(This continues Jason’s E3 quick takes. I honestly don’t know how many more games he saw because he spent most of the show throwing up in West Hollywood at Tom CHick’s house.)
I’ve played a lot of Magic the Gathering. I started playing around the time of Unlimited and stopped around Ice Age. Some of you know what I’m talking about and some of you don’t. Here’s a quick translation: “Jason McMaster is a nerd of epic proportions.”
In this case – and very, very few others – this kind of cred puts me in a unique position. I’ve played the game in just about every form or incarnation. Thought I put down the cards early on, I’ve stayed up to date on the changes in the rules and every electronic version it has had to date. With this in mind, I can speak on the minutia of the rules and any changes in gameplay as someone who has been there. However, I’m not going to do that because a) you don’t care and b) it’s super boring. Instead, let’s discuss the streamlining and spectacle in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013.
The demo begins with a new animated sequence that introduces the new game. We’re going to be seeing a lot more from the famous mages that populate the Magic universe. Jace Beleren and Chanda Nalaar, among others, will be fighting against Nicol Bolas to determine the fate of the planes.
The new campaign is interesting as it switches up the pace and style of play between matches. One game might be a straight-up duel while the next a challenge or gimmick deck. The bosses are the same tough affairs they’ve always been, but now you can control the difficulty.
One thing Wizards is doing with 2013 is giving players the option of difficulty for the AI based on how much they know about Magic; essentially giving new players a break and teaching them the ropes at the same time. This is a smart move that could lead to a greater number of new players.
The new star rating system applied to decks is another boon. Before you play a match, you can scroll through your decks and see how it stacks up against your opponents in a few different categories. It makes picking the right deck for any occasion quick and painless.
The other thing that made an impression on me from the demo was the addition of the new Planechase style of play, which has just recently been released for the card game. In this mode, you play with larger cards that represent different planes and a die. Every turn you roll the die and if it comes up with a certain symbol, you can change the plane and draw a new one from the deck. The plane cards have different global effects that either help or harm your type of deck. It looks pretty interesting.
There are a lot of little changes such as the ability to tap mana without a card or the addition of different multiplayer types, but one thing caught my eye: if you go by your local card shop, you can get a small booster of the newest cards for free. For fans of Magic, this is a big deal. Free cards!
We don’t have to wait long for Duels of the Planeswalkers as it launches tomorrow, June 20th. One thing of note – this year also sees the first iPad release for the franchise.
I’m pretty psyched.
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I preordered this as soon as it appeared on Steam. I liked the previous versions quite a bit, though I apparently suck at Magic, judging from my very limited multiplayer experience with DotP. But I enjoyed the single player, specially the challenges. Good stuff.
So yeah, I guess everyone knows what I’ll (hopefully) play tomorrow night.
They’re very well crafted, addicting games. Magic, for all of it’s shortcomings, is a brilliant design.
Indeed. It’s one of the seminal, most signficant designs ever published. Take away all the “Mr. Suitcase” and “cardboard crack” comments, innumerable jokes about fat dumpy kids playing it in the back of a game shop, and the whole collectible racket and what you’ve got is an absolutely amazing piece of design work. There’s a reason that this game is still one of the most widely played- and copied- hobby games designs of all time. It’s as important as Dungeons and Dragons.
I agree completely
I haven’t picked up a Magic Deck since the Ice Age expansion, but this really intrigues me. Have the rules changed so much that I’d be just like a newbie if I picked it up again?
Big things they changed is there are no more interrupts – it all goes on the stack as instants. There’s also no mana burn now, which was weird. A few things changed about how they handle drawing as well, you don’t draw first turn if you go first.
There’s some twiddly stuff, sure, but I think you’d be OK. The core is still there.
Thanks! I’ll prolly pick this up on XBLA this weekend… If I can get my kids off of Lego Batman2 long enough for me to try it out.
Planechase was originally put out in 2009. It’s one of the gimmicky magic things they do to sell more shit, imo.
I’m probably getting this tomorrow on XBLA.
haha
Oh man, I had no idea. That was during my Magic black out
Plane chase sounds like world events in Ascension…I wonder where those magic players who designed Ascension got the idea…?
Also, iPad support makes this a nearly instant purchase for me. Get that magic fix, on the cheap.