Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is the newest version of Konami’s iconic TCG, and the game has a lot of similarities to Blizzard’s Hearthstone. Master Duel was released on January 18, bringing the over 20-year-old card game to Steam again in an updated version of 2017’s Duel Links. Master Duel is free-to-play and allows players to collect over 10,000 different cards to create decks that they can use to duel other players with lots of new animations.
Hearthstone has been around since 2014 and has over 5,000 cards that are playable in the game. Hearthstone‘s content is centered around characters and events from Warcraft and World of Warcraft, with characters such as Thrall and Anduin featuring significantly in the game. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Hearthstone is now owned by Microsoft, but so far no announcements have been made regarding changes to the game.
Online TCGs will always be compared against each other, and while Master Duel and Hearthstone have a lot of similarities, there are key differences between the two as well. Hearthstone is one of 2022’s most popular games so far and has achieved that due to the simplicity of the core mechanics and the level of depth there is at higher levels of play. Yu-Gi-Oh! has been so successful over two decades for the same reason, and both games have had their success enhanced because they come from franchises that were already commercially successful. What makes Hearthstone such a good game, that Master Duel will need to replicate, is the other things in the game such as other modes and forms of progression.
How Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel’s Gameplay Is Different To Hearthstone
The most important thing to compare between these two games is their gameplay, and there are some big differences as well as similarities. Firstly, both games revolve around each playing taking a turn and on each turn, they play at least one card. In Yu-Gi-Oh, the three main card types are monster, spell, and trap cards. In Hearthstone there are minion and spell cards. Master Duel has multiple ways to summon monsters and play cards in one turn, but in Hearthstone you must have enough mana to play a card of the corresponding cost, like in Magic: The Gathering.
As a result, Hearthstone‘s gameplay is generally more interactive than Yu-Gi-Oh!‘s. Most Hearthstone games revolve around players controlling the board by trading minions and using spells so they can attack the opponent’s face and reduce their health to zero. Master Duel is much more combo-based, where players will control the board just enough so they can live long enough to execute massive combos to deal instant damage to their opponent or summon a huge monster that will win them the game.
How Cards And Decks Work In Master Duel And In Hearthstone
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has a lot of cards for players to collect because the series has been around for so long, which gives players a lot of options when it comes to deck-building. Hearthstone also has a lot of cards, but the design of the game means players are more limited in deck-building. Hearthstone uses a hero-system similar to MTG, where each of the 10 classes has its own unique cards that can only be used in a deck made with that specific class, there is also a neutral set of cards that can be used in any deck. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has no class system, so players can build a deck using any combination of cards they like, but there might be restrictions depending on what tournament rules they are playing in.
Players can craft cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel as well as buying card packs, which can be done in Hearthstone as well by using arcane dust. Hearthstone receives a new expansion every four months or so, bringing 135 new cards each time. Every year, Hearthstone rotates out old expansion cards and re-arranges the core set of cards that are available to every player for free. Master Duel currently has every card released from every Yu-Gi-Oh! collection, but will restrict players depending on the ruleset they are playing in.
What Game Modes Are In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel And Hearthstone
TCGs can be addictive if their core gameplay is satisfying and has a high skill ceiling, but they often need other modes if they want to be successful in the long term. Hearthstone has achieved this because it has lots of different ways to play the game using its core mechanics. There is the standard game mode that is the basic one-versus-one duel, the supremely popular Battlegrounds mode, an arena mode where players draft a new deck each run, the recently added Hearthstone mercenaries mode, and solo modes that tell the stories of Warcraft’s signature heroes.
Currently Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel only has two game modes available to players. There is the classic duel mode where players can take part in Yu-Gi-Oh! duels and there is also a solo mode that players can play which guides them through the storylines of the themes from Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG throughout the years. The solo mode is good for new players to use to learn the base mechanics of the game as well as some more advanced mechanics, but for experienced players, it doesn’t offer anything extra.
Monetization In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel And Hearthstone
The nature of all digital TCGs is that they are free-to-play and can be free-to-play at quite a high level, but they are designed to get players to spend money on the game so they can complete new decks faster. Hearthstone offers players battle-ready decks that allow them to skip the deck-building altogether, and Master Duel provides bundles that contain the core cards for signature decks that are popular in the game. It is possible to play either game completely free-to-play if the player is careful with their in-game currencies, but those who are serious about the game or don’t have the time to play a lot every day might have to make use of offers on packs when they come up.
One way that all games, including TCGs, encourage players to spend money is through cosmetic items. Hearthstone has lots of different ways to customize the game, from different portraits for the class heroes to special card backs and game boards. Hearthstone has a battle-pass that earns players free in-game coins and packs, and the paid version contains extra cosmetic items. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has a battle pass that also contains a free and premium version, with more cosmetic rewards for those who purchase the premium version. Again, it is possible to play these games at a high level free-to-play, and completing the battle pass for the currency rewards is crucial in doing so.
There are a lot of similarities between Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel And Hearthstone, but the differences in content and gameplay are the biggest things that set them apart. If players want simpler gameplay that focuses more on interacting with their opponent’s moves, then Hearthstone is probably what they will prefer. If they are long-time Yu-Gi-Oh! fans then Master Duel will deliver that experience of the classic TCG, but currently, it doesn’t have nearly as much extra content as Hearthstone does. Regardless, if someone is new to TCGs or is already a fan of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel or Hearthstone, it is worth giving both a try to see if they enjoy them.
