Daniel Kroegel and Garry Cox’s Heroes of Graxia, from new-to-the-world-of-analog-games Petroglyph Games, is another deck-building game in the spirit of Dominion and Thunderstone. Heroes is set in the same world as their board game Guardians of Graxia. 2-6 players, $35.

Deck-building is now safely ensconced as a major game mechanic. Hopefully we’ll be seeing new directions on the theme in future games. For instance, deck-building with unique cards available each turn, as a minor combat mechanic in a larger game, multiple decks for different purposes, and so on. Or, how about starting with a deck full of junk and having to toss down to a workable deck?