In Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, you come across individuals with the fascinating ability to metabolize metal in order to perform magic. Some can burn pewter to boost their physical abilities, while others might use brass to calm someone else’s emotions. The most extraordinary characters, however, are the Mistborn. These powerful beings can harness multiple metals, combining their abilities to achieve feats like flying and even glimpsing the future.
Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game draws directly from Sanderson’s well-defined magical rules. Players get to embody the might of a Mistborn by crafting intricate combos using metals efficiently. The main objective is to either accomplish three missions, which reward you at various milestones, or to outlast your rivals by reducing their health to zero.
As the game progresses, characters gain strength, unlocking the capability to burn more of the eight available metals each turn. These metals help activate cards that allow players to progress on mission tracks, attack rivals, or refine their decks by acquiring new cards or removing weaker starting ones. Several cards have kickers—extra bonuses for burning more of the same metal type—encouraging players to specialize. Alternatively, players can adopt a wider approach by flaring metals, temporarily putting them on cooldown until refreshed on a subsequent turn. I realized I didn’t exploit this particular tactic enough in the early phases to bolster my deck.
A unique feature of this game is its take on handling damage. In games with three or four players, one player becomes the target, the only one who can be attacked during that phase. Interestingly, being the target isn’t all bad, as they retaliate by damaging all opponents when attacking. When the target is hit, they choose to either pass the token to another player or hold onto it. This setup cleverly deters players from ganging up on the current leader but also serves those with a more aggressive playstyle.
I’m excited to explore additional strategies and dive into the cooperative mode. This mode aligns more closely with the series’ storyline, where Mistborn unite to oppose the oppressive Lord Ruler. The game seems ready for expansions, potentially bringing in more characters and story elements from beyond the first book.
