Does anyone here play deck-building card games regularly? I have been a fan of trading card gaming for a long time, but the out-of-the-box games tend to feel alien, but interesting. I've tried Naruto Shippuden, Call of Cthulhu and the DC game, and I've had some fun with all three (though the Naruto ruleset seemed unnecessarily complicated).
Quick note: DC Deck Builder, Naruto Deck Builder and many more are part of the "cryptozoic system" of deck builders or whatever it's called. They technically can be used together but I wouldn't recommend it. It's worth noting just as most of those deck builders are very similar in nature with one or two main gameplay changes
I've probably played more of DC Deck Builder than any other person on the planet. I'm not stating this as to mean it's the best deck builder out there, simply the one I enjoy the best. Most other people I've met/talked to prefer Dominion or Ascension.
Deck Builders I've Played in order of Most Played
DC Deck Builder,
Star Realms and
Ascension are all the same style of Deck Builder in that there is a "bank" [row of cards to buy from that changes as you buy cards] and all players compete to score the most points [or in star realms, kill the other players]. DC Deck Builder is probably the most naturally unbalanced deck builder of all I have listed however I find the lore/theme the most interesting. Star Realms is more balanced then DC and faster with a theme of space combat, it's also a cheaper investment to get started. Ascension is probably slightly more expensive than DC and takes a bit longer to set up and play, with a theme of Dungeons and Dragons kind of.
Best Played With: DC Deck Builder (3-4 players, okay with 2) ; Star Realms (2 players, never played with more) ; Ascension (3-4 players, never played with 2)
Set-Up Time: Star Realms (fastest) -> DC Deck Builder -> Ascension
Play Time: Star Realms (shortest) -> DC Deck Builder -> Ascension
Balanced: Ascension (Most balanced) -> Star Realms -> DC Deck Builder
Marvels Legendary and
Xenoshyft Onslaught are slightly different in that there is some cooperative play involved. In Legendary, all players are trying to collectively defeat a supervillain but at the end of the game one player will win by having the most points. In Xenoshyft, it's 100% cooperative, you live and die as a team. The theme for Xenoshyft is basically Starship troopers. To build your deck in Legendary, you have a "bank" much like the games mentioned previously which gets refilled as individual cards are bought. With Xenoshyft however you start with something like 9 possible item cards you can use to build your deck and 3 unit cards with more unit cards being unlocked to buy as you progress through the game.
Best Played With: Legendary (3-4 players, fine with 2) ; Xenoshyft (3/4 players, fine but hard to win with 2)
Set-Up Time: Xenoshyft (fastest) -> Legendary (takes quite a while)
Play Time: Legendary (shortest but not by much) -> Xenoshyft
Balanced: Xenoshyft (Most Balanced) -> Legendary
Dominion is the original deck building game and still played and enjoyed by many. I have yet to get into it or play it at all but always mean to.
These are solely my opinion on the games and likely not all in line with general wisdom
.