Kard Combat by Hothead Games is a new strategy card game for the iOS. What first made me especially interested in the game was that it was co-created by Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering as well as countless other strategic card games. Kard Combat didn't disappoint. There is a lot of strategy involved, and it's very fun!

First, let's go over the basic gameplay. There are five mana pools. Each mana pool increases by one each turn. Under each mana pool are cards you can choose to play. Cards have a cost, attack, health, and effect. Most cards have all those attributes, but some don't stay in play, so they lack attack and health. Players take turns playing one card per turn. Above your mana pools are six creature slots. Put a creature down and it'll attack every turn after that first. After you play a card, all of your creatures (except the one played on that turn if applicable) will attack. Above your row of six creatures is your opponent's row of creatures. If there is an opposing creature to your creature, the opposing creature's new health will be it's old health minus your creature's attack. If it reaches zero, it dies. The defending creature does not attack back, and it's health does not reset to full after each turn. If there is no opposing creature, you'll attack your opponent's health directly. When that reaches zero, you win!

Kard Combat features a duel mode that is basically a free play. However, the real meat of the game is in the Tower mode. Basically it containts four different campaigns, one for each deck, with progressively harder stages. Anyone who has played a collectible card game will understand quickly that while gameplay is the same across each mage (deck type), there are subtle difference. I like the machine mage because his cards do additional automatic attacks. As you complete levels, you can unlock additional cards for your decks.

The game looks and sounds great. Clearly the graphics aren't the main concern in a card game, and while they're not jaw dropping, there are definitely no flaws here. Kard Combat uses both Open Feint and Game Center for achievements. You can play online against random opponents or your friends, which is a great touch. The bet part about online play is that you can be in multiple games at once, and you can exit the game while waiting for your opponent to play. I'm actually in a bunch of games right now, and even when I'm busy working writing a review, I can check my matches when I take a break and take my turns in each.

Kard Combat is an absolutely fantastic game. The game is free to download and play with additional DLC. You can get a ton of enjoyment without ever paying. However, each tower has 33 levels, and you get the first four of each for free. You can unlock one tower fully for $0.99 or all four for $2.99. I think it's worth the $2.99, but if you don't want to spend, don't worry: the multiplayer is free! Do you want to play with me? First, get Kard Combat from the App Store, then add me! I'm MrDevee on Game Center and MrUser on Open Feint. Let's play!