15 Best 'Pure' Card Games (NONE are in the BGG Top 100!) | No Tokens Allowed - Only Cards

Don't let some of the smaller boxes or lack of other components fool you; these games pack a big punch. I'm looking at 15 of my favourite pure card games, ones that don't use other components and deliver an awesome and memorable experience using only cards! and believe it or not, NONE of these games are in the BGG Top 100!
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0:00 Intro / Criteria
2:24 6 nimmt! (1994)
4:06 High Society (1995)
5:58 Bohnanza (1997)
7:38 Lost Cities (1999)
9:18 Battle Line (2000)
11:20 Coloretto (2003)
13:07 Dominion (2008)
15:14 Innovation (2010)
17:08 Arboretum (2015)
19:17 Hero Realms (2016)
21:42 Sprawlopolis (2018)
23:39 Point Salad (2019)
25:49 Stellar (2020)
28:28 Abandon All Artichokes (2020)
30:29 Enchanted Plumes (2021)

[AllYouCanBoard]

Which of these card games is your favourite?
And what "pure" card game do you enjoy that wasn't featured in this video?

[wingabouts]

Thank you! I bought 5 of these based solely on your recommendations and my family has loved them ALL. I'm back today to re-watch your video and see what gems I foolishly ignored last time!

My buys: Coloretto and Point Salad - super fun AND there is no hand of cards to manage! This is super important for very young (or very old) gamers. It also works fabulously with my 10 year old granddaughter who has use of only one hand. Also got Abandon All Artichokes which only plays to 4, but it was so popular, I bought a second deck because our regular play group is 5. I also got Enchanted Plumes and 6 Nimmt!

All of these are so easy to learn/teach but they have great strategy as well. They are all thinky little puzzles that will never leave our collection. I love how little shelf space they require and we can play several different games in one evening. They were each under $20 and readily available. Thank you guys so much!!! 💖

[aos-archive]

I just made a reddit post asking for "pure" card games to build a collection I can take around in a big TCG box. Appreciate this.

[keatonhawkswell]

I wish traditional card games got a bit more love on bgg. Ninety-nine is such a fantastic game that gets overlooked because it doesn’t need a custom deck.

[Mimi-ca]

The two card games that we play almost every night are Silver Bullet and Canopy. I’m surprised that they weren’t in the list. Dale of Merchants is another good one! 😊

[alexwilliams]

oh oh forgot Claim, really like the concept of the first round determines your cards in the 2nd round.

[jonathanauffarth]

Illimat is super underrated. No one seems to talk about it.

[colelautzenheiser]

Two card games that I absolutely love that weren’t on your list are parade and zany penguins! Both pure card only games with lots of strategy that I think you’d really enjoy if you’ve never checked them out!

[bushibayushi]

Dominion, Innovation and Sprawlopolis are all great picks ;). I would definitely add Circle the Wagons here. And Lords of Scotland (but only for 2-3 players).

[tonycorkpa]

Great list there. I also like -
Parade
Circus Flohcati
Hierarchy
Mate! (1915 invention)
Corsari

[frankblakemore]

We love loot as a pure card game. It’s the most played game at our house

[rinaldodelucca]

Famiglia, Quatorze, Haggis, The Blood of an Englishman, Friese's Landlord, Archaeology The New Expedition, RRR (Italian/Japanese edition), Fleet Wharfside, The Castles of Burgundy The Card Game, Seasons (Team Saien), and Elements.

[MirkoCano]

Great selection” i have most of these and i agree with you, so underrated and funny that they are not in the top 100

[dannyanderson]

Great video. I actually think Cover Your Assets doesn't get enough love.

[tomJackilarious]

I'm curious, what's the game in the white box directly above patchwork. You can see it at the end of the video.

[srhoward]

Outstanding list. So many I’ve had on my wish list that I really need to bring home. Guillotine is a game that makes it to our table a lot and is popular with our guests.

[christianbank]

Great idea for a list! I was thinking about this recently because I'm making a card game quiver. Some ones that you didn't mention that I like are: Port Royal, Cockroach Poker, Fantasy Realms, Republic of Virtue, The Crew, Scout, and Cabo

[RandyJC]

Prefect video concept! Surprised SdJ winner Fantasy Realm wasn't on your list? With Knizia being basically out of the BGG Top 100, I think s whole series of "the best (insert type here) games NOT in the top 100". Sort of like what Zee Garcia is just finishing in his Hidden Gems segments on the Dice Tower. I appreciate those, esp since they're mostly smaller, less expensive games.

[marelbenne]

Looking forward to playing some of these soon! Some I own and love! You should play Organ Attack if you haven’t I think it deserves a spot in this list! Always a huge hit with the groups I play with!

[powertopeople]

Any of the Friedman frisée fabled games would be my choice, I like some of the games you mentioned but some I have never heard of. Will do some research and see if they are good for camping, , not a lot of table space.