in permutations to established mechanics and provides greater mechanical width and depth than both its daddy, or any of its other spawn. Card mechanics are more intricate and their wider implications are less apparent, TESL's design space is wider, and as a result strategies, combos and decks are more sophisticated. There is more room for skill and strategy, but also greater requirements for both. Lanes and runes change the flow of the game more than I first imagined, and now I can't play without them (games of Eternal, Hearthstone and the likes feel weird and incomplete, like a vital part of gameplay is missing).It's made by a dev team who are refreshingly responsive, happy to communicate frequently with the player base, and quick to re-balance problematic or dominant synergies, with the express intention of keeping the meta fresh, varied, competitive and dynamic. There is an explicit ambition to limit RNG (though Dire Wolf/Bethesda could be even more ambitious in this regard). The game is also quite generous with gold and cards. On top of this, it offers the most comprehensive solo experience (next to Dire Wolf's other title, Eternal) I've found in a digital CCG, making solo grind to build your collection and practice the mechanics entirely viable. It draws upon the jumbled but immersive, stupidly detailed mass of lore of the Elder Scrolls setting, and goes as far in establishing atmosphere and immersion as a competitive card game can without becoming blatantly ridiculous (it's fairly ridiculous).Also, face is NOT always the place.The Elder Scrolls subreddit is really the place to be. But when you aren't, here are a few useful links: Legend-decks , for all your netdecking needs.Just about everything Reddit considers important for new players. Justin Larson and CVH , a video content creator and a streamer you could and perhaps should be streaming right now. Between the Lanes (and don't miss out on CVH's arena tier list ), the dominant site for meta analysis and in-depth guides both sides of the subreddit.Here are a few posts of mine back from the soft launch thread that might be of interest to new players:And yep, iPhone support is ahead. June. The first major story and card expansion - the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood - arrives on the 4th of April. Yep, any new cards can always be attained in-game somehow, through soul summoning or by grinding enough gold to buy the expansion from the store. No non-cosmetic content gated behind real money purchases. And yes, you can be competitive (as in, among the world top 100, or even the top 10) as a f2p player.And feel free to really, really pester me with questions. I'm invested. Almost embarrassingly so. I enjoy discussing Legends like few games before it. Against so much better judgement I'm a frequent Redditor in the TESL subreddit, watcher of streams aplenty, browser of decks esoteric and reader of many an absurdly detailed meta review article. I'll gladly gateway that stuff in your direction.