Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015

 PC
User Score
3.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 127 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 127
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 127
  3. Negative: 89 out of 127

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  1. Penance
    Jul 16, 2014
    5
    Magic is back for another year, under the usual premise to improve on an the established and solid formula that MTG has been bringing players for years. Despite Magic 2015's attempt to offer players more creativity and customization, the game falls short and is buried under a pile of technical issues and bizarre design decisions.

    Magic 2015 is your standard DotP affair, and offers both    Magic is back for another year, under the usual premise to improve on an the established and solid formula that MTG has been bringing players for years. Despite Magic 2015's attempt to offer players more creativity and customization, the game falls short and is buried under a pile of technical issues and bizarre design decisions.

    Magic 2015 is your standard DotP affair, and offers both new and veteran players a relatively fun experience. The tutorial is easy to understand and completely option (minus the final 'test') that will get you into the meat of the game rather quickly. In terms of the general gameplay, everything that this game offers (single-player, multi-player) is rather standard.

    New to Magic 2015 is the ability to create your own deck for use in single-player and multi-player. Cards are unlocked by grinding single player matches through packs of cards called boosters. One of the worst things that this game does, in my opinion, is partition many cards behind a microtransaction paywall called Premium Boosters. The fact that your opponents may have other, possibly better, cards than you because they decided to pay more money is a huge downside -- and the first bizarre design decision Magic 2015 has.

    The second downside is the games unappealing visual design and user interface. Many of the elements of the UI are familiar to players of the previous iterations, but seem very heavily influenced by this games release on console platforms as well as iOS. Many menus take upwards of five seconds to fade out into white before changing screens. Many features are unnecessarily hidden behind menus within menus and a real pain to access. The notification system fails to actually notify the player on most occasions it seems and provides no real added benefit outside of the already in-place main menu system.

    The entire games visual design looks like it has been designed to be played in a science-fiction hospital, being almost completely white and void of any color and saturation. I found it to be a pain on the eyes and unpleasant, if not mildly irritating. It is worth mentioning that every single attack phase during your games, the playing board will split down the middle for no reason whatsoever - I have no idea what purpose it serves other than to bother the player.

    Pre-made decks, as were present in past iterations of the series, have been completely removed from the game. Players choose a very basic deck based on two colors and are stuck with it until they can grind out enough boosters to create their own alternate decks (provided they get the right cards in their boosters), which is not likely to happen until possibly dozens of hours have been playing into single-player alone. So, make sure you pick wisely! -- there is no feature to reset your choice of deck once the tutorial is completed. If you aren't satisfied with the deck you had no way of viewing before choosing, too bad.

    As mentioned, multi-player is your standard affair with no improvements over the past games. In fact, all co-op gameplay has been removed from this game. No longer can you play two-versus-one in the incredibly fun Two-Headed Giant mode that has been available for the past three years of Duels of the Planeswalkers, nor can you play two-versus-two anymore. Less is not more, and this game does a fantastic job of limiting what was previously available to players in this way.

    I had very few of the reported technical issues with the game. Windowed mode has some awful resolution issues, and some minor issues with video settings resetting themselves every time I start the game. I experienced zero crashing or freezing.

    To conclude, Magic 2015 is a game that is probably not worth the money for anyone who owns the previous versions. It brings nothing new to the table, and removes features completely. When you put down the money for that $10 price-tag, realize that you are paying for only a portion of the game. The developers have put a fair percentage of the game behind a microtransaction paywall in the form of Day One DLC, which an arguably be labeled Pay-to-Win. The interface is ugly and unnecessary, which is very important for a game that might eat hours of your time per session. Any owners of the previous Duels of the Planeswalkers game will be sorely disappointed.    … Expand
  2. murlochieftain
    Jul 20, 2014
    7
    I understand that everyone has a problem with the micro-transactions, which give access to "premium" cards. I feel it is important to point out that you do not need these cards to make the best decks. The premium cards will certainly allow you to build certain archetypes, but they don't contain essential cards that will make every single deck better. There are plenty of decks that can beI understand that everyone has a problem with the micro-transactions, which give access to "premium" cards. I feel it is important to point out that you do not need these cards to make the best decks. The premium cards will certainly allow you to build certain archetypes, but they don't contain essential cards that will make every single deck better. There are plenty of decks that can be built from the core cards that don't need the premium cards, and would actually be better off without them. You are limited to one of each mythic, two of each rare, and three of each uncommon, so buying all the premium cards only allows you to use a few of those cards. This sort of balance can be a pain, but in the end I can't help but feel it is slightly justified. You can unlock more than all the cards you will ever need for several decks just by playing the game. Of course these micro-transactions still have the capability of giving a player an edge simply for spending more money.

    The menus and animations are sluggish. I mean they are EXTREMELY sluggish, and the game warrants a better score but these animations are incredibly poorly constructed and it makes the menus seem really clunky. I think this would be an easy patch if Wizards would take the time to do it. This still wouldn't fix what is clearly console-ported menus though, and they are definitely a step back from DotP 2014.

    The reason I am still giving this game a fairly decent score is because it is pretty much everything I have ever wanted from the deck-building perspective. Ever since the DotP series came out, all I ever wanted to do was create my own decks from the cards the game offered. As soon as I unlocked all the cards in DotP 2015, I made 10-12 decks, stemming from ideas I'd had brewing in the back of my head while playing the game. I played each of my new little creations a few times each and refined them accordingly. This, to me, is what Magic is really about. DotP 2015 scratched an itch which badly needed scratching for me.

    Still, the Two-Headed Giant co-op mode is gone, which is a big minus for many, (although I never played it much myself.) I only really miss Archenemy, and maybe Plane-chase but those haven't been around for a good while. I just wish Wizards would listen more closely to the fans of their DotP series, instead of "taking the EA route".

    The verdict: if you don't absolutely love deck-building and creating original decks, I would recommend that you stick with the older DotP series (preferably 2014), especially when they are on sale. DotP 2015 doesn't bring anything new but deck-building to the table. For me, however, that was all the incentive I needed.    … Expand
  3. GigaHz
    Oct 7, 2014
    7
    Considering the surplus of negative reviews, there's not a whole lot I can say that would suggest this game is worthy of a purchase. As someone relatively new to Magic (but not TCGs), a game like this was perfect for me to get comfortable with game flow, strategy and deck building. For newer players this is pretty good value, especially if you don't have experience playing with certainConsidering the surplus of negative reviews, there's not a whole lot I can say that would suggest this game is worthy of a purchase. As someone relatively new to Magic (but not TCGs), a game like this was perfect for me to get comfortable with game flow, strategy and deck building. For newer players this is pretty good value, especially if you don't have experience playing with certain colour combinations or themes.

    There are a few things that can spoil which should be a great introduction for newer Magic players. For one, it is not possible to unlock the Premium cards unless you pay for them. It is possible to beat the game without them but not having an alternative way of unlocking them is pretty depressing. Especially compared to its casual-friendly competition: Hearthstone, where dedicated players can unlock the vast majority of the cards with enough patience and luck. Having a paywall to separate basic players from premium players is not only exploitative it creates a lopsided advantage in favour of those who spend the extra cash.

    As for the core game itself, I like the overall design. The presentation is clean, card mechanics are demonstrated in a clear and concise manner, and it is relatively minimalistic, leaving only the information relevant to the player. This is a welcome change from the looks of MG:O which looks overly busy by comparison.

    The gameplay works as you would expect but there are some slight nags. For one, there's no way to cancel a card from being played if you click on it. The only exception is if it requires some kind of confirmation. This means if you misclick the wrong card, there is no way to cancel your selection and choose the card you would like instead. A major inconvenience for a game centred around strategy. The AI doesn't really feel like it offers much of a challenge so much as it forces the player to be very patient. The AI very rarely has bad draws and will often have perfect counters to the cards that you play. Beating AI opponents doesn't feel like much of an accomplishment, but rather just replaying until you muligan into a perfect hand. The worst part is, the endboss requires that you draw twice (it has two forms). This means you could have an amazing first half and if your next series of draws is terrible, you might as well just hit the reset button and start all over.

    I don't know how the game's shuffling system is coded but it really needs some work. I don't care how unlucky a person can get, I have never had so many games where 95% of my cards were land. It seems to happen very frequently in Magic 2015. Nothing says fun like being unable to play your hand as the AI opponent beats you senseless.

    If you do decide to play with friends it is pretty fun for what it is. It doesn't quite compare to the real thing but it's a good way to scratch the itch.

    All-in-all, Magic 2015 is great if you're brand new to Magic and need something to get you accustomed to the basics. If you're not new, it is very hard to recommend this purchase. Do some research before you buy if you're on the fence.    … Expand
  4. UjuidarEhcram
    Jul 27, 2014
    7
    Magic 2015 is a game based on Magic: The Gathering where you collect cards, build decks, and battle opponents. They've made several Duels of the Planeswalkers games, and I've played all of them.

    Magic 2015 is a huge step forward for the series, yet also a huge step back. It's really pretty frustrating. This game finally implements the one feature people have been asking for since the    Magic 2015 is a game based on Magic: The Gathering where you collect cards, build decks, and battle opponents. They've made several Duels of the Planeswalkers games, and I've played all of them.

    Magic 2015 is a huge step forward for the series, yet also a huge step back. It's really pretty frustrating.

    This game finally implements the one feature people have been asking for since the beginning: the ability to make a custom deck from scratch. You get a pool of cards that builds over time, and you can build your own deck out of the cards you have, and it's a major improvement. The game has several ways of helping you build a deck, or you can hand-select each card, like I did.

    If it wasn't for that, though, this game would be among the worst in the series. There's a somewhat diverse selection of opponents, but the difficulty curve is all over the place. It puts you against a big green deck really early, and that's a tough deck to face with only a handful of starter cards. The puzzle mode from previous games is gone. No alternate play modes either, such as Archenemy or Sealed from previous games. What's worse is that the card pool, even when you've unlocked everything, just isn't quite diverse enough, so there aren't that many great decks you can build out of it. If my opponents can make a Sliver deck, why can't I? As a side note, the menus in this game are really slow and animation-heavy. Magic 2014 had way better UX design... what happened?

    The microtransactions in this game aren't as bad as the infuriating Sealed Deck mode in Magic 2014 (I'm still mad about that), but they keep a few cards locked out of the main game unless you pay more to unlock them. They're good cards, too. The white Paragon, for example, would be an amazing inclusion in the Convoke deck. I think they're usable in multiplayer too, so this could be called a pay-to-win mechanic (you can still build acceptable decks without those cards, but they really help).

    There are two other pluses that I haven't brought up yet. Fighting random opponents in single player is a good inclusion. I wish there were more, though... there are only a small number of opponents per location. Also, as someone that follows the card game's storyline, it's nice to see what actually happens to Garruk (and Ob Nixilis).

    Ultimately, I would still recommend this game if you're interested in Magic, though I don't think I could recommend it over Magic 2014. They're not asking for much with the $10 price tag, and I don't regret having spent the money on this. Magic is still fun. Also, it's nice to build decks from scratch for a change. For now, steer clear of the extra paid content.    … Expand
  5. Dziver
    Jul 22, 2014
    5
    + Free deck building, which previous Magic games didn't have.
    - Menus are horribly slow to use.
    - There are no other game modes besides free-for-all. - You cannot unlock all the cards via gameplay, some have to be bought in boosters via in-game store which costs real money. It costs around 25€/28$ to get them all. - Everything is super white so if you have a bright monitor you'll burn    + Free deck building, which previous Magic games didn't have.
    - Menus are horribly slow to use.
    - There are no other game modes besides free-for-all.
    - You cannot unlock all the cards via gameplay, some have to be bought in boosters via in-game store which costs real money. It costs around 25€/28$ to get them all.
    - Everything is super white so if you have a bright monitor you'll burn your eyes.
    - 60fps mode doesn't stay on, the game constantly changes it to 23fps.
    - When you try to join another custom multiplayer match after finishing one you often crash.
    - Multiplayer lobbies are public by default and quick match system doesn't have any queue so you'll fail to connect 90% of the time.
    - There's a bug that may cause you to lose all your progress and cards, including premium($) ones.
    - Many cards are not working as intended e.g. If you use prey upon or hunt the weak on enemy that has any abilities(life steal, etc.), those abilities do not work. This is just one example, I've found around 10 others so far.
    - You may sometimes get stuck between turns in multiplayer and the game doesn't resync, though this was also a problem in previous Magic titles.
    - There is no way to remap skip button(TAB), or any buttons if you're playing with a controller.    … Expand
  6. axepix
    Aug 17, 2014
    6
    This game got me into magic but,
    i don't have access to some cards the ai was using which frustrates me.
    on the other hand it did teach me how to play magic. This game is good for a new player because the campaign put me up against most 2 color combo decks. By the end of the campaign i did know what all the colors were about. and the interface is nice and clean too which i love.    This game got me into magic but,
    i don't have access to some cards the ai was using which frustrates me.
    on the other hand it did teach me how to play magic. This game is good for a new player because the campaign put me up against most 2 color combo decks.
    By the end of the campaign i did know what all the colors were about.
    and the interface is nice and clean too which i love.
    Unlocking the cards is a real shore since you have to play the same ai opponents repeatedly to get new booster packs.    … Expand
  7. Trunks252
    Nov 9, 2014
    6
    *NOTE* This review was written after release of the Garruk campaign, which also marked the release of updates to the core game. This review takes into account these changes.

    I can understand why this game was hated, which is why I didn't purchase it until now. No longer are the dlc's necessary to unlocking all the cards, which was the game's biggest flaw (and quite frankly insulting).    *NOTE* This review was written after release of the Garruk campaign, which also marked the release of updates to the core game. This review takes into account these changes.

    I can understand why this game was hated, which is why I didn't purchase it until now. No longer are the dlc's necessary to unlocking all the cards, which was the game's biggest flaw (and quite frankly insulting). Upon seeing the expansion (and with it, updates), I became interested in seeing the changes. After beating the campaign, I had a lot of fun unlocking boosters for each of the collections and building decks with them. The difficulty was mostly a breeze on Mage level, which I chose because of many people's opinions that he game was hard. I can't see this game as very hard at all, but then again I have been playing for ~5 years pretty consistently. There were a couple of opponents I had trouble with, most notably Ajani and SLivers. The sliver deck was easily the hardest in the campaign, but after building a new deck I was able to beat it on the second try. Just fyi, I chose the B/G graveyard based deck and had a lot of fun with it. I had three spider spawnings by the end of the first chapter, which ended up being the mvp in many of my games.

    I never had any troubles with the game "cheating" me like many people have complained about. I also don't see why people are complaining about how slow it is to unlock cards. It is actually really fast. In ~17 hours I have completed four collections with 90% in the last campaign collection. That is a huge card pool to create decks, and I've still got Alara and the Booster packs to collect. Considering it takes hundreds of hours in the previous games to unlock all the cards, I'd say this is pretty fast. Wouldn't you agree? Some people just don't think.

    This game does have several negative traits to it, however. The UI is problematic at best, with bugs, slowdown, and low responsiveness too often. I can tell it was designed specifically for iPad, which is a bad thing considering it is on PC. I also hate how many of the cards in opponent's decks (or Garruk's deck in the expansion) are not available for deck construction. I can understand why they didn't (multiplayer balance), but that doesn't excuse this. They're programmed into the game, so they should be usable. It's also a shame they removed THG and alternate formats.

    All in all, I'm having a lot of fun with this game. I love building and testing out decks, and this game has a decent-nice card selection. The flaws are ever apparent though, and 2013 + 2014 versions are still better. If you like deck building and a challenge, I can recommend this game as long as you have played the previous two versions first.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 25
  3. Negative: 5 out of 25
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    70
    Duels of the Planeswalkers is an invaluable tool for learning how to play Magic: The Gathering. [10/2014, p.64]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Sep 17, 2014
    77
    The card game takes one step forward and two steps backwards. Free deckbuilding is a big plus, but when you consider that the play modes from old Duels are cut completely and some of the card pool available is behind an IAP paywall, the new Duels doesn't compare well against other, cheaper, slicker and - quite frankly - more fun competition like Hearthstone. Duels is simple not on par with the competition. [Sept 2014]
  3. games(TM)
    Sep 16, 2014
    50
    The poor AI becomes increasingly apparent and even more of a chore upon completing the campaign. [Issue#152, p.114]
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