Straw dummies may be brainless, but you’ll need all your gray matter for Scarecrow Tactics’ sneaky card contests. Armed with a mix of Soldiers and Scarecrows, you and your opponent play cards to claim regions on the board. Use your Scarecrows’ special powers—like the Low Cow, which scores a point even if you have fewer Soldiers at a location—and bluff your way to a win!

What we love: The delightfully eccentric vibe. Whimsical music and hand-drawn art immerse you in a surreal game world. Win a match and you might see a hooded-skeleton foe get cooked in carrot soup while your fanged-deer character celebrates its victory.

Quick tip: Losing an individual zone is fine if you end up with the most points overall, so try piling Scarecrows into a high-points zone to make your opponent think you’re trying to capture it. Hopefully, they’ll commit lots of Solider cards to that spot—while you sneakily use your own Soldiers to snag two or more other zones.

Meet the creator: Kim Hyunjoong and Lee Gangyong—the two-person team behind Scarecrow Tactics—waded through muddy wetlands to research the game’s oddball deer character. Luckily, they didn’t meet any with giant fangs.