Azul Duel

Azul was one of the first modern abstract games that I played, and I can see why its such a favorite: simple yet interactive play and really nice components that almost look good to eat. It was one that I felt was fine but for the longest time I was like "oh, I don't really need this in my library". I even bought it as a gift for my husband's family because I know its a good game. Eventually I did get a copy of it, but rather it was when they released a "mini" version. But before that I did try the hexagon one Azul: Queen's Garden, which I thought was okay but it eventually left my collection because I didn't feel very strongly about it..

As with the trend, eventually there was released the 2-player duel version called Azul Duel. From what other reviewers have said, it kind of takes different things from across the Azul variations and puts into this package. What I find interesting is similar to Queen's Garden you build out your board and choose how you want to build it out. There's also an interesting stacking mechanic with the leftover tiles, changing when tiles becomes available to draft from the left overs. And the newest edition, as far as I know, is the bonus chips that you can collect and use as a filler for missing tiles. This is especially important since the rounds are limited compared to previous Azuls that had end game conditions.

My husband and I tried it out at ECCC and I had a good time. For me, the unique elements help make up between what I liked and disliked from Queen's Garden compared to original Azul and the mitigation mechanic with the bonus chips is an excellent addition to the series. It retains the puzzly nature while doing some things a little different. It might not be to my husband's taste but I think its a neat little abstract game.