Ascension vs Mindbug Online
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ascension
Engage in a strategic deck-building card game where you acquire cards to gain Renown and unlock powerful Boons. Battle against the Fallen One alone or with friends, with expansions available to deepen the experience.
- Deck-building card game mechanics
- Single-player and multiplayer modes
- Unlock powerful Boons and Legendary status
- Cross-platform online play
- Offline AI opponents
- Multiple expansions available
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***Legends Expansion Now Available!** Return to the world of Vigil as the Muses of Malevolence rise to bring ruin. Legendary Heroes from Ascension’s past have returned to guide you, granting their power to those who prove worthy. Each card you acquire or defeat grants Renown with its factions, advancing you on the Legendary Track. As your Renown grows, unlock powerful Boons from Legendary Characters and, at the pinnacle of a faction’s track, gain Legendary status with the power to acquire or defeat one card from that faction for free each turn. Ascension: Deck Building Game, is the award winning deck building card game for mobile. Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory. Conceived and designed by Magic: The Gathering tournament champions, Ascension will provide hours of engaging and strategic game play for enthusiast and experienced gamers alike. 2011 Golden Geek award winner (Best Mobile/Handheld Game) Pocket Gamer Bronze Award 2011 Dice Tower Awards Awards: Best Digital Boardgame Best Interface and Graphic Design - 2011 Best Online Multiplayer - 2011 Highlights: • Universal Application: Plays on phones and tablets • Beautifully detailed cards • Full asynchronous support for multiplayer online games • Cross-platform online play • Play against multiple offline A.I. opponents • Multiple expansions available to purchase to expand the Ascension experience! *AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND PLAYDEK ACCOUNT ARE REQUIRED FOR ONLINE PLAY.* Per our Terms of Service, you must be 13 years old or older to use the Playdek online games service. Also by Playdek: - Twilight Struggle - D&D: Lords of Waterdeep - Labyrinth: The War On Terror - Fort Sumter - Fluxx Having an issue? Looking for support? Please contact us at: support@playdekgames.com You can follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram! Facebook: /playdek You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/playdek Twitter: @playdek Instagram: @playdek
Mindbug Online
Experience a unique and streamlined card battler designed by the creator of Magic: The Gathering. This skill-based dueling game features powerful cards, fast matches, and infinite strategies with a groundbreaking mechanic that lets you control opponent creatures. It's accessible yet deeply challenging, with no pay-to-win elements.
- Streamlined card battler mechanics
- Skill-based dueling
- Groundbreaking creature control
- Fast and intense matches
- Infinite strategic possibilities
- No pay-to-win
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Start playing Mindbug Online today - the new ultimate card battler! Mindbug distills all the excitement of strategy card games and transforms it into the most streamlined card battler of the multiverse. Accessible and fair, yet extremely challenging and deep. Mindbug is a skill-based dueling card game that feels utterly different from all the other card games you've played before. From Richard Garfield – Creator of Magic the Gathering With Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic: The Gathering) as one of the designers, this game has been designed with more than 30 years of card game experience and combined with a groundbreaking and innovative new game mechanic. Crazy Card Abilities – OMG this is OP In Mindbug, each card is insanely powerful. There are no weak cards, and it feels like all your options are completely overpowered. Every single decision in this game matters. Turn the tables with a single move. It’s all up to you and your skill. Fast and Intense Matches A game of Mindbug can be played in less than 5 minutes, making it perfect for when you have a few minutes to spare. But don’t be fooled by its quickness – the strategic depth will blow your mind. Infinite Strategies Even though Mindbug is extremely easy to learn, the game will keep surprising you with new and exciting challenges and combos. The unique Mindbug mechanic allows you to control your opponents’ creatures and leads to unique decision-making that requires even veteran card game players to adjust their traditional playstyle. Not a collectible card game – No Pay to win! Mindbug is not a trading card game. There are no loot boxes, no random cards, and no pay-to-win. If you buy a card set, you can play with it as much as you want. What are you waiting for earthling? Show your incredible skill and turn your opponents’ strongest creatures into your own advantage! Play Mindbug Online Now!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Mindbug Online at 4.7 against Ascension's 3.4. Mindbug Online also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Ascension's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 43) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Mindbug Online sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mindbug Online holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ascension has 1.1K ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 64% of Mindbug Online's.
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Mindbug Online every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ascension | Mindbug Online |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (1.1K ratings) | 4.7 (43 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 63.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 43 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.2 GB | 1.7 GB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Playdek, Inc. | Kissaki Studios |
Customer experience
Ascension
Mindbug Online
User reviews
Ascension
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Awesome adaptation of the physical game
- 🕹️ Engaging gameplay
- 💰 Reasonable in-app purchase prices
- 🕰️ Excellent time killer
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Slow AI turns
- 🔒 Issues with restoring purchases
- 🔍 Cluttered UI, hard to read cards
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Mindbug Online
From 43 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Excellent game
- ⚖️ Balanced gameplay
- 🔍 Depth and strategy
- 💰 Fair monetization
- 🕹️ Enjoyable gameplay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🕰️ Slow animations
- 🤖 Inconsistent AI
- 🔍 Lack of customization
- 🔒 Poor customer support
Bugs and requests
Ascension
Reported bugs
5 issues- Purchases disappearing after updates
- Restore function not working
- Crashes when certain cards are played
- Constructs getting stuck in the middle of the screen
- Game freezing and logging out users
Requested features
5 requests- Increase honor pool limit for online games
- Add custom deck building options
- Optimize for iPhone X and newer devices
- Provide option to revert to old art style
- Improve online multiplayer experience
Mindbug Online
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tutorial issues
- Infinite battle loop
- Purchasing issues
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to pick opponents
- Faster gameplay option
- More customization options
In-app purchases
Ascension
- Storm of Souls expansion$0.99
- Promo Pack 1$0.99
- Immortal Heroes expansion$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4$0.99
- Rise of Vigil$0.99
- Darkness Unleashed expansion$0.99
- Realms Unraveled expansion$0.99
- Dawn of Champions$0.99
- Dreamscape$0.99
- Return of the Fallen expansion$1.99
Mindbug Online
- Battlefruit Kingdom Set$8.99
- Beyond Eternity Set$8.99
- First Contact Set + Add-On$8.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Battlefruit Galaxy + Mindbugs$12.99
- Mindbug x King of Tokyo Card Set$12.99
- Battlefruit Kingdom + Mindbugs$12.99
- FC Set + Mr Green$14.99
- First Contact Bundle$14.99
- Battlefruit + Both Mindbugs$22.99
- FC Set + Mr Pink + Mr Green$22.99
Questions
Is Ascension free?
Is Mindbug Online free?
Which has better reviews, Ascension or Mindbug Online?
Do Ascension or Mindbug Online have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ascension or Mindbug Online?
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