Summoner Wars (Second Edition) is a tactical

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

Plaid Hat Games Plaid Hat Games is a United States-based board game studio. Plaid Hat Games was founded in 2009. Board game designer Colby Dauch formed the board game publishing company in order to release the company's first game, ''Summoner Wars''. In 2015, Pl ...

which iterates on the 2009 title of the same name. In ''Summoner Wars'', players aim to eliminate the opponent's summoner using factions by moving units and deck building. It was physically published in 2021 and received generally positive reviews for its strategy, engagement, and accessibility. A digital version was also released.

Gameplay

In ''Summoner Wars (Second Edition),'' players are summoners controlling an army that aims to lead the fictional planet of Itharia. They select one of several pre-built faction decks or create a custom deck via deckbuilding. Throughout the game, players summon common and champion units to advance, aiming to eliminate the opponent's summoner.

Release

''Summoner Wars'' was released in May 2021. A digital edition, ''Summoner Wars Online'', was also later released.

Reception

''Summoner Wars'' received generally positive reviews upon its release. A review from ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' praised its accessibility, strategy, and engagement, but criticised the game system and expansions required. Writing for ''

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'', Michael Whelan commended the unique factions, the new decks, components and art quality, stating that it was an "interesting tactical puzzle". Chad Wilkinson from ''Tabletop Magazine'' also commented on the "incredibly smart spatial element" of combat. James Austin from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the tactics, accessibility, ease of setup, variety of factions, and the tightness of movement due to the "remarkably cramped size of the grid", but criticised the components.

References

{{reflist Board games introduced in 2021 Digital board games American board games Board game sequels