In a thriving field of collectible card games, Scrolls proves there are still opportunities for original twists on the familiar formula. It’s a fine example of a creative merging of genres, grafting together the unlikely duo of cards (dubbed scrolls, in this case), with turn-based tactical combat. With a battlefield full of hard-fighting creatures and a library bursting with powerful spells and enchantments, building your arsenal in deck form and commanding those forces in combat has produced one of the more unique experiences – one that really gets going once you begin to dabble in higher-level play.

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The goal of Scrolls’ combat is to whittle down and destroy three of your opponents’ five small idol statues that sit at their end of the board’s five rows, while defending your own. This adds an excellent cerebral element to the typical card combat: you decide which rows have to stand strong, and which ones can be sacrificed. And because all your actions must be performed on your turn -- there are no “instant” spells -- you really have to plan for every possible outcome in advance, both in immediate creature movements and your overall strategy.But Scrolls’ most interesting mechanic is the way you generate resources to play your scrolls. Every turn you can choose to sacrifice a scroll in your hand to add another resource to your pool, or sacrifice a scroll to pull two new scrolls from the top of your deck. It not only creates tough choices when you have a hand full of great scrolls but lack the resources to play them, but it keeps things moving in a way that you never feel like you’re waiting a half-dozen turns to pull a scroll you need. You’re always able to make an unneeded scroll work for you, even if it’s simply to sacrifice it.With so many options to consider both when moving your characters in combat, and crunching the probabilities of what’s coming up in your deck, Scrolls weakest element is that matches can slow to a crawl. Against the smart AI or a good player who’s familiar with their deck, your deck, and the state of the board, rounds unfold at a decent pace. But for unseasoned players who are still grasping all the potential outcomes, each turn can take the full 90 seconds allowed, dragging matches out for what feels like forever.There are plenty of those folks, because despite its many tutorials and Trial matches designed to get you acquainted with the rules, Scrolls isn’t very accessible for new players. For example, though there are ways to look at all 360 of the current collectible scrolls, like filtering the player-to-player scrolls shop to see which scrolls you don’t have, it would be nice to have a dedicated area to look at your collection and easily see what’s missing. It’s hard to even know which of the four distinct factions you want to play-- Growth, Order, Energy, and Decay -- or what kind of deck you want to build, without first doing research in Scrolls’ companion site.On the other hand, the bulk of Scrolls’ progression system is tied to purchasing these scrolls with earned in-game gold, which is surprisingly generous. Each victory against online players, the AI, or in the daily Trials, nets you considerable gold to be spent on random packs of 10 scrolls, random singular scrolls from a particular faction, or completely preconstructed decks to buff out your collection. And though Scrolls gifts you starter decks for each faction, you’ll earn enough gold to unlock new scrolls and decks a decent pace. The optional premium currency is just that – more optional than ever – and I can easily see how you could collect everything before too long without spending another cent.Since Scrolls’ purchase options are mostly random, Mojang wisely included a Black Market that allows you to purchase scrolls sold directly from other players, often undercutting the prices in the traditional store. It’s a great tool for snagging that one scroll you need without spending thousands of gold hoping to get lucky with a random pack. Alternatively you could strike up a trade with a member of Scrolls’ growing community, which already boasts hundreds of players online at any given time.That community is actually one of Scrolls’ strengths. Not only is it populated with a knowledgeable, helpful, brutally good group of players, you’re also able to spectate anyone’s match to get a glimpse of high-level play, new strategies, and what’s waiting for you in ranked and Judgement matches. It’s a great resource for newcomers, especially since Scrolls doesn’t explain some of the finer parts, like how to tell a common scroll from an uncommon or rare just by looking at it.