Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalker 2013 Review

Stainless Games continue their partnership with purveyors of all things geek, Wizards of the Coast, for the third iteration of the Duels of the Planeswalkers series. As with the previous titles, gameplay focuses on what could be considered a taster of the world of Magic: The Gathering.

Taking a break from convention, I feel we should start by addressing two of the three classifications of MTG player potentially reading this review:

Firstly, the hardcore Magic player, particularly those in possession of their own physical set of cards. DotP13 remains the streamlined Magic experience of the earlier games, shunning the fully customizable decks of real world Magic in favour of preconstructed decks (albeit with some flexibility from additional unlockable cards).

The second group of interest will be those already the proud owner of a DotP game. Beyond the obvious headline addition of the new Magic 2013 card set, there have been a number of gameplay changes, including the introduction of manual mana tapping; out is the three vs one Archenemy mode, in its place is four player free-for-all Planechase (more on that later).

The bulk of this review then will be targeted at those new to MTG, whose card battling experience will most likely be limited to the occasional round of Top Trumps. Anyone who would categorise themselves into one of the aforementioned groups, but has decided to continue for the remainder of the review; I thank you for your commitment and beg your patience whilst I cover the basic.

For the uninitiated, the concept behind Magic: The Gathering (and many of the derivatives spawned in its wake) sees two or more players seeking to defeat their opponent(s) using the assorted cards in their hand. In the case of MTG, these cards are divided into Land, which provides the mana required to play other cards; a wide variety of Creatures with corresponding power and toughness values; and spells, be they Enchantments or Artifacts which provide permanent effects, or single use cards such as Sorceries or Instants. Getting the right hand is vital to success, and is much down to deck composition as it is to luck - not having enough land cards early in the game will leave you with insufficient mana to make use of the more powerful creatures and spells; whilst having an overabundance reduces offensive or defensive options until room is made in the hand for new cards.

Cards are further split between five colours, representing different elements and forms of magic, which in turn influence play style; Red cards are themed around fire and earth, with numerous spells capable of dealing damage directly to creatures or players; while Green represents nature and life, having a number of spells aimed at increasing the number of lands in play. In traditional Magic: The Gathering (where players have full reign over their deck build), it is not uncommon to see decks composed of multiple colours, allowing aspects of each colour to be combined; DotP13’s preconstructed decks focus on mono-colour builds, with only a single two-colour deck in the base game. If previous years are anything to go by, we can soon expect a DLC deck pack or two which will introduce different combinations.

Each turn of play is split into three phases (technically, once all the different steps of a turn are taken into account, the turn can actually be considered to be made up of nearer twelve parts, however for the sake of this review we’ll simplify the process to three phases); players can place a single land card from their hand onto the battlefield per turn, along with as many creatures or spells as allowed by their mana pool. Following the initial ‘main’ phase, the active player enters a combat phase and can choose creatures on the battlefield to attack the opposition; other player(s) can assign creatures already on the battlefield to block the attack, with damage being dealt to the creature or player’s life pool accordingly. Once combat has been resolved, the player can use any remaining mana to lay additional cards, after which the turn passes to the next player. Defeat is normally declared when a player’s life pool is depleted, however there are a number of other conditions such as the player running out of cards in their deck.

Duels of the Planeswalkers’ singleplayer campaign primarily consists of 1-on-1 duels against a variety of AI opponents, with victory resulting in the opponent’s deck being unlocked for the player to use, as well as additional cards for the player’s deck. Challenge mode returns from the previous games, thrusting the player into the closing stages of a game and requiring them to defend against an enemy onslaught, before delivering the finishing blow on the next turn, all with a predetermined selection of cards. Encounters are a new addition and play out like a regular battle, albeit one where the opponent has a specific (and impossible) deck, allowing the player to test and develop their strategy against a specific playstyle - for example, one Encounter sees the AI playing artifacts that require the player draws additional cards at the beginning of their turn, resulting in a race to defeat the enemy before the player’s deck is depleted.

Another new game mode is the aforementioned Planechase, a four-player head-to-head battle playable against the AI or other human opponents, Planechase introduces a separate deck of Planes cards positioned in the centre of the battlefield, each with a unique passive and active effect, not all of them positive. Play progresses like a regular game but with the player given the option of rolling a die (at an increasing cost of mana), which can result in activating the secondary effect or ‘walking’ to another Plane. The other game modes are playable against the AI or as online multiplayer; local co-op is available for 2 vs 2 mode Two-Headed Giant, however the logistics of keeping the contents of a player’s hand secret eliminate the possibility of a local versus mode.

Four player games do bring to light one minor oversight with regards to the interface; when the turn passes to the left-hand player, the bar displaying the phases can obscure the cards they have in play. Ultimately this issue can be avoided by switching to the overhead view or rotating to the viewpoint of the active player.

Other than this small flaw, the interface works exceptionally well at showing the myriad of information throughout the game; particularly useful are the icons used to identify key attributes of creatures on the battlefield. Zoom in on any card, and not only are you presented with the incredible artwork from the franchise's talented team of artists, but also explanations of abilities and relevant rules; perfect for any newcomers unsure of how a card will potentially affect the battle, and all without having to come out of the game. Strangely, whilst the main menu feels as if it was designed for a controller, in-game is definitely more suited to a mouse.

The Duels of the Planeswalkers series does seem to be a bit of an anomaly in the market - the niche nature of the games suggests it is targeted at (or at least will primarily appeal to) fans of Magic, but at the same time, the simplification of certain aspects (such as deck building) means that a large percentage of longstanding players are likely to stick with their cards or the fuller featured MTG Online.

What remains, despite this confusion, is still worthwhile for newcomers and veterans alike, especially with the Encounters and Challenges helping to refine strategies in specific situations. Whether owners of DotP12 can justify a purchase may come down to personal preference; those who frown upon yearly incremental releases of the major sport franchises may find themselves a little hesitant to part with their money, however it remains a budget priced title, which will lessen the blow somewhat.