Mistborn-Inspired Deckbuilder Brings Slay the Spire’s Thrill to the Cosmere

In Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, certain individuals have an intriguing ability: they can metabolize metals to perform magic. Imagine burning pewter to boost your physical strength or using brass to calm someone’s emotions. But at the top of the hierarchy are the Mistborn, the most formidable characters who can utilize various metals and merge their powers to do things like flying and even glimpsing into the future.

Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game cleverly draws on Sanderson’s distinct magical framework, allowing players to experience the thrill of a Mistborn’s powers. Players strive to create intricate combos using metals optimally. The objective? Either knock out your opponents by depleting their health to zero or complete all three missions, gathering rewards at each milestone.

As the game progresses, characters grow stronger, gaining the ability to burn more out of the available eight metals each turn. This capability triggers cards that can help players advance on mission tracks, attack rivals, or strategically curate their deck by acquiring new cards or discarding weaker ones. Many of the cards include ‘kickers’ offering heightened effects when you burn additional metal of the same type, promoting focused strategies. There’s a broader tactic called flaring metals, which temporarily cools them down until refreshed in a later turn. I didn’t utilize this approach enough early on, which could have accelerated the development of my deck.

One unique feature of the game is how it handles damage. In a game with three or four players, only one individual becomes the target and can be attacked by others. But it’s not purely problematic for them; the target can strike back at all opponents when attacked. When taking damage, the target has the choice to pass the token to another player or hold onto it, a strategic consideration preventing others from ganging up on the leader but also offering an edge to aggressive players.

I’m quite excited to explore different tactics and dive into the game’s cooperative mode, which aligns more closely with the series’ narrative where Mistborn unite against the despotic Lord Ruler. There’s a lot of potential for expansions, with the possibility of introducing more series characters and story elements from beyond the first book.