My First Play of the Millennium Blades CCG Simulator Game
Experience a solo board game that simulates collectible card game tournaments with Millennium Blades.
My fiancé is amazing and is my main gaming partner when I want to play multiplayer instead of solo. We met over board games, he proposed over a board game… And now he makes suggestions for what solo game I should try next! He persistently requested I try out Millennium Blades for a long time. So, off to this CCG tournament simulator I went!
Game Overview
Game Name: Millennium Blades
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: D. Brad Talton, Jr.
Artist: Fábio Fontes
Solo Mode: Included in Millennium Blades: Set Rotation
This might be one of the most unique themes in my collection. Through deckbuilding, which literally involves buying single card packs, a deck is prepared.
In the solo mode, the game culminates in a tournament against 1 of 4 available bosses. Get ready for a wild ride!
First Play
March 27, 2020
Complexity
4
Latest Play
November 7, 2021
Expansions
7
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
12
Play Time
40 Minutes
High Score
204
Game Area
32" x 26"
Low Score
76
How Many Cards are There?
Look closely at the photo above, and you should see a tower of store cards pictured on the left side. That’s no optical illusion! All sorts of sets are combined to create an enormous pool of cards. But don’t think this includes everything! There is at least double the amount of content in unused cards, making for a massive amount of variety.
In essence, the game boils down to variety. The challenge is to create a cohesive deck of just a handful of cards. Every play will almost always be vastly different due to the cards that come out.
Note, too, that the tower of store cards only gets partially depleted. With this initial play, I was lucky if I got through about 25% of the available cards. Too many cards? Surprisingly, the only trouble comes with the shuffling!
Getting together all of the packs can be a struggle, particularly when it comes to randomizing the available options. Luckily, there are several free online apps to help with the process. I used Millennium Device this time and was very happy with it. Although it seems to be missing the option to play solo, I only needed it for the deck randomizer.
An Organized Area
All of these cards could get disorganized very quickly, but fortunately, the game includes useful card areas.
The store showcases 9 “packs” of cards, as well as the one located on top of the store deck. Nearby are the valuable promo decks, ranging from bronze to gold.
The player board includes useful information, and is double-sided: One side is used for deckbuilding, while the other is set up for the final tournament.
It may look like a lot, yet this is a really organized way to play! Storing the cards is a little tricky, but not impossible.
Clever Characters
F0r even more variety, there are multiple characters to “play” as. They don’t necessarily create the feeling of actually getting into character, but they’re great!
Take my randomly drawn character, Deques Applenti. Think about the name for a second… It’s a lovely pun!
Pronounced “Decks Aplenty,” he offers up a unique ability during the deckbuilding and tournament phases. Each character has his or her own flair.
The rulebook includes introductions for each individual, and there are “applenti” of funny moments!
Multiple Starter Decks
Aside from the gigantic store deck and characters, there’s still more! A number of starter decks provide a different way to begin the deckbuilding phase of each play.
This is also my chance to start highlighting some of the humor with the individual cards and deck names.
There are several examples below, but the card names, artwork, and flavor text often generate many laughs.
A pyromancer might also be referred to as a Pie Romancer. Advice about a low summoner includes getting rid of him quickly. And take a look at this magic mirror with hands!
Final Deck Setup
Just considering the player, there are a lot of combinations with the characters and starter decks. But hold on a moment! There is one final step before the start…
The store deck provides 3 random cards. What’s the significance of this? The cards can be absolute garbage or provide new ways to start putting together a strategy.
During the tournament, ranking points are collected. Earn more than the boss, and it’s a thrilling victory!
The trick is to find cohesive ways to rack up points, protect against the boss’s attacks, and go on the offensive.
Stacks Upon Stacks
One component stands out as being a little odd: The currency. Rather than using something standard, the game comes with huge stacks of individual paper sheets.
This is where it gets interesting! Assembly is required to create actual stacks with money wrappers.
I spent a long time putting these together, and the few multiplayer games made me sad as my hard work was tossed about. Did I mention I love playing solo?! Ha!
It’s an odd design choice, but the tactile element is unique. I always had a soft spot for old-fashioned paper money.
Taking a Chance with Timed Play
Another interesting and unusual aspect of the game involves the timed rounds. That’s right! Deckbuilding is timed to create a sense of urgency. I think this might be the only truly timed solo board game I own.
In general, having that added tension is something I try to avoid. I like to take my time, play slowly and deliberately, and enjoy my plays. So I was a little skeptical about how much fun I could actually get out of this game.
All the same, the timer isn’t that ridiculous. The sequence of deckbuilding is as follows:
- Collect: Receive 30 money and 6 facedown cards from the store deck, to be flipped when the timer starts.
- Reveal: Flip the top meta elemental and the boss’s first accessory to understand the bonuses and limitations.
- Build: Set a timer for 7 minutes and take any and all available actions to craft a deck.
- Collect: Receive 6 facedown cards from the store deck, to be flipped when the timer starts.
- Reveal: Flip the top meta type and the boss’s second accessory to understand the bonuses and limitations.
- Build: Set a timer for 7 minutes and take any and all available actions to craft a deck.
- Build: Set a timer for 6 minutes and take any and all available actions to craft a deck.
- End: Reach the conclusion of the deckbuilding phase, then move to the tournament phase.
In total, there are approximately 20 minutes (7 + 7 + 6) in order to put together a deck. The time doesn’t feel needlessly limited, and typically the final set of 6 minutes will be devoted to finalizing the cards for the tournament. Money is extremely limited, and there are only a handful of sell tokens available. Time is limited, but not short.
The Boss’s Accessory
The game’s difficulty level may be adjusted in a few ways. The boss has 4 accessories, and typically 2 of these will be used. One less is easier, and one more is harder.
I went with the easiest difficulty setting, but the revealed accessory was pretty terrible. Bad little alien!
My starter deck had a nice strategy that worked if I had a lot of cards of the same type. This revelation changed everything completely. Very, very tricky!
I could have stuck with my initial plan, but that would have granted the boss 40 ranking points. Not a good idea.
To the Tournament
Since the deckbuilding phase was timed, it seemed like a bad idea to take a lot of photos. Besides, I was trying to piece together a useful deck and took many quick actions.
At last, I was ready to face the boss in my first tournament. Or rather, it was Deques Applenti ready to go!
His ability allowed him to use an extra deck box and accessory. But I knew I planned poorly… Nothing seemed to be exactly right, though I still liked my deck.
Usually, 6 of 8 singles are played. I got enormously unlucky, though, and stopped with just 5 singles in play.
Detective British
The thrill of putting together card combinations is central to the theme, but it’s hard not to laugh at some cards!
Detective British was one such character. His ongoing effect was immensely useful in preventing any loss of ranking points. This protected me a few times!
But more than that, look at his character artwork. That’s not a pipe he has, but a pipe-shaped teacup for slurping up delicious tea. Rather British, indeed!
His flavor text also made me smile more than once. This might be one of my favorite cards I’ve seen so far!
Shiny Gold Promos
During deckbuilding, there are 3 potential promo decks to draw from. However, only a single card may ever be taken from each one, and it’s not about the cost.
Instead, either 5, 7, or 9 cards may be traded in to take a chance. This is why it can pay to purchase cheap cards, although the payoff is always unknown.
I ended up with Dark Reaper Maghinat, who turned out to be somewhat useful for me. Not enough, though.
The star value in the upper left is also useful for clashes. Suffice to say that this card won me some more points!
A Note About Card Content and Language
There are some decks and specific cards that include mild language. I haven’t come across anything that I would classify as completely inappropriate, but some of the artwork and content might be a little more mature in a few places. Nothing is worse than many other games in my collection, though. I just wanted to quickly mention it!
Also, should any of this be an issue, the sheer amount of cards makes it easy to just remove any offensive cards entirely from play. I still believe that the game is appropriate for most ages, though the final judgment is up to you.
A few of my photos may include some of these cards, so I hope that provides a decent way to gauge what’s included! Since I do try to stick with G or PG content, feel free to ask about any details if they might help you out.
Time to Flip the Table
There are plenty of jokes to find scattered throughout the decks! This Flippable Table was funny in its own way, yet it tied into its ability. Simply awesome!
The trouble was that I miscalculated. I started to earn ranking points right away, making this impossible to use.
Finding the right card combinations is a lot of fun. Even the order of cards matters during the tournament. It’s a rather deep sort of puzzle that never stops.
While the deckbuilding phase is timed, the tournament phase is unlimited… Though 20 minutes is pretty usual.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Expansion: Millennium Blades: Set Rotation
Solo Mode: Included in Millennium Blades: Set Rotation
Play Details: Easy Difficulty Level
Required Play Space: 32″ x 26″
Setup Time: 15 Minutes
Play Time: 40 Minutes
Outcome: 77-111 (Loss)
No rookie luck for Deques Applenti! I still pulled off some interesting moves, even though the boss utterly dominated. Next time, a better deck shall be built!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
7
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
Victory Conditions
Defeat the Boss
- Overall Goal Progress 62.5%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game against They Game from Space.
Win at least 1 game as Deques Applenti.
Win at least 1 game as Fulton Suitcase.
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game against EEG.
Win at least 1 game as Greline Alcartone.
Win at least 1 game as Shur Wen Na.
Continue the Conversation
Do you have any other solo board games with a unique theme like Millennium Blades? The description might sound a little bizarre, but I had a surprisingly excellent time putting together a deck! What else do you think about the game? I’m looking forward to seeing how things change with my next play. I may lose, but I can’t wait to see the new cards!
It’s a fine idea, but I don’t love the theme; I suspect that never having played deckbuilders seriously I’d be missing out on a lot of the jokes.
I collected the original Pokemon cards back in the day, and remember the joy and devastation of opening up every booster pack. The jokes are more self-contained on the individual cards than anything, though. There are probably some that go right over my head, too, but many are hilarious!
This is going to be out on my game table for a little bit, and I’ll be sure to showcase some more of the cards. The theme doesn’t appeal to me, either, yet it’s a lot more interesting to play than it sounds. Still, with so many games out there, I recommend passing if the theme doesn’t work for you at all.
Review was awesome, insightful, and funny! I LOVE MB. I might be biased though, since I work for L99!
Thank you for the very kind words, Marco! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much fun the solo mode is, and also how challenging it is. It must be awesome to work in the board game industry! I’m sure I’ll have a great time with this game for a long time to come. I appreciate you stopping by!
Funnily enough, boss mode (solo or co-op) is one of my most played Millennium Blades game modes. It’s a joy to play! So I’m glad to see you’re enjoying it, too!
That’s awesome! I’ve only had a few chances to play multiplayer, and there wasn’t a lot of interest in the theme nor real-time aspect. Besides, I put a lot of time into those money stacks and didn’t want to see them tossed about. Ha ha!
I wonder if playing cooperatively might work out, though… I still love playing solo, but I’ll have to see if anyone is up for that when gaming groups start meeting again!