Duel Masters: Shadow of the Code is one of those GBA card battlers that flew under the radar but actually holds up pretty well. You start off with a basic deck—mostly fire and nature creatures, if I remember right—and the tutorial throws you straight into a duel against some smug AI opponent. The mechanics feel like a streamlined Magic: The Gathering, but with its own quirks, like shields breaking instead of direct life points.

What surprised me was how much strategy sneaks in once you unlock more cards. The shadow civilization stuff adds this cool risk-reward dynamic where you’re constantly deciding whether to play it safe or go all-in. And yeah, the sprite work for the creatures is surprisingly detailed for a GBA game—seeing your dragon or mech actually attack never gets old.

It’s not perfect (the story mode’s dialogue is cheesy as hell), but if you’re into retro card games, this one’s a solid time capsule.