20 Most Iconic Physical TCGs, Ranked

Trading card games (or TCGs) are one of the best hobbies for meeting people in real life. Local game stores are fantastic meeting grounds for those who want to nerd out and share their love of games, all while competing for fun prizes and enjoying the nostalgic thrill of opening packs and trading cards.

Whether a trading card game comes with an anime, an online simulator, or nothing but cardstock and pictures, it’s a great way to connect with others. However, some card games outperform others in every aspect. The best physical trading card games and most popular TCGs hit the competitive and collective itch, and have spaces for all sorts of players.

Updated by Sage Ashford on May 24th 2023: The TCG market is always expanding, as new games release and gain popularity. Kickstarter has made it even more possible for more games to have a chance to find an audience, creating a renaissance of games available. This list has been updated to include several classic and new TCGs for players who still love playing with physical cards.

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20

Chaotic Combined Creatures And Locations To Create A World Of Its Own

Those who grew up around the late-2000s may remember the cartoon Chaotic, and its corresponding card game. The series covered a group of tribes in a world called Perim, where teens from Earth would scan those beings in Perim to use them as cards to battle other card players in a special place called “Chaotic.”

While there are hopes that the game and show will be revived, it’s currently “dead.” However, there’s still a loyal community that plays one of the most popular TCGs around. Part of what makes Chaotic so memorable outside the nostalgia is how it recreated an adventure in the magical world of Perim, using creatures and locations together. As fun as the game was, the fact that it wasn’t around for very long and has been gone over a decade means it can’t rank any higher.

19

Doomtown: Reloaded Places A Focus On Story As Well As Gameplay

One of the oldest TCGs, Doomtown has gone through a number of changes over the years before evolving into its current form, Doomtown: Reloaded. Doomtown: Reloaded was unique not only for its Old West setting but also for its poker-inspired gameplay mechanics. While almost all TCGs created new rules and card types, Doomtown hearkened back to the TCG’s playing card roots. While this made Doomtown intimidating to newcomers, it was also a fun challenge for veteran card players.

Experienced TCG players also praised Doomtown for its emphasis on story, strategy, and other mind games over direct confrontations. This made Doomtown more difficult than most other card games, but also more rewarding to win. Doomtown may not exactly be a blockbuster TCG, but it’s still one of the best ones ever made.

18

UniVersus: My Hero Academia Allows My Hero To Enter A New World

While the main game featured a wide variety of titles to choose from, the current iteration of the UniVersus card games focused solely on My Hero Academia. As of this writing, My Hero Academia is one of the most famous anime and manga in the world. This quickly made its UniVersus tie-in, UniVersus: My Hero Academia, one of the most popular TCGs.

UniVersus offered the option to choose from the best heroes and villains in My Hero Academia. Each deck was defined by one character card, meaning players felt like they were representing their favorite character instead of just using them as one card in a larger deck. Legendary characters like Midoriya, Shigaraki, and Todoroki are all available.

17

Grand Archive Combines Anime Aesthetics With Western Card Game Design

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Created by Weebs of the Shore, Grand Archive TCG is a combination of anime aesthetics with Western card game design. Originally getting its start on Kickstarter, Grand Archive has joined the ranks of other successful backer-supported TCGs, with multiple sets available for players already.

Fans who are familiar with other card games will pick up on this game quickly, making it a great choice for someone looking to get into a second card game. For those who haven’t, their main website is full of helpful guides to get people started. This game is basically designed to pull in every anime super-fan out there with a mix of cute and cool art, but they’ve done everything necessary to earn players’ support, too.

16

Alpha Clash Brings More Superheroes To The World Of Card Games

One of the newest TCGs to release, Alpha Clash started as a Kickstarter and didn’t officially launch until Summer 2023. It’s meant to be a cross-media property about a world of superpowered individuals, but the focus went to crafting the lore and the TCG first.

Created by a group of people who love card games, superhero fans and those who actually care about their lore will want to check Alpha Clash out. While most card games are focused on 1v1 action, Alpha Clash is open to three or four-player free-for-alls, or even tag matches with friends. The best time to get into a new card game is at the beginning, so there’s no better time to hop into the game.

15

Gate Ruler Is An Anime-Inspired Card Game From Familiar Creators

Another of the modern TCGs, Gate Ruler is an anime-inspired card game that will feel familiar to people who’ve been playing card games long enough. Designed by Future Card Buddyfight creator Yoshimasa Ikeda, it’s a game that’s meant to be easy to pick up, with a massive universe for players to immerse themselves in.

The series is set in a universe where Earth deals with threats from enemies known as Exvaders. As Gate Rulers, the players do battle with one another using one of five factions. Anyone who’s played something like Cardfight Vanguard will find this easy to pick up.

14

One Piece Card Game Allows Fans To Create Their Own Pirate Crew

Originally released as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary, the One Piece Card Game gave the anime and manga’s fans the experience of creating their own pirate crew. It’s a newer game for Western audiences, but the art and special parallel rares alone give the game great collector value for any hardcore fans of the Western-style One Piece. Even those who just love the most popular TCGs.

The gameplay of the One Piece Trading Card Game is fairly simple and draws inspiration from many of its predecessors. It’s the type of game that someone who already plays a classic like Magic: The Gathering could pick up easily. The game also has a ton of content to draw from for future sets and cards, meaning it won’t be going away any time soon.

13

Flesh & Blood Encourages Players To Play In Person

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Many who specialize in online games may have never heard of Flesh and Blood. However, many game stores carry the newer face in the physical card game scene. Part of Flesh and Blood’s appeal was that it encouraged gamers to play it “in flesh and blood,” hence its lack of an online simulator.

The game’s beautiful art took a more fantastical approach rather than the typical anime style that has become the norm for a majority of these kinds of games. It’s a perfect fit for any Magic: The Gathering player, as the games have a lot of thematic similarities. They’re different enough in gameplay that each felt like a unique experience.

12

Weiß Schwarz Lets Players Use Different Anime To Fight With

Another game by Bushiroad, Weiß Schwarz, was a trading card game that collaborated with a wide variety of anime franchises. Recently, the game added Western titles like Adventure Time and Avatar: The Last Airbender to their roster. It’s easy to see how it became one of the most popular TCGs in the fandom space.

Weiß Schwarz players chose cards from a specific anime and used characters from that anime to battle their opponents. Miyuki and Kaguya from Kaguya-Sama: Love is War could potentially battle Finn and Jake from Adventure Time, making Weiß Schwarz one of the most unique games on the market.

11

Shadowverse: Evolve Is The Physical Version Of The Popular Digital Game

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Shadowverse was a perfect online TCG for newer players, as it featured a simple mana-based resource system and a relatively standard combat step. A physical game, Shadowverse: Evolve, will be coming to Western audiences later in 2023, but fans can currently buy the Japanese cards online.

Shadowverse: Evolve featured unique classes with different play and art styles. Whether they want to use woodland fairies, robot armies, or undead monsters, there’s something for everyone in Shadowverse. It even has a corresponding anime for those who enjoy having a show to go with their card gaming and collecting. While it’s an addicting game, the physical version is so new it’s hard to place it any higher than more established card games.