Don’t Sleep On the Other ‘90s Handheld Collectible Card Game On Switch

Pokemon Trading Card Game isn't the only kid on the block.

Of the recent Switch Online games we’ve been graced with receiving, I was probably the most excited about the Pokemon Trading Card Game. You see, I like Pokemon, and I like trading card games, but I have no idea how the current system works. It feels like my two options are high-stakes tournaments against children or simply owning cards in order to say I’d technically be rich if these printed cardboard rectangles had any intrinsic value.

But with the Pokemon Trading Card Game, I can avoid the worst part about playing games with other people: the other people! Compared to mainline Pokemon games, it might not be incredibly deep, but I don't really care. I’ve already paid for this game on the actual Game Boy and played it to death. I don’t need to maximize my spending dollar for the experience. I want to walk up to a video game stranger and battle them with cards.

Related: I Opened 600 Packs In Pokemon TCG Live And I Still Can't Build A Decent Deck

If you think trading card games are full of psychopaths who will yell at you if you use a card that you didn’t know was banned in Europe, you’re right! It’s fun to do a card draft and get scolded by a man who smells as bitter as he feels. I’m not saying everyone who plays TCGs is like this. Clearly, I play TCGs and one of the few good qualities about me is I smell alright. But it’s also why I enjoy games like Marvel Snap or prefer to play Magic: The Gathering online; I don’t have to get yelled at. Part of my base requirement for fun is nobody being mean to me.

So if you’re like me - and, if you are, God help you - you’re probably pretty excited to have one of the greatest TCGs of all time return in a classic game requiring no other people. But it’s not the only ‘90s handheld collectible card game on the Switch. There’s another game featuring classic video game characters on trading cards and it fucking rocks.

This game is SNK VS. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash, and it’s on Steam and Switch. You know all those SNK vs. Capcom fighting games from the late ‘90s? Well, that mashup also included a trading card game for the Neo Geo Pocket. You already get the concept: there are Capcom and SNK cards with Capcom and SNK characters on them. While the game is over twenty years old, video game publishers don’t really like creating new franchises, so most of the characters feel fresh. Are you really going to be upset at a Jill Valentine card?

The gameplay itself is simpler than Pokemon, which is actually kind of nice. You’re basically creating three rows of characters and throwing them against the other characters. There are special abilities, team-ups, and other things that can affect play, but it’s mostly just the character with the most power wins and any overflow hits the player’s HP. Reduce the player’s HP to zero and you win. Again, not the most thorough game in the world, but it also makes picking up on the rules in Card Fighters Clash pretty easy. I’m seriously trying to tell you this is a good game.

Yes, I know this was a Neo Geo Pocket game. And I know that I’m on an eternal quest to get people to give a shit about the long-dead portable. But if you like the Pokemon Trading Card Game on Game Boy, this shit is right up your alley. In fact, Card Fighters Clash basically just copies the style of the Game Boy game. It’s an RPG-lite where you walk up to people, talk to them, play a card game against them, and get new cards when you win. There’s even an equivalent to the gyms in Pokemon with themed locations like a Resident Evil mansion.

Is that NPC a reference to original Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami? Maybe Sure seems like it! Little references to SNK and Capcom are sprinkled throughout, as you might expect. Imagine if Nintendo did a Smash Bros. trading card game and you’d almost be there. Also, typing that sentence made me realize how deeply desperately I want a Smash Bros. trading card game.

Look, I can’t make you buy SNK vs. Capcom that’s available for Steam and on Switch either alone or as part of a collection. I can’t force you to look it up and realize it’s a good value because you can either play the Capcom cart or the SNK cart that were originally sold separately. And I can’t take your hand and click ‘buy’ on the button. But for the love of God, treat yourself for once. If you like Marvel Snap or Magic or Pokemon, play Card Fighters Clash.

I can’t do this alone anymore. I need more people in this Neo Geo Pocket cult. I can’t keep begging. My family is dying.

Mike Drucker is a television writer and standup comedian. He’s currently co-head writer and co-executive producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and has written for shows including The Tonight Show, Adam Ruins Everything, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Mike’s writing has also appeared in video games for Sony and Nintendo. If you read this far, thank you.