A while back, when Magic was just starting out (in 1997-98, around The Dark, Legends, and Arabian Nights) MicroProse released the original Magic: the Gathering computer game. The game featured a campaign where you would wander around the world of Shandalar, exploring the world, doing various things besides dueling every NPC you came across. As you did so, you would unlock cards that you could use to upgrade your deck. And as for outside the campaign, there was a deck builder built in to the game, where you had access to every card in 4th Edition, and (with the expansion Spells of the Ancients), Arabian Nights, The Dark, and Legends, and could design decks to play against AI opponents that were built into the game itself. Plus, you could play with friends over the internet at no cost besides the fee you paid to your internet service provider.
Fast forward to 2007, and switch card games (yes, groan if you must) to Yugioh. If you have ever been browsing DS games at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or perhaps Gamestop, you may have seen the Yugioh World Championship series of games. These games have been using this same idea for the past 6 years. They had every card ever printed, pre-made opponent decks, and a deck construction ability, with the ability to unlock cards by beating opponents repeatedly, which gave you DP(Duel Points, the in-game currency), which you would take to the in-game shop menu to buy cards from in-game booster packs, which were based off of the originals, same name and all, with the hopes of unlocking new cards. In newer editions of the games, you had the added campaigns as well, which mainly followed the TV show, but still functioned similarly to the original MtG computer game.
And now, we go to today, with the new Duels of the Planeswalkers series for XBox 360, PS3, PC, and iPad. Take everything that you had in the original MtG game, and throw away the card selection, take away the walk-around campaign, get rid of most of the card unlocks, and you have the DotP series. The only things you have in the game, are specific decks, with about 20 unlockable cards each, and that's it. You do have different game modes, like Planechase, Two-headed Giant, and Archenemy, but in my eyes, it is not enough. The Duels series should be more of a throwback to the original game, where you have every card from Magic's history, a way to unlock some of the more OP cards, and a deck creation feature, where you could make decks from the cards you currently have unlocked, save them to the system, and play against some AI opponents or a friend over the internet. While some people say that this is why MTGO is around, some of us are not able to shell out the money for it. I am looking for a game like this, similar in play to the Yugioh DS games, where when new sets are released, they are simply put in as cheap DLC. To balance multiplayer gameplay, put MtG's Banned list into the game, and update it whenever there are relevant bannings. How do you think this idea would work, and do you think that we could ever see this game from Wizards?
Sounds good. I can't wait for them to put Planeswalker cards in the game. I thought it might happen as a dlc or an update or something last time since they showed the Lorwyn 5's current Planeswalker cards in the game, but sadly it did not.
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Thanks to XenoNinja at Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig.
I don't think Duels is going to evolve much further then it is. It's too good at as a gateway drug to MTGO or Buying Boosters.
For instance I think they will never let you play with planeswalkers in Duels, I think that this is very much one of the biggest hooks that get you cracking packs.
I would also be suprised if they ever support Commander play in duels as much as that would be perfect.
Same way I doubt we will ever be able to build (and test) competitive level decks.
Basically Duels will never be a complete experience and should always leave you wanting more.
I think it's fine as is, especially when you consider the target. They've been brandishing it as a tool to teach newbies to play, and many of the suggestions are simply too complex to wrap around for most newer players. Argue if you must against that, but it's certainly the case for WotC to think that custom decks, complete card accessibility, planeswalkers, and dual lands are a pinch too difficult to get off the bat. Granted, they're testing the waters with sealed campaigns.
Fast forward to 2007, and switch card games (yes, groan if you must) to Yugioh. If you have ever been browsing DS games at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or perhaps Gamestop, you may have seen the Yugioh World Championship series of games. These games have been using this same idea for the past 6 years. They had every card ever printed, pre-made opponent decks, and a deck construction ability, with the ability to unlock cards by beating opponents repeatedly, which gave you DP(Duel Points, the in-game currency), which you would take to the in-game shop menu to buy cards from in-game booster packs, which were based off of the originals, same name and all, with the hopes of unlocking new cards. In newer editions of the games, you had the added campaigns as well, which mainly followed the TV show, but still functioned similarly to the original MtG computer game.
And now, we go to today, with the new Duels of the Planeswalkers series for XBox 360, PS3, PC, and iPad. Take everything that you had in the original MtG game, and throw away the card selection, take away the walk-around campaign, get rid of most of the card unlocks, and you have the DotP series. The only things you have in the game, are specific decks, with about 20 unlockable cards each, and that's it. You do have different game modes, like Planechase, Two-headed Giant, and Archenemy, but in my eyes, it is not enough. The Duels series should be more of a throwback to the original game, where you have every card from Magic's history, a way to unlock some of the more OP cards, and a deck creation feature, where you could make decks from the cards you currently have unlocked, save them to the system, and play against some AI opponents or a friend over the internet. While some people say that this is why MTGO is around, some of us are not able to shell out the money for it. I am looking for a game like this, similar in play to the Yugioh DS games, where when new sets are released, they are simply put in as cheap DLC. To balance multiplayer gameplay, put MtG's Banned list into the game, and update it whenever there are relevant bannings. How do you think this idea would work, and do you think that we could ever see this game from Wizards?
Thanks to XenoNinja at Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig.
For instance I think they will never let you play with planeswalkers in Duels, I think that this is very much one of the biggest hooks that get you cracking packs.
I would also be suprised if they ever support Commander play in duels as much as that would be perfect.
Same way I doubt we will ever be able to build (and test) competitive level decks.
Basically Duels will never be a complete experience and should always leave you wanting more.
You'd think the program should actually work given that price though...