Nostalgix is an Impressive Alternative TCG For Fans Who Want More for Their Money

I first discovered Nostalgix in mid-2024 while researching alternative TCGs because, I’m not sure if you’re aware, it can be an expensive hobby. I’m a mix of collector and player, and what I see in Nostalgix really hits home – It’s a card game built for every kind of fan.

With so many TCGs launching in the past couple of years, like Disney Lorcana, Star Wars: Unlimited, and even a recent one from Atari, Nostalgix seems like an underdog. With the creator, Hunter Angell AKA Zaba, running a new Kickstarter campaign, I reached out and Bonus Action was provided with an amazing collection of review samples so I could really dig into this game. Let me tell you, it’s far better than I anticipated and well worth your attention.

Low cost but uncompromising quality

Nostalgix doesn’t cost a ton of money to get into. It’s got three core sets you can pick up cards for at around 30% less than you’d spend on Magic: The Gathering and other TCG booster boxes at $90. If you missed the Kickstarter, you can still grab everything from throughout the game’s history on the official website.

I was worried this would lead to subpar products, but that’s not the case at all. The cards feel as good as any other. Name your favorite TCG, these cards are just as good, whether they’re foil (shiny for you 90s vets), or basic commons.

Of course, all this means nothing if the artwork is pants. I’m very pleased to say that the art on every single card looks great, hits just right with the lore text and abilities, and is detailed enough that you’ll find yourself discovering more bits and pieces in the background each time you play with them.

Even the playmats are gorgeous, and I wasn’t expecting that at all. I’ve got some pretty sweet playmats for Magic: The Gathering sets, but nothing compares to what Nostalgix brings to the table. They seem to have another layer of color or detail, though it could just be great color combinations, that bring the game and your board to life.

So sure, it looks good and it’s not too expensive for a TCG, but how does it play? Every deck comes with instructions, but you can also play games online with your collection or carefully crafted decks online with the community via the very active Discord.

Games are fairly simple and you should be able to pick it up easily if you’ve ever played Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering. This simplicity makes it far more approachable, but there’s still complexity to be found with spells, equipment, heroes, and fighter combinations and evolutions that see you floor opponents out of nowhere if you’ve got just the right cards entering your hand.

Each player has a hero and gains mana over the course of the game, so you have more with every subsequent turn, allowing you to play stronger cards, attack your opponent, and pull out spells or equipment to enhance everything you’ve played.

There are even surprise cards that you play face down. These are fantastic, I love them. They make you feel like you’re in an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! as you catch your opponent out and ruin their play.

It’s a lot of fun to play, and I think having a main hero card helps you put yourself into each game. It’s you getting hit, you who needs equipment to protect them, not just some card that you can replace in your next turn.

What continues to strike me about Nostalgix the more I dive into it is how great the community is. Zaba is extremely active in helping fans get to grips with the basics and there are various people hosting games and talking about their collections.

That’s the final, but very important, part of Nostalgix that I think warrants discussion. It’s a TCG yes, but it’s also a CCG (collectible card game). It’s made for you to enjoy them, regardless of whether you are collecting or playing.

Every piece of packaging possible is recyclable. The thin film can go to your supermarkets, and everything else, booster pack packaging included, can go into the recycling. Somehow Wizards of the Coast and other major companies haven’t mastered this, but here we have a card game that doesn’t make me feel guilty about opening booster packs with mountains of rubbish.

As I mentioned at the top of this article, Nostalgix has a live Kickstarter at the time of writing. If you’re like me, you’ve been looking for TCGs like this to get in on the ground floor. Altered TCG just blew the market wide open with its incredible initial set, and the value of the Kickstarter booster boxes has skyrocketed. Not that money alone should dictate what you buy.

Now is the time to get in on Nostalgix because there won’t be another Kickstarter if this one’s not funded. You can pick up cases of booster boxes cheaply, get exclusive items that won’t be available anywhere else, and brand new bundles created specifically for the campaign. It’s very much worth looking into for both fans who want a new TCG to call home, anyone who wants to collect cards and just look at how cool they are, or those looking to invest in the long term.

Before you go

Thank you so much for checking out our little spotlight on what I think is an incredibly underrated TCG. We cover a few different hobbies here on Bonus Action, but if you want even more TCG articles to dig into, try our review of Command of Nature.

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About the Author

Jamie Moorcroft Sharp

Editor

Jamie adores the indie games that you don’t hear about until you’re on a video essay binge at 3AM and suddenly the sound of them changes your life. He’s played games all his life and loves looking at the intricate details that make them magical and different. If there’s a wierd list, embarrassing feature, or something else far too out there on Bonus Action, there’s a good chance he wrote it. But that’s not all! He’s also an absolute fiend who never knows when to stop when he puts on his dirty robes and takes on his D&D persona as a Mud Warlock who acts on that tiny voice in your head when it wonders what would happen if you did something really dumb right now. He’s easy to beat in a TGC, though, just keep an eye out for his crazy card combos.

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