Soccer Duel Preview

Y’all have a favorite sport? Or couple of sports? What about a least favorite sport? My favorites are hands-down baseball and football (Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears, respectively). My least favorite sport? Soccer. However, when I was asked to preview Soccer Duel from FireStorm Labs, I just had to say yes. The previous game I previewed was Throw Octopus, and we had an absolute blast with it! So, even though soccer is suuuuuper meh to me, the game is probably awesome in this format. Right? Right??

Soccer Duel is a head-to-head real-time tile-drafting game that actually has very little to do with soccer as a sport, thankfully. In it, players are soccer players (I think) that are scoring goals throughout the game. The player with the most goals scored at the end of the game wins!

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and I do not know for sure if the final components will be any different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook, back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T

To setup, dump the contents of the box onto the table, flip them all face-down, and shuffle them around. Each player will receive either the box top or the box bottom to be used for discarded tiles during play. Each player will select any six tiles from the pile, look at them, and choose one to be their starting tile, placing it in their personal tableau in front of themselves. As I mostly played this with my 6-year-old, we played open-handed, with our tiles placed out in front of us, though this is not an official variant.

As in real games of soccer (or football, if you prefer), Soccer Duel is played in real-time with no “turns” or “phases.” Instead, each player will attempt to place a tile into their tableau that will help finish a soccer ball (as you can see in the photo below). Each completed soccer ball scores a goal/point at the end of the game.

When a player places a tile, they then choose a replacement from the shared pile. If a player is unable to place a tile they may instead discard a tile to their box and grab a new tile from the pile, or start a new play area entirely. NOTE: Each tile placed must connect to an existing tile on its edge, not diagonally, and must keep either the chosen portrait or landscape mode matching the starting tile.

Once all tiles have been played or discarded, the game goes to Overtime. During this special Overtime, players exchange discard boxes and may use these inherited tiles to complete more balls and score more goals. Again, the player who has scored the most goals by completing soccer balls will be crowned the winner of Soccer Duel! Soccer players win cups, right? So the winner gets to choose a cup from the host to take home with them! Again, this is not an official variant.

Components. This game is comprised of a longish box and about nine thousand tiles (hyperbole) with partial soccer balls printed on each. Again, this is a prototype copy, and I am unsure what the final product will look like, or the thickness/materials to be used. That said, what I received as a prototype is really high quality. Such high quality that I would be happy receiving this as a final copy. The art is minimal but effective, and the colors look great on the table.

The tagline for Soccer Duel reads, “A face-off battle of speed, wit & dexterity!” While I agree that is a speedy game that takes a decent amount of dexterity, I am leery of agreeing with the amount of “wit” needed to win. In my eyes, players are frantically drawing and hoping for specific tiles in order to complete their balls, especially near the end of the game. I supposed I can see “wit” being appropriate when referencing the decision-making process of which tiles to play/keep and which to discard. A fair bit of luck is also expected and very apparent.

That discard, though. I have not come across many games where each player’s discard pile is so important to an opponent, and I think it’s an excellent little twist. Giving the other player your discard pile so they may finish up several of their balls always stings, but it’s a nice boost for some extra late-game points. My first play-through I was quite heavy-handed with my discards, and that is what lost me the game. So many tiles in my discard box went toward completing my wife’s balls that I just could not overcome it. “One (wo/)man’s trash…,” am I right?

In a sea of pretty good little filler games, Soccer Duel is one that I will certainly keep around. I seem to be collecting quick and light games to be used as either straight fillers or as games to determine first player on larger titles. This one can fit into either slot quite readily, and with its relatively tiny presentation, is easy to just keep on hand. If you are like me, and actually enjoy lighter fare, Soccer Duel could be a great addition to your collection. ESPECIALLY if you have friends who are big soccer fans, but you couldn’t care less. I mean, I know it’s the world’s most popular sport, I just enjoy others. Back this one on Kickstarter once it launches on August 30, 2022. Until then, you may visit the page to be notified on launch!