jacobvandy wrote on May 24, 2013, 01:31:
and you cannot create your own decks from scratch.

That's like half the fun of M:tG...

Creston

I found deck-building to be one of the most engaging parts of MTG and other CCGs, which is another reason why I haven't been very interested in these annual releases. You're right about these not really being P2W though. That's more MTG Online's territory.

Think of it as if you were to just by the pre-made themed decks and just play those.

You can swap out cards in decks, but I don't recall being able to make an entirely custom deck.

Considering you can get this with all the DLC once a year for less than the price of two pre-made themed decks of the physical cards, it's a good deal even if you only play it a few times. There is a single player campaign and you can play multiplayer or coop.

This comment was edited on May 24, 2013, 05:32.

nin wrote on May 23, 2013, 21:38:

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on Steam.

Never played these before, but holy cow...is it just a game designed to sell you more stuff?

Only in three ways:

1) Expansions (which are pretty affordable, really)
2) They release a new bloody version every year like EA does sports games
3) Purchasable foil cards (I don't get it either)

Despite #2, I've still bought it three years running now, usually on sale.

Duels of the Planeswalkers is actually a refreshing change from the IRL Magic Experience, where you need to spend hundreds of dollars to stand a chance against a decent player, or drop $20+ in cards just to participate in a sealed deck tournament.

It helps to have a computer keeping track of all the rules and math that goes along with the physical version of a duel. :p

I have no patience for the RL card game but these computerized versions are pretty good games. The version I played ('11 or '12 version) differed pretty significantly from the RL card game.

They sell you pre-made decks, which they at least try to balance with everything else available, and you cannot create your own decks from scratch. You're buying different playstyles, not better cards.

Besides the three deck packs and the one expansion, there isn't anything else that really can be considered P2W. The foils are cosmetic and the deck unlocks are not necessary. You can access all the cards by completing the solo challenges. The Magic 2013 Gold Game Bundle for 6.79 USD is all the content available for the game at present. Compared to the base game all by itself at 3.39 USD, 3.40 is hardly a "P2W arms race"...

The actual physical trading card game itself though is a P2W arms race absolutely. I threw away hundreds of dollars on it back in the 1990s but the computer adaptation featured here is much more limited in cards available (which prevents the arms race aspect from even being a factor in the current title).

Cutter wrote on May 23, 2013, 21:59:

nin wrote on May 23, 2013, 21:38:

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on Steam.

Never played these before, but holy cow...is it just a game designed to sell you more stuff?

Granted the train simulator still wins, cost wise...

Well, no because there's no competition in the train sim. It's solely for hobbyists where TCGs are all about P2W if you plan on playing anyone other than the AI. I like the gameplay of TCGs but I could never get into anything that's designed like that.

Yeah, I wish they'd make another game like Etherlords, with CCG-type gameplay, but primarily single-player. No way am I getting into the P2W arms race for something like MTG.

nin wrote on May 23, 2013, 21:38:

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on Steam.

Never played these before, but holy cow...is it just a game designed to sell you more stuff?

Granted the train simulator still wins, cost wise...

Well, no because there's no competition in the train sim. It's solely for hobbyists where TCGs are all about P2W if you plan on playing anyone other than the AI. I like the gameplay of TCGs but I could never get into anything that's designed like that.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on Steam.

Never played these before, but holy cow...is it just a game designed to sell you more stuff?

Granted the train simulator still wins, cost wise...