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[ultron87]

Title: Magic: The Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
Release Date: June 20th, 2012. PSN: June 19
Price: $10.00
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Steam, iPad
Developer: Stainless Games
Official Website: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/DuelsOfThePlaneswalkers.aspx

What is Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013?

Duels of the Planeswalkers is a digital version of the popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. It follows the same basic rules, and features 10 pre-constructed decks that can be customized with additional cards that are unlocked by winning games. It includes both single player duels against computer controlled players, and multiplayer duels against other online players.

New from DOTP 2012

• Available on iPad for the first time!
• Ten New Decks
• Planechase multiplayer mode (replace Archenemy from 2012)
• New Encounter matches in single player where you test your deck against a deck playing a specific strategy that plays the same way every game.
• New challenge puzzles.
• Choose which of your lands will be tapped when casting a spell with multi-color decks!
• The End Step is now a part of the turn allowing you to cast Instants at the end of the player's turn.

What decks can I play this time?

All Ten Official Decklists + Unlocks: http://www.wizards.com/magic/digital/duelsoftheplaneswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/digital/d13/decklists

Born of Flame - Red burn deck.

Celestial Light - White lifegain deck.

Crosswinds - Blue flyers deck with various control and card drawing spells.

Pack Instinct - Green "timmy" deck with lots of big creatures and mana ramping spells.

Goblin Deck - Some sort of Goblin deck featuring Krenko.

- Liliana deck - http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/199

I've never played Magic before. Is this a good introduction?

Yes! This is one the best ways to learn how to play Magic and it has a very low barrier of entry. A lot of the math and rules minutia is taken care of for you and you can get information on any specific ability or card with a button press.

Can I build my own decks?

As in previous DOTP games there is no option to create a deck completely from scratch. However, each deck now contains 30 unlockable cards that can be swapped with other cards which should allow for plenty of customization within each deck.

Do I get cool physical cards for buying the game?

Yep! Each version of the game will include a code that can be provided to your local participating game store to get a special promo booster pack. This booster will contain cards from the as yet unreleased Magic 2013 core set and a specific Mythic Rare card based on your platform. The Steam or iPad versions get Serra Avatar, Xbox 360 gets Primordial Hydra, and Playstation 3 gets Vampire Nocturnus. The Vampire Nocturnus is likely the most valuable of the three both in terms of financial value and playability. *Update: Actual promo art added below.

Reviews

Joystiq - 4 1/2 out of 5

Resources

GAF's Magic: The Gathering |OT|
Wizards of the Coast's Offical DOTP Forum
iPad Gamecenter Name list - Visit the iOS Boardgaming Megathread and check out their master spreadsheet and add yourself.

 

[Grecco]

Im in again for this. Loved the first 2 MTG games.

 

[WanderingWind]

I'll be buying this on PS3 for the new Nocturnus art and the iPad to actually play on.

 

[archnemesis]

I already bought it and now I'm staring at the timer waiting for it to unlock.

 

[kirblar]

PS3 totally got the best end of the (system color-themed) promos.

 

[joeygreco1985]

Picked the first two up on PC, getting this one on iPad. Totally picking upa box of Core 2013 cards next month too

 

[WanderingWind]

Picked the first two up on PC, getting this one on iPad. Totally picking upa box of Core 2013 cards next month too

ONE OF US ONE OF US
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=420282

No, for real. Swing by the official thread sometime.

 

[Takuan]

Holy shit @ PS3 promo. It's hard to beat the original art, but I'm still eager to see the alternate. The PC/iPad alternate art promo looks quite good, better than the oldschool version for sure. May cop on both PC/Triple.

Should anyone buy any version of DOTP and NOT want to redeem their promo, let me know.

Edit: Just saw the alt art for all cards. Nocturnus lookin' pretty weaksauce, but not as bad as the M10 pre-release promo art. Can't complain for $0. Digging the other promos!

 

[Tizoc]

MY BODY IS READY!
My PSN username is Tizoc789 if anyone wants to play against me after this game gets released drop a PM ;3

Damn this june is packing-
VF5 FS
Ratchet & Clank HD Collection
LEGO DC
Lolipop Chainsaw
Magic 2013

 

[ultron87]

Holy shit @ PS3 promo. It's hard to beat the original art, but I'm still eager to see the alternate. The PC/iPad alternate art promo looks quite good, better than the oldschool version for sure. May cop on both PC/Triple.

I updated the OP with all 3 new arts for the promo cards. : / at Nocturnus. And Hydra now just looks Progenitus-ey. And fuzzy. A hydra shouldn't look fuzzy.

 

[kirblar]

The Hydra looks like it's straight out of Prometheus.

 

[Dynamic3]

Couldn't you unlock cards by winning multiplayer games as well in '12?

Also, still no iPad info?

 

[Takuan]

I updated the OP with all 3 new arts for the promo cards. : / at Nocturnus. And Hydra now just looks Progenitus-ey. And fuzzy. A hydra shouldn't look fuzzy.

It's also a complete rip-off of Jason Chan's Apocalypse Hydra, but to be honest, I prefer this over the Aleksi Briclot original (and normally, I love the guy's work).

 

[Gala]

My body is ready! And my iPad an PC, too!

 

[ultron87]

Couldn't you unlock cards by winning multiplayer games as well in '12?

Also, still no iPad info?

If that was the case in 2012 it is probably true here too. I never really messed around in MP without a fully equipped deck so I wouldn't know. I'll update the OP to just say "winning games".

There are some screenshots of iPad gameplay out there, but beyond that I haven't seen much.

 

[Emitan]

This and Pokemon Conquest in the same week? Fuck I don't have enough hours in the day

 

[piratepwnsninja]

Asynchronous on the iPad? I'm getting it on the iPad regardless, but would be awesome if it had Asynchronous play.

 

[joeygreco1985]

Anyone interested in trading promos? Was thinking of getting this on Steam in addition to the iPad, so 2 Serra Avatars for me. Wouldnt mind trading one for the Vampire

 

[The Technomancer]

This looks to be a marker improvement over the previous two just because of the card selection. Planechase is icing on the cake.

 

[Minsc]

Asynchronous on the iPad? I'm getting it on the iPad regardless, but would be awesome if it had Asynchronous play.

Magic the Gathering wouldn't work well with Asynchronous gameplay. Say the game between 2 people lasts for 50 turns (25 rounds). A game wouldn't just be 50 back and forths, on each of the 50 turns, lets say you perform an average of 10 actions (tapping a land, casting a card, declaring an attack, choosing a blocker, responding to an opponent's cast, etc). Every one of those 500 actions (at 10 actions per turn, 50 turns) during the game would involve sending it to the other player's court to see if they want to perform an action in response to the action performed, then you also have set phases where they are allowed to perform an action, let's say they pin 5 phases per turn, that's another 250 passes of the ball for a single game, with a grand total of 750 moves. I guess it's not impossible, but it certainly would suck imo. Real time is the way to go.

 

[ultron87]

Asynchronous on the iPad? I'm getting it on the iPad regardless, but would be awesome if it had Asynchronous play.

I have not seen confirmation either way, but I think there are too many back and forth passes in an average turn of Magic to make for a particularly efficient or fun asynchronous game. With the current DOTP format on each turn you'd have to check with the other player when you end your first main phase, when you declare attackers, when they declare blockers, after you pass after they declare blockers, at the end of your second main phase, and in the end step. And then every time anyone casts a spell you'd have to go back and forth.

And god forbid you're playing Planechase with 4 players.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

So long as green and red are viable, I'm in.

 

[Tizoc]

What the...
I don't like the art for Nocturnus, the one in 2012 was more badass and terrifying.
...now it's just some generic vampire art =/

 

[Takuan]

What the...
I don't like the art for Nocturnus, the one in 2012 was more badass and terrifying.
...now it's just some generic vampire art =/

It's pretty bad, but it's not as bad as this:

You can always trade for/buy the M13 reprint.

 

[ultron87]

I'm glad that I really have no interest in playing a mono-black deck in paper Magic. Otherwise I would have to buy the PS3 version too.

I'm already really close to buying both iPad and 360.

 

[TheSeks]

I really gotta finish the co-op camp. in DotP09 and finish the campaign in DotP12. Oy, I think they need to lay off these yearly releases for a small bit. :/

 

[TenaciousNorth]

I can attest to these games being perfect introductions for card game, I bought the original when it was on sale some time ago out of curiosity and now here we are two years later with all of my friends being deep in to Magic spending more money on cards than they would care to admit. I held off on buying cards for a long time but now that I have my wallet hates me.

 

[Takuan]

I can attest to these games being perfect introductions for card game, I bought the original when it was on sale some time ago out of curiosity and now here we are two years later with all of my friends being deep in to Magic spending more money on cards than they would care to admit. I held off on buying cards for a long time but now that I have my wallet hates me.

Yup, that's how they got me back in, too. I saw all these cool new cards, new card frames, new abilities, fantastic art... and now I'm spending at least a hundred bucks every quarter when a new set comes out - more if I buy boxes.

 

[darkside31337]

Nice to see decks having more unlockable cards. As much as I love DOTP it'd be more fun if they remade Shandalar. Will never happen I know

I'll be buying it on the PS3. I'm a trophy whore of sorts, it's where I've always bought DOTP and it's nice that it comes with the best promo too.

 

[Little Old Man]

Definitely getting the PC version! Maybe double dip for PS3 too?

 

[Card Boy]

Pre-ordered on PC. I might double dip on the iPad version. Disappointed in the Pre-order bonuses this time around, was expecting a TF2 hat that I can sell for 15bucks again.

 

[commish]

Yup, that's how they got me back in, too. I saw all these cool new cards, new card frames, new abilities, fantastic art... and now I'm spending at least a hundred bucks every quarter when a new set comes out - more if I buy boxes.

I'm interested in the game, can't wait to try it. I've never played a Magic game, so I really don't understand how/why someone would spend hundreds of dollars on a card...

 

[Gillian Seed]

MY BODY IS READY!
My PSN username is Tizoc789 if anyone wants to play against me after this game gets released drop a PM ;3

Damn this june is packing-
VF5 FS
Ratchet & Clank HD Collection
LEGO DC
Lolipop Chainsaw
Magic 2013

Ratchet & Clank HD Collection got moved from October to this Month? O_O

 

[Gillian Seed]

It's pretty bad, but it's not as bad as this:

You can always trade for/buy the M13 reprint.

I love this one! Has a Old School SOTN Vampire feel to it. I actually dislike the Normal Nocturnus Art. The new PS3 Promo Art is really good though. IMO

 

[firehawk12]

Wow, is this an annual franchise now?

I bought 2012 and never did touch it. lol

 

[Card Boy]

Wow, is this an annual franchise now?

Its cheaper than buying physical cards! 10bucks is nothing.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

If I get the Steam version, would I be able to play it on ipad and vice versa?

 

[The Technomancer]

If I get the Steam version, would I be able to play it on ipad and vice versa?

I don't think the infrastructure to do that easily exists unfortunately, which means they'd probably have to give out keys for both versions which would be a pain and thus I don't see them doing it...

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

At some point, I'd like to be able to import all the old decks I bought in previous versions. That would be neat. If that isn't possible for free, I'd even pay 1200 points for a DLC that contained all the decks from previous games in the console series.

 

[zulux21]

Its cheaper than buying physical cards! 10bucks is nothing.

it's also easier to play magic with your college buddies after you all separated, it's a pain to play magic with real cards with my friend who is 1.5k miles from me lol

I am fine with the yearly franchise thing as well as I have cleared over 100 hours in the previous 2, easily worth the money for me.

I just wish that the preorder bonus on steam wasn't basically a punishment for me... I love playing late at night with the AI to get myself sleepy so I can go to bed, losing one of the decks because I preordered to do that with is poopy... plus losing another just because I owned 2012... bleh.... oh well the other 8 decks should still offer around 40 hours of single player play for me.

 

[firehawk12]

Its cheaper than buying physical cards! 10bucks is nothing.

Was there still that grinding process to unlock new cards and decks in 2012? With the option to pay to unlock everything?

At that point, it's almost like buying the cards.

 

[joe2187]

This game turned one of my friends into a giant complete nerd, she now goes to local tournements and does game board nights at Ihop.

 

[Card Boy]

Was there still that grinding process to unlock new cards and decks in 2012? With the option to pay to unlock everything?

At that point, it's almost like buying the cards.

Well if you pre-order on Steam and have Magic 2012 you can unlock 2 of the Decks straight up. I think the option to unlock everything came fairly soon after release. I just pick up the Expansions and DLC at a sale for 75% off.

 

[UberTag]

Sure would have been nice to have this on Vita with shared decks and crossplay with the PS3 version.

 

[Freakinchair]

GET HYPE

Even though I play MTG:O like crazy I love these annual installments.

 

[Calidor]

I already Pre-bought this! going to be there on day 1 (actually 20th heh)

can't wait

 

[Augemitbutter]

i though the 2012 balance (vanilla) was pretty poor and it was kinda buggy. i hope this one is better.

won't be buying blindly this time.

 

[I'm an expert]

Didn't I just buy 2012 like a few months ago... or has it really been a year? wtf? Anyway I love these games but I always lose motivation to keep playing the online once I've unlocked all the cards. I really, really, really wish they'd let us make our own decks just mixing and matching the cards in the game. Might pass on this one.

 

[Tizoc]

Ratchet & Clank HD Collection got moved from October to this Month? O_O

Most of my games are EU region ;D

 

[Lord Phol]

I'm kind of sad I pre-ordred this on steam. Now I'll have two less decks to unlock .