Magic Duels: Origins

 iOS
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 8 out of 14
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  1. Eibon
    Sep 13, 2015
    0
    Let's review how spark can be ignited with this brand new version of duels. After all, i got nice iPad4 with iOS8, what can possibly go wrong here, yes?...

    Ouch! "Your device is not supported". Oh well, let's score accordingly...
  2. Jackan32
    Jul 16, 2015
    2
    1: the interface sucks, its so small on phones, fine on ipad, but there is no "bird eye" view. so get used to zoom in on every card, and be a fast reader before game pulls cards away, oh, and you cant read what happen in a match, so if two of creatures just died, and you wonder why, then you are **** out of luck.

    2: streat oprhan. thats what you are, you get a joke of a starter set of    1: the interface sucks, its so small on phones, fine on ipad, but there is no "bird eye" view. so get used to zoom in on every card, and be a fast reader before game pulls cards away, oh, and you cant read what happen in a match, so if two of creatures just died, and you wonder why, then you are **** out of luck.

    2: streat oprhan. thats what you are, you get a joke of a starter set of cards, witch you can do next to nothing with. a few boosters in the start dont help much. go grind the easy AI for 5 gold "150 for a booster of 6 cards" and even the easy AI is no push over. good job.

    3: its pay to win. Sure you could argure many card games are these days, and you can play vs the AI and get coins for it. But with the AI beating your ass, and the slow motion user interface. its a grind thats long and slow before you can even hope of getting into player matches with a real chance. Unless you are hardcore magic fan with a lot of money to spend on an ios game. skip this they **** it up.    … Expand
  3. Zri
    Aug 8, 2015
    4
    Not very enjoyable.

    Whilst the game mechanics are pretty good, the user interface and time spent doing anything makes the game frustrating to play. I realise that there are reasons that things have to take time when you are building a multi player platform, so that people can cast instants, choose blockers etc but the problem is that while in real life there are mechanisms to cope with    Not very enjoyable.

    Whilst the game mechanics are pretty good, the user interface and time spent doing anything makes the game frustrating to play. I realise that there are reasons that things have to take time when you are building a multi player platform, so that people can cast instants, choose blockers etc but the problem is that while in real life there are mechanisms to cope with this (getting your opponent to hurry up, look at something else etc), this just turns into waiting for every little thing to happen.    … Expand
  4. ollymckinley
    Apr 9, 2016
    8
    As a lover of Magic the Gathering, I have a long list of complaints about Magic Duels, but I somehow find myself spending more time playing it than any other game on the iPad.

    The changes made with the arrival of Shadows over Innistrad improve the game a lot, speeding up the action somewhat, and fixing the problem of the AI always playing the same decks. Despite bugs and a limited    As a lover of Magic the Gathering, I have a long list of complaints about Magic Duels, but I somehow find myself spending more time playing it than any other game on the iPad.

    The changes made with the arrival of Shadows over Innistrad improve the game a lot, speeding up the action somewhat, and fixing the problem of the AI always playing the same decks.

    Despite bugs and a limited card pool compared to paper Magic, Magic Duels is still deeper in strategy, more addictive and more satisfying than most iPad games.    … Expand
  5. Caladynus
    Aug 1, 2015
    7
    FINALLY, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have recognized the market for a game like this. After seeing how many people have been playing Hearthstone, they realized the potential profit they can actually make in a free to play game. I want to briefly respond to the most previous post. Yes, there is a gold cap, but honestly, there is no reason not to use the gold, since it only buys youFINALLY, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have recognized the market for a game like this. After seeing how many people have been playing Hearthstone, they realized the potential profit they can actually make in a free to play game. I want to briefly respond to the most previous post. Yes, there is a gold cap, but honestly, there is no reason not to use the gold, since it only buys you packs from the store. Secondly, this game is not pay to win. IN fact it is specifically not pay to win. They even cap the number of individual legendaries in any deck to 1 and rares to 2 to reduce the gap between newer players and players that have been playing for a bit longer. Next, yes, you do have to use a premade deck for quests, but that gives you the free gold. Not sure why you consider it so pathetic, considering all the awesome options that require you to not spend a penny on the content. I have gotten 10 packs so far, and none of them did I pay for. My score would be higher and may be in the future if they fix the problem with the servers :).… Expand
  6. D0UBLESTRIKE
    Feb 1, 2016
    1
    This app is terrible. This is purely a message of disgust and frustration to the developers and those responsible for everyday management of the game.

    In my opinion, there are a few very important parts to Magic:The Gathering working effectively as a digital game. You MUST be able to see every card clearly at all times. You must be able to activate any and all abilities with ease while    This app is terrible. This is purely a message of disgust and frustration to the developers and those responsible for everyday management of the game.

    In my opinion, there are a few very important parts to Magic:The Gathering working effectively as a digital game. You MUST be able to see every card clearly at all times. You must be able to activate any and all abilities with ease while viewing any card at any time, regardless of who owns it or what stage of the turn you are in. Figure out a way for users to see THE wHOLE CARD, including all text involved, EVERY TIME. I can't cast Clutch of Currents from exile via Abbot of Keral Keep because you can't figure out how to manage text size. If a card says I can do something, and then I can't, YOU, the developer, are doing it wrong. Greenwarden of Murassa SHOULD allow me to return a card from my graveyard after it dies. Guess what? it doesn't on this game. It never has, from day one.
    Stop stealing my money. I've lost money through in-app purchases more than 6 times in under a year.
    The game crashes consistently mid-game, especially when you're winning. Heaven help you if your opponent is replaced by AI, as you'll consistently pull mana instead of spells. The developers need to understand that, regardless of the size of the screen the game is being played on, card placement at all points of the game matter. When I'm casting a burn spell that allows me to separate two damage amongst two creatures or players, I find myself unable to select the creature I want to simply because they decided to center every creature AND every spell cast. I've lost SO many games because of this.    … Expand
  7. Qubo
    Apr 15, 2016
    5
    The good: fantastic interface and game play. Quite addictive and pleasant to look at for hours on end.
    The bad: Unless you're prepared to spend money (and probably quite a bit of it), it's kind of pointless.
    The algorithm gives you more useless top decks than not, while the AI has all the answers. Ok, I get it. They want us to spend money on buying digital boosters in the hope that    The good: fantastic interface and game play. Quite addictive and pleasant to look at for hours on end.
    The bad: Unless you're prepared to spend money (and probably quite a bit of it), it's kind of pointless.
    The algorithm gives you more useless top decks than not, while the AI has all the answers.
    Ok, I get it. They want us to spend money on buying digital boosters in the hope that we'll receive some good cards. It's a money maker. Maybe I should fork out... it might actually be fun that way....    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best iOS Game of 2015
27
#27 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2015
80
#80 Most Shared iOS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. GamesBeat
    Jul 28, 2015
    80
    The tutorials make it super easy to learn the complicated game, and making decks is easy and fun. It might play better once it’s on PC and consoles, since all of that tiny text will become easier to play. But even now, Magic fans will enjoy this digital version of the classic card game.
    Read full review
  2. USgamer
    Jul 23, 2015
    80
    great new direction for the series, and the best-playing digital version of Magic the Gathering yet. However, it's buggy, and you will need to invest a fair chunk of change to get the most out of it.
    Read full review
  3. Vandal
    Jul 16, 2015
    85
    Unless you're a very, very experienced player, Magic Duels delivers a great Magic experience, ideal for both the regular user and new potential fans.
    Read full review
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