The latest version of Duels of the Planeswalkers is out for IOS, PC and Xbox. It's free to play and is supposedly the final version. Rather than make a new one each year they plan to update this one with new cards an d game modes. I imagine the card updates are a lot more frequent than anything else given Magic's digital past record.
It's designed for beginners and a lot of the initial game is painfully slow for experienced players but probably a little fast for real beginners. The use of the word "skill" when referring to "skill quests" is a real misnomer. They comprise of quests such as "Trample Skill Quest", your creature has trample, press attack and the A.I. will block and you still win. I literally just had to push attack and that was it. The intricacies of trample are described in a blob of text rather than in game play so I doubt anyone is left much the wiser but it is ok overall.
It's designed for beginners and a lot of the initial game is painfully slow for experienced players but probably a little fast for real beginners. The use of the word "skill" when referring to "skill quests" is a real misnomer. They comprise of quests such as "Trample Skill Quest", your creature has trample, press attack and the A.I. will block and you still win. I literally just had to push attack and that was it. The intricacies of trample are described in a blob of text rather than in game play so I doubt anyone is left much the wiser but it is ok overall.
I know a lot of people tell new players interested in the game to just go and learn by playing Duels of the Planeswalkers but unless they are super keen they will probably need some additional help.
After getting through the initial campaign it gets more interesting for experienced players. There are some preset matches where you play a premade deck up against the A.I. with their decks in a scenario. Some of them are better than others. Nissa taking on Emrakul the third stage of Nissa’s campaign was pretty epic and the last stag of Liliana’s campaign where she fights all 4 demons in a row is very cool as well.
After the campaign you are left with the meat of the game. Playing the A.I. to win coins to purchase more packs of cards or playing a ranked game against other players and trying to climb the ladder while also pocketing coins.
The initial launch of the game didn’t go well with a lot of users experiencing bugs or not even being able to play the game. I myself could not play the game until I had to update Windows, fiddle with my graphics card, flick my screen and throw random items at the wall. Since then I haven’t had any problems but just saying that makes me worry I have jinxed it.
After the campaign you are left with the meat of the game. Playing the A.I. to win coins to purchase more packs of cards or playing a ranked game against other players and trying to climb the ladder while also pocketing coins.
The initial launch of the game didn’t go well with a lot of users experiencing bugs or not even being able to play the game. I myself could not play the game until I had to update Windows, fiddle with my graphics card, flick my screen and throw random items at the wall. Since then I haven’t had any problems but just saying that makes me worry I have jinxed it.
Apart from the archetype quests which often feel like a chore I have been pretty happy with this game and have been playing it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s a weird type of half pauper block constructed and the developers did a good job with the card pool.
I largely play the ladder system and have been enjoying it without spending a cent. It is truly free to play but only if you are patient. I think plenty of people will drop some dollars to play with the cards they want right now and that’s pretty understandable and defensible. I prefer to stay a “freebie” player because I actually enjoy the collection aspect. With moderate play you tend to open about one booster a day, that is only 6 cards so it can feel painfully slow a lot of the time but when you get something you have been wanting or even useful after a week of instantly forgettable cards it’s a great feeling. I have never been so excited to open an Elvish Visionary in paper Magic as I was when I got one last Monday on Duels.
I largely play the ladder system and have been enjoying it without spending a cent. It is truly free to play but only if you are patient. I think plenty of people will drop some dollars to play with the cards they want right now and that’s pretty understandable and defensible. I prefer to stay a “freebie” player because I actually enjoy the collection aspect. With moderate play you tend to open about one booster a day, that is only 6 cards so it can feel painfully slow a lot of the time but when you get something you have been wanting or even useful after a week of instantly forgettable cards it’s a great feeling. I have never been so excited to open an Elvish Visionary in paper Magic as I was when I got one last Monday on Duels.
That gotta catch em all aspect is definitely addictive but unlike most forms of Magic this feels like you can realistically do it without spending anything. That said this is only the first set and if the Hearthstone experience is a guide then it will get harder to keep up the larger the card pool gets.
The game has a pretty nice variety of decks and the meta seems in a good place right now. For a long time I hovered around rank 10 before going up to rank 30 with a burst. I now seem to hover around rank 25 and feel I need a couple of tasty unlocks (like a Nissa or Liliana) to give me the edge to go for rank 40 which is the highest in the game. In the initial ranks you will probably face another aggressive deck most of the time as they seem the easiest to put together with the starting card pool and are also the most effective against the A.I.
It gets more varied in the middle where mid range and synergy decks are more abundant and at the top you start to see 3 colour control decks which may or may not try and mill you out with Sphinx’s Tutelage.
Right now it feels like the green based ramp decks are the most popular but not to an overwhelming degree. On my recent losing streak from rank 30 to rank 25 I think I lost against 6 decks that were all very different from each other. Losing to Mage Ring Bullies with Faerie Miscreants one game and then Liliana going ultimate the next
Overall I feel this game does not get the respect it deserves from the more hard core Magic players but it’s a nice diversion and Magic is better for its existence. It certainly isn’t as slick as Hearthstone and requires a lot more patience but I think it’s a keeper.
It gets more varied in the middle where mid range and synergy decks are more abundant and at the top you start to see 3 colour control decks which may or may not try and mill you out with Sphinx’s Tutelage.
Right now it feels like the green based ramp decks are the most popular but not to an overwhelming degree. On my recent losing streak from rank 30 to rank 25 I think I lost against 6 decks that were all very different from each other. Losing to Mage Ring Bullies with Faerie Miscreants one game and then Liliana going ultimate the next
Overall I feel this game does not get the respect it deserves from the more hard core Magic players but it’s a nice diversion and Magic is better for its existence. It certainly isn’t as slick as Hearthstone and requires a lot more patience but I think it’s a keeper.
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