Magic 2014 is just about everything that made Magic 2013 such a special game, and while it's not exactly revolutionary in its gameplay, we probably wouldn't want it any other way.
I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews for this game. It's in the same vein as the previous digital "Magic -2013" games and so on, so it doesn't really do anything new. But as the old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The main game gives you 10 decks, with an extra 5 upon paying for the expansion for an extra $5. You also get to place two headed giant, meaning 2 vs 2 with a computer AI as your partner, and even though you cannot do this online with your friends, it still enriches the experience. New to 2014 is the Sealed Play option, allowing you to unwrap several digital booster packs and create the best deck with it. It's a nice little addition, but you only get two "decks" to create. I'm assuming the lack of variety with this feature is what really annoyed those that were looking forward to it because of how constricting and limited you are when creating your decks.
All in all, this is not the perfect MtG experience, but it's a fantastic stab at digital MtG on-the-go. I'm never bored with it. Ever. Add the fact that you can purchase three additional deck packs (2 decks per pack for 2.99), you're looking at over 20 decks for just over $20 bucks. Keep in mind that you can play any of these decks like you would the original ten, so you have the variety to keep you hooked and occupied for a very long time.
Like I previously stated... Perfect? No. Pretty close to perfect? Yep. I love this game despite it's minor flaws, but it cannot go unsaid that the digital Magic games have been getting better and better each year. I'll continue to buy them as they are released (generally multi-platform too, so I'm dropping a decent amount of cash to play on my iPad, Steam, Android phone, etc). And I couldn't be happier. MtG on the go is AWESOME!!
i really enjoyed this game. It's extremely user friendly, the learning curve is perfect, if you are new to the CardGame World, this is definitely your way in.
More than just checking the familiar boxes you'd expect from a yearly update, Magic 2014 adds a few welcome fresh elements to the mix alongside a glut of new cards and foes to tussle with. It's a must-have for Magic fans, whether you played last year's edition or not.
At last, a version of Duels of the Planeswalker that offers free deck crafting with its Sealed Deck mode! That's a hell of a progression for the series, even though it's still far from perfect, since the Sealed Deck mode only offers a handful of different cards and the other pre-constructed decks are far from ambitious or originally conceived.
So the prominent new feature in Magic 2014 is the ability to pay Wizards of the Coast extra money each time you play it. What a horribly crass presentation of a wonderful feature. It sits like a stinking hole in the middle of an otherwise presentable game and therefore completely undermines any reason to play this when you could instead be enjoying last year’s planechases.
A slick and user-friendly experience. More suited for beginners but can be played by all skill levels assuming you have an iota of patience.
Works the same as any other Free-to-Play game with extra content available at a price.
Magic 2014 does what it says on the tin through a pretty but cumbersome, slow and uninspired interface. It leads the beginner step-by-step through the basics, but god help you if your IQ is over 5 or you happen to have played MTG before: there is no option to speed up play at all.
We'll gloss over the fact that this app is "free" with IAP, because there is virtually nothing you can do without forking over £7/$10. So, it's basically a £7/$10 app and that's not cheap. Wait for it, though, because there's further IAP you can make on top of this! See below.
Each deck requires you to grind, grind, grind if you wish to unlock its full potential, and even then the majority of decks are uninspired and simple.
The in game "Challenges" are nothing of the sort, being instead boring and simple.
The above is not new to this variety of Magic it was much the same for 2013 (although I'd say that one or two of the 2013 decks were more inspired). There are two new features, however:
First, the welcome introduction of sealed play is marred by a) the inability to save different deck options or even have a decent deck manager, making building a sealed deck quite a labour, and b) EACH SUBSEQUENT SEALED DECK WILL COST YOU MORE MONEY. Yep, you heard me. And there's a limit to how many you can have, too. This is despite, of course, the fact that the sealed decks are a) digital, and b) non-tradeable, which means they cost Wizard nothing. Ever. This is a disastrous choice but one that I suppose we've come to expect from the money-grabbing attitude that Wizard has towards MTG.
Second, as a "feature", each opponent plays the same deck IN THE SAME ORDER EVERY TIME. This is apparently supposed to enable you to help learn their strategies and combat them more effectively, but as your deck is of course random each time this is true to only a certain extent. (What it actually results in you doing is resetting a duel if you can't find the cards you need.) Moreover, this not only a) removes the randomness from the AI's decks, which is a fundamental part of MTG, but it b) GUARANTEES THEY HAVE CERTAIN CARDS ever played against a land destruction deck when you KNOW they will ALWAYS have the land destruction cards? Or a discard deck when there is NO HOPE that they will NOT draw another discard card, because it's all PRESCRIBED?! This is a very, very depressing turn of events and means that you rarely see the true potential of any of these decks, as you'll only ever face the first 20-or-so-cards. Replayability is, therefore, practically non-existent.
In conclusion: Magic 2014 is worth a look IF you didn't get 2013, and IF you're new to Magic, and IF you have money to burn: lots of it. If you don't meet all those points, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
Chronicles of Ascension is a very good alternative.
SummaryIgnite your spark with Magic 2014 — Duels of the Planeswalkers!Magic: The Gathering is the world’s premier trading card game. Become a Planeswalker and travel the planes of existence unleashing a torrent of spells and creatures.Game includes:• 3 decks, each with 5 unlockable cards• Single-player campaign across the ...