Mycelia is a captivating deck-building board game by Ravensburger, themed around mushrooms. Players compete as mushroom cultivators, strategically building decks to grow diverse fungi collections. The game offers tactical card interactions, resource management, and strategic depth, all set in a charming woodland setting with beautifully illustrated components.
Gameplay
Mycelia is a deck-building game where you gradually expand your deck by investing resources to recruit new mushroom soldiers. It supports up to four players and includes a solo mode. The game features several key components, including your play board, the shrine, and the market.
At the start of each game, a randomly chosen card dictates how you arrange drops on your board. Playing cards earns you leaves, which is the game's currency. With enough leaves, you can purchase new mushroom soldiers from the market to enhance your deck. Upgrades unlock new abilities, like moving or removing dew drops.
The Shrine in Action
Manipulating dew drops strategically is crucial. Moving a dew drop to the shrine or removing one adds it to the shrine. When the shrine fills up, it empties, showering extra dew onto your board.
Deck-building games can be a complicated thing because of all the different strategies that you have to figure out how to work around. I didn’t find Mycelia to be overly complicated. The game had all the aspects of deck-building that I love, yet at the same time the actual gameplay was very chill and non-aggressive.
Design
Mycelia has some of the most creative character designs that I’ve seen in a board game. Taking real life mushrooms and creating a character that really fits the aesthetic is something I find very satisfying (and adorable).
Another part of the design that I think is just a chef’s kiss, the cards feel like they never repeat. From my understanding is each card only comes in a pair, and for the amount of cards that are in the deck, that is something that I can really really appreciate.
Feedback
I'm absolutely hooked on Mycelia, but I can't help but crave more content and depth! While I know there's a limit to mushroom varieties, I'd be thrilled to see expansion packs or even a new thematic twist. Mycelia leans heavily into fantasy characters, so imagine a Sci-Fi expansion or maybe even diving into horror themes; I believe these additions could elevate the game to new heights.
Verdict
Mycelia is a game that really impressed me. Deck-building always has the possibility of being really intense, and I will admit when setting the game up for the first time I was nervous it was going to be really complex. But it took me a total of 10 minutes to fully set up, read the rules, and get started. Mycelia also plays really quickly so it could easily become part of a regular rotation. So my final words about Mycelia, if you are deeply into board games, or if you just dabble, or even if you’re just getting started, Mycelia deserves to be on your shelf.
