Altered TCG Review — We’re Going On An Adventure!

As trading card games go, between Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and now Lorcana, we’ve definitely not seen any original IPs break into the format for quite a while, yet Altered, an indie TCG is determined to make its own space. After a mammoth Kickstarter campaign, the budding card game has reached fruition with its first set beginning to arrive in Australia. It’s a pretty innovative take on the TCG game with a digital side that emphasises card ownership. Blending a richly diverse world with strategic deck-building, Altered aims to take the focus off of combat with players aiming to reunite their hero and companion through a head-to-head race. It’s quite refreshing, though its newness might also be its biggest setback for interested players.

I’ve been around the bend with trading card games for a while. Expensive cardboard calls to me, so the prospect of a new TCG coming, while financially paralysing, definitely sounds like a fun time. Altered started out as a Kickstarter campaign in February. After raising over ten million AUD from nearly 15k backers, the game is finally hitting local stores here in Australia. For this review, I received the Axiom and Yzmir faction starter decks, matching deck sleeves, and four 12-card boosters. I did not have the option to choose which decks I received.

In Altered, players compete using their decks, each led by an iconic Hero card from one of six factions. The decks feature characters, spells and landmarks cards. Interestingly, there is no direct combat involved. Instead, players race to reunite their hero and companion counters in the centre of the play area. The game immerses players in a world where they must carefully consider their card plays to progress towards victory. There is also a digital angle that allows players to collect, trade and order more specific cards via print-on-demand services.

In the games I’ve played of Altered, it feels like a race. Not in the sense of getting out powerful cards as soon as possible – more in that you’re working your cards to get that edge on the expeditions. Turns are split into the phases of the day, with players swapping who goes first after each day cycle. I won’t entirely explain the phases, but players use the statistics on their cards to determine if their hero and companion tokens can move that turn. This then hinges on the opponent’s stats and the region type of the randomised centre cards. Players also have card abilities and actions they can use to help themselves or hinder the opponent’s progress. You can read the quick rules guide here.

Altered cards are split into 6 factions, with each fitting an archetype that informs how those cards interact in the game. For the decks I was running for this review, Yzmir was very capable of removing and drawing cards, while the Axiom deck was a lot more gradual in building power till the late game. Interestingly, Yzmir was the more satisfying deck to play with some great cards that had me gaining the advantage, but the Axiom held its own with some helpful location cards. As the packet suggested, buying a deck really is a must if you are looking to get into the game. While boosters are available, getting enough cards to have a 40-card deck will require having enough cards from one faction for starters!

Games tend to run around 20 minutes, though as I was learning while playing, I clocked in around 40 minutes. Learning the game takes some time, which is to be expected, but learning without a player more experienced wasn’t favourable. As a new card game, I don’t hold this against it, and when I did find the game flow, I started to understand and enjoy it more. Playing a game that wasn’t so deeply rooted in combat yet still competitive was an appreciated change. 

The card designs feel really fresh as well. Altered’s card art really is the main attraction on the cards, and given how colourful and lively the designs are, this is definitely where the game shines. The uniqueness feels really invigorating for a trading card game, and if anything was going to keep me interested, it was the characters and creatures on them. Even the lore behind the cards feels as though the world of Altered has been created with diversity and adventure in mind. My one concern was the QR code on the bottom right of each card, though. While it does have a use in the game, I found it rather large and unsightly. I feel this could’ve benefited from being worked into the design of the card more. Seeing it on each and every card really took away from what are some really great-looking cards.

If you’re curious about why there are QR codes on all the cards, this is where the digital side of the game comes in. Players scan all their cards to their collection and then have access to them online. This also allows players to explore what other cards there are in the game and the lore of the Altered game world, which is surprisingly fleshed out. Players can also print more of the cards they own or even trade the digital card to someone else, meaning you’ll essentially lose that digital license. I still don’t entirely understand this process as it’s not yet active in Australia, but this does appear to play into much of the game, at least from a deck-building and collecting standpoint. After a few games, I booted up the app and found the card-scanning process incredibly quick, though I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the online elements yet, aside from the access to the expanded lore.

All that aside, basically there are no foil cards in the game as is. Players need to redeem a special foiler card that allows players to order a foil print of any card via the print-on-demand service. Honestly, this doesn’t feel great in the game to begin with. While the process is there, knowing I’m not going to crack and chance upon a foil card feels a bit sad. All up from the two starter decks and four boosters, I have three foilers redeem tokens, with 2 of those coming from the decks. While I do feel like this ups the rarity and specialness of the foil cards, if anything, I feel like this could create a barrier for younger players interested in Altered. I hope that in follow-up sets, this is rectified. That pack satisfaction can make or break a TCG because players are more likely to buy boosters if there are more chances of better cards.

At the time of this review, the RRP for Starter Decks is $29.95, and 12-card boosters are $7.95. I do feel as though this is a little bit high in terms of pricing. It’s not fair to compare the value of Altered to other TCGs, given this is an indie game compared to huge established TCG brands. If I were the consumer, though, comparing the value, especially when this is lesser-known, feels like a harder sell at this stage. 

When opening boosters for this set it was lovely to see more art of the game and other cards from differing factions. The card drops seemed fairly balanced, though as a new player, I actually didn’t realise I opened some great stuff till I fully understood the rarity scale. I also did feel the absence of foil cards in the booster. While I like the notion of selecting what cards I’m getting as foils, that still is an entire process of redeeming a foiler and then ordering the card via print-on-demand. I have not been able to redeem any foiler tokens yet so I’m unable to comment on the pricing either. I do hope that when this is fully available it is present in Australia and affordable. 

All in all, the online elements of Altered have potential, though it is a process still in the teething stages so I wouldn’t let it be what sells you on the game. For interested players, I’d definitely suggest trying it out and learning at an event, local game store or even watching some gameplay online when it becomes more readily available. Altered will be at PAX Aus 2024 if you happen to be attending. There, you can test it out and see if you’re keen to jump in. I’ll certainly be dropping by myself to see if my self-taught skills are any match for the professional players teaching the game.