Tag Archives: Magic the Gathering

Digital Playground

MTGA Update April 2024

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Introduction

I wrote Chris a couple of months ago to tell him that I might be done collecting Magic: the Gathering cards. He, Jason, and I played a few times as a three person play group. However, the last coupel of times we tried to get together, we found out just how busy adult life still is, even when you have grown up kids. I imagine that blew up the group because the group chat went eerily silent after the most recent attempt. I feel bad because I enjoyed the times playing with them. it even inspired me to think about trying to find another group to join. Instead, as usual, I played digital Magic against faceless opponents. Can I tell you how much fun that is? Let me with this MTGA Update April 2024

Events

One of the things I give Wizards credit for is the number of events that they run. Every week, we get a Midweek Magic event that costs nothing and gives you 3 free cosmetics if you win three matches. Aside from that, they also put on a special event (again for free) when each set is released. Usually, it comes with already constructed decks, so you just pick your favorite combination of colors and get to the games. These events also give cosmetics. Often it’s five and they are card styles of the new cards.

For the competitive player, there are Open events that allow you to try to win a spot in one of the Pro Tour events. I’ve never entered into one of them, but found myself thinking about it more than once. I have a pretty fun Timeless deck that I might give a shot if they ever use that format.

Other Freebies

Again, upon the release of each new set, they mail you 3 packs from that set. They used to use codes for them, but now they just automatically show up in your inbox to be retrieved. Speaking of codes, they used them in a more creative manner for the Murders at Markov Manor set. There are six clues that you have to solve to receive experience on the rewards track and a card style for the card that the clue describes.

Rewards Track

Speaking of the rewards track (how about these seques in this article, amirite?), I still paid the money for all of the rewards. For 15 bucks, you get access to all of the rewards in the video below. There’s card packs, card styles, little gems for more card styles and sleeves, gold, and sometimes gems. I know they’re all digital, but I feel like it is well worth my money for what they give.

Ranked Ladder

I rarely take any type of ladder seriously in these games. However, Arena makes the prospect slightly more appealing. They give away packs for reaching certain levels. Even so, I usually just play my elf deck when I have a quest for green cards or creatures, so I never make it beyond gold rank. It just gets tiring playing agianst the same stupid lifesteal cards every game.

Overall

In general, I enjoy my time in the game. I still wish I played against real people more often because playing against some nameless avatar who seems like he always draws the best cards against my mana flood or screw leaves me swearing and wishing even harder that I could flip the table on them. Other than that, though, I recommend the game as of this MTGA Update April 2024.

On the Tabletop

MTGMKM Miscellany

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Introduction

I dedicated this week to the new Magic the Gathering set. In spite of the fact that I told Chris that I no longer wanted to collect cards and went so far as to not order any bundles in Arena, I still like the game and found some cards to enjoy in this set. Yesterday was busy, though, with play practice and swim, so MTGMKM miscellany comes a day late.

Usually in this article, I cover multi colored, colorless, and any lands that capture my imagination. Often, I don’t care much about things like fetches and the sort, so the lands section doesn’t exist. This set, however, brings us an old standard in lands with a new twist.

Surveil Lands

We have tap lands that grant life. We have ones that allow you to scry. They even created lands that come in tapped depending on how many lands you already have on the battle field. Well, this iteration of tap lands allows you to surveil. You can read the card above for an explanation of surveil. While I don’t know how much it will affect competitive decks, graveyard strategies absolutely get a boost from these and I’d probably run them over the scry lands. Plus, they’re basics, so you can fetch.

MTGMKM Mult Colored Honorable Mention (Another Wrath and Two Funny Names)

Private Eye

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I saw an article recently where someone wrote about the sheer number of wrath spells in standard Magic. One of the prominent and well known players put together a deck with only wrath spells and ended up performing pretty well overall in the meta. I just like the flexibility of this one. How can you not love an “X” cost spell that both targets “X” and creates “X”? Finally, people got big mad when WotC announced the change to typal, but it allows for broader definitions like “detective”. Maybe, even though resources are limited, I will try to build a “detective” typal deck.

MTGMKM Card I Love (A New Leyline)

Leylines came out in Guildpact and then fleshed out more over the years. I rarely play any of them, but my latest elf deck has abundance in for the extra mana provided. Initially, I thought nothing of this card, but then I read an article that talked about how much fun it made mono green devotion. That gave me a reason to either craft or try to pull it in Arena. Besides, the dual mana cost provides such amazing utility, too. Just a super fun card overall.

MTGMKM Artifact Honorable Mention (A Puzzle, A Land, and Policing Fun, of course)

Cryptex

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I think I wrote up above about colorless being part of MTGMKM miscellany. However, there aren’t many colorless cards in the deck, so I called and audible and went with artifact instead. I just like the idea of the Cryptex. It provides mana and potential card draw. The Wall lets me frustrate big giant creatures, one of my favorite past times in game. And, the land just gives you another potential card draw source along with flexible mana.

MTGMKM Artifact Card I Love

I actually got to play this card during their introductory event on Arena. It is a super annoying card that with the right build can just annihilate people fairly quickly. Now that I’ve said that, the universe will see fit to pair me with every other person who had the same idea in Arena. They will draw the nuts and show me just how right I am.

The Verdict

MTGMKM miscellany is hella fun. I can see myself playing every card that I picked and several others look interesting as well. I especially want to build the mono green deck in Arena and see how that performs. See you all in Pioneer!

Images taken from Mythic Spoiler.

On the Tabletop

MTGMKM Gruul Edition

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Introduction

I wrote in my previous article that I think I may have stopped collecting Magic the Gathering. I still like to play, but I’m at the point where I can’t justify paying the prices they want for boxes and bundles, especially when they keep reducing the value. Ah, capitalism. Well, this is the first set in a few years that I only bought the Mastery Pass on MTG Arena, too. No packs. Well, everything comes to an end. Not my review articles, though. Join me for MTGMKM Gruul edition.

Those who visit often know that I identify heavily as a blue mage. But, I branched out recently into black mana and a few decks add white for Esper colors. Red and Green often baffle me. Not recently, though. Over the last few sets, I found it easier and more enjoyable to pick the cards for this article.

MTGMKM Red Honorable Mention (Professor Plum in the Study, a fish, and a Dargon!)

Knife

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Not so this time! Not for red anyway. I looked at these cards and looked at these cards and looked again. Then, I picked some old trash for this section simply to have something to write about. They leaned heavily into the “Clue” theme with artifacts that have the same name as the weapons in the game. Also, they went pretty hard with the pun cards in red at least. There’s “Red Herring”, but there’s also “Frantic Scapegoat” and the art is a literal goat. I picked the dragon in honor of Chris.

MTGMKM Red Card I Love (Doing Red Things)

I genuinely love this card, though. Empty your hand of spells, cast this in disguise, turn it, and refill your hand. While only a common, this card does what red does and it does it amazingly well. Granted, it ends up being a little bit expensive, even at the lowest disguise cost. Still, I see this thing getting quite a bit of play.

MTGMKM Green Honorable Mention (Surprise Tree Attack, Flashy Enchantment, and Fantastic Mr. Ferox)

Hide in Plain Sight

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The green cards came a little easier to me. I immediately picked my favorite card and then focused on some other cards that changed the narrative on some of the mechanics in the set. The trees come out “cloaked” instead of disguised. The Ferox requires your opponent to collect evidence (a mechanic I haven’t discussed yet, but the card explains the card) to target it and the enchantment is just a fun little surprise to pull on your opponent.

MTGMKM Green Card I Love

Hey, look, another card that lets you play lands recursively from the graveyard. This one will find a home in my Landfall commander deck. I feel like I’m saying that a lot lately. But, what do I cut in order to fit all these new cards in? Come back later and maybe I’ll write an article about it in the next month or so.

The Verdict

Some things are back to normal with MTGMKM Gruul edition. I found no synergy with the red cards this time other than the goblin. Then, I picked a card for my Landfall deck and it gave me an idea to take a look at that deck again. Come back in a couple of days for the rest of the cards.

Images taken from Mythic Spoiler.

On the Tabletop

MTGMKM Esper Edition

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Introduction

I texted Chris the other day and said, “As much as it pains me, I think I’m done buying cards for collection alone. The boxes are just becoming too expensive and there’s other things I would rather spend my money on.” I still enjoy the game. I included the caveat that some of the money would go to singles for my decks. And, also, in service to all of you, I continue my set reviews. Welcome, then to MTGMKM Esper edition.

With all of that said, I paid no attention to the spoilers for this set. Chris and Jason both agreed. Jason said that the names are getting more and more ridiculous. Maybe, he just mentioned the setting. Chris said something about not liking the mechanics. I think he called them “goofy”. But, I looked at the cards and made my choices. Tell me what you think.

White Cards Honorable Mention (Removal, removal, recursion)

Call a Surprise Witness

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You all know how much I love a wrath. And this one comes with upside if you control the most creatures in the game. Not tough to do if you’re playing mono white tokens. You may not know, but I’ve become enamored with instant speed targeted removal, too. Something about it just makes me giggle. The last card, while sorcery speed, allows you to cheat the system some if playing Tiny Leaders or White Weenies in EDH. You can bring your commander back once without paying the penalty.

MTGMKM White Card I Love (Speaking of White Weenies)

This card takes a traditionally green mechanic and slaps it onto a white card. It further warps that mechanic by allowing you to pull a small creature from the top of your deck instead of a land. This card is just waiting to be abused in commander with the right deck.

MTGMKM Blue Honorable Mention (A New Mechanic, Stun, and What Library?)

Bubble Smuggler

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Disguise looks like morph or manifest. But, it gives the token ward, which is a nice touch. That makes it slightly more persistent and able to be flipped on a later turn. The stun card both bypasses any counter ability, including the aforementioned ward. It also gives you two turns to find an answer instead of one. Lastly, the Living Condundrum is just a silly card.

MTGMKM Blue Card I Love (Your Card is My Card Now)

That triple blue is steep and this probably won’t see play outside of commander, but I’ve been surprised before. I just like the idea of combining this with some targeted removal on their huge threat and using it against them. Sure, there are more efficient ways of accomplishing that, but certainly not as fun.

MTGMKM Black Honorable Mention (Another New Mechanic, Flash Enchantment, and “Oops, Pow, Surprise!”)

Case of the Stashed Skeleton

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The case cards looks similar to the Saga cards and I mistakenly thought they were the same, but the trigger is different. Not sure how I feel about them. The other enchantment brings some interesting possibilities in my wildest dreams. The last card just brings instant speed removal in a different form. Plus, the added lifelink and investigate feels like overkill on a one mana card.

MTGMKM Black Card I Love (It’s a Killer)

Massacre Girl came out after a similar card hit Hearthstone. I remember when I saw it and immediately thought of that card. It takes on a slightly different flavor in this one and brings back wither. Plus, that flavor text is simply amazing.

The Verdict

The cards in the MTGMKM Esper edition, overall, are underwhelming. Some cards are fun and I can see myself playing them. But, I think my decision to stop purchasing for collection came at the right time. Come back in a couple of days to see how red and green compare.

Note: pictures taken from Mythic Spoiler.

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Game of the Year 2023

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Introduction

We finish our year here at 2 Generations Gaming with a renewed sense of purpose. I started a new podcast. We rebooted the original one. I updated our YouTube on a more regular basis. And the page got a fresh new look and content every month. Next year marks 10 years of the page and I want to bring even more. But, for today, we finish with the tabletop game of the year 2023.

For once, I actually played more tabletop than console or PC games. I wanted to say electronic games there, but I played plenty on my phone. Mostly just Hearthstone, Marvel SNAP, and MTG Arena, but daily. So, when I wrote the contender’s article the other day, I mentioned five or six games.

The Contenders

Before I reveal the big winner, let’s take a TLDR look at the contenders.

  1. 3 Honorable Mentions: Shadowrun, Pathfinder, and Dreams and Machines all received only a tutorial play through or read through. So, while I enjoyed all of them, I can’t really give them proper consideration this year. Maybe next year.
  2. Dungeons and Dragons: One of my favorite tabletop games from when I was a kid. I tried sharing it with my family a couple of years ago, but that failed miserably. Then, Quinn and I played through a duets adventure and he got hooked. I will try again on Sunday when Aiden’s girlfriend is over for New Year’s Eve.
  3. Magic the Gathering: MTG, it’s not just for phones anymore! Chris, Jason and I, as mentioned more than once here, put together a playgroup for Commander that met twice or three times. Chris is coming over tomorrow to record the podcast and I suggested getting the boys together to play some Commander, too.
  4. Warhammer 40k: Like the honorable mention, I only played this once for a tutorial lesson. But, it kick started my newfound obsession with miniatures. I even painted a few and entered a painting contest. I signed up for another one, but a time commitment prevented me from going.

Tabletop Game of the Year 2023

Magic the Gathering has been part of my life since the beginning of the game. I played during my brief first college career. I tried to show Christine how to play with the Portal decks. When Chris and I started hanging out and we both realized what nerds we were, we played every couple of months. Now, with another friend to play on a semi-regular basis and the possibility of getting my kids involved, Magic the Gathering is my obvious choice for tabletop game of the year.

The Verdict

Next year, I want to try again to play Dungeons and Dragons with the family. I just found a New Year’s Eve adventure for Sunday. I’m hoping that leads to more adventures next year. Perhaps it even becomes a monthly thing and next year I get to tell you all about it. One step at a time, young grasshopper…

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Gaming Contenders 2023

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Introduction

As mentioned in the previous article, 2023 brought many opportunities for tabletop gaming. Given that, there obviously should be more tabletop gaming contenders 2023 for our game of the year. While technically true, many of the tabletop games I tried only as a solo venture. These games are intended to be played with friends and family.

You get a group together. Put out some snacks. Start with the intention of being serious this time. Eventually, one of you breaks character and you all laugh hysterically. Things didn’t go as planned, but you don’t care. You’re having fun with the people you love.

Honorable Mention

Three games I played strictly on a trial basis, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, and Dreams and Machines. And, I never truly played Shadowrun. I only perused the reading material that I received through one of my Humble Bundles that I purchased several months ago. As you may know, Humble is both a boon and a bane to cheap gamers like myself. You can buy many games for cheap. Then, unfortunately, many of them sit on the shelf (both real and virtual) and get forgotten.

The other two games, I ordered physical copies. I think Pathfinder came as part of another Bundle. Dreams and Machines crossed my news feed and I purchased it. 40 or 50 bucks. Not bad, and made by the same people who made the Fallout tabletop RPG I bought a few years ago. Of the two, I liked Pathfinder better. The play style of Dreams and Machines is more unique and story driven. Pathfinder, though, is based on the D&D mechanics and, as a result, plays more familiar to me. The true test, though, comes if I can convince my family to play either.

Dungeons and Dragons

Quinn and I played Dungeons and Dragons last year after I researched ways to play the game as a duo. I put together a dinosaur adventure for us and we played through. As I wrote the adventure, I got a quick idea for a follow up and wrote that one, too. We haven’t sat down again to play, but I think I might try to get him to sit down this weekend and then I can give you a report next month. I also reviewed each of the new books that released this year until the latest release, Deck of Many Things, delayed until next month. I’ll pick up the reviews again then.

Magic the Gathering

Other than just playing Arena, as I’ve written about a few times, Chris, Jason, and I formed a playgroup for Commander. Both Chris and I enjoy the format. Jason tolerates it for the sake of being able to play Magic. We played twice this year. I hope that our schedules align and we get to play every other month or so in 2024. While I’m terrible at the game, I have fun and enjoy hanging out with the two of them That’s my Christmas wish, Santa.

Warhammer 40k

I only played the game once. Somehow I acquired a beginner box with a Space Marine and Necron army. I painted the Necrons and thought long and hard about which Space Marine faction to paint. I never actually settled on one, so they lie in my pile of shame. And, that, primarily is why I’m considering this one for game of the year. Even though I only played once, it inspired me to assemble and paint more than a dozen of my models. Plus, now that I work closer to home, I have more time than ever to paint the rest. I think my next project will be the Space Marines and then I can run another tutorial for the page.

The Verdict

Three tabletop gaming contenders 2023 enter. One leaves on Friday as our Tabletop Game of the Year. But, one more thing before I leave you in suspense for a few days. I completely forgot to mention that Quinn and I picked up Roll Player adventures again and played through a couple more of the books. If we played that more, it would definitely be on this list, too.

On the Tabletop

Tabletop Gaming is a Gift 2023

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Introduction

Surprisingly, we played more tabletop games this year than anything else. With the soldering mishap on the XBox, we saw a definite lack of opportunities to play console games. And, my mobile games are mostly just the same games I play on the tabletop. So, truly, tabletop gaming is a gift in 2023.

in addition to the literal gift that I bought my family for Christmas, Catan, I made alist of six different games that I played or tried through the year. So, the contenders article tomorrow is going to be busy. So, for today, let’s just kick our feet up and celebrate the relaxation that comes with Boxing Day.

What Are Those Six Games?

Well, I will go into more depth tomorrow with the games and their case for tabletop game of the year for 2023 here at 2 Generations Gaming. Today, I will just give a quick list and leave it at that. I have a ton of other things that I want to get done today. Wait, didn’t I just say that I wanted to relax? Well, thankfully, none of the tasks are terrily taxing, so I can get everything done and still relax.

I started the year with the Voidspark Chronicles, a daily RPG calendar from Sundial Games. That becamse a YouTube series that I intend to finish up this week and start on the next one on the first. Chris, Jason, and I got together to play Commander (including the brand new Lord of the Rings decks!) a couple of times and hope to do so again as soon as possible.

I wrote reviews of each of the new Dungeons and Dragons books as they released. Quinn and I played some D&D, but not as much as hoped. I tried out Pathfinder, Shadowrun, and Dreams and Machines to add to the new games that I played this year. Finally, I spent quite a bit of time painting minatures (even entering a contest) and played through one of the tutorial missions of Warhammer 40k

The Verdict

I told you. So much tabletop gaming this year. I think you all might be able to figure out which one is the actual game of the year just based on the articles this year. However, I will continue to keep you in suspense over this one. One more time I can say that tabletop gaming is a gift 2023. See you tomorrow with the contender’s article.

Episode 1.03 – Ixalan and Thankful

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Similar to the previous episode. I released this on the first of the month, technically missing our deadline. We respect tradition here at 2 Guys Gaming. This time, we recorded at my house. 3 cats, a dog, and 3 kids plus a pellet stove means there’s a lot more ambient noise. But, it’s all brought to you with love.’ The third episode: Ixalan and Thankful.

We start by talking about the cards that we like from Ixalan. Chris talks about cards he likes. A black card that doubles damage. white removal, a god that triples tokens, and a dragon and a dragon dinosaur. I bring the Millenium Calendar, a land that uses the graveyard, and a straight busted 2 mana 8/8. Obviously, those aren’t the only cards, but they’re the highlights.

Then, we discuss some about Old School 93/94, Jason’s preferred play style. Chris, having played before, teaches me about the meta and that it is as limiting as I thought. But, it still makes me want to try some decks on xMage.

We end the discussion with things we are thankful for. Amazon sales and friends made through Magic the Gathering top the list. Read my articles on the page for more. Thanks for listening to our Ixalan and Thankful episode and join us next month for more.

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Episode 1.03 - Ixalan and Thankful
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On the Tabletop

Thankful for Tabletop Gaming 2023

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Introduction

Black Friday. I tell stories of working retail during Black Friday and people gasp. The truth of the matter is that I worked it almost 30 years ago before it became a thing. Back then, retail workers spoke of the term in hushed tones. But, there was no small business Saturday or Cyber Monday. There were no sales where people murdered one another for a blender. Just long lines and endless Garth Brooks on the PA. This year, I just call it the day after Thanksgiving. And a day off from work so I can write why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.

After talking about PC (mostly) and mobile earlier in the week, I fear that this, too, may be a bit of an anticlimax. I usually save the best for last with these articles. But, looking back on it now, the only real reason I can think of to be thankful for tabletop gaming this year is that Chris, Jason, and I were able to get together to play Magic the Gathering a couple of times.

Commander! Live and in Person!

Granted, that’s not that bad of a reason. But, I feel bad because I kept meaning to sit down with Quinn and play more Dungeons and Dragons. We compromised a couple of weeks ago with a session of Roll Player Adventures. Heck, even this weekend, I wanted to play some D&D with him to set up articles for next week. Maybe I can convince him and Chris to sit down for a quick session tomorrow before we record the next episode of 2 Guys Gaming.

But I, as I often do, digress.

Thankfully some things never change

The first time we played, we brought our own decks that we either built or, in my case, used an upgrade guide to make it better. I played my Naya landfall deck to some success. I think Chris knocked out Jason and then I stalled the game like I do for a few turns before misplaying and scooping. Hey, like I say, some things never change.

Then, Chris and Jason went halves on Lord of the Rings Commander decks. We played them fresh out of the boxes. I played an elves deck. Again, I found some early success in the game. I set up my board, made dudes, planned out a winning strategy. This time, instead of misplaying, Chris simply drew a board clear that killed all my dudes and left me exposed. And, so, back to the drawing board. Playing the deck gave me some ideas to improve it, but I haven’t actually implemented any of them yet. Once we nail down a time for the next meeting I’ll take care of it.

The Verdict

Again, perhaps underwhelming. But, I can’t say how much having a regular playgroup has improved my attitude and enjoyment of Magic the Gathering again. If only I could find one for D&D. Maybe that’s one of my resolutions for next year. Also, it inspired Chris and I to resurrect the podcast again. So, MtG is truly why I’m thankful for tabletop gaming 2023.

Digital Playground

Thankful for Mobile Gaming 2023

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Introduction

Tomorrow is the big day. One of my favorite, if not my favorite, holidays. Family, food, and football. And, with it, I started my thankful for gaming series. Yesterday, I talked about my adventures in console and PC. Today, I write about being thankful for mobile gaming 2023.

I played a couple of new games this year on mobile. Most of my time, though, I spent playing the old standards. Magic the Gathering, Hearthstone and, after an extended break, Marvel SNAP. Nevertheless, I still consider myself luck to live in a time that allows me to play all of those games on my phone.

A Couple of New Games

More than once, I typed into my Google machine, “best mobile game”. Every single time, I came away disappointed. I think most of the pages just listed the most popular or sponsored content. I mean, ads are the only way that we monetize our shitty web pages these days. Sorry, that was dark. Let me lighten the mood.

I spent more money in the original Candy Crush than I’m comfortable admitting. Recently, I take longer and longer breaks because the levels became nearly unpassable. The most recent level feels like a gate keeper level that requires me to spend more money. So, naturally, when I saw the Soda game pop up on one of the lists, I downloaded it. The game obviously plays identically to the original with a few “sodafied” alterations. I added it to my daily routine along with the first one.

I don’t remember when I saw this game, downloaded, or started playing it. I know that it still isn’t part of my daily rotation. I pick it up every now and then, play for a few levels to clear the daily quest, and then put it aside again for some time. I like the game, but always struggle with these tactics type games. They just don’t hook me for extended periods of time.

The Verdict

Other than that, I already mentioned the other games I played on a regular basis. For them all, I’m thankful for mobile gaming 2023. Do you have any others that you like and want to suggest? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter or Instagram.