When comparing Spellweaver vs Shadow Era, the Slant community recommends Spellweaver for most people. In the question“What are the best digital Collectible Card Games on PC?” Spellweaver is ranked 4th while Shadow Era is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Spellweaver is:
This game is more complex than most digital card games. For example, to summon a creature you need the resource cards, but you also need to be a certain level (levels can be added by discarding resource cards). This makes for more unique deck compositions, as you will need to decide if your deck will be a resource or level focused deck, or a mix of the two.
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Pros
Pro Advanced game mechanics makes for unique and strategic gameplay
This game is more complex than most digital card games. For example, to summon a creature you need the resource cards, but you also need to be a certain level (levels can be added by discarding resource cards). This makes for more unique deck compositions, as you will need to decide if your deck will be a resource or level focused deck, or a mix of the two.
Pro Supportive community that welcomes new players
Veteran players are very willing to welcome new players and help them learn the game.
Pro Quests add more depth to the game
In the map view, you can click on a location to take that area's quest. These quests unlock rewards, which can be cards or other unlocks. This adds more content to the game, and makes it feel more substantial than 'just' a digital card game.
Pro For all the MTG lovers
This game comes quite close to Eternal in terms of core game loop. However, Spellweaver was released before Eternal and doesn't have many of Eternal's flows.
Pro Recently released mobile version
The game got a mobile version in 2018.
Pro Impressive art
Pro Good deck balance
Many TCGs often have unbalanced decks where one specific deck can trump most others, with devs being slow to correct this. Shadow Era does not have this issue as the devs spend a great amount of time making sure all the deck combinations have good balance and even have a player run team for testing before new releases.
Pro Unique Sacrifice Mana system
Shadow era tests its players by having them decide which cards to sacrifice in order to gain resources (mana) one time at the start of each turn. No easy buildup of resources (mana) here. You want to make plays, you have to plan it out strategically.
Pro Over 600 cards (approx 250 legal per hero)
The card pool has grown to a very decent size, spread across Neutral, two factions (Human/Shadow) and seven classes (Warrior, Mage, Hunter, Priest, Rogue, Wulven and Elemental). Each of the 32 heroes belongs to a faction/class combination, where they can use Neutral cards and cards from the faction or class. This gives each hero access to approximately 250 cards, which allows for great variety of decks.
Pro Free-to-play done well
The game is free to play but all cards in the game can be earned with free play, there is no need to purchase cards if one does not want to. Though it can speed up being able to build a better desk.
Pro Amazing artwork
The card artwork is of a very high standard and all cards are available in a full-art foil version too.
Pro One account usable across Android/iOS/PC/Mac
Whatever platform you register on, you can grow and access your collection and decks on any of the platforms, so you can use whichever you prefer at the time.
Pro Truly free to play if you want
The in-game currency rewards for playing are very generous and card prices in that currency are low.
Pro No rotation of sets (all cards still legal)
In all modes, all your cards are legal. No cards are rotated out of Standard play and the developer has said they have no intention to bring in rotation ever.
Pro Very limited RNG
Aside from a handful of cards from the original set that had "at random" on them, the developers have gone out of their way to bring more control into the hands of players. Effects will specify they damage "the ally with the lowest health", for example, and on a tie there is a Standard Resolution Order (the ally closer to the hero takes priority), so always know which one will be affected. Sometimes on other games you might think the RNG is skewed/faked, but that can't happen in Shadow Era. This means the main element of randomness and luck is the shuffle of the deck, which is how a card game should be.
Pro New free Single-player Campaign mode being updated regularly
There are already 120 missions to play through with dialogue, telling the story from the very beginning, for 10 Human heroes and 2 Shadow heroes (at the time of writing). Over time, more dialogue is being added to other missions for the remaining 6 Human heroes and 14 Shadow heroes, and then more maps with more missions will be added in future. The campaign mode is completely free and gives generous rewards for playing.
Pro Vibrant Tournament scene with prizes
A variety of player and developer organized tournaments, with prizes rewarded by devs, in both competitive and casual formats provides opportunities for players of all skill levels. It all culminates in the annual World Championship, a brilliant display of skill and deck building.
Pro Devs listen and interact with community
Main developer, Gondorian, is often commenting on questions in the Official forums as well as interacting with our player community on the Telegram messenger app.
Cons
Con The UI
It can improve a lot. The UI needs an update, but game mechanics and creature combat animations are moreish
Con Advanced game mechanics punish learning players
It will take a while before new players are fully accustomed to the way to play Spellweaver. A single poor decision can cost you the match. But learn from each mistake and the long term game satisfaction is great.
Con F2P, but if you want to grind the whole collection it can take a couple months.
But in game rewards are generous compared to competing CCGs, and there are many powerful decks which can be built using lower rarity cards, new players can be competitive with vets on ladder using rush decks until the fill out their collection.
Con Poor design
The graphics often seem like they are a less priority over other aspects of the game, the UI often falls into this problem too, which can make for a frustrating experience in that it can be difficult to know how to do certain tasks due to a poor layout and graphics.