Earthcore: Shattered Elements (Free), the innovative CCG by Tequila Games, continues to pleasantly surprise me. If you haven’t had a chance to play the game yet, this is a CCG that innovates by using a Risk and Element system that makes even the weakest card actually useful. By using this Risk system, the game forces players to rethink many of the strategies often used in most CCGs. The game has just received its first major update today that adds a new feature, Events, new unique cards (with new skills), and also an upgraded matchmaking system (the old system irked some in our forums).

When I reviewed the game a few weeks ago, I talked about its great multiplayer system that is easily among the best on the App Store. The addition of Events shows once more that Tequila Games knows how to build multiplayer experiences. Earthcore‘s Events are free to enter, last for a few days, and offer some great rewards to both beginner and experienced players.

The current Event, Call of Champions, plays out as a mini-tournament, but the rewards are cards and hero cards that can only be earned in this event. While games like Hearthstone offer a card-back as a reward for multiplayer achievement (or, in the case of Tavern Brawl, a classic pack), Earthcore provides much better rewards that make each Event unique and give more incentives to players. Both the update and the Call of Champions Event are currently live. If you haven’t tried Earthcore, now would be a good time to go see what this really good CCG can offer.