Kaijudo – Dragonstrike Infernus (TCG Expansion) Review

“Speak politely to an enraged dragon.” J.R.R. Tolkein

Wizards of the Coast brings us the newest expansion of the popular tradign card game, Kaijudo. The Dragonstrike Infernus expansion is a total of sixty new cards, containing a mix of all five civilizations – and allowing you the opportunity to totally pimp your decks. The cards are available in nine card booster packs, and cost around four dollars each, which is pretty standard for trading cards. But are they worth your precious cash? Let’s check ‘em out!

For those of you unfamiliar with the game of Kaijudo, I’ll give a brief overview so you’ll know what we’re talking about. Launched last summer in conjunction with an animated television show, Kaijudo is a battle game that is fairly simple to pick up (for ages 8 to adult). Each player goes into battle with a forty card deck, with the ultimate goal being to knock out their opponent’s shields and win the game. Like other games of this type, you have various creatures in your deck that range in both power and amount of mana needed to use them. Ideally, you’ll have a pretty balanced deck that offers lower mana cards for early play, and some powerful hard hitters for later in the game.

Of course, the best part of games like these is that you can build your deck however you want. That’s my preference – a balanced mix – but you can load your deck up with hard hitters and just bide your time if you want. Or go for good quality, low mana cards and strike fast and deadly right from the start. It’s really up to you, and the ability to constantly evolve both your play style and your decks is what keeps you hooked. Not to mention, they are super fun to collect. Is there anything better than a shiny new deck of cards, the thrill of uncertainty, the joy of an awesome new addition to your collection?

If there’s anyone who understands that, it’s Wizards of the Coast. They know how to do trading card games right, and they’ve been keeping Kaijudo junkies happy with a steady stream of new cards to keep you in the game. The Dragonstrike Infernus booster packs contain nine cards each, as well as an online code card to unlock a creature in your online game (yep, you can play on and offline, double your fun). As you’d expect, there’s a dragon theme going on with these cards.

The artwork on the cards is very well done, the creatures imaginative and fun to look at. The cards are set up in the standard style, with a picture of the creature in the middle, information on its characteristics below, etc. What you’ll get in your packs is a mystery, of course, but there are dragons for every civilization, and even some really rare foil cards to be had. We received four booster packs for review purposes, and I want to highlight some of the great cards we uncovered.

My favorite new deck addition is Sok’ran the Untamed. It isn’t the most powerful card in the expansion (that would be the super rare Dragon King Infernus), but it’s pretty darn close. Sok’ran the Untamed is a foil card with a beautiful feathery looking dragon who packs a heck of a punch. It costs seven mana to use, but at 11,000 damage it’s worth every bit. With double breaker and dragon frenzy abilities, this is a card that can make or break any game. Another favorite dragon addition was the Dragon of Reflections, which also carries the double breaker ability, as well as shield shift – and it damages for 7000 points, making it an enviable asset to any deck.

Of course, we can’t all be loaded up with mana all the time, but there are plenty of lesser cost cards that will have you squealing with delight. The Steel Hammer uses just three mana, and possess the Powerful Attack +4000 ability – talk about bang for your buck. At just 1500 damage, the Lux fire bird doesn’t hit too hard, but the Dragonsong ability means you’ll tap one less mana to summon dragons. Added to that, it has Andromeda’s Envoy, giving you the chance to banish it in place of a threatened dragon. All that for just two mana. It’s a great card to have up your sleeve.

As a player, I know the abilities, damage, etc. should be the first priority, but the collector in me is an absolute sucker for art. In the category of sheer prettiness, I loved the Hornblade Dragon and Treetop Dragon cards. They are formidable opponents in the game as well, but these beautifully drawn dragons set amidst forest backdrops that hint of a lost paradise were winners for me on sheer aesthetics alone.

With sixty new cards available, many of them of the rare variety, the Dragonstrike Infernus expansion offers Kaijudo players the opportunity to add new cards to their decks that are both formidable and beautiful. The dragon themed expansion offers tons of new abilities and an immeasurable amount of cool to the game. They ring in at four bucks a pack, but you’ll be packing a heck of a punch at your next game.