Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014

Excellent tutorial for beginners. [Sept 2013, p.89]

With an initial Campaign that clocks in at around ten hours plus a secondary campaign, and almost unlimited online replay value thanks to the superb Sealed Play (which itself has a third single-player campaign), there are dozens of hours of card-battling fun available in Magic 2014.

Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers represents both significant value, and an excellent introduction into the collectible card game.

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, when I first played Magic the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 I was expecting the same experience as last year, simply with new decks. The fact that Magic the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 brings a new game mode, in the shape of Sealed Play, to the table (excuse the pun) really adds to the Magic the Gathering feel.

Magic 2014 is the jewel in the Stainless Games crown, and a shining example of the rewards of iterative development.

Incredibly deep. [Sept 2013, p.71]

Magic 2014 manages to retain what made the previous games great, while more than justifying the series’ yearly releases.

Now, I don’t want to ever tell you to “buy a game” or “not buy a game” – that’s up to you. But if you like Magic: The Gathering, if you like strategy games, if you like the community of online gaming – you won’t get more out of your 10 bucks with any other title. The ratio of money spent to time enjoyed is hilariously negligible.

Magic 2014 is a good example of a franchise that keeps improving and adding new challenges and experiences, although its own nature hasn't allowed the developer to make a significant gameplay advance.

I love the varying challenges this version throws at us and hope to be playing Magic 2015 in a year’s time.

Probably the best place for anyone to jump into Magic for the first time and is great value for money for its breadth of gameplay and content.

Step by step, Duels of the Planeswalkers becomes better and better with every edition. The addition of a bit more of deck-building in this 2014 release is a solid step towards a full-fledged Magic: The Gathering experience.

As always, Duel of the Planewalkers is a perfect entry point for people interested in Magic but are intimidated by the real thing or the ultra competitive Magic The Gathering Online. And, as always too, it lets us wanting for more. Duels series won't be able to stay as the "the entry point" forever.

Magic: Duels of Planeswalker 2014 is not a bad game, but it isn't the full Magic-experience either. Real innovations are missing and even the new Sealed-mode is a nice idea, but not very well implemented.

We recommend the purchase of Magic The Gathering 2014 especially to those who have always wanted to explore the world of Magic, but have never had friends ready to teach them the basics.

Magic: The Gathering is a fantastic card game, long standing and one of the best. But these games are little more than a enjoyable advertisement for the paper game or Magic Online. So much so that there are obtrusive ads in the game about buying boxes of paper cards and joining the local Magic community.

Duels of the Planeswalkers isn't the full Magic experience. It's a taste of the broader landscape to entice players and make them more comfortable attending a casual Friday Night Magic event. If you're new to Magic: The Gathering, Duels of the Planeswalkers remains the best way to learn how to play without the intimidation of other players. Even with the online connection issues and additional purchases tied to making the most of Sealed mode, this is the best version to date. It's easy to recommend for new players just learning and veteran spellslingers looking for new single-player matches.