This article was taken from the June 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
For decades, collectible card games have been a staple of rainy school lunchtimes. But paper is being undercut by a deck of digital challengers. "Traditional card game publishers have adapted to digital with all the grace of a giraffe entering a very fast river," says Quintin Smith of board-game site shutupandsitdown.com. Here are a few of WIRED's favourites. Got any swaps?
Blizzard's online phenomenon World of Warcraft has a free-to-play card game. Expansion packs let players boost their decks. Prizes of up to $100,000 (£70,000) can be won at its annual contest. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, free
The creators of Magic: The Gathering raised $430,000 on Kickstarter to make SolForge a reality in 2012. The ability to "level up" your cards through the course of the game gives it serious strategic chops. Windows, iOS, Android, free
Mojang followed Minecraft with this tight, tactical game that's almost as compelling as its blocky brother. It remains to be seen if it matches Minecraft's 63 million sales. Windows, Android, OSX, £3
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
