Origins TCG Is The Most Intriguing Card Game You Haven’t Heard Of (Yet)
Last week, I got absolutely one-shotted by a targeted ad for a new digital TCG called “Origins”.
You guys know I love card games. I’ve been playing Hearthstone since launch, and have been an avid Pokémon and Riftbound TCG collector for a while now, but the hardest part about TCGs these days is… Y’know… Getting out to the stores and playing with real people. Furthermore, even FINDING product is miserable these days. This is why I reinstalled Hearthstone recently, and why “Origins TCG” caught my eye so quickly.
I wasn’t super into Marvel Snap or Pokémon TCG Pocket for long, because both of them felt too mobile game-y, and not a real card game. Origins skirts the line between Snap’s battlefield mechanics and super fast matches and Hearthstone’s actual deck building and collection components. Origins boasts that not only can you “rip packs” and “digitally grade” cards (I assume a very deep, very narrow RNG algorithm is present here), but you can also buy and sell your cards via the Steam marketplace.
Now, some may see this and recoil a bit. And honestly, seeing a banner image like this on their Kickstarter page gave me a slight case of the ick as well, because I’m kinda sick of seeing TCGs be commoditized into the dirt:
BUT, Origins seems to be way more than that. Yes, you can digitally collect, buy, sell, and grade cards – but despite appearances, this isn’t some ugly NFT cash grab game… Of which I’ve played a few (looking at you, Parallel). In fact, there are no NFTs, blockchain technology, or any other nonsense involved with Origins at all. It’s a real card game, of which I’ve played dozens of matches of already… And it’s very fun!
The decks are tiny (13 cards), and the matches are usually about <10 minutes long. The game’s artwork absolutely must have consumed 90% of the budget (not surprising, considering the emphasis on collection/economy), because every single card and character in the game is super unique and gorgeous. It’s also a pretty interesting premise – Origins deals (no pun intended) in well-known characters from myth, fantasy, pop culture, fairy tales, and classical literature to build out it’s roster of heroes and villains. In the demo, you’ll pilot decks that feature Robin Hood, The Queen of Hearts, Merlin, Winnie the Pooh, and more.
One of Origin’s creators refers to it as “the Counter-Strike of card games”, and I think that’s a pretty clever pedestal to put yourself on. Yes, CS has a very serious economy, but the emphasis has always been on the game. It’s one of the world’s biggest esports for that reason, and I’m eager to see if Origins will reach similar heights too.
Check out the free demo on Steam if you’re interested. They’ve got a Kickstarter as well. Good luck, Origin team!
