The Best Trading Card Games, Ranked (2024)

I know I’m probably going to get a lot of heat for ranking the best trading card games for one big reason: every TCG fan loves the game they play. And that’s a good thing. Regardless, I feel there’s a lot of misinfomration out there about the current state of TCGs and want to clear some of that up. That’s why I’m writing this relatively brief ranking of what I feel are the best TCGs on the planet right now.

I’m going to get into why I think each of these TCGs belong on this list and in the ranking order they are in. But before all of that, I have to say that while I’ve played each of these TCGs, I know more about some of them than others. The ones I know less about I’m going to give you my simple perspective on the game as an outsider to those communities, but with information largely gathered from those who are part of the communities themsevles.

Without further ado – the comprehensive ranking for the top TCGs right now.

#4 Yu-Gi-Oh

Yu-Gi-Oh was the first TCG I played, and I played it a lot. Indeed, while I didn’t have anyone taking me around to tournaments, I would say Yu-Gi-Oh (oddly enough) was one of the things that impacted my life the most as a kid. I made friends around the game, spent hours and hours deck builiding and coming up with complex strategies, and ultimately learned the foundation that would one day grow into how I feel about TCGs now.

That being said, I’ve been out of the Yu-Gi-Oh scene for many years now, and the things I hear about the game are largely not good. While it is still likely among the best selling of the games, in many ways it has failed to keep pace with the other two of the big three games.

This is likely for a few reasons.

Complicated gameplay and turns

I have it on good authority from friends who are current on Yu-Gi-Oh that today, the game has become a bit convoluted. Games don’t last more than a few turns, and there’s a seemingly endless number of chains and maneuvers on both sides via trap cards and things. I’m sure this is fun to some people but it’s probably pretty overwhelming for new players.

Less appealing subject matter

Unlike Pokemon – which hails from a popular and easily like able universe – Yu-Gi-Oh is relatively niche. Sure, we watched the shows as a kid but you don’t typically buy Yu-Gi-Oh plushies or backpacks. I’m simply saying Yu-Gi-Oh doesn’t have nearly the mass market appeal that something like Pokemon does. That’s largely limited its ability to scale and grow as time goes on.

Endless cards to choose from

Yu-Gi-Oh doesn’t have a rotation, meaning cards never go out of playability. While that might sound cool, it actually makes deck building something of a struggle. Having to learn every single card ever made for Yu-Gi-Oh means seemingly infinite numbers of possibilities in your deck.

Limiting the range of cards you can pull from actually makes the deck building process more straightforward and newbie friendly.

Limited competitive support

I often hear Yu-Gi-Oh players complain about lack of support for competitive play. How bad it is I don’t actually know, but it could be part of the reason for limited support rests in the fact that Yu-Gi-Oh isn’t backed by a massive company willing to put the resources into making competitive play more enticing.

All of that said, Yu-Gi-Oh! is still easily one of the most popular TCGs, even if it might not always be as new and popular card games enter the cardboard world.

#3 Lorcana

I think it’s too easy to overlook Lorcana now that it’s first year is over and its initial super-hype complete. However, Lorcana as a new TCG hasn’t slowed down, and indeed in many ways desire for this game has only reached a fever pitch for a number of reasons.

You don’t have to look much farther than the fact that tournaments that host nearly a thousand players or more and even more attendees sell out in mere minutes after being posted to know how much excitement there is for this game.

And I can see why: the game has a lot going for it. Indeed, it has everything a TCG needs to be successful: a loveable intellectual property, game mechanics easily graspable by new players but difficult to master at the competitive level, and of course gorgeously illustrated cards.

In some ways it’s almost hard to believe that Lorcana has only been on this earth for one year given the massive impact it has had. I would not be surprised to see it move up even higher in the list overtime as the game shows no signs of stopping.

#2 Magic: The Gathering

When it comes to Magic I am a complete outsider, yet we all know the insane impact this game has had on the world of TCGs. It’s likely we wouldn’t have TCGs at all the way we do now if not for this game. And despite being the oldest game on this list, it’s a powerful force to be reckoned with, a billion dollar brand, and a game beloved by millions and millions of devoted players around the world.

That being said, there are a few ways Magic falls just a little bit short of the number one game on this list.

For starters, Magic has a less desireable intellectual property to pull from natively than some games out there. That’s not a huge problem as Wizards of the Coast quickly realized they could just borrow IPs from others and bake them into their game.

However, that’s still less effective than having a beloved IP run at your core the way Lorcana or Pokemon does.

Beyond that, one thing that baffles me as a Magic outsider is just how many different ways there are to play the game. Where do you get started?

That being said, Magic has something I don’t think any other TCG can match: a devoted and massive middle-of-the-road player base. These players are the bedrock of their financial success, and I see people play Magic in a way I simply don’t see them playing other games. While it’s hard to call these devoted fans casual, they are certainly middle-of-the-road players content to play Magic socially rather than simply for prizes or glory.

This middle-of-the-road nature of the fanbase is what really sets itself apart to me. But regardless, of course, there’s plenty of competitive play to be enjoyed, and the game is likely to exist for a long, long time atop this list.

#1 Pokemon TCG

Let’s face it: the Pokemon TCG strikes just about the perfect balance as a TCG, and that’s why it’s likely the best selling trading card game of all time. It’s got phenomenal competitive support, a strong competitive player base, a huge collector base, an infectious intellectual property, and a well balanced central game mechanic that makes it fun to play over and over again.

I don’t think people realize just how much the Pokemon TCG has grown in recent years. Thousands and thousands of players show up just to play a single tournament these days, and the game is picking up new fans all the time.

It’s likely the Pokemon TCG will be at the top of the heap for a long, long time.