Stakes

A 1v1 tactical card game bringing the strategy and experience of a MOBA without the genre's frustrations, busywork and complexity or the cost of collecting cards. No item builds, last hitting or packs to open for a meta card. We skipped the grind for cards. Getting good is the only thing left to unlock.

Join early

PCMobileIn development

PLACEHOLDER — gameplay loop (battlefield art stands in)

Why play Stakes?

Playing games is a hobby.Buying digital assets is not.

Don't rip packs searching for a card or force yourself to log in daily to earn in-game currency.

No packs to open, no daily missions, no duplicates or exclusive cards, because you get instant access to the entire card library. Never feel behind or you don't have access to meta tools because you weren't grandfathered in. Play Draft modes that deal you and your opponent a deck on the spot from every card in the game: free for everyone.

A MOBA with the chores taken out.

No role queue, no teammates to carry (or carry you), no item builds to look up, no towers, no last-hitting, and no random objectives or timed NPC buffs to memorize. We're denormalizing watching a 45 minute tutorial to play your first game so you can spend your time doing what you actually enjoy: deck crafting, setting up ganks, discovering ability combos, making big momentum swings, and outplaying your opponent!

Taken out
  • Role queue
  • Teammates to carry
  • Itemization
  • Best-in-Slot
  • Towers
  • Last-hitting
  • Random objectives
  • NPC buffs
What's fun
  • Theory crafting
  • Cooking up synergies
  • Rotations and strategy
  • Ability combos
  • Momentum swings
  • Outplays
  • Competing

Outsmart your opponent instead of getting outmuscled.

We're tired of decks that win by playing the biggest card on curve and giving you nothing to respond to, so we built a dynamic, challenging game. Win in the Lanes by moving your units, changing the battlefield, and adapting your plan. We favor interactive decks, and control tools are always accessible to every player.

Bias against degenerate scaling mechanics.

We favor effects that change the board for both players over stats that keep doubling. Buffs happen on the board, where your opponent can see them and respond, rather than quietly growing in your hand or deck. Every mechanic gives you room to answer, so each turn asks you to make a meaningful decision.

Math you can do at a glance.

A hero has 3 Power and 4 Health, not 340 attack against 3,000 health, 38 armor and magic damage instead of pure damage. Stat changes are low, whole numbers instead of a percentage, decimal, or scaling coefficient you have to open a wiki to calculate. You can read the entire board and know who wins a fight at a glance.

Balanced for fun, not for metrics.

Is a 50% win rate a perfectly balanced card? Our philosphy will be tuning whatever feels unfun or underpowered while listening to the most dedicated and top players of the community. We will make iterative changes frequently and transparently while reorganizing cards across Books.

Quality of life features over presentation.

We can't compete with AAA game studios for presentation but we will focus on features that enhance the player experience through client replays, deck-builder filters, deck trackers, an accessible card library, mobile support, your opponent's deck tracked as you play, hotkeys, mulligan, and more. Play comfortably and without having to use third-party tools.

PLACEHOLDER — in-game capture

Client replay, deck tracker and deck-builder filters, captured from the game.

Choose how you play

The library

Every card is open to every player. Pick one.

Arrow keys move between cards. Enter opens one.

See the full library

Membership

Queue Ranked with all three Books.

Free player

Freethe whole game, one Book

Books held

Book OneBook TwoBook ThreePick one.

Every mode, every card selectable, full Run, Duel and singleplayer experiences.

Member

$6.50 / monthplus tax where applicable

Books held

Book OneBook TwoBook ThreeDon’t pick — play any of them.
Become a member

Get in early.

Playtests, dev updates, reveal-season exclusives, and a community shaping the game. Come say hi.

Join early on Discord