I've been a fan of MtG since almost the beginning. I haven't played much on the PC/iPad, etc., but I would have thought someone would at least have some comments on the release of Magic Duels: Origins on iOS. Is it just that bad, or is it that no one is particularly interested in this game anymore?

Thanks,

Allan

• I wasn't aware there was a significant Magic: The Gathering presence on Giant Bomb to begin with, seems like there isn't.
• I doubt anyone on this website outside of yourself and @bigjeffery & @mitch0712, who are this wiki page's only contributors are aware of this game's existence.

I like MTG and I've never heard of this.

Same here.

To be honest their yearly editions of Magic games really turned me off to what they were making. A good game with occasional DLC or paid content would be fine (something similar to Dota 2 or Hearthstone) and would get me interested. But when I have to pay for digital cards or when I'm expected to invest in DLC only to buy the next year's game it's a bit too much. Then again my interest in magic at this point is half nostalgia and half wanting to see what the game is nowadays.

I was playing the Duel of the Plainswalker series annually until the last game. My middle-school nostalgia was fulfilled. Plus I've had two different girlfriends wake up next to me playing it on my iPad overnight...and that shit is just sorta embarrassing.

I might check this out now.

Well this year's game is a complete departure to the way they've made the DotP games before. This one will be the "final" Duels game they make, with each new set being added automatically to the client. The game itself is F2P so yes, there are still microtransactions in the form of buying card packs, in the same vein as Hearthstone. They claim everything is 100% unlockable for free, if you have the time, too.

There's actually a decent number of Magic fans on GiantBomb. @thatpinguino has written several very good and reasonably popular Magic-themed blogs, and we even had a GiantBomb draft online as part of the GBCER4! Plus the Magic Twitter account has been tweeting about the release of this game constantly - I'm pretty sure most people with a current investment in Magic are aware of it, the problem is none of them care though.

I think it's partly that it's bad, but also partly because it's only out on iOS and has really strict hardware requirements. Most people play this game on PC anyway, so once that releases it will gain more attention for sure.

The real problem is they're trying to make it more appealing by saying it will get all future content updates, but because they're so afraid of canibalising the Magic Online market they gimp the Duels games in really stupid ways. The Duels games have only ever been useful if you are wanting to learn Magic as a new player. As a veteran they are incredibly disappointing.

I can't remember exactly the way it is but the packs in the game only have like 6 cards in (instead of the 15 in a real pack). In addition I'm fairly sure not all the cards in Origins are even in the game. They say the deck builder will be improved, but it has always been complete ass in the previous games - along with the rest of the interface being awkward to use. In the past the games haven't even let you choose what colour mana to tap for spells, it's that simplified. Magic can get real complicated real quick, and while MTGO allows you to do every little thing the way you want it is incredibly complicated, so for the Duels games they have compromised and aimed for style over substance (a la Hearthstone). Plus the game limits how many copies of each Rare and Mythic you can have.

I could go on, but here's just a link explaining the limitations: http://www.reddit.com/r/MagicDotP/comments/386ks6/magic_duels_origins_what_do_we_know/

I'm a huge fan of Magic - I went to two Magic Origins pre-release events, and won one of them - and I've played far more of the DotP games that I would care to admit. I'm waiting for Duels Origins to come out on Steam; I have a iPhone 5C, and the game only runs on 5S or later.

The market concern is not the only reason why they have to scale down Duels Origins. MTGO has over a decade of development history behind it, and it's still a broken mess that can't handle the nuances and complex interactions of the game. I agree that some of the enforced limitations are annoying - the fact that you can only use 1 copy of a mythic and 2 of a rare in your decks is horseshit - but direct comparisons between the two products really aren't a helpful critique of the DotP games.

I play a tonne of Magic, but I play paper magic, and Legacy at that.

The reason you don't have a tonne of Magic players talking about this game is that it simply isn't for us. It's primarily a marketing tool for the uninitiated to get them into the real game. If you're a serious Magic player playing the game digitally, you're either playing MTGO, or on something like LackeyCCG or Cockatrice.

I like MTG and this is the first time I've heard of this, but I don't really follow Magic like I used to. It also doesn't help that they didn't follow the format of previous years ("Duels of the Planeswalkers +Year").

Also it's not on Steam yet, so basically it doesn't actually exist. :P

I really just want MTG Online but with the Duels interface. Is that was "Magic Duels" is? I'll have to read up on this.

Edit: I don't play paper magic anymore and MTG: Online is a mess, so it's actually kind of exciting to hear they're at least planning on releasing new card sets that align with major set releases - something that the modding community has been doing for quite some time now for the older games.

Edit 2: They have planeswalker cards and Two-Headed Giant, so I'm on board.

Does anyone know if they have older sets as well? Or, rather, what's the oldest set that's in?

Cool, thanks for updating me.

True, they definitely aren't directly compatible. They're different products for different markets, and I strongly believe there is a market for a Hearthstone-eqsue casual Magic video game. I just wish it had better deckbuilding tools, interface and also a good limited format.

The oldest set in it is Origins. This game is gunna be the base for all Magic games going forward, so unfortunately they only plan to add the new sets as they come out.

I have played the previous Duels games for probably more than a 1000 hours total, so I care. That being said, GB isn't really my one-stop-shop for Magic discussion of any kind. We have a forum over at forum.nogoblinsallowed.com for exactly that.

I will say that this has the potencial to be the best Duels game of all time, but really depends on how they update it and how annoying the grind is going to become.

I still hope we get a quick look once the game hits Steam/Xbox in what should be a few days. If only to see Rorie make more fantastic misplays ;)

Is this on PS4 really? If it is I might check it out since it does not run on my iPad =/

@totsboy: Yeah but the PS4 release is delayed till August.

@bollard: Oh ok, explains why I could not find it. Thanks for the info!

They really dropped the ball with a digital MTG game, Hearthstone has been eating there lunch for a year now.

Much as I love Magic, I have 4 Duels games to go back to if I feel like playing a self-contained Magic game. MtG Online would be like doing paper magic but starting my collection over from scratch, so F that. My dad will want it, but he's still wanting to pick up 2015. I just don't see the appeal in dropping a ton of time or money in starting over with a digital magic collection.

The MTG video games are more gateway drugs than they are meaningful experiences for entrenched players. The games are intentionally limited in scope because they are designed to teach the game without providing enough content that people forgo paper magic or MTG Online. So if you already know the game, the video games don't really fill the deck building or interpersonal challenge needs that most people play the games for.

That reminds me, I need to get back into the game! I haven't touched a deck in a while and I'm getting antsy.

@thatpinguino: Didn't go to pre-release?

@bollard: My life is pretty hectic right now and I have to play FUCKING ADVENTURE GAMES AS PART OF A DEVIL'S BARGAIN OH GOD WHY!?

Did they ever say when the PC and other versions would be out? I see "around the 15th" on websites but that just seems dumb vague. Should we expect it tonight at midnight or some time tomorrow? Stealth Steam releases always seems super weird.

I guess that's fine. Kind of like a clean slate. Apparently they've made tons of new cards for the Origins set, too.

Looks like it'll be out later this month:

I just poked around the website of my local game store and damn near bought a booster box. My wallet thanks me that I didn't. I do hope this game turns out OK.

Seems odd to be "stealth releasing" a game you want people to pay money for. Feels like Magic's early days when no store knew when anything was coming in.

I am a pretty big MTGO guy, and I used to love duals in the set deck years. Now I just can't see the point of grinding through a simplified version of the game. I suppose it's still good for new people though.