Smutstone review
Smutstone is a deck-building game with a story campaign and separate player-versus-player leagues. The developer describes upgrading cards between battles. I’d start with the campaign if I wanted time to learn how my cards worked together before taking that deck into a league.
Choose a game with a loop you’ll want to repeat
The studio lists a campaign, dungeons and guild battles. Those are different reasons to return to the same deck. A campaign gives you a story to follow. A league gives you other players to face. Itch.io NSFW is a better starting point if you’re still deciding between a card game and another kind of independent release.
Read what credits buy
Smutstone’s terms say that credits can come from in-game activities or purchases and are redeemed for extra content within the game. I’d look at what I could do in the campaign before paying for any add-ons. The publisher describes the game as adults-only and identifies its characters as fictional adults in the store’s content notice.
Anabel’s take
I’d choose a deck and give the story a chance to make me care about the next battle. If I enjoyed changing the deck between rounds, I’d have a reason to try the competitive side too.