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The Guiding Principles and New Rules
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[XBLA]Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers. Now Available on Steam!!!
Posts
I love contrasting opinions. I quit when Mirage came out, loved the old stuff. As to the idea that this is reducing the value of real life cards... I'm willing to bet they've got numbers that say most of their paper card sales are driven by the demographic that's too young to afford a 360 and have disposable income in MS points. While there are certainly older guys doing both, my completely uninformed opinion would be that the 20-something RL magic player demographic is a regularly declining one. You're reaching for a different market with this. (The one that includes me.)
PS2
FF X replay
PS3
God of War 1&2 HD
Rachet and Clank Future
MGS 4
Prince of Persia
360
Bayonetta
Fable 3
DS
FF: 4 heroes of light
At the time life was School, Work, Hang out with friends/girlfriend, MtG, Diablo 2. Either way I was in both catagories at the time playing the physical game and buying stupid amounts of games despite being hopelessly addicted to Diablo 2. If this game had all the sets with drafts and online play even at a monthly fee it would be a huge back breaking problem for the physical game, one that Hasbro is never gonna let happen unless the physical game is already on the ropes.
I spent so much money on Magic in high school and college, that I'm scared of calculating how much for fear of collapsing. Still, though, I do think that Magic is an affordable hobby. As long as you're outlining decks before you buy them and know exactly what you want, you save a lot of money buy buying second hand or trading with people, and not buying booster packs to hope for random cards. It's well within the price range of your average high school student's allowance, which I guess explains its popularity.
But now i get to spend even more!
(hurray!)
Seriously though. I spent a lot in school on them. I dont get too great of pay but I can likely buy a few packs or more a week. Should be fun.
So I'll probably pick this up. Too bad I think my way overpriced wireless xbox connector is broken.
Xbox live is down for maintenance today. So its not your overpriced wireless xbox connector.
Nah I actually didn't check it today, but rather a couple weeks ago. I just haven't done anything about it because I haven't had a desire to use live.... till now.
Gamertag is Moridin889 (Who woulda thunk it?) if anyone is up for some games tomorrow
But yeah, every day we'd break out the magic cards and play a few games. I never won, but my deck wasn't designed to "win"
A brief overview of the 8 decks from the horses mouth.
Where is it?????
WHERE!?!?!?!
People like you are why I played Junzo in L5R. You want to win by honor? Have some oni's.
Apparently Live is still having issues. Trying to even just download a demo of Sam and Max fails and the demo can't be retrieved, blah blah blah.
It's like Blizzard's inability to update things smoothly was caught by MS. I'd assume MtG won't be released until they have this fixed, which makes me sad.
I need me some Magic, dammit.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I hope it doesn't suck.
Also, DS or PSP port please.
PSN = Wicker86 ________ Gamertag = Wicker86
better be fixed soon grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I've been on xbox.com trying to add it to my download queue while at work, I want that thing instantly downloading when I power on my xbox
Steam
XBOX
Any chance of a copy paste of that info for myself and my work filtered brethren?
Wizards of the Coast
Monday, June 15, 2009
* Teeth of the Predator – Garruk Wildspeaker
* Hands of Flame – Chandra Nalaar
* Wings of Light – Elspeth Tirel
* Eyes of Shadow – Liliana Vess
* Thoughts of the Wind – Jace Beleren
* Claws of Vengeance – Ajani Goldmane
* Ears of the Elves – Nissa Revane
* Scales of Fury – Sarkhan Vol
Teeth of the Predator – Garruk Wildspeaker
Just as the green magic-wielding Garruk Wildspeaker considers the entire Multiverse his hunting grounds, the world of Xbox LIVE can now be yours to rule with the Teeth of the Predator deck. This deck specializes in taking advantage of green’s abundant resources and the awesome might of its creatures.
As you begin your duel, focus on maximizing the number of Forests you have available and applying pressure with your creatures. Cards like Rampant Growth and Civic Wayfinder can help you find more Forests directly from your library. As a green mage, your creatures are usually larger than your opponents’, so be aggressive! Soon, you’ll be summoning heavy hitters like Spined Wurm and Duskdale Wurm. If the sheer size of your forces isn’t enough to overwhelm your opponent, you can Overrun them instead, a devastating sorcery that not only enlarges your soon-to-be attacking creatures, but gives them trample as well.
Trample is an important part of the Teeth of the Predator strategy. Normally, attacking and blocking creatures only deal combat damage to one another. When an attacking creature has trample however, once the blocking creature is destroyed, any excess damage is dealt directly to your opponent. Opposing decks that rely on small defensive creatures, especially ones that regenerate, will soon find themselves reeling.
Seek out and eliminate your prey – fellow Planeswalkers – to unlock new cards for your deck. The trophies for a successful hunt are among nature’s fiercest weapons. Harness the power (and toughness) of the Forests themselves with Blanchwood Armor, an Aura that makes your smaller creatures enormous and your larger creatures downright gargantuan! What other allies will join you as you take on the deadliest the Multiverse has to offer?
Hands of Flame – Chandra Nalaar
Faced with opposition from every direction, with enemies – driven by their desire to suppress you – closing in, there is only one option. Burn them all. The Hands of Flame deck is fueled by red’s signature passion and fiery destruction.
Chandra’s deck is packed with small, aggressive creatures that immediately put your opponent on the defensive. It can be tempting to unload your awesome arsenal of damage spells like Shock and Incinerate on your not-yet-crispy-enough opponent. However, remember that clearing the way by destroying opposing creatures can often lead to more efficient damage-dealing. Your spells only hit once, but your creatures can attack every turn, especially when your opponent is defenseless!
This deck focuses on unrelenting offense – as long as you have at least 1 life remaining, you are a threat to end the duel at any moment. Sometimes you have to forget about blocking and just turn up the heat. Haste is a potent ability that allows some of your most efficient creatures, like the powerful Lightning Elemental, to blindside enemies by attacking the turn they enter the battlefield.
Collected from the ashes of those who would oppose you, the new weapons you unlock for victory are explosive. You’ll ally yourself with a Shivan Dragon, one of the mightiest dragons to ever fight in the Multiverse. You’ll unleash the pinpoint devastation of Blaze, a spell whose damage is only limited by the mana you have available. What hope does order and principle have against such a chaotic and brutal force?
Wings of Light – Elspeth Tirel
In a Multiverse filled with frightful creatures, white mages like Elspeth show no fear. Through unmatched discipline, superior training, and a little divine inspiration, the Wings of Light deck succeeds where many fail.
The Wings of Light deck focuses on defense and gaining life in the early going. Creatures like Angelic Wall and Goldenglow Moth can effectively stop any momentum your opponent may be generating. Your army is an efficient one with an array of inexpensive creatures to hold off opposing forces. Control your most fearsome foes by enchanting them with Pacifism. If your opponent does manage to overwhelm you, you can easily show him the folly of waging war against you with Holy Day, an instant that prevents all combat damage dealt on the turn it’s played.
As the duel rages on, your tactics will quickly turn from defensive to offensive. Strengthen your forces with cards like Holy Strength and Glorious Anthem. When the time is right, take to the air for a crushing aerial strike. Flying allows attacking creatures to sail over any and all grounded opposition – only another creature with flying or reach can block it. If you don’t have an air force standing by, a well-timed Angelic Blessing can transform the most unassuming knight or monk into a lethal threat.
Like Elspeth, you fight out of necessity, not for personal gain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of some heavenly additions to your deck! New angelic allies like the iconic Serra Angel and the versatile Voice of All support your airborne strategy. What hope does chaos and brutality have against such a principled and orderly force?
Eyes of Shadow – Liliana Vess
The Eyes of Shadow peer deep into your opponent’s soul, decaying not only his forces but his very will to fight. This deck is a malevolent expression of black magic, necromantic sorcery combined with mind-erasing discard spells.
Liliana’s sinister creation seeks to destroy not only the body but the mind through a punishing suite of discard effects. Use The Rack and Megrim to make sure your opponent’s depleted hand tears at his life total as well. Whatever threats manage to survive your mental assault should be easily dispatched with spells like Terror and Consume Spirit. When toying with your meek opposition proves tiresome, finish them off with a deadly Nightmare.
The Eyes of Shadow deck uses creatures that take advantage of three powerful abilities. Flying makes your creatures more difficult to block, rendering larger foes helpless as your forces pass by overhead. Fear, a long-time staple of black’s arsenal, also makes your creatures difficult to block by infusing them with black magic so potent that only other black creatures or soulless artifact creatures dare stand in their way. Finally, manipulate death itself with the regenerating Drudge Skeletons. For a single black mana, you can prevent these stalwart minions from being destroyed. Remember to activate the regeneration ability before combat damage, and the Drudge Skeletons will turn away attack after attack, while you prepare deadlier strategies for your enemy.
As you progress through victim after victim, your mastery of death will attract new followers like Mortivore and the Royal Assassin. You will also unlock annihilation in the form of the overwhelming Plague Wind. Other Planeswalkers despair, for you have arrived.
Thoughts of the Wind – Jace Beleren
To embrace the creation of Jace Beleren is to embrace the ideals he holds most dear: knowledge and curiosity, deception and illusion, mental acuity and manipulation. Like other preeminent blue mages, the reach of Jace’s touch extends to time, thought, memory, and the very fabric of the Multiverse itself.
The Thoughts of the Wind deck includes an elusive group of allies. Many of your creatures have flying, allowing them to attack untouched by creatures saddled by gravity, and Phantom Warriors simply can’t be blocked at all! Of course, a mentalist such as yourself could just turn your opponent’s best threat against him, using your power of Persuasion.
What really sets this deck apart are its twin defensive strategies of countermagic and advantageously returning permanents to their owner’s hand. The threats you’ll face are as varied as the planes themselves, but one simple spell stops them all – Cancel. And if danger does slip by when your guard is down, simply use Boomerang to return it to where it came, often just to Cancel it when your foe tries it again!
Defeating opposing Planeswalkers is all well and good, but the cards you unlock, the new knowledge you acquire, is your ultimate reward. You’ll discover new ways to deny the weak-minded, fumbling attempts of your enemies. You’ll also secure the loyalty of Mahamoti Djinn, a renowned force throughout the Multiverse. Most importantly, you’ll earn the opportunity to expand, control, and learn.
Claws of Vengeance – Ajani Goldmane
The Claws of Vengeance deck features lethal combinations only possible when you manipulate multiple colors of mana. Any apprentice mage can master a single school of magic, but the truly great embrace the power of diversity. Are you ready?
With a multicolor deck, the mulligan becomes a much more important decision. Not only should you pay attention to the number of lands in your starting seven, you should make sure you have access to at least two of your deck’s three colors. Of course, all three would be even better, especially when paired up with one of the most devastating creatures to prowl the Multiverse in a long, long time: the Woolly Thoctar. There are larger creatures out there, but few hit as hard or as fast as the tusked terror from the jungles of Naya.
The Claws of Vengeance deck also features some of the best spells each of its colors has to offer. Control opposing threats with Pacifism or simply eliminate them with a timely Incinerate. When the way is clear, unleash the Sangrite Surge! This exciting sorcery not only enlarges the target, but grants it double strike for that turn. One of the most powerful abilities around, double strike allows creatures to deal their combat damage twice! Remember if the attacking creature is blocked, even if the blocking creature is destroyed the first time damage is dealt, the attacking creature won’t get to deal its second round of combat damage to your opponent, so timing with Sangrite Surge is everything.
As you claim victory and vengeance against other Planeswalkers, you’ll gain access to even more lethal weapons. Impressed by your prowess, the legendary Brion Stoutarm stands ready to assist your forces… mostly by hurling them at your opponents!
Ears of the Elves – Nissa Revane
The reclusive Elves are spoken of in hushed whispers. They are at times mercurial allies or fierce enemies – and sometimes both! From within their ranks, a new force has emerged, lethal as an Elvish blade and powerful as a Planeswalker’s spark: Nissa Revane. She is determined to continue the tradition of Elvish dominance on every plane she visits.
Nissa’s Ears of the Elves deck focuses on the duality of life – green magic to enhance it and black magic to drain it away. Your creatures feature a diverse set of abilities that ensure you have access to more resources than your opponent. Elvish Visionary keeps your hand full, Farhaven Elf lets you accelerate your mana base, Elvish Eulogist keeps you at a healthy life total, and Lys Alana Huntmaster brings an almost endless supply of reinforcements – every Elf spell you play gives you another Elf!
With so many Elves dedicated to your fight, you may quickly find yourself with many more creatures than your opponent. To press this advantage, the Ears of the Elves deck relies on three impressive cards that ensure your forces are not only more numerous, but larger too. The first is a finisher familiar to green mages – Overrun. This brutal sorcery usually leaves your opponent with no viable defensive options except defeat.
The second is the mighty Coat of Arms. With this artifact in play, each creature gets a +1/+1 bonus based on how many other creatures of the same creature type are around. Play this when you have six Elves in play, and each will get +5/+5! This bonus works for your opponent as well, so be careful, but your deck’s creatures are all Elves, so you are likely to reap a much greater reward from this than an unfocused foe.
Finally, for opposing green mages, look out for the Elvish Champion. Inspired by this imposing commander, other Elves will grow larger and be granted forestwalk, allowing them to attack unhindered as long as your opponent controls a Forest.
As the Planeswalkers from lesser races fall at your feet, your mastery of warfare and the hunt will only increase. The perfection of your forces will also increase, with allies like Immaculate Magistrate and Rhys the Exiled joining your legions. Elvish victory – your victory – is inevitable. Get started!
Scales of Fury – Sarkhan Vol
On the savage shard of Jund, civilization has given way to the predatory instincts of its inhabitants. Seated mightily at the top of this food chain are the majestic dragons. Revered by the shamanistic Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, dragons represent the ultimate expression of power and supremacy. Use the Scales of Fury deck to ferociously decimate all who would doubt them.
This deck is a violent assault on almost all fronts. Efficient creatures lead the charge, backed up by an array of destructive spells like Terror and Incinerate. Blightning lowers both your opponent’s life total and his ability to fight back, as his hand is eaten away. Don’t be afraid to lose some of your creatures, as long as they take an opposing creature with them! There’s always a Gravedigger willing to throw fallen forces back into the fray.
If your early assault isn’t enough to secure victory, you can issue a Violent Ultimatum! This demoralizing sorcery eliminates your three largest threats in one fell swoop. Or perhaps three lands to cripple your opponent. Or perhaps a troublesome artifact or enchantment. Your options are numerous, but all lead to victory.
As you convince your fellow Planeswalkers of the dragons’ dominance, some of mightiest dragons around will be convinced of yours. Take to the skies with formidable Flameblast Dragon, the dual threats of the Broodmate Dragon, and the incredible Hellkite Overlord.
Steam
XBOX
I started playing back in 96 right around Ice Age and played through Urza's Cycle. I got back into the game for a short time through Ravnica bust stopped playing because I couldn't stand all the smelly guys and little kids at the local tournaments.
Playing from my couch though, pure win.
I can't fucking wait. I was the biggest Magic whore back in the day. Played from just after Legends through to the end of Fallen Empires.
Had some really good times with the game ... it was a big money investment over time, but provided me with hours upon hours of entertainment. I'm hoping this brings back a tiny bit of the magic of my youth.
magic isn't at all about "most money wins", unless you want to play a vintage tournament and are willing to spend like 30 bucks. standard is reasonable.
This pre-built deck system allows them to offer expansions for those who want them but should (hopefully) also keep said expansions on an even power base with those who stick with just the original product.
I think to some extent it is. I'm not a phenomenal player, but I've won my share of booster drafts and two headed giant tournaments, but when I sat down to play 12 year old kids who had carbon copies of major tournament winnings decks with 300 some odd dollars worth of cards in them I really started losing my taste for playing the game.
the initial investment for a competitive type 2 deck is about 200-300, and that lasts you for about a year+. Updating the deck between new releases usually costs no money at all, as you'll usually just need a playset of 1-2 cards, which you usually trade for. I can build practically any deck in standard, and I haven't bought singles or packs in over a year, just get stuff through trading/drafts/prizes.
It bugs me to hear "most money wins", because it isn't that much money to be competitive, and you are vastly underestimating playskill. If you give a random a tier 1 deck, and he doesn't know how to play it, he will not win.
Power rares push the cost past casual levels if you wanted to actually go to tournaments. I personally would rather play with buddies around a table, but for a lot of people the entrance cost is very prohibitive.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Then again, this was before any expansions. I doubt my Deck O' Craw Wurm Mayhem would hold up today.
Now anyone who has played much tourn. magic knows in general the rares in the best performing decks are generally also the most expensive ones. Not to say that some decks can't overcome these cards but in general the more expensive decks are easier to win with if you understand the strategy and it fits your style. The only real decks that do well and are cheaper are usually metagamed decks made to counter one or a couple of the top decks in the format. (disclaimer: TheUnsane1 has not played physical magic at a tournament for any constructed format since roughly 2003 and could be wrong.)
My brother was into the pokaymans cards for a short time though.
Er, you can only have 4 non-land permanents of the same name on a deck...
I suppose either my memory failed me or I was doing it wrong.
I think the issue here is our wildly differing definitions of 'reasonable cost'! I had already said that money doesn't entirely replace skill, I said it is however an important factor. As much as the unskilled pleyer with the money deck won't beat the skilled pleyer with the cheap deck, the skilled player with the cheap deck will have troubles with the moderate player with the money deck.
'Most money wins' is shorthand for 'Most money spent has a noticeable competitative advantage' if that makes you happier.
Again, not decrying the whole system as wrong, just not for me as it does not encourage casual play if you don't have a similarly minded set of mates to play with.
lol. And you mean non-basic land.
SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
you can't play with an all common deck, sure. you need to put in some money, but it's far less than buying a game every month, and probably the same general cost as playing WoW. Even if you get the cards, they don't make you win, especially at larger tournaments rather than FNM.