~ Not ME ~
I'm not giving a tutorial! I have no idea what i'm doing. But i did start my Gods Unchained adventure by setting up an account and starting to play this Earn To Play Ethereum based NFT card game. I have to say... i wish i would have started earlier!
I'm not giving a tutorial,i took the tutorial and tried to capture screen shares of the experience so you could vicariously live through my experience.
I had heard a lot about this game and the hype and buzz had an ebb and a flow, like all things in crypto. When i finally came to check out the game one thing that stuck out to me was that this project was 'LED BY CHRIS CLAY
The Former Game Director of Magic: The Gathering Arena.'
Honestly, i have no idea who Chris Clay is... but i do know Magic the Gathering. Anyone who would be a director of any sort for that game would be more than qualified to initiate a game of their own. After playing a minuscule amount of Gods Unchained... i can see many similarities to Magic the Gathering as well as Splinterlands.
~ Game On ~
So, i started the first tutorial battle and just tried to wing my way through this. Fortunately for me, each step was self-explanatory. If you click the images you can read the text that i was given in order to proceed. Each step of the battle was explained to me as we went along. I painstakingly screenshotted on my laptop each step minus one or two actions.
This game will definitely take a lot more strategy than i have had to implement in quite a long while. Overall though i would give this game the highest ratings. I know once i get my god legs underneath me the sky will be the limit. There is a lot to learn and familiarize myself with, but once that happens i will definitely be competitive.
I took a lot of screenshots of my tutorial session for my first round of playing the game. I have shared them chronologically in order to show you the first experience i had with the game.
As best as i understand it, the game has it's summoner aka god... and the cards that you use for your deck are based on that gods attributes. There is a special that you choose before the gameplay starts which in my first instance you can see in the image above.
Cards cost mana to put them into play. There are spells and specials... along with cards that fight. The objective of the game is to attack and deplete the opposing god's life points. Generally, you have to attack the cards in play before you can attack the gods.
You have the cards that you start out with, in your hand. There is a timer that gives you the chance before the battle begins to rearrange your starting draws. I would imagine that selecting your deck is probably the most strategic thing you can do... but you know me, i just opted for the starter decks that are preassembled.
For those wondering, they give you all the cards you need to start playing for free. So, you don't have to put any money or crypto in to start your Gods Unchained adventure.
~ Stating the Obvious ~
So, your god has health, your cards have health, and you don't want to die... except when dying gives some kind of bonus that might be worth the sacrifice. That's where the strategy comes into play.
I learned the hard way in ranked battles that you want to have some creature cards you can throw out early in the battle. Mana takes a while to get up in numbers so you don't want to just have a bunch of badass cards that cost a lot of mana to play. You want some decent creatures for low manna as cannon fodder... minus the cannons.
I left the screenshots as png file formats for anyone that wants to zoom in and read the text. But, your mana grows each round so it's best to strategize around that fact. I haven't figured that part out too well, YET.
The attacks and most every other action is a click and drag feature which is really convenient. I never played Magic the Gathering online or in any digital format so i don't have a comparison... but i do like this feature.
So, you try your best to use your cards and creatures to kick the other god and their team's ass. There is power/attack and then the life that each creature card has. Even if you attack them to beat their health the power they have attacks the attacker. This was an odd feature to get a grasp of. I mean, it makes sense but still.
Figuring out what to do is pretty intuitive but also a challenge nonetheless. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to your gameplay strategies. They are worth learning and i am currently in that process!
Frontline is one of the attributes that make the opponent have to attack the creature before being able to attack the god directly. I am thinking that is a great feature for strategy!
Mana is one of the most important aspects of the game as it's going to limit or allow all the things you want/need to do.
There are god bonuses you can select before battle and pull them off in the clutch when you need to. You can see, since i was not having enough mana to do what i wanted i busted out the Enrage feature.
Without the tutorial slowing things down the game would be going a lot more fluidly... but hell, i really need/needed the tutorial so i'm not complaining at all.
Once the battle action gets going, this game is really fun. It's worth the time it takes to set things up. If you plan right you can really smash some ass on this game.
So, as it's a tutorial... i ended up winning. However, i didn't expect to win packs of NFT Cards that are mine for just completing the process of learning how to play the game.
~ Winning, Even When I Lose ~
So, as i was thrilled to have packs to open... i tried to make sure and screen share the process with you all. Since i have to screenshot at the right time these were not easy images to get in the midst of all the action!
I personally do not know which cards are good or of any higher value than any other card. Regardless, i am happy to have cards of my own besides the free cards they give you to start out with.
Since i am oblivious to the value of any cards i may have acquired... i would like to ask 
I know from Splinterlands that sometimes colors mean things. Sometimes, when i would open a pack they would have an explosion of color before i would get to turn and reveal the cards. I tired to capture them as best i could to give you the feel of being there with me.
I used to collect actual cards from actual packs... but i have to admit that the feeling wasn't much different. The excitement of getting new random things was off the charts.
I don't know what the colors mean... but from having played the tutorial.... i was starting to try my best to understand the different values the cards had to offer in abilities.
~ Play 2 Earn ~
I still won't know in many regards until those cards with their abilities are deployed but i felt the value growing already. Play to Earn seemed to instigate an Earn to Play mentality for me.
Getting six packs as a reward for just doing the tutorial is definitely winning in a Play 2 Earn ecosphere. I didn't approach this experience as a play to earn an investment of time... but an experiment of gameplay. I loved the gameplay and the strategy behind the experience. I call that a lucrative win win win experience.
~ Game Over for Now ~
I decided to play a ranked battle after one round of AI combat. The single AI combat helps you get experience playing the game but doesn't actually give you any in the game.
I played the ranked battles (way too early) to see what i could do against other players. I never expected to win packs for losing ranked battles but that's exactly what happened.
So, after just a tutorial and a few ranked battles, all of which i lost except the tutorial, you can see how many packs i won. I truly wish i would have started this game earlier now that i see what it's about and the quality of the game.
I have to say the art is badass, the music is good, the gameplay is awesome, and the strategic options are almost unlimited. This game was planned and designed very well. I don't see this Gods Unchained experience as a monetary investment as much as i see it as a fun opportunity to enjoy.
I liked playing the Death Splinter in Splinterlands, and the Black decks in Magic the Gathering... so i went that route here as well. Ultimately, i will go and play where the cards take me. But after just a few short runs i really see the value of this game. Not a monetary value (though that is sure to be one of the highest values) but one of gameplay and entertainment value.
I would have to give this game an 8 out of 10, and the other 2 points will probably come once i learn more of the game and user interface. I am thankful to Acid for turning me on to this game and wish i would have listened sooner. But, better late than never is what i always say!
I managed to get 135 cards and reached level 3. I know that is some noob shit... but i am proud of that outcome this early on considering my level of ignorance. If you want to play all you need is an email adress. Here is the Gods Unchained link to get started playing and earning for free.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and you should definitely consider playing this game with me!