If you thought the Switch could use an injection of CCG action, Games Workshop is right there with you, as they’ve announced that their popular deck-builder Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions will be making the jump to PC and Switch in 2019.
For those not familiar, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions is an attempt to sort of revive the original Warhammer Fantasy setting, after the original was revamped with the introduction of the Vermintide setting following The End Times. Fans of the original iteration are still mostly dedicated to the tabletop version, but this particular hybrid of a physical and digital card game has still managed to garner a solid following.
Yes, you read that right, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions allows for both physical and digital play using the same cards. The physical TCG and digital card game are both created and maintained by PlayFusion, and the developer will allow PC players to use their physical cards in the digital scene. This is something that I really like, and it’s something that the Pokémon TCG does with many of their physical products, which I still fool around with on PC from time to time. Who knows, maybe a secondary market for card codes will develop for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions, although that will depend on how the redemption process is handled.
Players can construct their decks ahead of time according to various factions and archetypes, like warrior Chaos, each deck is comprised of four champions, four blessings, and thirty action cards (units, spells, abilities). Champions are “named” or “generic” lord/hero classes that Warhammer players are familiar with, such as Archaon the Everchosen.
The gameplay works like any deck-building card game in the modern era you’ve encountered previously. The players jump into a simple battlefield with four Champion slots for each side. Players take turn dropping Champions before moving on to full play. Each player has 32 life, and the goal is to reduce your opponent to 0 life and win. Once the first four Champions are placed for each player, turn order kicks off. From there players take turns using spells to buff their champions or damage their opponents in some way. And just like any modern card game, the strategy is surprisingly deep. When to use certain spells that synergize with your Champions, while also taking advantage of good blocking to slow down incoming damage is key to victory.
The game released for iOS and Android devices last August. It will be available this first quarter (Q1) of 2019 for the Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Check out its original launch trailer:
And while Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions won’t be looking to compete with the likes of Eternal or Hearthstone in terms of popularity, it can certainly carve out its own niche on the Switch. Time will tell what happens with this particular title. Let us know in the comments if you’d like to see us cover this title more.
