Following in the footsteps of the popular online game, the World of Warcraft trading card game is another insanely popular entry in the Blizzard gaming universe.
Basically the online game has been translated into a trading card game so Raid decks are designed to mimic how Raids are handled in the MMORPG and characters who are difficult to kill in the online version of World of Warcraft, such as Paladins and Shamans, remain so in the TCG version of the game.
You can begin playing the WoW TCG by getting a Heroes of Azeroth Starter Set, which contains a Rule Book, two boosters, 3 Oversize and Rare Hero Cards, and a 33-card pre-constructed deck for one of the nine playing classes. You won't know what class you have until you open up the box as they are distributed randomly.
How to Play the World of Warcraft TCG
The first thing you should do if you've never played the World of Warcraft trading card game before is to check out the official website for the game. They have the rules and instructions on how to play and there's even a sample starter deck that you can print out so you can test out the game mechanics for yourself.
Once you're sure you want to play, you'll need to get a Starter deck and some boosters. They are sold on both Amazon and Ebay as well as in most hobby shops that stock collectible card games. There are currently two starter decks for the WoW TCG available. The first released was the Heroes of Azeroth starter deck and now there is also a Dark Portal Starter Deck. Each starter deck comes as a pre-constructed deck with 33 fixed cards -- one Hero and 32 other cards. Each deck will be built around one of the nine classes in World of Warcraft and those classes match the MMORPG.
Of course, if you actually want to win tournaments you¡¯ll use the starter decks only as a base from which to build your own deck, adding cards from booster packs to make a more powerful playing deck. So it is usually a good idea to pick up a couple of booster packs when you get your Starter Deck so you can start customizing your own deck. Each booster pack contains 15 randomly distributed cards and this is where you will also find the World of Warcraft loot cards that contain additional items for use in the online game.
If you have friends who want to play the game, then you can start playing the WoW TCG with them, but you can also check the official site to find other players or visit your local hobby shop and see if they hold World of Warcraft card tournaments that you can join.
