Best Deck Building Games: 11 Picks for Every Table

The best deck building games start everyone with the same weak little deck and let you turn it into an engine, one purchase at a time. Dominion is still the cleanest place to start. Star Realms is the best quick duel, Aeon’s End is the best cooperative pick, and Dune: Imperium is the best big-box hybrid. The other seven picks below each do one thing better than anything else on the shelf.

The quick answer: start with Dominion if you want the pure form, Clank! if your group wants a board and a story, Aeon’s End or Slay the Spire if you want to play together against the game, and Star Realms if you mostly play with one other person.

New to the format? Our explainer on how deck building games work covers the core loop and where it came from. This page is the shopping list.

What makes a great deck building game?

Every deck builder shares the same loop: draw a hand, use it to get better cards, shuffle those cards back in, repeat. The good ones add three things.

• A satisfying engine. You should feel your deck get stronger every couple of shuffles.
• A reason for the deck to exist. The cards should power something: a fight, a dungeon crawl, a map, a war.
• A clock everyone can see. Players need to know when to stop building and start scoring.

With those in mind, here are our picks, grouped by the table they fit best. Player counts and play times are the publishers’ listed ranges; your first game will run longer.

Which are the best classic deck building board games?

1. Dominion

Dominion is where the genre started. Designed by Donald X. Vaccarino and published in 2008, it won the Spiel des Jahres in 2009. There is no board, just a supply of card piles that changes every game, so no two setups play the same.

• Players: 2 to 4
• Play time: about 30 minutes
• Who it’s for: anyone who wants the pure form, and puzzle lovers who enjoy finding a combo in a fresh setup

When you are ready to win more often, our Dominion course and Dominion strategy for beginners walk through the moves that matter.

2. Ascension

Ascension (2010), designed by Justin Gary with Brian Kibler and John Fiorillo, swapped Dominion’s fixed supply for a center row of cards that refills as people buy. You grab what is there now, which makes each turn faster and a bit luckier.

• Players: 1 to 4 in current editions
• Play time: about 30 minutes
• Who it’s for: groups who like to react to what shows up rather than plan the whole game from turn one

What are the best deck building games for 2 players?

3. Star Realms

Star Realms (2014), by Rob Dougherty and Darwin Kastle, is a space combat duel in a small box. You build a fleet and attack your opponent’s authority until it hits zero. It swept several 2014 Golden Geek awards, including Best 2-Player Game.

• Players: 2 out of the box, more with extra sets
• Play time: about 20 minutes
• Who it’s for: couples, lunch breaks, and anyone who wants a full deck builder in the time it takes to make coffee

4. Hero Realms

Hero Realms (2016) is the same designers’ fantasy take on Star Realms. Same fast duel, with knights, wizards, and dragons instead of starships, plus character packs that give each player a distinct starting deck.

• Players: 2 to 4
• Play time: about 20 minutes
• Who it’s for: Star Realms fans who prefer swords to lasers, and players who want a little more identity in their starting deck

5. Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: Normandy (2019), by David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin, is a World War II tactics game where your deck is your platoon. Cards activate soldiers on a tile map, and casualties come out of your deck. It is a smart, approachable first wargame.

• Players: 2
• Play time: about 45 to 60 minutes
• Who it’s for: two players who want maps, scenarios, and dice on top of a deck engine

For more head-to-head picks, see our list of two-player board games for date night.

What are the best cooperative deck building games?

6. Aeon’s End

Aeon’s End (2016), designed by Kevin Riley with Nick Little and Jenny Iglesias, has players defend the last city against a monstrous nemesis. Its big idea: you never shuffle your deck. You choose the order of your discard pile, so you can plan your next hands.

• Players: 1 to 4
• Play time: about 60 minutes
• Who it’s for: groups who like co-op puzzles, and solo players who want a tough boss to beat

7. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game

Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game (2012), designed by Devin Low, has players recruit Marvel heroes to stop a villain’s scheme. It is mostly cooperative, with a scoring twist that rewards whoever did the most heroic work.

• Players: 1 to 5
• Play time: about 45 minutes
• Who it’s for: comic fans and groups of five, which few deck builders handle

8. Slay the Spire: The Board Game

Slay the Spire: The Board Game (2024), from Contention Games, adapts the hit video game into a cooperative climb. Each player builds a deck for one hero, fights through rooms together, and faces a boss at the end of each act.

• Players: 1 to 4
• Play time: listed from about 30 minutes to well over two hours, depending on how many acts you play
• Who it’s for: fans of the video game and groups who want a campaign they can play in chapters

Want more games where everyone wins or loses together? See our best cooperative board games.

Which deck builders add a board?

9. Clank!

Clank! (2016), designed by Paul Dennen, sends everyone into a dragon’s lair to steal treasure. Your cards move you through the dungeon, and every noisy move adds your cubes to the bag the dragon draws from. Greed and fear sit on every turn.

• Players: 2 to 4
• Play time: about 30 to 60 minutes
• Who it’s for: family and friend groups who want laughs, a race, and a real board

10. Lost Ruins of Arnak

Lost Ruins of Arnak (2020), by Mín and Elwen, mixes deck building with worker placement on an island of jungle ruins. You build a deck of items and artifacts, send explorers out, and race up a research track.

• Players: 1 to 4
• Play time: about 30 to 120 minutes
• Who it’s for: players who like a medium-weight euro and want deck building as one tool among several

11. Dune: Imperium

Dune: Imperium (2020), also by Paul Dennen, is the heavyweight here. Each card you play lets you send an agent to a space on the board, so deck building and worker placement happen in the same move. Then everyone fights over the conflict of the round.

• Players: 1 to 4
• Play time: about 60 to 120 minutes
• Who it’s for: strategy groups who want direct competition, alliances, and an evening-length game

If the worker placement half is new to you, our guide to worker placement explains it.

How do these deck building games compare?

Which deck building game should you buy first?

Match it to your usual table.

• You mostly play with one other person: Star Realms, then Undaunted: Normandy.
• Your group likes to work together: Aeon’s End, or Slay the Spire if anyone loves the video game.
• You have family or friends who don’t play yet: Clank!, because the board and the dragon make the goal obvious.
• You want one game to learn the genre properly: Dominion.
• Your group already loves heavier games: Dune: Imperium or Lost Ruins of Arnak.

Not sure what your group enjoys? Our Card Catalogue helps you find games by how they feel, and Game Night Madness lets the whole group vote on what to play.

FAQ

What is the best deck building game for beginners?

Clank! for groups who want a board and a story, and Dominion for groups who want to learn the format in its purest form. Both teach in about ten minutes.

What are the best cooperative deck building games?

Aeon’s End is the standout, with Slay the Spire: The Board Game and Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game close behind. All three put the whole table against the game, and all three play solo.

What are the best deck building games for 2 players?

Star Realms is the quickest and cheapest. Hero Realms gives the same duel a fantasy theme, and Undaunted: Normandy adds a map and scenarios for players who want more.

What was the first deck building game?

Dominion, published in 2008, is widely credited as the first game built entirely around deck building. Most of the games on this list grew out of its core loop.

Are deck building games good for big groups?

Most cap at four players, because you cannot improve your deck while waiting for others. Legendary handles five. For larger groups, play two copies at two tables.

Keep building

If you want to understand why these games feel so good, read deck building games explained, then try the free lessons in our Dominion course. Ludarium Letters sends more guides like this one, and you can sign up just below.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.