Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 Xbox 360
User Score
7.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 50 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 50
  3. Negative: 10 out of 50

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  1. BalVader
    Jul 12, 2012
    9
    This game continues to be great fun. I enjoy all of the the play modes, but I spend most of my time playing online with 2 or 3 others. I'm curious to see how we acquire these "other" cards for our decks. I good it's not something unreasonable like going to FNM. What if you can't? Not everyone has the means or money to go play people with $150+ decks & take it all too seriously. I think that'd be terribly unfair simply due to the fact that this format is supposed to give everyone a more level playing field. The only reason I don't give this a 10 is that they STILL haven't fixed the timer issue. Someone can eat up or wipe out your time by pausing on their side AND WORST OF ALL they STILL haven't adjusted the timer for blocking! If someone comes at you with tons of attackers, you ALWAYS get screwed because the damn timer runs out!!! There needs to be some type if sliding scale for the blocking timer so you can make proper decisions much less have the time to physically make all the blocks!… Expand
  2. ShivanDarkeyes
    Jun 25, 2012
    9
    MtG- Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 has several improved features from previous years while retaining the charm and elegance of the core product. Duels is an excellent game to introduce new players to the world of Magic the Gathering. It slowly, but enjoyably teaches players the core concepts of the game. Learning Magic can be a daunting experience because of the depth and breadth of the rules but Duels 2013 makes the process simple by introducing concepts one at a time. Duels 2013 also does an excellent job of showing different strategies players can use when building decks. Every player should be able to find a deck that suits his or her individual play style. There are controlling decks and aggressive decks. There are mill-based decks and burn based decks. Creatures decks and removal decks. One problem with the game is that it lacks full customization options for its decks. Players can substitute a few cards, but experienced Magic players that want a digital version of the game will want more options than what Duels 2013 will provide. Especially after the Campaign mode is completed the game could have more repeatability if players could have more options for constructing decks of their own for multiplayer. The puzzles are much more difficult than last year but still easy enough to finish without using spoilers. The multiplayer section of the game offers the brand new "Planechase" that mirrors the non-digital release of the product and offers a high variance, but very fun alternative to two-headed giant and free-for-all play. Ultimately, just the campaign mode will give hours of fun for the low price of $10. The biggest problem with the game is the instability of the multiplayer games. They are difficult to get started and have a lot of connection problems causing players to drop frequently. Ultimately, even with these flaws this is an easy buy. The game should provide significant value to new and old magic players and is a steal at $10.… Expand
  3. eridani
    Jun 23, 2012
    9
    A lot of people are griping about limited card selection and the absence of deck construction. Despite the lack of these, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is a solid MTG game. The DotP series focuses more on accessibility and ease of play than "hardcore" strategy. There are tens of thousands of Magic cards, which makes it quite an undertaking to build a deck from scratch. Besides, DotP 2013 uses the new 2013 Core set. In case you didn't know, the Core set cards are chosen because they are the most interesting, fun to play, and provide ample strategy options. DotP is not trying to replace Magic Online; it is a different product. If you want to build your own deck with all the sets from Invasion onward, MO is the way to go, but it takes much longer to set up an account there. DotP 2013, as are its predecessors, is an actual Magic video game rather than a Magic network, as is MO. 2013 adds some new features: the Planechase format and the option to tap lands. Although it is eerily similar to last year's entry. However, if you missed any of the other games in the series, now is a great time to start playing. As long as these things are taken into consideration, newcomers and veterans alike should find Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 enjoyable.… Expand
  4. ryuey
    Jun 22, 2012
    10
    There is just so much to do in this game. Learning the different strategies for different decks, etcetera. It more than makes up for the lacklustre effort that was Magic The Gathering: 2012. This is such a good game.
  5. ISSGOD
    Jun 22, 2012
    9
    DotPW offers some nice additions and enhancements. One addition I love are the "Encounters". Encounters happen as you progress through SP and offer a wide variety of challenges. In the first Encounter you find yourself against an AI opponent that puts up a flying 1/1 creature every turn. Easy at first but if you do not take him down quickly then in a few turns you may find yourself overwhelmed by the pesky little 1/1 flying creatures. In another Encounter, counters are placed on an opponents card and when the counters reach 100, you loose. The hard part it that gives you perhaps 10 turns to defeat him, and he places fog walls up that cannot be destroyed in combat, so you have to use a red deck to magic them, or have a ton of creatures to overwhelm your opponent. The new decks are varied and are the best decks to date in the MTG releases for the XBOX 360. Some great changes have been made to the starter green deck for example, making it much more versatile, where as before it was heavy on offense, weak against flyers... now it is a little stronger against flyers, and has a nice combat canceling ability among other new additions. The starter white deck was an early favorite of mine as well. It lets you put a lot of creatures on the table and you have many opportunities to exile opponents creatures. I have not beat the game, so there are aspects I am leaving out of this review... but I must say, so far MTG 2013 is the best in the series. If you likes the old games you will like the new MTG. Also you can pick how to spend your mana, great for multi mana decks.… Expand
  6. JDOM_808
    Jun 21, 2012
    9
    Okay so i spent a good chunk of my evening playing through and honestly its the best out of the 3. I gave it a 9 yet wanting to give it a 10. Reason for that was the lack of making your own deck and combining your own colors and what not. It would be nice if we could duplicate our physical decks so that we can get in some well worth practice. Im not too good at reviews but i hope this helped.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. X360 Magazine UK
    Aug 18, 2012
    70
    Another fun installment, but it's all starting to feel a little too predictable. [Issue#88, p.82]
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 12, 2012
    80
    A better way to learn how to play. [Sept 2012, p.102]
  3. Impulsegamer
    Jul 25, 2012
    78
    With that being said, the game is good, it is very good and would be a perfect start to a player's introduction into a cards battle game, and the world of Magic the Gathering. It has plenty of challenges to throw at experienced players and enough here to teach newbies to defend themselves in deck combat.
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