Unlike most RTS titles such as StarCraft and Dawn of War, Battleforge doesn't feature fixed factions with specific units and structures for players to control and build. Like a CCG, players use an assortment of spells, creatures, and buildings from a variety of themed cards. In Battleforge, different card types are arranged into Fire, Frost, Nature, and Shadow magic.

Each card type requires a certain cost to be paid in order for the card to be used. The first cost, magic, can be attained from orb shrines positioned around each map. Move a unit close to an orb shrine, and a color selection box appears. The more orbs you have, the more magic you'll earn, but keep in mind that other players will be hunting shrines as well. Instead of picking from each color, it might be wiser to focus on one, two, or three at most in order to better utilize the orb shrines' magical boons.

Energy is the second cost associated with casting cards. Like orb shrines, energy monuments are scattered across each map but require a player structure to be built (via casting a card) in close proximity. Doing so marks the shrine as yours and bequeaths one energy point per second you hold the shrine. Because powerful cards require a greater amount of energy, you might want to station mobs of low- and medium-level units near each shrine in order to keep other players from stealing them. Once your energy income has grown sufficiently, cast a bunch of larger units to either storm enemy territory, or assist the lesser creatures in holding your shrines.

To keep things balanced, players won't be able to play an infinite number of each card simply because they happen to have enough magic and energy to do so. Just as Magic: TG decks can only have so many cards, Battleforge only allows players to wield 20-card decks at a time. In addition to magic and energy requirements, each card has a set number of charges that dictate how many times that particular card can be played. If the charge is 10, you can only cast up to 10 of that particular card.

After capturing a couple of orb and energy shrines, we decided to cast a hulking brute that bears a striking resemblance to Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo character. The act of casting itself was simple: click the card, then click the area where the unit should appear. Rather than materializing out of thin air, the monster erupted from the ground, spraying grass and dirt as it pulled itself to the surface. Eager to give the giant a swarm of minions to drive forward, we called a number of Thugs, basic grunt units, onto the scene. Our force surged forward, overpowering a clump of A.I. units guarding a wall.

Leaving our critters to trample the puny A.I. horde, we cast another card, this one a basic explosion spell, on the wall. The explosion was satisfactory and created a sizeable hole through which our units could pass once they'd finished with their meager opposition.

The cards we controlled were impressive, but what good would an RTS-CCG hybrid be if there weren't additional cards to collect? Battleforge will ship with 200-plus cards at launch, with booster packs available as microtransactions. EA promises that players who don't want to spend additional bucks on boosters won't have to, but you'll probably want to purchase a few in order to stay competitive against players who buy any card they can get their virtual hands on. Implementing booster packs rather than higher-priced expansions is an interesting idea, one that should effectively keep Battleforge fresh.

The pace of Battleforge is fast, which should delight players who prefer battle-oriented RTS titles such as Company of Heroes. The mix-and-match nature of the trading cards makes for hundreds of unique possibilities, all of which will be available when Battleforge launches this October.