MtG: Duels of the Planeswalkers online

[iamafish]

My only interaction with MtG is through DotP on steam. I really enjoy it, but wouldn't have enough friends who would be interested in playing with me to warrant getting into the physical game.

Anyone else play DotP? If so is it your only way of playing magic like me? What do you think of it and how does it compare with playing magic for real?

[ZePancakes]

Well I started out on DotP 2012 and got into paper magic afterwards. None of my friends played it, even with my insisting so I had to suck it up and try to talk to folks at my LGS. DotP is a simpler version with some higher aspects left out or more subtle. Mtgo is ok as well but the interface is a tad daunting for new folks.

[Myrph]

I was introduced to paper magic by some of my friends at school, around 2003, played for a while, then stopped because I had no money and the other people who I played with sank ludicrous amounts of money into it, such that I simply couldn't keep up with it.

DotP helped me get back into it now that I'm at university, and helped me get involved with the gaming society here that plays paper magic.

In general terms, its exactly the same game as the paper and MTGO games, but in terms of the meta game, its completely different. As a fairly average player, and somewhat poor (in both senses of the word) deck builder, having pregen decks that have internal logic and hold their own well, means I can have genuinely fun experiences, without having to spend time and effort second guessing myself building a deck, I can just launch in and know that there aren't major intrinsic flaws in my deck, which is something of an issue I have with paper magic.

On the flip side, there is something really enjoyable about taking a pool of cards and turning it into a deck to face off against other players, either through drafting, sealed tournaments or just constructed play, that is completely missing from DotP, and for which I do really enjoy doing, when I have the opportunity and finance to do so.

Generally, I think each form fills a slightly different niche, and I do enjoy them for slightly different reasons, even if the overarching desire to play MtG is the same.

I guess the only other thing that I can bring to the table is Manalink, which is a modified version of the 1997 Magic: The Gathering game, which basically sits in the gap between DotP and MtGO. Fan operated, it offers 1v1 duels using either preconstructed decks (of all sorts, including tribal decks and tournament decks) or decks built with the included deck builder, which features nearly all of the cards from the history of MTG, including most of the recent sets, as well as a few other things. For me its nice playing with cards that I've never seen before and allows me, to an extent, to build utterly ludicrous decks that I could never dream of using in paper or online, but its still not quite the same as playing against a real person.

[Kapol]

Personally, I started playing DotP before actually playing. It let me learn the rules and get used to the game. But I quickly got tired of the AI's BS, and the fact that the decks weren't really 'my deck.' That last feeling is one of the main reason I don't net-deck 99% of the time (I only broke that rule to build a commander deck since I'd never played, and even then I modified it a great deal).

Of course, I had no friends who were into it either. Thankfully my LGS is really cool. When I first started, someone gave me a set of Dragonsleeves, and later a playmat, since I was just starting out. Even if you don't have friends into it right now, it might be worth looking into nearby gaming places.

But yea, DotP is overall a pretty good game. It has issues and it is entirely different than actually playing the game, but it's a good way to get into the mindset of playing MtG and has some fun modes. I was personally very happy they put Planechase into the newest one.

[iamafish]

I don't think i really have the time, money or will to get into playing paper magic at the moment. I do feel that missing out on deck building and drafting is a real shame, as I feel I'd enjoy that quite a lot. Does Manalink allow you to play verses an AI, or does it have to be against another player? Because I don't really like playing games online or against other people...

[Myrph]

Manalink is purely against AI, since multiplayer broke after they added the additional cards. The AI is fairly proficient, so provides a fair level of challenge, without being completely impossible to defeat.
I should note, however, its not completely stable and certain formats do have a tendency to either straight up not work, or cause the software to hang halfway through a match, but for general 1v1 dueling it works perfectly fine.

Besides, the sheer quantity of deck builds that come included means you can have ludicrous amounts of fun just selecting random decks and trying to figure out how the deck is meant to work!

[Keab42]

Peer pressure has caused me to purchase and play DTP 2014 on Steam. If you can guess my Steam Username feel free to add me...

[iamafish]

is it keab42?

[thatlaurachick]

@keab what peer pressure? You said you wanted to play Magic with us.... >.>

iamafish feel free to add me too

[Drecon]

The latest DotP didn't work on my system. Took me months to get my money back.

[Myrph]

I think most of you guys already have me added on steam, so if anyone wants a game, just send me an invite!

[Keab42]

is it keab42?

Indeed it is. I'm far too easy to find on the internet.

[WickedBoy6]

I'm up for any DotP on Steam - as long as it's 2013 or 2014, though I might get original and 2012 just for hahas - but it's Wickedevil on Steam, not WickedBoy6. It's like that for reasons.