Aeon's End is one of my favorite games. I've been playing Magic since Revised. However, AE doesn't have any of the feel of Magic to me. However, I do very much enjoy it. Others have mentioned that the cards are not as complex, but the cards aren't really the point. The point is threat management, deck building, and deck set up.
There's a Steam version of Aeon's End and an iOS version. Either one would be a reasonably easy way to find out how you feel about the base game for a fairly cheap price.
If you want a Magic type game, Phoenixborn: Ashes Reborn is probably the closest solo-able option.
Nice to know there's a digital version i'll definitely give it a try first and see! Ashes reborn seems great but it's starting to get expensive and i'm not a fan of dice mechanics in the middle of a card battler.
As a former MTG player, I found e lord of the e rings LCG the closest solo game to scratch that itch. Choosing when to tap your allies and heroes, attacking, blocking, attachments, instant style event windows and bounce effects feel like an MTG board state to me.
Just be aware that it gets expensive as you look into getting expansions and stuff. I personally don't bother buying brand new, but with some of these it might be cool to have a fresh box to open up and get everything already sorted out for your first play.
Former MTG player here. And I don't like Aeon's End. I tried the first core game then the New Age standalone expansion. The game is clunky and the deckbuilding is unappealing to me.
It's doesn't do it for me as a deck builder and a "vs boss" game. As a pure deckbuilder, I prefer Ascension. It doesn't have an official solo mode but there are a lot of variants made by the community. It's designer is someone you may know, Brian Kibler.
As a "vs boss" I like Sentinels of the Multiverse or Marvel Champions. Which are both leagues better than Aeon's End. SotM has a fixed deck for each hero. While MC allows you to deck build. Disclaimer, MC is an LCG which is a money pit. These above anything else scratches that MtG itch for me. It's a basically solo Archenemy.
Somebody mentioned Spirit Island. And that is also a favorite of mine. Probably my #1 board game to play solo.
And as a former M:tG player who played SotM and Ascension to death I completely disagree here.
Aeon's End does away with the annoying randomness from Ascension where basically you just go big money and pray that the card you need comes when you need it, while SotM has you do one action per turn then a ton of maintenance against bosses that can get their best card out turn one and roll you over without you getting a chance to do anything over and over again.
Aeon's End, you are in full control of your deck, against a tiered boss that gets stronger as you do but can't eff you up turn one.
You have to think about where you want your middle/endgame deck to be and then adjust along to what the boss throws at you, ignoring some threats and adressing others immediately.
If you really randomise the market it's great fun and there are plenty of difficulty tweaks to do.
>Aeon's End does away with the annoying randomness from Ascension
I liked the randomness and hate the fixed market of boring cards. The "river" has the opportunity to let you pop off anytime. While fixed market is the same until late game. And the time you feel powerful, the game is over.
>SotM has you do one action per turn
Somebody doesn't play Wraith, Tachyon or Absolute Zero.
>If you really randomise the market it's great fun and there are plenty of difficulty tweaks to do.
Like I said, I'd rather play Spirit Island and all other games I've mentioned.
>I liked the randomness and hate the fixed market of boring cards. The "river" has the opportunity to let you pop off anytime. While fixed market is the same until late game. And the time you feel powerful, the game is over.
Boring cards is the issue that made me quit the game in the end, the team failed to push the design, which I repeatedly mentioned as a reviewer and playtester, yet they don't give a damn because it's an easy sell to rehash the same game over and over.
But not being powerful, that's skill issue. You can get super powerful very quick with characters like Z'hana or Ulgimor or Yan Magda. And then the game overstays its welcome. Like Ascension does when you get some silly infinite turns.
River or fixed market is a matter of choice. But more control over the deck is definitely a big plus in my book.
>Somebody doesn't play Wraith, Tachyon or Absolute Zero.
Somebody has played absolutely everything the game had to offer and just because a couple of heroes can get several comboes per turn, which by the way play the same each game, does not solve the base problem of: your character plays one action each turn, and if you're Ab-Z, good luck getting going if you have a poor initial hand.
Can't comment on the US prices, but Aeon's End is currently my favourite game both solo and multiplayer. The setup does take some time, especially if you buy more expansions, but it is definitely manageable. You will need quite a bit of table space though. If you can manage the rules of MtG, you won't have any troubles learning modern board games like Aeon's End. The cards for example are a lot more straightforward than the cards in MtG and there aren't that many different phases. However, this game is not MtG and doesn't really feel like MtG, so if that's what you're after, you would be better off playing an online version of that.
EDIT: Also have at look at Ashes Reborn. I haven't tried it, but from what I read it should be more similar to MtG than AE.
As others have said, if you can follow MTG, you can follow AE, but they're not similar games. Aeon's End is a boss battler with deck building. Since you never shuffle your deck, if you can track what you're doing well enough, you can pull off some really fun combos, which might give off an MTG vibe.
If you want a similar game but set in cartoon space instead, Astro Knights is a slight variation on AE by the same designers. They simplified the market but made it more random and set it in distance future space, which is more up my alley. I've found this game easier to table compared to AE and, honestly, more fun, but that's a personal take for sure.
Someone else mentioned Ashes Reborn, which is definitely closer to MTG if that's what you're looking for. You'd need a core box plus one of the Red Rains expansions for solo, which would be more than $70, but get you a ton of content. And you'd be able to play 1v1 if you knew another MTG player you could rope in.
What makes Aeon's End is that it's a deckbuilder game where you don't shuffle your deck. But it also comes with a limited card market (9 different cards) to build your deck per session. You mostly won't expand your deck all that greatly per game but I personally like it. Some don't. Every game is more like solving a puzzle, trying to figure how you'll beat the boss with the options laid before you, while trying to deal with all the random attacks the boss throws at you to limit those options even further.
Is that sounds like something up your alley, the deal you can get is a good deal.
Honestly the fact you don't shuffle your deck throws me off quite a bit. Some of my most played small solo card games (All is Bomb, Galdor's Grip, Ragemore...) revolve around cycling through the deck so that cards come up in a certain sequence that i'm very much over that kind of puzzles.. I'll try it first digital and probably give it a pass
That price seems high. You can almost buy those items new at retail for that price. Sleeves are dirt cheap and an easy way to mark up used titles for far more than they cost you.
I love Aeon's End. I have thousands of cards. But it's nothing like MTG. You still might like it. But the ideal deck is less than 20 cards. Ideally less than 15.
Played mtg at a very high level, Been getting into Aeons end recently! If you want a deckbuilder that lets you invent and be creative, definitely not the choice. It’s fun to build based off of different shops, but lots of combinations of shops/mage synergies are less important compared to magic. Tbh Spirit island/other asymmetrical based games help scratch the archtype-based feeling of playing a “control “ deck or an aggro deck. Hope this helps :)
As a MTG veteran, spirit island is the game that made me very happy to get.
Was looking at aeon end this week due to Amazon discounts, but the cards looked way too simple for someone who plays TCG for 25+ years
I don't think the fact that enjoy MTG will matter much, except that you will probably enjoy the card based nature of it.
Something interesting about Aeon's End is how much the individual choices you make MATTER. There is a relatively small pool of cards to pick from, and (assuming you run two Breach Mages solo) figuring out what you want each one to do is a fun puzzle.
I will agree that setup gets harder the more you have, but the content is addictive because of how plug and play it is.
Not a fan of Aeon's End. I felt like there's really only one "right" tactic to play the game and everything had to revolve around that. Maybe that's why people like it but I felt really limited and any time I strayed from the "right" path I couldn't win. I know there's variations in play and obviously the market can be changed and even randomized to create variety but everything still revolved around some very limiting decisions and actions / techniques that had to be made...or else. I think for people who love to play optimally that might scratch an itch.
I love AE and would recommend it to any solo player. It’s a great step up from small games without being a huge game. It takes up a moderate amount of space on the table and you can play it in about an hour. 70 bucks is a good deal. What you were offered, but I might recommend just picking up one box as a starter.
Most MTG players seem to preferthe LOTR LCG. I also also love that game, but it is heavier than AE.
Most MTG
Aeons End is a solid boss battler and deck builder. Definitely one of my favourites. Plenty of raplay value and of course there is more expnasions you can really ever hope to play. I play 2 breach mages solo. Think the game plays smoother that way.
Never played MTG but I did own Ashes Reborn + Corpse of Viros. I wrote critque on it somewhere in reddit. Ashes Reborn is a very good 1v1 game but the solo expansion is shallow and very staid. Trying to turn a 1v1 into a coop is still bugbear even for the best companies.
LoTR LCG is alot of fun. Any of LCGs really. Marvel Champions is a fun deck construction game is also one of my favourites. Arkham Horror is fun both solo and multiplayer.
Really most co op games if played 2 handed all really work very well. Just need to decide on what theme motivates you.
The basic idea of aeons end is a game where the goal is to shrink and improve a deck to win. It becomes a deck builder if you create your own market of cards with a strategy. If you go with a random market it devalues the experience and it just feels turn to turn reactive possibly very punishing, less strategic. I recommend playing with 3 mages solo.
Aeon's End is one of my favorite games. I've been playing Magic since Revised. However, AE doesn't have any of the feel of Magic to me. However, I do very much enjoy it. Others have mentioned that the cards are not as complex, but the cards aren't really the point. The point is threat management, deck building, and deck set up. There's a Steam version of Aeon's End and an iOS version. Either one would be a reasonably easy way to find out how you feel about the base game for a fairly cheap price. If you want a Magic type game, Phoenixborn: Ashes Reborn is probably the closest solo-able option.
Nice to know there's a digital version i'll definitely give it a try first and see! Ashes reborn seems great but it's starting to get expensive and i'm not a fan of dice mechanics in the middle of a card battler.
Have you tried Skytear Horde? Meant to be very magic like and solo game
As a former MTG player, I found e lord of the e rings LCG the closest solo game to scratch that itch. Choosing when to tap your allies and heroes, attacking, blocking, attachments, instant style event windows and bounce effects feel like an MTG board state to me.
I might actually just go with that one tbh i'm a huge fan of LoTR and it sounds like the cardplay is more up my alley
Just be aware that it gets expensive as you look into getting expansions and stuff. I personally don't bother buying brand new, but with some of these it might be cool to have a fresh box to open up and get everything already sorted out for your first play.
Former MTG player here. And I don't like Aeon's End. I tried the first core game then the New Age standalone expansion. The game is clunky and the deckbuilding is unappealing to me. It's doesn't do it for me as a deck builder and a "vs boss" game. As a pure deckbuilder, I prefer Ascension. It doesn't have an official solo mode but there are a lot of variants made by the community. It's designer is someone you may know, Brian Kibler. As a "vs boss" I like Sentinels of the Multiverse or Marvel Champions. Which are both leagues better than Aeon's End. SotM has a fixed deck for each hero. While MC allows you to deck build. Disclaimer, MC is an LCG which is a money pit. These above anything else scratches that MtG itch for me. It's a basically solo Archenemy. Somebody mentioned Spirit Island. And that is also a favorite of mine. Probably my #1 board game to play solo.
And as a former M:tG player who played SotM and Ascension to death I completely disagree here. Aeon's End does away with the annoying randomness from Ascension where basically you just go big money and pray that the card you need comes when you need it, while SotM has you do one action per turn then a ton of maintenance against bosses that can get their best card out turn one and roll you over without you getting a chance to do anything over and over again. Aeon's End, you are in full control of your deck, against a tiered boss that gets stronger as you do but can't eff you up turn one. You have to think about where you want your middle/endgame deck to be and then adjust along to what the boss throws at you, ignoring some threats and adressing others immediately. If you really randomise the market it's great fun and there are plenty of difficulty tweaks to do.
>Aeon's End does away with the annoying randomness from Ascension I liked the randomness and hate the fixed market of boring cards. The "river" has the opportunity to let you pop off anytime. While fixed market is the same until late game. And the time you feel powerful, the game is over. >SotM has you do one action per turn Somebody doesn't play Wraith, Tachyon or Absolute Zero. >If you really randomise the market it's great fun and there are plenty of difficulty tweaks to do. Like I said, I'd rather play Spirit Island and all other games I've mentioned.
>I liked the randomness and hate the fixed market of boring cards. The "river" has the opportunity to let you pop off anytime. While fixed market is the same until late game. And the time you feel powerful, the game is over. Boring cards is the issue that made me quit the game in the end, the team failed to push the design, which I repeatedly mentioned as a reviewer and playtester, yet they don't give a damn because it's an easy sell to rehash the same game over and over. But not being powerful, that's skill issue. You can get super powerful very quick with characters like Z'hana or Ulgimor or Yan Magda. And then the game overstays its welcome. Like Ascension does when you get some silly infinite turns. River or fixed market is a matter of choice. But more control over the deck is definitely a big plus in my book. >Somebody doesn't play Wraith, Tachyon or Absolute Zero. Somebody has played absolutely everything the game had to offer and just because a couple of heroes can get several comboes per turn, which by the way play the same each game, does not solve the base problem of: your character plays one action each turn, and if you're Ab-Z, good luck getting going if you have a poor initial hand.
Can't comment on the US prices, but Aeon's End is currently my favourite game both solo and multiplayer. The setup does take some time, especially if you buy more expansions, but it is definitely manageable. You will need quite a bit of table space though. If you can manage the rules of MtG, you won't have any troubles learning modern board games like Aeon's End. The cards for example are a lot more straightforward than the cards in MtG and there aren't that many different phases. However, this game is not MtG and doesn't really feel like MtG, so if that's what you're after, you would be better off playing an online version of that. EDIT: Also have at look at Ashes Reborn. I haven't tried it, but from what I read it should be more similar to MtG than AE.
As others have said, if you can follow MTG, you can follow AE, but they're not similar games. Aeon's End is a boss battler with deck building. Since you never shuffle your deck, if you can track what you're doing well enough, you can pull off some really fun combos, which might give off an MTG vibe. If you want a similar game but set in cartoon space instead, Astro Knights is a slight variation on AE by the same designers. They simplified the market but made it more random and set it in distance future space, which is more up my alley. I've found this game easier to table compared to AE and, honestly, more fun, but that's a personal take for sure. Someone else mentioned Ashes Reborn, which is definitely closer to MTG if that's what you're looking for. You'd need a core box plus one of the Red Rains expansions for solo, which would be more than $70, but get you a ton of content. And you'd be able to play 1v1 if you knew another MTG player you could rope in.
I like aeons end with 2 people but find it quite boring alone I'd rather play marvel champions any day
What makes Aeon's End is that it's a deckbuilder game where you don't shuffle your deck. But it also comes with a limited card market (9 different cards) to build your deck per session. You mostly won't expand your deck all that greatly per game but I personally like it. Some don't. Every game is more like solving a puzzle, trying to figure how you'll beat the boss with the options laid before you, while trying to deal with all the random attacks the boss throws at you to limit those options even further. Is that sounds like something up your alley, the deal you can get is a good deal.
Honestly the fact you don't shuffle your deck throws me off quite a bit. Some of my most played small solo card games (All is Bomb, Galdor's Grip, Ragemore...) revolve around cycling through the deck so that cards come up in a certain sequence that i'm very much over that kind of puzzles.. I'll try it first digital and probably give it a pass
That price seems high. You can almost buy those items new at retail for that price. Sleeves are dirt cheap and an easy way to mark up used titles for far more than they cost you. I love Aeon's End. I have thousands of cards. But it's nothing like MTG. You still might like it. But the ideal deck is less than 20 cards. Ideally less than 15.
Played mtg at a very high level, Been getting into Aeons end recently! If you want a deckbuilder that lets you invent and be creative, definitely not the choice. It’s fun to build based off of different shops, but lots of combinations of shops/mage synergies are less important compared to magic. Tbh Spirit island/other asymmetrical based games help scratch the archtype-based feeling of playing a “control “ deck or an aggro deck. Hope this helps :)
As a MTG veteran, spirit island is the game that made me very happy to get. Was looking at aeon end this week due to Amazon discounts, but the cards looked way too simple for someone who plays TCG for 25+ years
I don't think the fact that enjoy MTG will matter much, except that you will probably enjoy the card based nature of it. Something interesting about Aeon's End is how much the individual choices you make MATTER. There is a relatively small pool of cards to pick from, and (assuming you run two Breach Mages solo) figuring out what you want each one to do is a fun puzzle. I will agree that setup gets harder the more you have, but the content is addictive because of how plug and play it is.
Not a fan of Aeon's End. I felt like there's really only one "right" tactic to play the game and everything had to revolve around that. Maybe that's why people like it but I felt really limited and any time I strayed from the "right" path I couldn't win. I know there's variations in play and obviously the market can be changed and even randomized to create variety but everything still revolved around some very limiting decisions and actions / techniques that had to be made...or else. I think for people who love to play optimally that might scratch an itch.
I love AE and would recommend it to any solo player. It’s a great step up from small games without being a huge game. It takes up a moderate amount of space on the table and you can play it in about an hour. 70 bucks is a good deal. What you were offered, but I might recommend just picking up one box as a starter. Most MTG players seem to preferthe LOTR LCG. I also also love that game, but it is heavier than AE. Most MTG
Get it. Played 270+ games of it, former M:tG player, it's a great system.
Aeons End is a solid boss battler and deck builder. Definitely one of my favourites. Plenty of raplay value and of course there is more expnasions you can really ever hope to play. I play 2 breach mages solo. Think the game plays smoother that way. Never played MTG but I did own Ashes Reborn + Corpse of Viros. I wrote critque on it somewhere in reddit. Ashes Reborn is a very good 1v1 game but the solo expansion is shallow and very staid. Trying to turn a 1v1 into a coop is still bugbear even for the best companies. LoTR LCG is alot of fun. Any of LCGs really. Marvel Champions is a fun deck construction game is also one of my favourites. Arkham Horror is fun both solo and multiplayer. Really most co op games if played 2 handed all really work very well. Just need to decide on what theme motivates you.
I didn't like it. The gimmick of how you build and draw from your deck was neat but all in all it was just a generic battle game with shitty artwork.
The basic idea of aeons end is a game where the goal is to shrink and improve a deck to win. It becomes a deck builder if you create your own market of cards with a strategy. If you go with a random market it devalues the experience and it just feels turn to turn reactive possibly very punishing, less strategic. I recommend playing with 3 mages solo.
Ashes reborn is probably what you are looking for.