- Publisher(s) : Scorpion Masqué
- Designer(s) : Gricha German, Corentin Lebrat
- Artist(s): Xavier Gueniffey Durin
- Players : 2
- Playing time : 10 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.04
What's this?
Tag Team is a dueling game that blends two very popular genres: deckbuilding and auto-battler . You play as a manager leading a duo of fighters with complementary styles.
How do you play?
A Tag Team match takes place over several rounds, until one team is eliminated. Each round is divided into two distinct phases:
The Combat Phase (Auto-battle): Players simultaneously reveal the top card of their battle deck. The cards are compared to determine who attacks whom. Cards deal damage, apply status effects, or activate special abilities related to your two fighters. Once a card is resolved, the next card is dealt with until the round ends. This is the moment of truth where you see if your strategy is working.
The Deckbuilding Phase: This is where tactical genius comes into play. Players acquire new cards to strengthen their team. You draw three and keep one.
The Twist: You choose precisely where to insert your new card into your current pile (above, below, or between two cards already present).
Optimization: The goal is to prepare for the next round by anticipating the order in which your powers will be triggered to create super-powerful combos.
The fight ends as soon as one duo has no more health points or a specific victory condition for a character is met.
Is it good?
Tag Team stands out as a fast-paced and accessible dueling game, designed primarily for quick battles and high replayability. Matches are short, intense, and immediately entice you to play again, thanks in particular to the numerous possible character combinations. Each pair of fighters offers unique synergies that you’ll need to experiment with as you play. The game is fluid and easy to learn; a quick glance at the rules is all it takes to grasp each hero’s specific powers.
The game’s originality lies in its deck management: unlike classic deckbuilding games , you never shuffle your deck. The order of the cards is fixed, and the entire strategy revolves around inserting new cards in the most opportune positions to plan devastating combos. This mechanic creates a true mind game with your opponent, blending anticipation and bluffing to try and counter their future moves.
It’s a fascinating exercise, but one that can prove frustrating: a simple mistake in the order of card placement can cost you the victory. Similarly, the “spectator” aspect of the combat phase (typical of the auto-battler genre ) may disconcert players who prefer to maintain real-time control. The game also suffers from sometimes inconsistent balancing depending on the fighter combinations, and there’s an element of chance involved in drawing new cards.
Ultimately, Tag Team is an excellent dueling game that transforms deckbuilding into an exercise in precise programming. It’s an enjoyable experience, with no downtime, where victory depends on your ability to anticipate your fighters’ combos.
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Tag Team Review
Positives
- Deck-building mechanics
- Mind games and bluffing
- Art direction
- Speed of the games
- Rich Synergies
Negatives
- "Spectator" combat phase
- Limited room for error
- Asymmetrical balancing
- Iconographic adaptation time
