Designer: Matt Simpson

Matt Simpson's Ecosystem stands as a brilliant example of streamlined card drafting merged with spatial puzzle mechanics. Players pass cards and arrange them into evolving habitats where each species scores based on its relationship to neighboring cards—dragonflies thrive near water, bears hunt fish, and hawks prefer open meadows. The result is an elegant system where every placement creates cascading consequences, rewarding players who can visualize how their tableau will score at game's end.

This design appeals particularly to thoughtful groups seeking quick, replayable strategy without heavy rules overhead. At 2-6 players and roughly 20 minutes, it works beautifully as a gateway to more complex drafters or as a satisfying filler for experienced gamers. Fans of Sushi Go! looking for deeper spatial reasoning or 7 Wonders players wanting something faster will find Simpson's ecological puzzle remarkably engaging.