Minecraft Card Game Review – Toy Reviews By Dad

I think we have long documented my son’s obsession with Minecraft on toyreviewsbydad.com – and just like many other parents we have ended up purchasing toys, books, video games, birthday decorations, and many more Minecraft themed products.

So, my wife and I ended up being thrilled at finding this Minecraft Card Game on sale at a 1/2 Priced Books store, and we have been even more thrilled with how much our kids have enjoyed playing it. We love when our kids actually decide to play board games or strategy games instead of asking us to play video games – so I feel like a video game themed card game is a great compromise.

Below is our Minecraft Card Game Review, so you can learn a little bit more about this game and if it would be a good fit for the Minecraft fan you are thinking about buying it for!

Quick Minecraft Card Game Review

Let’s start with the basics – the Minecraft Card game is for 2-4 players (I find it more fun when you have 3 or 4 players) and is rated for ages 8 and up – although my seven-year-old has no issues playing this game.

Here is what is included with the game:

25 Craft Cards
24 Wood Cards
11 Wild Cards
9 Stone Cards
8 Iron Cards
7 Gold Cards
6 Diamond Cards
5 Creeper Cards
5 TNT Cards
4 Card Holders

The goal is going to be to “craft” the materials and score the required number of points to win the game. For a 2-player game you need 24 points, for a 3-player game you need 20 points, and for a 4-player game you need 16 points. The first player to reach that point total wins.

You start by shuffling all of the resource cards face down (all the cards listed above EXCEPT the 25 craft cards) and dividing them out to 5 piles of 15 cards each. Turn those 5 piles over so they are facing up and you can see what resources they are. Next, take those 25 craft cards and divide them out to four piles of six (there will be a card left over, just discard it). Make sure the crafting side is face up for these piles as well. Make sure each player has one of those card holders as well – these can be used to “reserve” a craft card.

Each player is going to take 2-actions on their turn. They can choose to mine, craft, or reserve. When you mine, you take one of the resource cards out of the five piles and place them in front of you. Each of these resource cards will have a number on them – that is how many of that resource the card is worth. Some resources like diamonds or gold can be used to craft cards that are worth more points, but they are a harder resource to find than wood or stone.

When you craft, you turn in the required resources you have to perform the action on the craft card. For example, if a craft card has 2 stone icons and 2 wood icons – you can turn in those resources to get that craft card. Each craft card has a point amount on it – which is how you score the points you need to win the game! IMPORTANT NOTE: when you turn in you resource cards, you do not get any resources back. If you have a 3-wood resource card, and the recipe only calls for two woods, you do not get one back. Also, if you find a wild card resource card, you cannot split it up to be different resources. They have to be the same resource that you pick for it.

When you complete a crafting recipe and get your points, it will also give you a tool to use. Each tool has a special power. For example, a sword will prevent a Creeper card from taking one of your resources, a shovel makes a player skip one of their two actions on their turn, a pickaxe gives you a third action on your turn, a hoe can be used to clear the top resource card off of each pile, and an axe can be used as two woods on your turn when you are crafting. Once a tool is used once, it can’t be used again. Tools do not count as an action on your turn.

The third thing you can do is reserve a craft card and place it in the card holder in front of you. You can do this to reserve a craft card that you may not have the resources for currently to use but want to hold onto for later. You can only have one card is reserve at all times.

Each player is going to do two of those actions on their turn – and they can be the same action. You want to balance crafting with gathering resources and putting the right type of crafting card in your card holder.

There are also a couple of cards that will make the game more interesting for you. If you pick up a resource card, and there is a Creeper card underneath, each player must dispose of one resource card in their hand (or use the sword if you have that tool available to protect your resources). Once all players dispose of their resource cards, place the creeper into the discard pile.

You may also find a TNT card on the resource piles. If you find one of those, you take all the top cards from the resource piles and keep two of them – placing the TNT card and the other resource cards in the discard pile. You cannot keep a TNT card in your hand, it must be played immediately if you use it.

The goal is to basically follow these simple rules to score the most points by crafting the most recipes!

Our Personal Thoughts on the Minecraft Card Game

We have really enjoyed adding this Minecraft card game to our game collection. Both of my sons really enjoy playing it, and it isn’t so complicated that they can’t follow the rules. I also like that the game does require some strategy and creative thinking to win – which are fun skills to help develop.

The gameplay is pretty quick – 20 minutes or less, so you won’t have to worry about trying to keep your kid’s attention. The Minecraft/crafting theme is fun in general but is a real hit with anyone that loves that video game. I’m actually going to give this a gold star rating, because of the theme, ease of play, and replay-ability. I imagine you are going to have a lot of fun with this game as well if you add it to your collection.

Other Board Game, Strategy Game, and Minecraft Toy Reviews

As you can tell, playing games has always been a big deal in our household. Here is a link to many of the other games we have enjoyed playing as a family!

If your child is more of a Minecraft fan and you need some other Minecraft themed toy review ideas, we got you covered! Check out some of these Minecraft toys we have had a lot of fun with over the years!

Between these Minecraft toys and games, you should be having a lot of fun in your household!