We enjoyed the fact that Comic Images created two distinct playing phases that occur simultaneously during missions. The Hero is the player who’s attempting to complete each mission while the Villain player is simultaneously playing cards in a desperate attempt to derail the Hero’s plans. This is where the Villain Score victory condition (the third type) comes into play. At the end of any mission failed by the Hero player, the Villain is allowed to score the Adversary (a card type specifically used while playing as the Villain) he played during that mission. These Villain totals can win the game as easily as gaining experience points or glyphs.

How this translates into an online format is the big question but it’s ably answered by SOE’s game-client. The program’s slick interface offers everything an online TCG gamer could want and then some, including the ability to create and save decks, play a skirmish match versus the AI, a fully-featured collection utility (that enables online trading as well as setting flags for cards you need or can trade), an extremely helpful tutorial to get you playing as soon as possible, and casual as well as tournament play areas.

The key ingredient in this success story is the functional yet informative interface, particularly during match-play. Information is readily available to help you see what’s happening during the match and key decisions are always highlighted. The game-client doesn’t make choices for you but it does ensure that important rules are properly enforced and addressed by players.

Though the gameplay was virtually bug-free, we had our share of minor grumbles.  Ranked games are only available through tournament play which costs event tickets (usually at $1 a pop per ticket) and if you end up with the worst record in your tourney, you’ll walk away with nothing to show for it, other than the experience. Most tournaments are Swiss format (pairing similar records against each other) and prizes come in the form of online booster packs or rare cards which aren’t terribly exciting once you’ve completed your set. And as is usually the case, if you can’t find anyone online to play, you’re out of luck unless you’re content to challenge the skirmish AI.