Over at Armor Games, I’ve found a piece that might well help if you’ve been jonesing for Magic the Gathering lately–it’s called Armor Wars.

I found it at least a little odd that Armor Games is hosting a game called Armor Wars–can we get just a little more self-referential?  Come on!–but the game itself is at least fun enough.  Basically, it’s a card game, or approximation thereof, in which you play different cards with different effects in an attempt to take out your opponent’s castle.  Or “life points” if you favor the M:TG lingo.  You’ll get to work with creatures, direct damage, and spell effects to generate the various points you need to activate your cards.

This is, of course, fairly standard–anyone who’s played Magic in the last ten years will pick this game up and run with it.  Most of what decides a win or a loss, sadly, is the luck of the draw, but it’s still a good casual time waster.  Online play is also available, so you’re not just stuck taking on the computer.

Basically, Armor Wars is a surprisingly fun time that’s easy to pick up and play as long as you understand a few basics.