Ascension vs Ephod™
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
Ephod™
Engage in real-time strategy card battles. Collect gems, buy cards, and outmaneuver opponents to reach a target score. Compete globally, climb seasonal ranks, and customize your game experience.
- Real-time matches
- Seasonal ranks and leaderboards
- Multiple game modes
- Connect with friends
- Character and theme customization
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Ephod™ is a real-time strategy card game where you collect gems, purchase cards, and outsmart opponents to score points. Manage your resources wisely and be the first to reach the target score. ◆ Key Features ◆ • Real-Time Matches – Compete with players worldwide in strategic battles • Season Ranks – Earn points, climb the ladder, and prove your skills each season • Leaderboards – Compare global and friend rankings • Multiple Modes – Ranked, Quick Match, Private, and Custom games • Friends & Likes – Connect with players you’ve met and show appreciation • Customization – Personalize your character and game themes Download now and prove your skills among players from all around the world!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ephod™ at 4.6 against Ascension's 3.4. Ephod™ also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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 Ephod™ sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Ephod™ holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 1K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 43% of Ephod™'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Ephod™ weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ascension | Ephod™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (1.1K ratings) | 4.6 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.0% of reviews — better | 43.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 1K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — 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 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.2 GB | 212 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Playdek, Inc. | Jinhyeok Jeong |
Customer experience
Ascension
Ephod™
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
Ephod™
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great implementation of Splendor
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💎 Faithful recreation of the board game
- 🎨 Excellent visual design
- 🤝 Enjoyable multiplayer experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- 🔁 Excessive need to update the app
- 🕰️ Freezing and turn skipping issues
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads and coins
- 🔌 Connectivity problems and disconnections
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
Ephod™
Reported bugs
5 issues- Blank screens and loading issues
- Incorrect scoring and noble card distribution
- Account login and progress loss problems
- Unresponsive controls and buttons
- Crashes and force-quits during gameplay
Requested features
5 requests- Offline/single-player mode
- Ability to customize game settings (e.g., points target)
- Replay/review functionality
- Improved matchmaking and ranked system
- Support for more players in private games
In-app purchases
Ascension
- Storm of Souls expansion$0.99
- Promo Pack 1$0.99
- Immortal Heroes expansion$0.99
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- 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
Ephod™
- 3,000$1.99
- 6,600$3.99
- 11,500$6.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Remove Pre-Game Ads$6.99
- Stocking Pass$7.99








