Shadowverse is a class based digital card game with 8 playable classes, in addition to Neutral cards which can be included in a deck of any class. In the sequel, Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, there are 7 playable classes, in addition to Neutral cards.
In the physical trading card game Shadowverse: Evolve, there are 6 playable classes, in addition to Neutral cards.
Forestcraft[]
Forestcraft is a class with a technical playstyle, specializing in using many cards per turn in order to create combos. Many cards and effects in this class fill your hand with inexpensive token cards, such as Fairies and Fairy Wisps. How a player utilizes these cards is the key to many Forestcraft strategies as they can have a variety of purposes.
Swordcraft[]
Swordcraft is a class focusing on the follower versus follower combat fundamentals of the game. It lends itself well to aggressive and tempo based playstyles centered around dealing a lot of damage quickly and maintaining dominance over the board. Trait synergies, such as those between Officers and Commanders, cards with the Rally keyword and evolving lots of followers are often at the core of Swordcraft.
Runecraft[]
Runecraft is a spell-slinging class that often focuses on dealing damage through effects and the Spellboost mechanic. Cards with Spellboost receive benefits based on the number of spells played while the card is in a player's hand, such as improvements to stats or damage potential, cost reduction, the activation of powerful effects and more. Earth Rite is another prevalent archetype of Runecraft, which is based around generating and using Earth Sigil amulets.
Dragoncraft[]
Dragoncraft is a ramp based class focused around boosting your play points to play high cost cards quicker and more often. Once the player has at least 7 play point orbs, Overflow effects activate. Dragoncraft playstyles can widely vary but often include big followers with high stats, along with finding ways to deal large amounts of damage at once.
Shadowcraft[]
Shadowcraft is a class centered around using a player's own destroyed followers to their advantage. This includes the use of Necromancy effects which spend Shadows, Last Words effects that activate when cards are destroyed, Burial Rite effects that sacrifice followers from the hand by putting them on the field and immediately destroying them, and Reanimate which can re-summon destroyed followers. Shadowcraft playstyles are widely varied, with many aggressive, midrange, and control based decks.
In Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, Shadowcraft is replaced by Abysscraft.
Bloodcraft[]
Bloodcraft is a class based around risk and reward. Many cards in this class deal damage to the player themselves for various benefits, such as Vengeance effects when a player's life total is at 10 or below, or Wrath effects once a player has dealt damage to themselves 7 or more times during a match. Drawing multiple cards per turn to activate Avarice can also be crucial. Aggressive and control tactics are commonly seen in Bloodcraft.
In Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, Bloodcraft is replaced by Abysscraft.
Havencraft[]
Havencraft is a class with a focus on making the best offense out of a good defense. Amulets with Countdown are frequently used in this class to summon strong followers or activate powerful effects, so players can make use of cards that reduce the countdown of these amulets faster. Followers with Ward and effects that restore defense are also often the center of Havencraft tactics. Control decks and slower archetypes are most common with this class.
Portalcraft[]
Portalcraft is a varied and versatile class with many midrange, control and combo based playstyles. Resonance effects activate when a player has an even number of cards in their deck, so manipulating one's own deck either through drawing or adding cards can be critical. Some effects may also require Resonance to have been activated a certain number of times during the match. Artifact followers and cards that generate Puppets are often the backbone of strategies found Portalcraft, along with synergy between cards that have the Machina trait.
Because it was not introduced until the release of Chronogenesis, Portalcraft is not playable and does not appear in Shadowverse: Champion's Battle. It is also not playable in Shadowverse: Evolve, where many of its cards are instead reassigned to other classes.
Abysscraft[]
Abysscraft is a class in Shadowverse: Evolve and Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond. It combines Shadowcraft and Bloodcraft features a playstyle and mechanics drawing from both classes.
In SVE, these include followers with abilities such as Necrocharge, which activate once you have a certain number of cards in your cemetery, and Sanguine, which activate if your leader has taken damage during the current turn.