Cyberpunk TCG
Imagine Night City shrunk down to your tabletop: neon-drenched mercs duking it out over high-stakes gigs, dice rolling like loaded chrome, and every attack a razor-edge gamble between glory and the trash heap.
Publisher: WeirdCo
Designer: WeirdCo Games (in collaboration with CD Projekt RED)
Players: 2
Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Genre: Trading Card Game
Release: 2026 (Kickstarter campaign)
Opening Hook/First Impression
Cyberpunk TCG‘s alpha kit hits like a Sandevistan burst – brutal, stylish, and begging for more blood in the streets. It’s a fantastic new concept for a card game and I fell in love the idea from my first play.
Overview/Core Gameplay
You’re the boss of a crew clawing for legend status in Night City. The goal? Amass 6 Gig Dice (representing scored jobs) and hold them at the start of your turn to win.
Each turn:
- Draw a card, grab and roll a die from your Fixer area to claim a Gig, ready your spent cards.
- Then play phase – sell hand cards for Eddies (currency), call face-down Legends for synergies, drop Units/Gear/Programs.
- Attack phase: Send Units to smash rival spent Units or hit direct to steal their Gigs (high-power Units (10+) snag an extra gig).
What makes it pop? Gigs are physical dice – low rolls count as much as high for victory, but high values fuel Street Cred for effects. Protect yours, raid theirs – pure aggressive tug-of-war.
Mechanics & Flow
Core loop locks like a Militech smartgun: Eddies from selling (1 per card/turn, once per turn) fund plays, Legends flip blind for random power spikes (or spend as Eddies), Units fight power-vs-power (ties mutual KO), direct attacks steal gigs unless blocked.
Gig dice add genius variance – pick your roll (save d20 for last), but theft flips the board. Pacing ramps fast: early turns scrape Eddies and build board, midgame Legends unleash tag-synergies and blockers, endgame a dice-hoarding sprint (deck out = auto-loss; overtime at 7+ majority). 2-player duel shines – no downtime, constant pressure. Sets it apart from MTG-style mana grind: resource scarcity feels risky, not grindy.
Theme & Components
Cyberpunk 2077 and Edgerunners bleed through every card – V, Lucy, Arasakas chrome up with brutal art, RAM colors gate deckbuilding like faction chrome limits. Alpha kit delivers two precons + 3 unique Legends each, six poly dice (d4-d20), and a glossy playmat etching Night City’s zones (Field, Gigs, Eddies, etc.).
Cards pop with clear icons, power bottom-right, sell tags crisp – no rules squint. The mat zones speed setup (2 min). Full release promises boosters/precons; alpha’s “closed” decks tease deep customization via Legend RAM caps.
Table presence? Pure corpo-edgerunner grit.
Ease of Learning/Accessibility
Rules snap in one read – PDF guide’s, card text trumps it (“best part of rules is breaking them”).
- Setup: Shuffle Legends blind, draw 6 (mulligan all 6 once), first player spends 2 Legends (start with one available).
- First play? 10-min teach, 20-min game. Icons/keywords (Blocker, Go Solo) are intuitive; no alpha stumbles beyond blind Legend RNG.
Ideal for TCG vets craving fresh meat, hobbyists digging 2077 lore – casuals might balk at theft swinginess.
The Table Experience
Feels like a back-alley gig gone hot: Heart-pounding steals as a d20 Gig flips to your side, groans when a Blocker redirects your killshot, cheers for Flip triggers chaining into board wipes. Tension peaks in Attack – do you clear their spent or go directly for a gig? Losing stings like flatlining, but short games mean instant rematch. One play: My Solo Unit sniped 2 Gigs, Legends synced for overtime glory – pure Night City rush.
Final Thoughts/Verdict
Cyberpunk TCG’s alpha screams potential: Dice-driven victory carves a fresh TCG lane, theme immerses like a braindance. Fans of 2077/Edgerunners will chrome in; aggressive duelists devour it. Casual groups might want multiplayer (not here, at least yet); balance tweaks needed pre-release.
WeirdCo’s player-first ethos shines – no scarcity BS, built for tables (check their “Built for Players” blog: https://www.weirdco.net/blog-1/built-for-players).
This alpha kit precons a legend – back the KS, choom.
Summary
Cyberpunk TCG turns Night City into a ruthless, dice-driven duel where progress can be stolen as easily as it’s earned. Built around fast turns, aggressive interaction, and physical Gig Dice that track victory on the table, WeirdCo’s upcoming TCG blends Cyberpunk 2077’s style with a high-risk, high-reward core that feels instantly familiar yet genuinely fresh.
Pros
- Gig Dice mechanic innovates victory/resource tension brilliantly
- Snappy, aggressive 2-player duels with zero filler
- Immersive Cyberpunk art/theme, clean alpha components
Cons
- Blind Legend flips add swing (fun, but punishing early)
- Strictly 2-player – no multiplayer modes yet
- Alpha balance/power creep TBD in full sets
