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Magic: The Gathering hits XBLA

chaosof99chaosof99
edited February 2008 in Board Games
I think Uno and Carcassone are popular enough that Wizards of the Coast wants a piece of the pie.

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WIZARDS OF THE COAST EXTENDS ITS MAGIC: THE GATHERING IP TO MULTIPLE PLATFORMS Industry Leading Partnerships Enhance Strategy Fantasy Gaming Options for all Gamers

RENTON, Wash.--February 18, 2008 -- Wizards of the Coast (WotC), the leader in strategy hobby collectible trading card, board and role playing games, and a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), today announced its plans to extend the Magic: The Gathering® franchise to gamers on Microsoft's Xbox 360 Xbox LIVE® Arcade and the PC through partnerships with Stainless Games, Ltd. and Mind Control Software, Inc. Stainless Games will develop a game using the Magic: The Gathering IP for both Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PC, while Mind Control will develop a game for the PC and Mac.

"We're excited to bring the Magic brand to new platforms and give our fans new ways to experience this great property," said Jared Gustafson, Brand Director for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. "It's partnerships like these that will advance the strategy games category and transform it to meet the needs and desires of today's digital gamers."

Magic: The Gathering, introduced in 1993, is the premier and original trading card game that inspired an entirely new game genre. Combining the dynamics of a card game with the excitement of trading and collecting, MagicTM offers fun for casual play, as well as the option of highly competitive tournaments. Magic: The Gathering currently has a thriving online edition (Magic Online®) made up of more than 350,000 active accounts. The game allows gamers to collect and trade virtual cards, build the perfect deck, get help from mentors, find opponents at all skill levels, and compete for prizes every day without ever leaving the comforts of home.

Specific details on the games Stainless Games and Mind Control will develop using the Magic: The Gathering IP will be announced at a later date.

[via Kotaku]
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Depends on the pricing and implementation but if it is cheap with a set by set model this could be really interesting.
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Comments

  • rhinocerorhinocero
    Stainless Games will develop a game using the Magic: The Gathering IP for both Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PC, while Mind Control will develop a game for the PC and Mac.
    This makes it sound like they're going to do something akin to that terrible Magic X-Box game from a few years back, which will undoubtedly flop. Which is unfortunate. Of course, if they're going to do an actual version of the game, I'm sure that'll do well for them, and it could be interesting. It shouldn't be too hard, since they have a PC online version of the game already, so it's all the sadder that they probably won't.
  • RailithRailith
    A MtG card game done EXACTLY like the Pokemon Trading Card game for Gameboy would be epic. That's probably not happening ever, and this will be a disaster.
  • JohnUJohnU
    I agree that the xbox version had nothing to do with the original CCG, but I still enjoyed playing it. I have some hope for the versions to come. One more reason for me to buy a 360.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    There was an excellent MTG game for the PC put out by Microprose in the mid 90's. I still have it.

    The only problem I had with the game was with the super rare Mox cards. Because the game used an ante system whenever you faced a tough opponent one of your Moxes would ALWAYS end up being used for ante in that battle.
  • AprecheApreche
    Yeah, this sounds like they are going to make games using the Magic license, but aren't going to make Magic itself.
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    edited February 2008
    As a reformed "Wallet: The Emptying" player, I must say I am both pleased and dismayed by this news. It'd be great if they brought the card game itself over wholesale. I mean, if they can make Uno work as an online card game and they made M:TG work previously as an online card game, why not make a Live version of it? It'd be fun as well as a great cash cow. On the other hand, if they go the route of Battlemage and Battlegrounds then it will be guaranteed to suck and they can pretty much kiss any thought of profit goodbye.
    Post edited by Techparadox on
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    edited February 2008
    Ugh, I have no expectations for this at all. I hate trading card games (well I like the art on the cards themselves, but that is a whole other matter).
    Post edited by Li_Akahi on
  • JohnUJohnU
    It'd be great if they brought the card game itself over wholesale.
    If they would allow you to buy complete virtual card sets for a fixed price I would be all over this with a big smile on my face. I hate the idea of the "micro transaction."
  • AprecheApreche
    If they would allow you to buy complete virtual card sets for a fixed price I would be all over this with a big smile on my face. I hate the idea of the "micro transaction."
    How about just letting everyone use any card? You know, like a real game.
  • JohnUJohnU
    edited February 2008
    How about just letting everyone use any card? You know, like a real game.
    Indeed that would be preferable. What would the incentive for Wizards to make additional set available if it was a set price for the entire experience, unless they charged a monthly membership fee?

    I guess I still have the CCG player mindset, even though I haven't purchased cards in about a decade. I also think that Wizards have their eyes on the continued income of the micro transactions. Also if they charged a flat fee for the online play they would end up eating into their own marketshare in the CCG market.
    Post edited by JohnU on
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Anyone else ever play the game Chron-X?
  • RymRym
    What would the incentive for Wizards to make additional set available if it was a set price for the entire experience, unless they charged a monthly membership fee?
    Thus the problem with massive games in terms of expansion, profit, and updates. There is no easy answer, and everything that's been tried thus far sits not well with me.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Actually... I was just reading about some changes over at Chron-X. Seems they are going away from buying virtual cards and moving towards a model where you earn free cards by playing the game.
  • AprecheApreche
    Actually... I was just reading about some changes over at Chron-X. Seems they are going away from buying virtual cards and moving towards a model where you earn free cards by playing the game.
    From bad to worse.
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    *I tap one Swamp, cast Dark Ritual for three Black, then cast Necromancy to return this thread to play*

    I think I recall Scott mentioning picking M:TG - Duels of the Planeswalkers on XBLA. I picked it up myself on a whim, played a bit, and then left it by the wayside because it didn't really engage me; my idea of fun in M:TG is not being forced to grind with a mono-color preset deck until I beat the computer enough times to unlock enough cards to build a new deck that fits my play style. Trying out the online play didn't really trip my trigger either, so I haven't played it in months.

    Last week a news tidbit regarding this game caught my eye. Steam is adding a port of the XBLA M: TG - Duels of the Planeswalkers, to be released sometime this June. It's listed in Steam's store now but you can't start pre-loading yet. It's priced at $10 for a pack that includes the original game and the first expansion pack. I may pick it up if it goes on sale somewhere down the road, but I can't see dropping ten bucks on it - not when there are free alternatives out there.

    Check out the following:
    http://www.magicworkstation.com/
    http://www.octgn.net/

    Both are somewhat gray-market in that they aren't officially sanctioned by WoTC/Hasbro. Both also require you to d/l regular update patches as well as scans of the cards in order to play properly, the latter of which I'm sure constitutes some kind of copyright infringement. Either way, I'm considering having a look at both of them once I get the extra files from the usual sources. Anyone interested in having a look at them with me?
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    Actually MWS is the only method by which I play MTG anymore due to my unwillingness to spend any money on the game anymore. Now that there are $ 50 rares in fucking Standard that is probably the right decision. However, MWS also has its fair share of problems including certain actions leading to the program imploding, the program falling apart on its own sometimes, and a whole lot of shitcockery by other players, but that's just GIFT at work.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    I picked this up when it was on sale for 400 points. That's 400 points I'll never see again.

    The preset deck issue is very annoying. Even when you get new cards you can't remove preset cards from your deck.

    When playing MTG you want to have the smallest deck you can legally use. I used to run 40 card decks back in the mid 90's and it was great. Sometimes I had to play 60 card but unless you either sucked or played against a player who had a real good counter deck most games would be over before you played 20 cards.
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    I used to run 40 card decks back in the mid 90's and it was great.
    Were you playing with house rules? I used to play between '92 and '95 and I seem to recall the minimum cards in a deck being set at 60. Either way, you didn't want to go much over that for any kind of competitive deck. I used to run a green/red mix of small critters, the occasional large critter, and direct damage that was a pretty quick deck. It sucked against anyone running a counterspell deck but was a hell of a lot of fun to play when it worked properly.

    Anyway, issues with the home life have prevented me from doing any kind of gaming over the last few days, which includes setting up anything new on the PC (I've been trying to get a set of emulators going as well as a virtualbox environment for personal use). Hopefully I'll have some time over the weekend to hammer away at my projects and report back on their effectiveness.
  • RymRym
    I seem to recall the minimum cards in a deck being set at 60.
    The instructions said 40. Tournaments allowed 40 or 60 depending on the tournament, usually the latter (40 is just too powerful).
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited June 2010
    If you are playing draft or sealed, deck limit is 40 cards which is necessary because from a draft you only end up with 42 non-basic land cards to choose from. Usually you have 23 of those plus 17 lands. All other cards you have picked are your sideboard from which you can put cards into the deck and remove the same number of cards out of the deck in between games with an opponent to adapt to his strategy. You are required to reverse those changes after the round ended.

    Constructed decks, the ones to which you bring the deck you built at home, have a 60 card deck minimum and a sideboard of either 0 or exactly 15 cards. You may not have more than 4 copies of any given card (by the english card name) between your sideboard and deck, except for basic lands. Usually people stick tot he 60 card floor as that gives you the highest probability of drawing any card in your deck, unless of course you are crazy enough to play Battle of Wits.

    There are also variant formats for casual play. The most popular ones are Highlander decks, which as the name suggests, require you to not play more than one copy of any given card (except for basic lands, again). Highlander decks also usually have a 100 card minimum. Elder Dragon Highlander, one of the most popular casual formats, require exactly 100 cards. There are usually no sideboards in casual formats.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • AprecheApreche
    There are also variant formats for casual play. The most popular ones are Highlander decks, which as the name suggests, require you to not play more than one copy of any given card (except for basic lands, again). Highlander decks also usually have a 100 card minimum.Elder Dragon Highlander, one of the most popular casual formats, require exactly 100 cards. There are usually no sideboards in casual formats.
    This actually sounds like it would be really fun, but I think that luck may be too great a factor.
  • RymRym
    I still believe that the star is the best configuration to play Magic.

    The Conqueroring was fun as well, what with the mat, but hardly anyone played it but me...
  • AprecheApreche
    I still believe that the star is the best configuration to play Magic.
    I disagree. It has the same problems as a three player game where there is tag teaming and such.

    Wasn't there a mode where there is one big deck and on each turn you can either draw from the big deck or draw a basic land of your choosing? It eliminates the possibilities of decks where you run the other person out of cards, but it sounds pretty fun.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    The instructions said 40.
    Used to be. They changed that back in....6th edition, I think? It may have even come before then. I seem to remember the minimum being 60 around the Mirage cycle, possibly even the Ice Age cycle.
  • chaosof99chaosof99
    edited June 2010
    There are also variant formats for casual play. The most popular ones are Highlander decks, which as the name suggests, require you to not play more than one copy of any given card (except for basic lands, again). Highlander decks also usually have a 100 card minimum.Elder Dragon Highlander, one of the most popular casual formats, require exactly 100 cards. There are usually no sideboards in casual formats.
    This actually sounds like it would be really fun, but I think that luck may be too great a factor.
    Not really. It depends on how you build your deck which is somewhat of a challenge. There are cards that are functionally identical (e.g. Ravages of War is the same card as Armageddon except for the name, thus you can play the same card twice), virtually functionally identical (e.g. it doesn't really matter if you have Force of Will or Daze if your opponent is tapped out) and there are cards to access (in lingo, tutor) cards in your deck (e.g. Vampiric Tutor) which give you redundancy and make it easier for your strategy to function.

    Elder Dragon Highlander makes this even easier as your General practically is an 8th card in your hand and your deck is built around playing him. For example, I got a Zur the Enchanter EDH deck which focuses on pushing out a Zur as early as possible, defend him with so called pitch counters like Daze or FoW (cards are called pitch spells if you can use an alternative cost, usually discarding a card, to play them without paying their mana cost) and then play Armageddon or one of its variants like Ravages of War, Catastrophe. Zur himself also works as a tutor box. For example, I can protect him after his first attack against targeted removal spells with Diplomatic Immunity, or if I expect my opponent to run an Edict like effect that forces me to sacrifice creatures, I search for Bitterblossom. I can also search for Empyrial Armor. With a full hand and Copy Enchantment from the 2nd attack with Zur I can end the game with 21 damage from Zur in three turns, sometimes only two.

    Another EDH strategy for example would be Wort the Raidmother, which plays a number of green and red cards that search for lands or produce token creatures, then play a big spell like Overrun with the Conspire ability that Wort grants, copy it and overwhelm the opponent with numbers.

    Karn, Silver Golem is a peculiar general as you can virtually only play artifacts (except for a few exceptions from the latest expansion, which introduced colorless creatures, instants, sorceries and enchantments, which are not artifacts). That deck builds on a number of infinite loops, for example use Karn to turn Grim Monolith or Basalt Monolith into creatures and make them infinitely large with Umbra Mantle, or use Voltaic Construct to create an infinite amount of colorless mana.


    What makes Highlander interesting is that you have to know your deck well and often think on your feet as no game will play out the same as any other game.
    Post edited by chaosof99 on
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    edited June 2010
    The instructions said 40.
    That's what I get for not having my old instruction books available to me. Everyone I played with kept it as close to 60 as possible, which is probably what is tainting my memory. Cutting it down to 40 was definitely overpowered for tourney play, which may also account for why we kept it as close to 60 as possible. I did look up the current rules and they now require a minimum of 60 for casual & standard tournament and 40 for the draft-style, like chaosof99 said.
    Post edited by Techparadox on
  • RymRym
    I disagree. It has the same problems as a three player game where there is tag teaming and such.
    Except that the tag teaming is expected and set up to be fair. You have to beat the two players across from you! Everyone's goals overlap by exactly one. It's much more fair and interesting than a three-player game.
  • AprecheApreche
    What makes Highlander interesting is that you have to know your deck well and often think on your feet as no game will play out the same as any other game.
    This is what I like about it. Instead of the winner being mostly determined during the deck construction phase, it's mostly determined the game play phase. This is why Dominion is so great.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited July 2010
    I think I have successfully constructed the single meanest Magic deck in history. Among other things, it contains mana machines to produce a dozen mana tokens per turn, an artifact combo that will allow me to annihilate everything on the field aside from my indestructible deck every turn, a card allowing me to convert all my cards into artifacts to make them invincible, and a forking artifact combo that instantly generates an infinite amount of damage against the other player's life--for a total cost of 6 mana.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • AprecheApreche
    I think I have successfully constructed the single meanest Magic deck in history. Among other things, it contains mana machines to produce a dozen mana tokens per turn, an artifact combo that will allow me to annihilate everything on the field aside from my indestructible deck every turn, a card allowing me to convert all my cards into artifacts to make them invincible, and a forking artifact combo that instantly generates an infinite amount of damage against the other player's life--for a total cost of 6 mana.
    Take it to a tournament.
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