CookieRun Braverse TCG Review

Batter than expected.

CookieRun Braverse Trading Card Game is a newly released TCG based upon the CookieRun game universe. Each deck has exactly 60 cards, and is comprised of a combination of cookie cards, item cards, trap cards, and stage cards. While there are five different card color types, there is no restriction on the number of color types that can be played in a deck — any deck could contain any number of cards from each of the colors, so long as they amount to 60 total cards. There are a number of other deck-building restrictions laid out in the rulebook, but the basic premise of the TCG lies in playing cookie cards in order to battle your opponent’s cookie cards. The game ends when the total level of cookie cards in the break area is 10 or higher, or the opponent has no remaining cookie cards in the battle area and can place no additional cookies from hand.

Product: CookieRun Braverse Trading Card Game

Developer: Devsisters Corp.

Price: $3.49 for a single booster, $12.99 for Starter Deck.

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Targeting a lower price point ($12.99 for starter decks and $3.49 for booster packs), CookieRun Braverse TCG seems to be aiming for a more accessible product, as the cost for many TCGs has become insanely expensive, thereby increasing the barrier to entry. The initial onboarding is also straightforward, with rulesets designed to be comprehensible to young children. Despite that comparatively low cost and easy onboarding, the game is still quite complex from a deck building and strategy perspective. 

It may feel a bit reductive to make comparisons to other card games, but CookieRun Braverse TCG takes obvious inspiration from Magic: The Gathering specifically, with similar energy/resource structures, creature-based combat, and so on. It is not exactly derivative of MTG, but there are definitely enough similarities to draw obvious comparisons, especially when you contrast the style of play to things like the Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card games. If you’re going to draw inspiration from anywhere, you may as well take it from the preeminent TCG. I feel CookieRun has successfully captured the same feeling as MTG in terms of gameplay flow, strategy, and satisfaction of pulling off a cool move. From the starter decks and limited cards I have to work with, the game does not immediately seem so complex as to be indecipherable to newcomers in the way that other TCGs often are, but the inclusion of flip cards, as well as items and traps means there’s plenty of room for strategy, experimentation, and player expression.

The card art is often elaborate and interesting.

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The card art is also quite impressive. Usually card games at this price point have extremely simple designs, with simple, flat character portraits and limited backgrounds. Instead, CookieRun Braverse TCG has gone all out on the art design aspect, with characters in dynamic poses, fully rendered backgrounds, and full-art rare cards. I’m not a CookieRun player, so none of these characters or cards mean anything to me, but the expressiveness of the art is a pleasant surprise.

As we’re still early into the life of the game, there doesn’t seem to be a large variety in game formats. You have constructed (build a deck from your collection of cards), draft (build a small deck from booster packs rotating between opponents), and sealed (build a deck from cards obtained from a collection of 14 booster packs). The game is currently only designed to work in a two-player setting, so there’s no commander equivalent to four-way battles.

While I hope they consider additional formats in the future, the one-on-one format is fun enough on its own to be worth recommending. Unfortunately, at time of writing, that comes with at least one major caveat — the game is hard to come by locally. Seemingly due to distribution and shipping issues, the game is currently only in around 150 stores in the USA. You’ll likely have more luck finding them online.

Verdict

CookieRun Braverse TCG is a solid spin on the TCG format. It draws inspiration from other card games like Magic: The Gathering, but does enough to stand out in its own space. The low price point and simple mechanics mean that the barrier to entry is low, making it an excellent choice for children, but that doesn’t mean adults are unwelcome. Various card types, strategies, and deck builds mean there is a lot of room for player expression and optimization.

Image Credits: Devsisters Corp.

Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from the distributor (ACDDistribution).