When duel of the Planeswalkers 2015 was free a few months ago , it introduced full deckbuilding and add-in only attainable through an extra purchase . We did n’t care it . An elaboration for the plot name those premium cards available simply by winning matches .
Full revelation : champion of the Coast fly me to Honolulu , Hawaii recently for Pro Tour : Khans of Tarkir , and to uncover this fresh expansion ( I ’ll have more about the Pro Tour later this calendar week ) .
I really want to blab out about that a little flake — we ’re gamers , so we ’re going to start the metagame , right ? After that disconfirming review in July , a Wizards of the Coast brand manager need to speak on the earpiece about it , just to get more specifics on what I disliked about the game or what would have made it better . Then come the Pro Tour pressure trip . What we can take away is that Wizards finger the success of Duels of the Planeswalkers is very of import to the overall health of Magic : the Gathering . And while it ’s impossible to chase exactly how a new actor who pop buying cards and playing at Friday Night Magic got into the game ( I asked them if they had any data point on that ) , a streak of year - by - class sales increases for Magic approximately concur with the existence of Duels of the Planeswalkers . It ’s an interesting correlativity .
There ’s also an apparent responsiveness to fan call . That telephone set conversation in July left me feeling optimistic that they really wanted to know how to make a good plot . I ’m actually a morsel stunned they reversed course on the premium cards . We can be cynical and talk about how the backlash against microtransactions must have run into their bottom telephone circuit ( I do n’t doubt that it did ) , but simultaneously recognize that the people who make the game have a passion for it and want citizenry to wish it .
That brings us to this unexampled elaboration , Garruk ’s Revenge . It impart a raw single player campaign that ’s in reality a prequel to the story of the chief game . You ’ll play against a serial of pack of cards , climax in a battle against the disguised assassin Garruk decollate in a weakened setting in the original game . These games are played using a fixed pack of cards — you do n’t get to customize it at all . However , it changes subtly as you move through the crusade , starting out as a mostly immature deck , then incorporating more and more bleak card with each new mate . This represents Garruk slowly being bribe from within . It ’s kind of a nifty way to tell a report through wit selection .
Once you dumbfound the hunting expedition , you’re able to then go through and play those matches using any of your tradition decks . At that period you ’ll also have unlocked a set of new card game that will be available for custom pack of cards construction . These cards are unrelated to the Garruk decks — it ’s just a set of cards that unlock when the safari is get the better of . There ’s some cool stuff in there too , including more multi - colored lands for those of who wish to progress 3 - colour deck .
The heavy change , of course , is that those insurance premium poster plurality that were once locked away unless you wanted to drop an extra $ 30 on them are now fully unlockable by get ahead multiplayer games . you may still buy them if you do n’t palpate like playing games to unlock them ( or literally have more money than sensory faculty ) , but now every placard in the game is come-at-able without spending extra money .
This is a vast change , and it overcomes the game ’s biggest problem . It is n’t the game ’s only job ( the carte exploiter interface is unfathomable , and the AI is pretty terrible ) . The modified game mode can leave you wondering what to do with all those card game you ’ve now unlocked — if you require to play against random information processing system pack of cards , each plane ’s “ explore leaf node ” is the topographic point to do that , but I had to project that out through trial and wrongdoing . It ’s not visceral at all .
The fact that the notice are unlockable only by playing multiplayer games in reality gift the plot more focus in this region . I typically do n’t dally multiplayer , but if the game is pushing you in that charge and more explicitly saying , “ Here ’s how you should be playing , against other humans , ” that ’s fine . I ’m felicitous to take on that manner if there ’s a reason for it .
If my original assessment of this game was , “ This would be capital if not for the premium cards , ” then getting rid of that roadblock take a leak matter pretty clear . Finally , a Duels of the Planeswalkers that lets us build up our own decks ! That ’s pretty cool .
Garruk ’s retaliation will be available on Steam and Android on Nov. 5 , with other platform to abide by .
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