OT: Magic: the Gathering Online

Greatwyrm · Jun 25, 2002

Anybody tried the new online Magic? Just looking for opinions. I'm a recovering MtG addict and it looks tempting.

LightPhoenix · Jun 25, 2002

I haven't tried it, but from what I understand of it, you have to buy "booster packs" for use online, like you had to do with the card game. That turns me off right there. If I've bought a game, I shouldn't have to pay more to play it effectively.

That said, I may just buy the game and not buy any of the "packs" and just see what I can do. Of course, between NWN and Warcraft III coming out, I'm not really looking for any new games right now.

Sebastian · Jun 25, 2002

The beta was pretty good

The game itself works quite well and is a blast to play. And you can always find opponents to play with. The online cards cost as much as real cards, but there is no monthly charge to pay. So if you want to play on tournament level or do a lot of drafts it is probably more expensive than other online games. If you only want to play for fun, it is not too bad.

If you want to test the engine, it should be possible to download a free trial version.

Hope that helps
Sebastian

Sigma · Jun 25, 2002

It's pretty decent. There's a free demo floating around, and the game is essentially free (it costs 9.99 to set up an account, but then you get a gift certificate for that amount to buy cards with).

Jabba Von Hutt · Jun 25, 2002

Tried it and Liked it!

I was part of the BETA, so I got a chance to play quite extensively. If you like the real thing, you'll probably enjoy the virtual version. Game play is easy to learn and use and there always somebody to play with. Plus, no arguments about the rules.

As for costs, I think there are a couple of deals floating around for opening accounts. I know the game itself is free to download. In terms of laying out allot of cash to build a deck, this is probably true if you want to build tournament type decks. But, what I did is join a League which last about a month, it cost me a deck and two boosters plus two tix around $17 US. I get two play against other people in the League with the same quality of decks, so I know I should be competitive. I only have to buy 1 booster a week and at end I get to keep the cards that I got. Plus, if I finish high enough I can win prizes (more cards). Not too expensive for a month of playing.

Also, you can join booster drafts which cost 3 boosters and 2 tix for around $11 US. Again, you keep the cards and you can also win more cards.

Cheers,
Al

Gizzard · Jun 25, 2002

The implementation of the game in the Beta was pretty darn good. It helped my game a lot to be able to test different decks and see any weird rules interactions spelled out on screen for me.

I'm curious what it will become now that its a paying audience (and not an inexpensive one.) Certainly Pro players will continue to use it to practice; while a lot of the kiddies will be swept away by the cost. So I see it becoming a more serious and competetive environment. Will it be fun to be a casual player in MTGO? A question to be answered.

I considered paying the $10 a month just to watch replays of the Constructed tournaments and to keep in touch with the tech being developed there. The cost of actually playing online is prohibitive for me; I'm mostly a Constructed player and assembling a collection online is about 50% more expensive online than it is in real life. Even the cost of Drafting is a bit more than it is at the local store. Perhaps there will be an adjustment in the pricing scheme if MTGO is not initially successful?

Sigma · Jun 25, 2002

Gizzard said:
I considered paying the $10 a month just to watch replays of the Constructed tournaments and to keep in touch with the tech being developed there. The cost of actually playing online is prohibitive for me; I'm mostly a Constructed player and assembling a collection online is about 50% more expensive online than it is in real life. Even the cost of Drafting is a bit more than it is at the local store. Perhaps there will be an adjustment in the pricing scheme if MTGO is not initially successful?

Aren't the real cards and virtual cards the exact same price? Both are $3.29 per booster on the Wizard's website.

Staffan · Jun 25, 2002

Sigma said:
Aren't the real cards and virtual cards the exact same price? Both are $3.29 per booster on the Wizard's website.

The MSRP of a booster pack is $3.29, yes. However, if you buy stuff online (as in mail order, not as in virtual cards) you can usually get them a lot cheaper than that.

Sigma · Jun 25, 2002

Staffan said:
The MSRP of a booster pack is $3.29, yes. However, if you buy stuff online (as in mail order, not as in virtual cards) you can usually get them a lot cheaper than that.

Good point, I didn't think about that. I had been out of the Magic loop for a while, and tended to buy individual boosters rather than bulk or mail orders when I was a regular purchaser.

Neowolf · Jun 25, 2002

Another alternative you may want to check out is this program called Apprentice. It doesn't have as many features as the official WotC online Magic game, but it's free and easy to use.

http://www.dragonstudios.com/apprentice/

Bear in mind that this program doesn't referee the rules for you (at least as far as I remember), but the last time I used it (about a year ago) it was fairly current as far as having all the cards available.