| Best Card Games of the 2000s Dec 16th 2011, 11:02 Card games have been played for centuries, but creative game designers continue to make new and innovative games. Here are the 10 games that I believe are the best card games published from 2000 through 2009. Note that in the interest of highlighting a wider variety of games, this list does not include the card game versions of any games on my list of the best board games of the 2000s. What do you think were the best card games of the 2000s? Share your thoughts here. 
Image courtesy of Rio Grande GamesFor 2 to 4 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Donald X. Vaccarino, published by Rio Grande Games. In this deck-building card game, players all begin with the same 10 cards: seven copper pieces and three victory points (VPs). You have a hand of five cards; a basic turn consists of using one action and buying one card. New cards either give you new abilities (e.g., increasing the available number of actions or forcing other players to work with just three cards) or add to your VPs. Fans of collectible card games will likely enjoy Dominion, but it is also a fantastic family strategy game. Dominion won the 2009 Spiel des Jahres, the 2009 Deutscher Spiele Pries, won a 2008 Meeples Choice Award, and it was my pick as the best card game of 2008. 2. Citadels (2000) 
Image courtesy of Fantasy Flight GamesFor 2 to 7 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Bruno Faidutti, published by Fantasy Flight Games In Citadels, players compete to be the first to build a set of eight city districts, which you do by spending gold. Each round, you have a choice of which character you want to be -- they all of different powers, so your choice is vital -- but you don't get to choose from all of the characters, since some are dealt to the table before choosing begins and because the choice begins with the previous round's King. Characters include the assassin, thief, merchant, magician, bishop, architect and warlord. Citadels won a 2000 Meeples Choice Award. 3. Wyatt Earp (2001) 
Image courtesy of Rio Grande GamesFor 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up. Designed by Mike Fitzgerald and Richard Borg, published by Rio Grande Games. Set in the Wild West, Wyatt Earp is a rummy variant that finds players trying to earn money by capturing notorious outlaws like Jesse James and Billy the Kid. Outlaw cards are played in melds and lay-offs, while the special sheriff cards can be played to increase the value of rewards. It is related to games released under the "Mystery Rummy" moniker, including 2001's Jekyll and Hyde and 2003's Al Capone and the Chicago Underworld. 
Image courtesy of R&R GamesFor 4 to 18 players (best with 4 to 8 players), ages 12 and up. Designed by Peter Sarrett, published by R&R Games.
Players are first dealt cards, each containing the names of two well-known figures from pop culture, sports, or history. They each choose some to include in the game, and then compete in teams of two players over three rounds of increasing difficulty to identify the same set of celebrities. Each additional round brings a new restriction, and you're almost guaranteed to be on the floor laughing at some point. Time's Up is one of my all-time favorite games. 5. Cold War: CIA vs. KGB (2007) 
Image courtesy of Fantasy Flight GamesFor 2 players, ages 12 and up. Designed by David Rakoto and Sebastien Gigaudaut, published by Fantasy Flight Games. Each player tries to convince foreign governments to embrace their own ideology in this intelligent card game. Each player has six agents, each with its own ability, to help win objectives. Using those abilities at the best possible time is a key to victory. The master spy, for example, flips the objective around so that the loser actually wins. The assassin kills his opponent's agent, but the objective goes back to the bottom of the pile. Each objective is worth a certain number of points. The first player to earn 100 points is the winner. Cold War: CIA vs. KGB was my pick as the best card game of 2007. 6. Saboteur (2004) 
Image courtesy of Z-Man GamesFor 3 to 10 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Frederic Moyersoen, published by Z-Man Games. Everyone is a dwarf looking for gold in this card game, but one -- or more -- of the players might be a saboteur and uninterested in sharing with the team. Players dig through underground tunnels trying to find the gold, but they can also break each others' tools, peek at hidden cards, or dig a tunnel that leads the wrong way. Players are dealt a hand of six cards to start; at the end, the dwarf with the most gold wins. Saboteur was my pick as the #3 card game of 2005, and it is on my lists of the best bluffing games and the best games for 7 or more players. 
Image courtesy of Gryphon GamesFor 2 to 5 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia, published by Gryphon Games. Based on the board game Modern Art (one of my picks for the best auction games), this is an excellent, quick-playing card game -- which is not at all about auctions. Players compete to collect the most valuable works by five classic artists: Degas, Money, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Vermeer. On each turn, you play a card representing a painting from one of the artists, which increases the value of that artist's work. Some cards also have special powers, which can twist the game in unexpected directions. After four rounds, the player with the most money wins. 8. Parlay (2006) 
Photo courtesy of Real Deal GamesFor 2 to 6 players, ages 9 and up. Designed by Paul Sturgis and Jennifer Sturgis; published by Real Deal Games. This creative hybrid mixes word games and Poker in a way that should appeal to fans of both. The goal is to make the best Poker hand and the best word that you can. The standard 52-card deck has been enhanced with letters and point values on each card. After the dealing if finished, players form their best word and calculate the point total. They then simultaneously decide whether to stay or fold. Those who fold keep their word points, but do not score a bonus. Among those who stay, only the player with the best hand scores anything. Parlay was my pick as the best card game of 2006. 9. Dixit (2008) 
Image courtesy of Asmodée EditionsFor 3 to 6 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Jean-Louis Roubira, published by Asmodée Editions. In this wonderful game, players take turns as the "storyteller." That player chooses one of the beautifully illustrated cards from his hand and describes it with a word or phrase. Each of the other players chooses a card from their own hands which they think most closely matches the storyteller's description. The cards are shuffled together, and everyone other than the storyteller votes on which card they believe inspired the description. Points are given to players whose cards are chosen, and to players who correctly identify the storyteller's card. If no players -- or all players -- select the storyteller's card, he scores zero points. 10. Coloretto (2003) 
Image courtesy of Rio Grande GamesFor 3 to 5 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Michael Schacht, published by Rio Grande Games. Coloretto is a light card game, and it can be played many times in a single session. Players collect columns of colors, but only score for three varieties of colors -- so the challenge is to gather enough of what you want without collecting too many different colors. Coloretto is a good game to play with casual gamers.  | |
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