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Game Info
Year
2019
Collection
Mechanic profile
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Vibe profile
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Description
Journey deeper into the world of the Crucible in Age of Ascension, the second age of KeyForge! This continuation of the world's first Unique Deck Game contains 204 new cards seamlessly integrated into a card pool that contains a total of 370 different cards, creating an entirely new collection of Archon Decks for you to discover, explore, and master!
The KeyForge: Age of Ascension two-player starter provides you with all the tools you need to either begin or expand your adventures on the Crucible, featuring two unique Age of Ascension Archon Decks, a Quickstart Rulebook, two Poster Playmats, and all the keys, tokens, and chain trackers you and your chosen opponent need to start playing!
In more detail, KeyForge is played over a series of turns in which you, as the Archon leading your company, use the creatures, technology, artifacts, and skills of a chosen House to reap precious Æmber, hold off your enemy's forces, and forge enough keys to unlock the Crucible's Vaults. You begin your turn by declaring one of the three Houses within your deck, and for the remainder of the turn you may play and use cards only from that House. For example, if you take on the role of the Archon Radiant Argus the Supreme, you will find cards from Logos, Sanctum, and Untamed in your deck, but if you declare "Sanctum" at the start of your turn, you may use actions, artifacts, creatures, and upgrades only from Sanctum. Your allies from Logos and Untamed must wait.
Next, you must strive to gain the advantage with a series of tactical decisions, leveraging both the cards in your hand and those in play to race ahead of your opponent. If you wish to weaken your rival's forces, you may send out your allies to fight enemies on the opposing side, matching strength against strength. Otherwise, you may choose to use your followers to reap, adding more Æmber to your pool.
Notably, no card in KeyForge has a cost — choosing a House at the start of a turn allows you to play and use any number of cards from that House for free, leading turns to fly by with a wave of activity! Yet balance is key. If you simply reap more Æmber at every opportunity, your rival may quickly grow their team of minions and destroy yours, outpacing your collection and leaving your field barren. But if you focus on the thrill of the fight alone and neglect the collection of Æmber, you won't move any closer to your goal! If you succeed in finding a harmony within your team and have six Æmber at the start of your turn, you'll forge a key and move one step closer to victory. The first to forge three keys wins!
Featured Videos
Rules Teach
KeyForge - How To Play
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 10
This page: 10
Sentiment:
pos 8 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–10 of 10
Video yUJTn35nCMA
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:00
video_pk 68155 · mention_pk 164513
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video lP80vdrGDZA
Review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 65884 · mention_pk 160002
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- adds variety to gameplay
- interesting card design
- generally good set design across houses
Cons
- tide mechanic can slow the game down
- tide mechanic may not be for casual players
- new players might find the set difficult to start with
- untamed house may lack variety or interest
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's probably fourth i would probably have it just above age of ascension
- i think for new players this is one of the worst sets you can start with
- overall i would say they've done a great job with all the cards in the set and i like that
- i think sealed will be a great a great format for it
- logos was my number one rated house in our key forge video and i'm sure you can see why these cards are just amazing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video T9MyYnEx4aU
Analysis at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 65886 · mention_pk 160004
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique decks are a core appeal.
- The game's focus on discovery and exploration is interesting.
- No mana system simplifies gameplay and reduces frustration from bad draws.
- The race to forge keys provides a clear win condition.
- Introduction of new houses (Star Alliance, Saurian, Unfathomable) has been interesting.
- Mechanics like Enhance and Gigantic Creatures add unique depth.
- The Tide mechanic in Dark Tidings offers interesting strategic decisions.
- Evil Twin decks add a unique collectible and community aspect.
Cons
- Lack of an official online platform hinders accessibility and investment.
- Pandemic impacted organized play and growth.
- Some mechanics like Alpha and Omega were not well-received.
- Mars and Brobnar houses rotating out is a disappointment for some players.
- The rarity of certain cards (e.g., Evil Twin decks) can be discouraging.
Thematic elements
- The world's first unique deck game
Comparison games
- Magic the Gathering
- Hearthstone
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Amber Collection — Players gain amber to forge keys, which is the primary objective to win the game.
- Anomaly Cards — Cards from future sets that appear with lightning borders.
- Board presence — Brobnar and Sanctum houses focus on establishing a strong presence of creatures on the board.
- Card Draw/Archive — Logos house focuses on drawing cards, playing cards off the top of the deck, and archiving cards.
- Enhance — A keyword that affects deck construction by randomly adding symbols to cards, which can modify their abilities or power when the deck is played.
- enrage — A keyword that forces a creature to attack or fight the next time it's used.
- Evil Twin Decks — A rare type of deck that has the same card list as another deck but with slightly different artwork or abilities.
- Exalt — A keyword where a player adds an amber from the pool onto their own creature; when the creature dies, that amber goes to the opponent.
- Gigantic Creatures — Creatures made of two cards that must be played together, forming a single large creature.
- hand management — At the beginning of your turn, you must choose one of the three houses in your deck, and for that whole turn, that's the only house you can play cards from, use cards in play from, or discard from.
- House System — Decks are comprised of cards from three randomly selected houses out of seven.
- Stealing Amber — Shadows house has a primary mechanic of stealing amber from opponents.
- tide — A mechanic with 'High Tide' and 'Low Tide' sides, influencing card effects based on the current tide level. Players can raise or lower the tide, sometimes by gaining chains.
- Unique Deck Game — Each deck is unique and one-of-a-kind, generated by an algorithm.
- upgrades — Star Alliance house features upgrade cards that attach to creatures to enhance them.
- Ward — A keyword providing a one-time safety net where any damage or effect is negated when a ward is triggered.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Richard Garfield has referred to this game as kind of being in the jungle...
- In Keyforge there is no mana so you don't have to build your deck or you don't have a deck with cards or you're thinking oh I drew these but I didn't have the other cards I needed to play them.
- The basic premise of Keyforge when you have a deck what I mentioned it's generally or generated uniquely this this algorithm and each deck is going to have 36 cards.
- The game is more about discovery and exploration.
- Shadows was quickly deemed one of the strongest houses because stealing is just such a powerful mechanic.
- Worlds Collide... this was a big big shift for the game because there was the introduction of two new houses...
- Enhance... it's a keyword that comes into play at the construction level of the deck rather than when you're actually playing.
- Evil twin decks where basically you get a counterpart to your deck.
- Personally I think that would make the game come to life a lot more.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vGFAUBV61kU
Rules Teach at 0:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 65896 · mention_pk 160030
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Unique deck concept ensures no two games are the same
- No deck building removes a barrier to entry and allows immediate play
- Strategic depth through house selection and card play
- Engaging combat system where creatures fight each other
- Variety of card types and mechanics add depth
Cons
- The rule of six can limit complex combos
- The 'can't' rule takes precedence over the 'can' rule in contradictions
Thematic elements
- Archons competing to forge keys
Comparison games
- Magic the Gathering
- Hearthstone
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action cards — One-time use cards whose effects resolve immediately and then go to the discard pile.
- Archive — A set-aside area where players can place cards from their hand, which can be picked up later.
- artifacts — Cards that stay in play, usually entering exhausted and usable on future turns.
- Combat — Creatures fight other creatures on the board, dealing damage equal to their power. Damage persists on creatures.
- Creatures — The main presence on the board, creatures have power, health, and can reap for amber or fight opponent's creatures.
- Deck building — Each deck is unique and cannot be modified by the player. Players receive a pre-constructed deck.
- hand management — Players draw cards to maintain a hand size of six and must choose which cards to play from their hand based on the active house.
- Keyword Abilities — Various keywords like Taunt, Stun, Play, Action, Reap, Capture, Steal, Destroyed, Elusive, Purge, Omni, Poison, Armor, Assault, Hazardous, Chains are explained.
- Mulligan — Players have one opportunity at the start of the game to redraw their hand, receiving one fewer card.
- Resource management — Amber is a key resource used to forge keys, and can be gained through various card effects and by using the 'reap' action.
- set collection — Players collect amber to forge keys, with the first to forge three keys winning the game.
- Unique Deck Game — Every deck is procedurally generated and unique, with no two decks being identical.
- upgrades — Cards that attach to creatures, providing ongoing effects until the creature leaves play or the upgrade is destroyed.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- KeyForge is the world's very first unique deck game, which means that no two decks in the entire world will ever be the same.
- There are no mana costs or anything like that, uh like in many other games.
- The first player to forge their third key unlocks a vault and wins the game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 6hYgn8lTNR4
All You Can Board Discussion at 1:00:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 65831 · mention_pk 159777
Click to watch at 1:00:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is in lieu of us doing our yearly top 10; it’s a category-based discussion.
- I think this format is more interesting and adds flexibility in terms of the games we’re talking about.
- Anyone who says this game is luck-based, you’re just wrong.
- Through the Desert is one of the greatest designs ever in my opinion.
- Magic's back in my life now because of drafting.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vjxxEuoCKkI
All You Can Board Top List sentiment: positive
video_pk 62910 · mention_pk 155835
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- deck-building combat
- fantasy world with unique decks
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Stellar is not a super well-known, well-talked-about game. I found it randomly in a local board game store.
- it's basically a two-player only game, asymmetric
- Lost Cities is a hand management game
- Patchwork is a tight, solid Uwe Rosenberg design
- Santorini is my favorite abstract game
- Castles of Burgundy... there's nothing like it for me in two-player
- Race for the Galaxy is my number two two-player game of all time
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _i4cJTuruFg
All You Can Board Top List at 42:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62916 · mention_pk 155919
Click to watch at 42:53 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- unique deck game concept
- no need to continually buy new cards to play
Cons
- state of the game has wavered due to card releases and transfers
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's just such a satisfying game for me to play
- the scoring is so low it makes every point matter so much
- this is a voting game that you are going after you're interested in manipulating tokens on the board
- Mission Deep Sea is the Pinnacle version of the crew
- Ghost Stories is fantastic cooperative game
- Cascadia is such a great game
- Kingdom Builder ... it goes up to five to six players
- KeyForge unlike anything else I've played out there
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video PpZ-c1D1uDY
Rolls in the Family Top List at 39:33 sentiment: positive
video_pk 33651 · mention_pk 148220
Click to watch at 39:33 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- low barrier to entry
- easy to start a game night with a single deck
Cons
- finding balanced meta can be tricky without multiple decks
Thematic elements
- deck-based combat with no deck-building
- dueling with unique ready-to-play decks
- garage-style fantasy duel
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card play optimization — players learn their deck's idiosyncrasies to maximize synergy
- unique deck duels — each deck is pre-constructed; players compete with no deck-building
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is where it's at
- Scout has this really interesting aspect of you can only play cards that are next to each other in your hand to try to beat things
- it's a great escalation
- such an amazing feeling of like oh my gosh we're gonna go another round
- you either lose because you miscommunicate with your own team twice or you win because you intercept the other team's code
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Y4YSfgAvvt4
Board Game Hangover Top List at 4:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12701 · mention_pk 144831
Click to watch at 4:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- pre-constructed decks save time, no deck collection overhead
- fast, tactical gameplay
Cons
- decks can feel unbalanced; luck of the draw matters
Thematic elements
- deck-building with unique predefined decks
- competitive card dueling in a multiverse
- high-velocity, tactical
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Deck building — pre-constructed decks, no deck-building during play; unique to each purchase
- deck_building — pre-constructed decks, no deck-building during play; unique to each purchase
- hand management — manage a hand of cards to activate House choices
- hand_management — manage a hand of cards to activate House choices
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's easy to get for everyone, even kids
- zero setup time you just roll some dices
- my top played game for seven years straight
- it's amazing i love it
- don't judge this game's horrible cover
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video uJyv2VD3DHg
Rob's Gaming Table Unboxing at 0:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10736 · mention_pk 89227
Click to watch at 0:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong amber control and mobility options across houses
- Significant board control and removal capabilities
- Rich house synergy, especially Sanctum and Mars interactions
- Depth in late-game engine potential and defensive play
- Flavorful flavor text and thematic identity that players enjoy
Cons
- Some decks suffer from limited synergy if specific houses are underrepresented
- Amber control can backfire if opponents recapture amber efficiently
- The deck’s power level shown in the discussion (e.g., SAS metrics) can vary and may feel variable in practice
- Reliance on particular combos may make some matchups feel swingy or inconsistent
Thematic elements
- Inter-house rivalry with asymmetric abilities and deck-forging concepts; amber as a resource to be captured and manipulated.
- A multi-house, card-driven arena where factions (houses) vie for amber and strategic advantage across shifting battlefield positions.
- Card-driven, flavor-rich text with emphasis on house identity, with a mix of lore-like flavor and practical gameplay rules.
Comparison games
- KeyForge (Base Game)
- KeyForge: Age of Ascension Dec
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- board_control — Cards and effects influence the status of creatures across the board, enabling positional advantages and tactical swings.
- capture_amber — Amber is gained and moved via various actions (reap, fight, or card abilities) and is central to advancing in the game.
- discard_and_replay — Recursion mechanics allow returning cards from discard to hand or play area, preserving pressure or recovery options.
- house_interaction — Each house (faction) provides unique abilities that interact with other houses within a deck, creating synergies and anti-synergies.
- multi_target_removal — Some cards remove or neutralize multiple enemy threats, enabling broader strategic control.
- neighbor interaction — Each house (faction) provides unique abilities that interact with other houses within a deck, creating synergies and anti-synergies.
- sacrifice_and_trigger — Sacrificial effects can trigger powerful outcomes, often tied to house-specific objectives or manor-related triggers.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's awesome getting some amber off playing those two
- that is a great house cheating card
- wow wow that is cool that was a nice finish to that deck
- I like all those together
- it's only a 70 SAS deck I mean not the worst but pretty low
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–10 of 10