Stone Blade Entertainment has announced that SolForge: Fusion, a new physical/digital hybrid trading card game from the creators of Magic: The Gathering and Ascension, will be released on September 22 this year.
SolForge: Fusion is the sequel to SolForge, a digital-only trading card game released in 2016 and eventually shuttered in 2019. Designed by Richard Garfield (Magic: The Gathering) and Justin Gary (Ascension Deckbuilding Game), this sequel combines both physical cards and a digital game to create a card game that can be played both in-person and remotely online.
Originally funded by Kickstarter, the game is now almost ready to go and will be available in stores from September 22. The core premise of SolForge: Fusion is that players ‘fuse’ together two half-decks to create a full deck of cards. Those cards are also "algorithmically generated", with the intention of ensuring that “no two SolForge: Fusion decks are the same”. Stone Blade hopes this will prevent the classic card game issue of players copying decks with high win rates.
Half decks and booster packs will be available in physical form, and those cards can then be scanned into the SolForge online database to be used in online battles. The digital side of SolForge, while having an official website and leaderboards, will actually be conducted via Tabletop Simulator.
“SolForge Fusion represents the culmination of over a decade of development from Richard [Garfield] and I to create a great game unlike any other,” said Justin Gary in a press release. “Players can customize truly one of a kind decks to create a unique and compelling experience every time they play, whether in person or online.”
"Combining two procedurally generated half-decks gives an easy way to customize your deck, and wildly expands the possibilities of a collection." said Richard Garfield. "And creating cards by fusing two halves together gives over 15K possible cards in the first set alone, more than were created in the first 20+ years of Magic: The Gathering!"
SolForge: Fusion will be available to play at GenCon 2022 from August 4-7, where learn to play tutorials and tournaments will be held. Further events are being planned for PAX Unplugged and other conventions.
For more from the world of card games, check out Magic's crossover with Fortnite, and how it is hiding rare vintage cards in upcoming booster packs.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.