Play Duel Masters Online

Duel Masters on the GBA is one of those games I stumbled onto years ago and still go back to when I want quick, satisfying card battles. The pixel art for the creatures pops on that little screen—some of them look genuinely fierce for tiny sprites. At first, I kept losing because I didn’t realize how much timing mattered when blocking attacks, but once it clicked, matches got way more intense.

It’s got that perfect balance where you can pick it up fast, but there’s enough strategy to keep you tweaking your deck. I remember getting stuck on this one fire-themed boss until I finally caved and rebuilt my deck with more water cards. Felt so good when it worked. If you ever played the physical TCG, it’s a nostalgia bomb, but even if you didn’t, it’s just a solid, no-fuss portable card game with way more personality than you’d expect. The music’s weirdly hype too.

Still holds up if you dig old-school handheld games—just don’t blame me when you lose track of time mid-bus ride.