Deck-building games are always a bit tough to judge since on the one hand you don’t want them to all be variations on the same theme but on the other if they veer a bit too far off in their own direction they can be tough to learn and fully appreciate. Mystic Vale definitely changes up the formula I’ve gotten accustomed to, and that’s a good thing since we don’t need more of the same, but where it falls down a bit is in how it tries to walk you through understanding its different way of doing things. To its credit, it does make a valiant attempt to help you make sense of the fundamentals but the road to applying smart strategies and planning to be consistently successful is a bit of a hurdle. If you enjoy deck building and have gotten bored with too much of the same concepts this may be worth your time if you’re ready and willing to dig in and explore, but for more casual fans just looking for some fun this may have too long a learning curve to provide gratification quickly.