The best games of the Ascension series⎇. 2025

This is the fifth edition of the Collector's Edition of Ascension. It includes the base set along with the expansions Dreamscape and War of Shadows, plus all promo cards released during the fifth year. Players can utilize Insight to access Dreamscape and then engage in the War of Shadows, leveraging the powers of day and night. The game features high-quality components and comes in a full-color tin with a travel box for easy organization and transport.

The Collector's Edition of the fourth year includes Realms Unraveled and Dawn of Champions, along with two copies of the promo cards from this year. It features 100% foil cards, a foil game board, a portable storage box, dividers, and an honor pouch.

Ascension: Deckbuilding Game, initially released as Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer, is a fast-paced card game that combines strategic deck-building with dynamic gameplay, created by renowned Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour champions.

The world of dreams has turned into a living nightmare in this game. Players must harness the energy needed to close the portal to the dreamscape and restore order. The introduction of the Dreamseeker card offers additional insights, while Phantasma cards allow players to activate their effects from the center row. Players can also acquire dream monsters after defeating them by paying their insight cost. Familiar faces from earlier sets return with Transform cards that evolve into more powerful versions when their costs are met.

Ascension: Return of the Fallen enriches the Ascension universe with new strategic layers and expands the original deck-building game into a more dynamic and potentially complex battleground. Whether facing the god Samael in an epic showdown or adapting to the whims of fate, players are invited to explore new strategies and tactics in their quest for dominance.

A new portal to the Dreamscape has opened! The world of Vigil is distorted by dreams, and nightmares come to life. In Ascension: Delirium, players harness the power of the Dreamborn to combat the forces of Delirium and save the realm.

The theme revolves around the ongoing conflict between the forces of light and darkness vying for control over New Vigil. This struggle directly influences gameplay, as the balance between the two powers can grant players additional abilities during night and day. A new category of heroes and constructs is introduced, featuring powerful cards that require players to use both types of game resources to acquire them.

Players build decks by acquiring cards from a central pool and adding them to their discard pile for later use. Creatures also appear in the pool, providing opportunities to gain victory points and other advantages, such as removing less useful cards from their deck. The game ends when all victory points are claimed or the shared deck is depleted. This standalone game for 2-4 players, which can also be played solo, serves as an expansion compatible with other titles in the series, allowing up to six players. The introduction of heroes from multiple factions and the "Multi-Unite" mechanism rewards players who use multiple heroes from the same faction, while the "Transform" mechanism allows players to upgrade their cards into more powerful versions throughout the game.

Ascension: Immortal Heroes is an expansion for Gary Games' standalone expansion Ascension: Storm of Souls, and it can also be played as a standalone game for two players. Players aim to use the power of heroes from the past with new soul gem cards to stop the rebel god Kythis from advancing his crazy rise to divinity. Like other Ascension titles, Immortal Heroes is a deck-building game where players acquire cards from a central pool to add to their decks while battling creatures and other challenges in the shared space. Both acquired cards and defeated creatures earn points for the players.

Ascension: Storm of Souls embarks players on an epic journey in the aftermath of Samael's fall, where chaos reigns supreme across Vigil. This expansion for the renowned deck-building game Ascension introduces players to a world grappling with the unleashed forces of Samael's demise, offering new challenges and opportunities to explore.

Gather your heroes and constructs to stylishly battle the fallen god Samael and his minions. All 346 cards feature updated frames with high-quality foil effects. This set serves as a perfect centerpiece for any collection, containing multiple expansions and the entire first year of promo cards. It is playable as a standalone game for 1-6 players and is fully compatible with other expansions.

The Age of Sails has reached New Vigil. The tropical lands surrounding the Valley of the Ancients are near, offering enough gold to make one a king, along with the legendary Command Crystals, rumored to grant control over land, sea, and sky.

"Gift of the Elements" is the eleventh standalone game in the series but can be combined with other titles for up to six players. It reintroduces events from previous expansions that influence gameplay immediately, allowing players to acquire these events and transform them into powerful hero cards. The set introduces two new mechanics: Infest, which allows players to disrupt an opponent's deck, and Empower, which grants players the ability to banish played cards for added strategy.

Players build decks by spending runes to acquire more powerful cards. The game offers a dynamic experience that requires players to adapt their strategies. The latest installment introduces the Insight resource, allowing access to exclusive Dream cards and powerful Vision cards.

The game features a 110-card set designed for two players as an entry-level experience in deck-building. All cards have new frames to help distinguish heroes from constructs, and different colors signify initial, middle, and always-available cards for easier sorting at the end. The set includes new artwork for many cards along with updated versions of old favorites. Players spend runes to acquire more powerful cards while defeating monsters to earn honor, with victory points awarded through various means.

"Ascension: Alliances" is an expansion for the deck-building game Ascension. In this new multiplayer format, players form pairs and compete as teams. These alliances unlock a new card type called banners, which enhance the strength of the alliance and provide lasting advantages over opponents.

Players acquire cards from a central pool in this deck-building game and use them to enhance their decks. They can also battle creatures to gain victory points and other advantages, such as removing less useful cards from their decks. The game ends when all victory points are claimed or the shared deck is exhausted. New treasure cards introduce energy that players can use to activate special powers on certain cards.

Ascension: Darkness Unleashed is a standalone game for two players and can also be combined with other Ascension games. It introduces "Dark Energy Shards," which allow players to draw a new card while providing energy for other cards. The set includes new energy cards, heroes, constructs, and monsters that can transform into more powerful versions of themselves, and players receive honor based on the active card version in their deck at the game's end.

Players spend runes to acquire more powerful cards for their deck in this card game. The aim is to earn the most honor points by acquiring cards and defeating monsters. In the Valley of the Ancients expansion, players compete for control of three powerful temple cards, gathering keystones to help in their quest or to steal from opponents.

Enjoy the fan-favorite sets released in the third year with the "Year Three Collector's Edition"! All 378 cards feature updated frames and high-quality foil finishes. This edition includes "Rise of Vigil," "Darkness Unleashed," all the promo cards from the third year, and a PlayDek promo pack, with premium components and storage options. It can be played as a standalone game for 1-6 players and is fully compatible with other expansions.

Once six realms existed, but now only one remains: New Vigil. Players take on the role of their faction's Champion to lead them to victory in a world of new alliances and old enemies. The game features new Champion cards for faction leaders to build their reputation and unlock powerful cards and effects, along with new multi-faction cards, including constructs and monsters. It can be played as a standalone game or combined with other expansions in the series.

Have you ever felt that the cultist needed help to deal with the tyrants attacking him? Now he has it! The Rat King adds a new dimension to the monsters in Ascension, leading his hordes of Giant Rats that swarm the middle row and disrupt the best plans. Players must defeat these rats or the King himself before accessing other cards.

The Rat Queen adds a new dimension to the monsters in Ascension. Players mix the Rat Queen cards into the central deck and set aside the Giant Rats. When the Rat Queen appears, the other cards are turned face down, shuffled, and covered with Giant Rats. Players must defeat these rats or the Rat Queen herself before they can access the other cards. The Rat Queen theme pack includes two Rat Queen cards and ten Giant Rats for extra challenges.

The expansion includes twelve cards: two "Samael Claus" cards and ten "Samael's Little Helper" cards, building on mechanisms introduced in previous sets. Players earn honor and can acquire revealed cards without paying costs. "Samael's Little Helper" also enhances strength based on other helpers played in the round.

A follow-up to the "Ascension: Year One Collector's Edition," this version includes foil editions of every card from "Sturm der Seelen" and "Unsterbliche Helden," along with the associated promo cards. Each Collector's Edition is packaged in a metal box and features a special game board.

The expansion includes three leprechauns and nine pots of gold for use in a game. Players shuffle the leprechauns into the central deck and keep the gold pots nearby. When a leprechaun is played after being acquired, players can gain a pot of gold, which allows for card draws and rewards when played while controlling a pot.