Etherlords is a strange concoction, shamelessly cribbing from Heroes of Might & Magic for its grand strategy and Magic: The Gathering for its tactical combat. It's one of those ideas that's crazy enough it just might work. And sure enough, it does, for the most part. Although the grand strategy is a bit misguided, the tactical combat is a splendid twist on the concept of collectible card games.
If you've never played collectible card games (CCGs), you're probably several hundred dollars richer than those who have. The idea is that you build a deck suited to a particular strategy and use it to duel against other players. You play cards to build up a powerful force and to trump what your opponent might do. You know which cards are in your deck and how they work together. But which card will you draw next? Which cards does your opponent have? It's a combination of strategy and mystery, planning and randomness, order and chaos. Games can be exciting, and deck building can be an enjoyable hobby. Before you know it, you've laid out a nice chunk of change in pursuit of those rare powerful cards to round out your collection and improve your chances of winning. Although Etherlords misses completely the collecting aspect, it nails the dynamics of actually playing CCGs.