Review: Step In The Left Direction With Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

For those of you who don’t know why the Magic: The Gathering is interesting: these motherf*&!ers plane shift between exotic alternate realities whilst summoning beings of incomprehensible power to battle against one another or creatures capable of devouring entire dimensions, all elegantly expressed through the joy of a children’s card game. Awesome, right? It is.

I played the hell out of Magic 2012. I loved my old Blue/Green deck, but I craved more. I needed something new. Something shiny.

Release of Magic 2013 on consoles, PC, and iPad brings a major aesthetic overhaul, tempting new players with an even more accessible approach. The single player offers three returning gameplay modes and one addition: Campaign, Revenge, Challenge, and the newcomer Planechase. Campaign and Revenge feature six different universes (zones) in which players maul robot wizards. Yes, that’s right, robot wizards. Campaign welcomes the addition of the Encounters, where players must overcome a synergistic pattern. For example, the AI throws down a card that wins the game if it collects 100 tokens, cards that generate tokens, and one wall per turn. Attack economy becomes ever present as the AI wins in so many turns if you can’t get past the blockers. This new mini-mode can be fun, but it feels tedious at times; much like fighting a hydra with a guillotine machine. Revenge is a more difficult extension of Campaign: same realms, same game, and new (i.e. tougher) beings to slaughter. The challenges, a puzzle mode where players have one turn to solve the puzzle and kill their opponent, have gotten more difficult since Magic 2012, truly teaching card synergy via negative reinforcement. Finally, Planechase is a free-for-all with a D6 thrown into the mix. More on that later.

The pre-fight deck selection screen is overlaid against far-off realms, far more visually striking than its predecessor’s. Locations are randomized in custom/online games and the images pair with the opponent’s zone in single player. While these renderings are not of AAA quality, the player selects this world. They travel there. It subtly imbues Magic 2013’s simplistic storyline with a legendary quality. Now, instead of just clicking on the next opponent in the new plane, a real sense of accomplishment is gained from completing these zones and moving onwards to (more) victory. I suddenly give a damn again about practicing basic arithmetic as a wizard.

This is the subtraction quiz.

While the game features a selection of ten decks, only one of them uses two lands (the exalted deck). The variety and complexity generally found in hybrid decks of Magic 2012 manifests itself in the decks with a higher synergy score. Decks are diverse and entertaining, ranging from a red burn and a green beat down to a white life gain, though I dearly miss the Mother-May-I deck. I would have liked to see more than one multicolored deck, but these decks bring enough to the table for me to turn a blind eye while I wait for the (almost) assured upcoming DLC.

Deck selection now displays a one to five star rating based on creature size (big numbers), speed, flexibility, and card synergy. This assistance can help (new) players choose a deck that suits their play style. That being said, Magic games have traditionally caught flak for not allowing a fully customizable deck editor. While I would enjoy that option, these pre-built decks are the direction the series has chosen. If you absolutely need to make your own deck, just play Magic: The Gathering Online.

Now, Planechase is a variation on FFAs that supports up to a four players on the console and PC, but only a player-versus-player mode for the iPad. Simply put, it introduces neutral Environment cards, representing the dimension where the wizards are battling; the destination is/can be determined by a D6 that players can spend manna to roll. Each Plane card carries two abilities, one passive (always in play) and one active (requires activation via rolling). The die roll can shift players to another realm, invoke that environment’s active ability, or (mostly) do nothing. Dice rolling is the main mechanical addition, one that promotes risk/reward. Although nothing happens most rolls, right when you think, “I got him now” — Murdertown. Population? Your whole army. This mechanic highlights the focal aspect of the lore and amplifies it. Want to kill somebody with a dimension? Rules exist for exactly that (good plays required). The player feels incredible power, but unlike pumping up a creature, chance governs fate, not interplay between cards.

But.

I can’t get on board with it. Planechase feels too random. It doesn’t earn its place like drawing the right card earns you victory. Planechase allows players to equalize other players through chance and manna. That naturally weeds out more synergistic decks with a lower creature rating versus larger creatures that can soak more damage. It also slows the game down. The translation of M:TG from cards to console/PC/iPad is smooth, quick, and stylish. That’s the charm. Why do we play solitaire on the computer instead of using real cards? Because it’s easier and faster. Planechase (sadly) gets bogged down by its own mechanics.

What would I like to see more of? Strong local co-op. Sure, you can play online. You can join random games, swap tags with friends, and meet people on forums. Hell, I hunted down French players just to hear lamentations in a new language.

I am disappointed that through the inclusion of the new single player modes, two headed giant games are now only available as a custom game. Honestly, it doesn’t affect the gameplay, the cards themselves, or the mechanics; I  want to feel a sense of progression and camaraderie while grinding out unlockables. Instead, I sit alone on my triumphant throne  remembering magical LAN parties of long ago, in a different timespace: two TVs housed murder, treachery, and bad card plays. The ever-changing Archenemy of Magic 2012 was always a fun challenge and the 2HG games tested our trust and teamwork. When that trust was inevitably broken, we happily migrated to one-on-ones to fight each other head-to-head. It had variety, it had style, and I had friends.

The iPad may get a free copy of Magic 2013, but that free copy came from this factory. It’s a demo version of the game under the guise of free. The basic version includes three decks with five unlockable cards and a single player campaign across Shandalar facing only four opponents. Or you could spend the ten bucks and unlock the full game. Trying to sell me a game by giving me a free copy feels dirty. Even if the poor little iPad Magic 2013 only offers one-on-one online matches, it does have the two-headed giant (not local). For a portable version to be almost the exact same as its console counterpart is praiseworthy and, honestly, impressive.

Somehow, this is a reasonable and fair fight.

All in all, Magic 2013 is a stylish sister to the same old magic that we know and love, with ever increasing accessibility. Unfortunately, it leaves a little color to be desired. The gameplay remains solid, yet small tweaks improve the overall experience. The option to choose what manna is spent, for instance, prevents frustrating accidental expenditures; although, that tweak is ironically less important because only one multicolor deck exists. Also, players runs out of available actions during their phase, it automatically shifts to the next one, thus trimming away the unnecessary wait times and button pushing of Magic 2012.

While it may be new, and shiny, Magic 2013 is really tailored for virgin players to experience the world of Magic instead of playing cards and wondering what that flavor text actually means. It may lose a few longtime fans to its predecessor, but make no mistake, most of the changes in this game are improvements. The developers set out to capture a new sense of the game. Overall, they’ve done so wonderfully.