The best Wizard card game variants 2026

The trick-taking game Wizard uses a deck of 60 cards, which includes a traditional 52-card deck plus additional assistants and fools. Players compete over several rounds to achieve the highest score, with each round featuring increasing card distributions and determining a trump suit. Points are awarded based on players meeting their bids for the number of tricks won, with specific rules for how tricks are won depending on the cards played. The 20th Anniversary edition introduces special cards not found in the standard game, adding new strategic elements.

Players bid on the number of tricks they will take, similar to the original game, but with simplified rules for younger participants. Wizard Junior uses colors instead of suits, and each has fewer cards than the original's 13. The game features two bidding rounds per hand, helping players gauge their opponents' expectations and evaluate their hands more effectively.

The first two releases in the series, Melee and Wizard, are now packaged together in an 80s-style edition. Players quickly create characters for battles against various foes, where winners grow stronger and losers face dire consequences.

Players bid each round on the number of symbols of a specific color that will appear on seven dice, similar to the Wizard card game. Each die features symbols in four colors, a wizard, and a fool. The round’s seer places a bid indicating both a color and a number, while other players submit differing bids.