7 Wonders Duel Review

7 Wonders is one of my favourite board games, but with so many games to play and only one scheduled board game night per week, it’s not one we get to the table often. Every Thursday a group of friends sits down to play one of the best new board games available on the market, and often times, it’s not something old. During the rest of the week, it is just my wife and I, and two player games are the cats meow! Enter 7 Wonders Duel, a perfect game that closely represents that feeling of the main game, but is designed specifically for two players! Let’s hop in!

Thanks to our friends at Asmodee Canada for providing 7 Wonders Duel plus a few expansions for us to play!

Most two player games are relatively simple with few mechanics and few strategic elements. And that’s fine with us, as it allows us to have a relaxing evening. 7 Wonders Duel does NOT fit that mold, as it carries over a ton of deep, strategic opportunities that, should you not completely understand, will ruin the entire experience for obth players. There is a deeper level of board game strategy involved with this two player game, and once in a while it’ s refreshing way to play a two player game.

In most cases, Duel is similar to other games in the 7 Wonders universe – production and economic cards will allow players to build their wonder with resources, science cards, when enough are collected, allow players to gain a special bonus, and cultural cards award victory points at the end of the game! Military is where this game does differ from others in the series – instead of fighting at predetermined times, military cards cause a pawn to move between the two players. As the pawn move towards specific players, they will lose money – if the pawn ever makes it to the end of the track, the opposing player automatically wins!

Selecting cards is also different. In standard 7 Wonders, players draw and pass cards each round. In Duel, players select cards form the centre of the table, although only cards completely revealed (and not partially hidden by cards on top) are allowed to be drawn. Because of how the cards are laid out – in a pyramid for example, with each level concealing part of the subsequent level- it’s a nice strategic element to know what cards might be coming up in later phases.

There is a decent amount of strategy involved here that keeps each game of 7 Wonders Duel somewhat fresh. Deciding which cards to pick each round, what approach to take for your victory conditions, and more provides tough decisions that can change the game drastically.

In terms of 2 player games, 7 Wonders Duel gets high praise from us. While it might not be a perfect game, it’s a nice change of pace from the more casual 2 player experiences that are flooding the market.