Trends in the tabletop world ebb and flow, and we seem to have a resurgence of TCGs this year. This is a competitive market to compete in, but the Cataclysm Arcade TCG has one of the best pitches I’ve ever seen. You can play Cataclysm Arcade straight out of a single pack against someone else doing the same thing. As someone who constantly advocates for playing with the packs you open, this sounds amazing. So let’s take a look at Cataclysm Arcade and see if this can live up to its ambition or if it’s just a gimmick.
Starting off, the company behind Cataclysm Arcade is Mothership Games, which has some pretty heavy names behind it. The big standout is Brian David-Marshall, but you can see other regulars of the TCG world on their roster too. You can tell that this pedigree does translate into the game, as Cataclysm Arcade is one of the easiest TCGs I’ve learned. It also feels like a lot of work went into the templating of cards to ensure everything makes sense when you read it. I also appreciate their no A.I. policy, as the human element of these games is why I play them.
Two packs opened up to play against each other.
How can you play from a single booster pack? When you open a pack, you’ll find 15 cards, with one of them always being a boss. Your boss is your avatar and has health, attack power, and special abilities. This boss will just be in play as you start a game. You’ll set aside any tokens from the pack and then shuffle up the remaining cards as your deck. Each player will draw four cards, and you’re ready to start. Cataclysm Arcade doesn’t use cards as resources; instead, each player will receive coins equal to the current “level.” The “level” is the number of turns the game has had. A player takes one action and passes to their opponent for their action, going back and forth until each player has passed. Once that has happened, a new round begins, thus incrementing the current level. Actions include playing a card, attacking, wielding weapons, or using special abilities. Cards that have a level can be played from hand if their level is equal to or lower than the current level. Coins are used to fuel special abilities, attacks, wielding weapons, and response cards. The game is a literal back and forth as you’ll fight to keep your fighters alive and attacking while your opponent does the same. Whoever can drop the opposing boss to zero HP first wins.
There is more to the rules of Cataclysm Arcade, but the game is that easy to pick up and play. To my surprise, the “play out of a pack” gimmick isn’t a gimmick. It works, and it’s fun. The pack play is mostly random in what you get. There is some pack collation happening to make this work. You’ll find that some bosses are better than others for pack play, but still, this is a fantastic way to make use of the booster packs. The ability to play the game right out of a pack is a nifty innovation. The inclusion of tokens is nice, but I would keep dice or counters handy as the game needs them. Cataclysm Arcade comes with tough choices and complexity right out of the pack. It will have the full suite of draft, sealed, constructed, and multiplayer too, so it’s not like it’s the only part of the game. I’m not much of a constructed player, but I am very interested to see how all this comes together later this year.
A game on turn five.
I do have to admit that the post-apocalyptic 80s vibe isn’t my jam, but I found the artwork on the cards growing on me the more I played. I’m not sure how I feel about the artwork worming its way into my brain, but I can say the artwork is evocative and memorable. Even with that being the case, I found the mechanical side of the game compelling enough for me to want more.
You can currently find Cataclysm Arcade on Kickstarter, with the Kickstarter ending in a couple of days. A full release of the game is targeting late fall 2026 with four sets per year. The TCG world is a tough place, but I’m interested in seeing how Cataclysm Arcade muscles its way into the market.
