Artifact – A New Competitor for Hearthstone and Co?
What is Artifact? Artifact is an online card game from Valve, the creators of Dota 2. Artifact is the card game based on Dota 2, so the cards correspond to heroes and abilities from the MOBA.
What is Special about Artifact?
This is how Artifact works: In Artifact, players create decks of cards to compete against each other. Cards can have one of four different colors:
- Red: Aggressive creatures for offensive play styles with weaker spells than other colors.
- Green: Supporters designed to enhance other cards.
- Black: Assassin cards aimed at gold gain and steady improvement over the course of the round.
- Blue: Control cards with weaker heroes that become stronger over time.
Each color has its own advantages and disadvantages, and their combinations determine the strength of the decks. In Artifact, you can win and collect cards or buy and sell them through the Steam market.
What Makes Artifact Unique? Unlike card games like Hearthstone, Artifact requires more strategy and planning. The game is essentially played on three boards simultaneously, which represent the “lanes” of a MOBA.
The goal is to win two of these “lanes”. Each path has a tower (40 health points) and an Ancient (80 health points) that appears once the tower is destroyed. By playing cards, heroes, and abilities, these can be attacked.
The player who first destroys two towers on two different lanes or defeats an Ancient wins.
Why Should You Play Artifact?
Who is Artifact Suitable For? Artifact is likely worthwhile for all players who have found Hearthstone too boring or can’t stand the element of chance. If you have already played Dota 2 or Magic and are in the mood for a card game, Artifact is your game.
If you want to know how Artifact works exactly and want to get beginner tips, check out this playlist from the YouTuber and Twitch streamer Cirouss, who thoroughly explains Artifact in German.
What Does Artifact Cost? Unlike many other games in the genre, Artifact is not free-to-play but is sold through a buy-to-play model. It can be directly purchased on Steam for €17.95.
The starter version includes 2 pre-made decks from the four colors. Additional cards can then be bought through booster packs or directly through the Steam marketplace. The value of some cards even exceeds the cost of the game itself shortly after release.
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