In the archenemy menu screenshot (4th pic), I can just make out some new art (the deck icons) for some planeswalkers (Nissa, Garruk and Liliana?). Are these just used for the DotP game or do you think they will they be used for future cards in paper form?
Eh, it's not a great card in-game, but gameplay in Duels can easily be slow enough that it's not completely worthless. At least, when you're sticking to the base game and the first expansion or so... the later expansions can be quite a bit faster and/or more cutthroat.
"Bad cards" is a different concept for this game compared to normal Magic, though. Because your deck, and all your opponents' decks, are fixed, the deckbuilding component of the game is removed. All that remains is actual gameplay and skill. A card that is pretty bad in normal constructed Magic isn't necessarily so in Duels, because there isn't any alternative available.
When you're playing poker, or any game that uses playing cards, you don't complain about the fact that you can't customize the deck to change the mix of suits and values. You play the game with the predetermined deck, and let luck and skill determine the gameplay. Duels isn't the same as normal Magic in that regard, because deckbuilding is only barely existent (you can customize a small percentage of your deck with cards earned through winning games), putting the entire focus on gameplay. It's not for everyone, but I've played it often when I was in the mood for a game but wasn't necessarily interested in having to deal with deckbuilding first. A lot of the time I do want to play with something I've made myself, but not all the time. It's refreshing to be able to just grab a deck and play, no strings attached.
"Bad cards" is a different concept for this game compared to normal Magic, though. Because your deck, and all your opponents' decks, are fixed, the deckbuilding component of the game is removed. All that remains is actual gameplay and skill. A card that is pretty bad in normal constructed Magic isn't necessarily so in Duels, because there isn't any alternative available.
When you're playing poker, or any game that uses playing cards, you don't complain about the fact that you can't customize the deck to change the mix of suits and values. You play the game with the predetermined deck, and let luck and skill determine the gameplay. Duels isn't the same as normal Magic in that regard, because deckbuilding is only barely existent (you can customize a small percentage of your deck with cards earned through winning games), putting the entire focus on gameplay. It's not for everyone, but I've played it often when I was in the mood for a game but wasn't necessarily interested in having to deal with deckbuilding first. A lot of the time I do want to play with something I've made myself, but not all the time. It's refreshing to be able to just grab a deck and play, no strings attached.
Kinda defeats the purpose of a tcg if you can't customize your decks. I haven't touched Duels because of this, though I still recommend it to new players since its a pretty good way to learn the game.
Well, you don't play Duels because it's a TCG. You play because of the strategy involved in actually playing, regardless of how the deck has been constructed. Unless you only play Magic for the collecting and deckbuilding elements, it still has something to offer. I've had plenty of fun with it; plenty of games have been very challenging, not because of deckbuilding (since the opponent's deck isn't really more optimized than what you're playing) but because of the challenge in outplaying even an AI opponent with a combination of luck and skill. The game isolates certain parts of Magic: The Gathering and eliminates or greatly reduces others. It works fine for my purposes of wanting to play a game and practice my skills without having to spend time and money on deck construction or finding an opponent.
The cards used in Duels of the Planeswalkers aren't necessarily the same as those that will be in the core set.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
In the archenemy menu screenshot (4th pic), I can just make out some new art (the deck icons) for some planeswalkers (Nissa, Garruk and Liliana?). Are these just used for the DotP game or do you think they will they be used for future cards in paper form?
And it still sucks, even in the generally toned-down environment of Duels.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
When you're playing poker, or any game that uses playing cards, you don't complain about the fact that you can't customize the deck to change the mix of suits and values. You play the game with the predetermined deck, and let luck and skill determine the gameplay. Duels isn't the same as normal Magic in that regard, because deckbuilding is only barely existent (you can customize a small percentage of your deck with cards earned through winning games), putting the entire focus on gameplay. It's not for everyone, but I've played it often when I was in the mood for a game but wasn't necessarily interested in having to deal with deckbuilding first. A lot of the time I do want to play with something I've made myself, but not all the time. It's refreshing to be able to just grab a deck and play, no strings attached.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
Kinda defeats the purpose of a tcg if you can't customize your decks. I haven't touched Duels because of this, though I still recommend it to new players since its a pretty good way to learn the game.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)