Onmyoji: The Card Game strategy guide - Everything you need to know to get started

A game with stunning graphics, beautiful animations, and addictive gameplay. Of course, I am talking about Onmyoji: The Card Game. This game elevates the name we've previously encountered in Onmyoji and Onmyoji: Arena and takes it to a whole new level where you just want to immerse yourself into the game's atmosphere and explore all the corners of the hidden paradise of Yokai, Shinkiro.

Today we're going to take a look at some beginner Onmyoji: The Card Game tips, so you can get familiar with the interface, understand the game's mechanics and really let yourself be captivated by this outstanding game (from all perspectives).

To kick things off, we're going to explore something really simple that is meant to help you get used to the interface and where to find everything in the game with ease such as where you can find your decks, the story mode, summoning, the shop and everything else.

Get familiar with the interface

The first screen - the one at the very bottom

Here is where you will find everything that has to do with shops and buying:

• Jade Shop (the shop where you can use premium and normal currency to buy items, as well as the place where you see top-up offers)
• Shotengai (where you place your own Shop)
• Hyakubun Scrollery (where you summon more cards)
• Grocery Shop (where you can buy quest items and various consumables - the Grocery Shop refreshes at 6 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM and 12 AM every day)

The second screen - the middle one

Here is the main hall where you can see everything that has to do with the decks, quests, and some play modes:

• Decks (where you can see your own decks and create more)
• Shikigami (the place where you can see all the Shikigami in the game, as well as a description of their cards)
• Missions (where you can find your daily missions, special Story quests, as well as the Newbie Guide in the stall next to the stairs)
• Sealed Deck (where you can play PvP matches with other players using random Shikigami, not your pre-made decks. It's great for obtaining SR cards)
• Hyakubun Chess (it's auto-chess - in other words, it's like TFT is to League of Legends and Magic Chess to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
• Ranked Match (where you can play a ranked match vs another player)
• Player Match (where you can play a normal non-ranked match vs another player)

The third screen - the one at the very top

Here you can find the Story mode and the Kaidan. It's also one of the most spectacular (and my personal favourite) screens in the entire game.

• Story (where you can play Story Mode games, discover more about the Shikigami, and obtain their respective SR cards)
• Kaidan (you pay a fee and play in a series of PvE battles vs AI to obtain Coins and random cards)

Save up Coins to buy Card Packs

The very first thing you should spend your Gold on is card packs - make sure you focus on the Classic cards first, because they can be used in a multitude of ways to make some really fun to play decks!

I'd advise you to buy the Daily Discounted card packs every day (they are 20% off, for 9600 Gold instead of 12000), as long as you can afford them, of course. They are definitely worth it.

Once you have all the cards you want, you should start looking at other card packs that you think would make a nice addition to your collection (especially the time-limited ones).

Generally speaking, the more cards you get, the better. If there are any cards that you don't want in the long run, you can simply disenchant them by heading on to the Decks or Shikigami menu, tap on a card, and then select the Disenchant option.

Don't forget to check your Item inventory

It might not be very obvious at the start, but there is an Items inventory where you stash all your consumables and story quest items. This can be found by tapping on your profile icon, then at the far right side of the screen, you will see an Items button. Tap on it and under Consumables you can find various items. The Beginner Pack can be opened every few levels, so make sure you check this and open it whenever possible.

As for the items you will find in the Story tab, these are consumables that you can spend to unlock more story quests and side missions. In the Guest Room tab, you'll find items that you can use in your own shop in the Shotengai, and you can craft and merge them.

You can spend Gold in the Shop

There are quite a few items that you might want to consider when you are expanding your collection of cards, wallpapers, card backs, and Shikigami. Many of these items can be occasionally found in the Shop, and if you have some spare Gold I suggest that you buy them.

They might not be something that will have a huge impact on the game, but if you are a collector like myself, then it's definitely something to add to the collection!

Practice in the Story Mode before joining Ranked matches

I'd strongly suggest that you take your time playing in the Story mode first and foremost, where you can unlock several cards and really learn some basic strategies. This is one of the best card games that I've played, and trust me when I say this - people really know what they're doing!

You know the saying 'practice makes perfect', correct? It's the same in Onmyoji: The Card Game. You should take your time, practice every single deck multiple times in normal matches and in Story Mode before you start your Ranked journey.

There are quite a few fun and strong decks, so if you want to check them out, stay tuned because we'll prepare an article dedicated to the best decks in Onmyoji: The Card Game!

If you like deck building, think of it in a front to back manner

Just like in many other games out there, you want to build a deck that is strong, and for that, you need to think of it in terms similar to a front-to-back RPG or similar. The basic idea is that you have different types of cards: healers, tanks, supports, damage dealers, etc.

When building a deck, make sure that you keep that feature in mind, because it's going to really make a difference. For example, in certain decks (Aggro deck for example) you want to have fast-hitting Shikigami, together with spell users that can be extremely efficient and cheap to obtain.

Last, but not least, make sure you decorate your Shotengai!

The Shotengai is an amazing feature where you can build and display various furniture and receive rewards in return. In time, you'll decorate, build and expand using items from events and quests, and increase your Shotengai level (that's what allows you to place more buildings and upgrade them). 

Every time you get bored of playing games, or you simply want to kick back and enjoy some high-quality graphics, just go to the Shotengai and start decorating! Use the Daruma Coins to purchase new decorations, and let your imagination go wild - decorate your shop as you see fit. It's really relaxing and the more Attraction Points you have, the better!