Magic the Gathering Online?

[DrunkPotHead]

Anyone play that game? You need $9.95 to sign up...

I'm pretty bored, so i'm thinking that could be a fun game since all through junior high I used to play Magic the Gathering.

Anyone play it? Is it worth it?

[Frightcrawler]

Sorry, don't play that game, nor do I know much about it. But Magic rocks. I used to play it a year or two ago. :)

On another note, you might want to try out Apprentice. I believe it came out before wizard started its Magic official online client.

http://www.magic-league.com/Guides/ApprDownload.php

It's free, so no money required. However, I believe the wizard one is better because its a "matchmaking service." With Apprentice, I think you have to know the person's specific IP. Apprentice-related IRC channels or forums could solve this.

Up to you. :)

[DrunkPotHead]

I'm gonna try that real soon. How does it start? Do you play with people online with pre-assembled decks?

How exactly does it work?

[Frightcrawler]

http://www.magic-league.com/Guides/Apprentice.php
This can explain it better than I can. Basically, you can create your own deck via a deck editor. Then you can start a solitaire game or play using TCP/IP.

[Peregrine]

Real cards >>>>>> Apprentice >>>> MTG Online

The online version is an absolute ripoff... pay the same price that you would for the real cards, but you don't get anything.

To explain apprentice a bit more... it's pretty much a virtual deck of cards and table. The game doesn't do anything for you... you've got to tap/take damage/etc manually. It's just a way to play the game over the internet.

[Sephiroth OWA]

I must say that playing with the ral cards is much better, but I'm retired, I have too much money on cards. :cheesy:

[Frightcrawler]

I agree.
You cannot beat real cards. :D

[UserMathias]

I must say that playing with the ral cards is much better, but I'm retired, I have too much money on cards. :cheesy:

You use apprentice to build a deck, customize, and test it/practice against others. And THEN you buy the cards you need/want.

At least thats how I do it...


And yeah, mtgonline IS a major ripoff.

[Sephiroth OWA]

You use apprentice to build a deck, customize, and test it/practice against others. And THEN you buy the cards you need/want.

At least thats how I do it...


And yeah, mtgonline IS a major ripoff.
I passed that process about 4 years ago, now I just build the decks, I have aroun 15 decks on diferent colors, thats why I have a lot of money on cards.

[UserMathias]

I passed that process about 4 years ago, now I just build the decks, I have aroun 15 decks on diferent colors, thats why I have a lot of money on cards.

Sweet jesus, 15 decks?!


...GASP...

[DrunkPotHead]

I still have an eternity deck (made up of real cards).

Too bad half of it is banned/restricted.

Thanks for the tips, no MTG Online for me.

[Sephiroth OWA]

Sweet jesus, 15 decks?!


...GASP...
Thats why I quited, I was an adict :cheesy: , now I try to avoid that game.

[IDupedInMyPants]

Actually MtGO isn't such a bad deal for some people.

I don't know if they still do this, but when it launched the $10 start fee was basically waived by hooking you up with a code for a free online starter deck. If you're the kind of guy that's gonna blow a lot of cash and/or trade a lot anyway (e.g. collectors), once you complete a whole set you can "redeem" your online set for a real set sent to your house, I think up to a year after the set comes out. So you can do all your collecting without getting off your butt.

Trade partners are also a lot easier to find online. You can allow them to see only what you want to trade away so you don't have to deal with some guy begging for a card you said up front you absolutely wouldn't trade. And another selling point for collectors, you can go through as many trades as you want without anyone actually handling your cards at any point, so once you cash in you can be assured your set will be totally mint.

It's also a good deal for players in rural areas or areas where MtG just has no market. A lot of these people can't hook up with real live players or tournaments (they host online tournaments with prizes, and last I heard they were talking about DCI rating the online tournaments) without travelling a couple hundred miles.

And you can't forget people who keep weird hours or just have tough schedules. You can find a game online 24 hours a day, and the same definitely can't be said of most real live play groups. Everybody's got work/school schedules to co-ordinate, one guy has a kid, all of the sudden your group can't get together very often.

I actually don't play either one, but I can see how someone could prefer to play the online version. I think Wizards tapped pretty brilliantly into yet another huge market for their product. Anybody know off hand how much they've made off MtGO so far?

[ThereIsNoTruth]

Duped is right, I play MTGO all the time, when I'm not working or with my girlfriend, that is. It's pretty fun and getting cards through there is in most ways cheaper than going to a store to get them. The guy who ran a shop I used to go to overcharged a ton, so it's better getting cards online, and playing in tourneys is easier. If it weren't for that, I prolly would have stopped playing magic altogether.

[Fallen_62]

Thats why I quited, I was an adict :cheesy: , now I try to avoid that game.

15 decks is nothing... my friend took a dresser drawer, a DRESSER DRAWER out because he needed room for his decks. he has to have 25-30 at last count. i have/had about 10-15... i havent played in a long, long time (almost a year), but i wouldnt mind getting a game going every now and then.

on a side note, does any1 have MTG:Battlegrounds for XBox? if so, can you help me with something? i am on the second to last quest thing... (i have all the jewels but red, and i am on the last one before the red boss), and i cant beat it. can some1 tell me how they beat it? its the one with all the regenerating green creatures (i.e. gorilla chieftans, brushwood elemental(?), av. of might, etc.) i keep getting pounded, and i dont know how to beat it...

[Technetium]

M:tG Online is superior to the original game and Apprentice because:

1. Your cards can't be stolen. Take it from someone who had his entire collection (approx. $1200 value at a minimum) stolen right from under his nose, that is a big deal.

2. Your cards never lose value from being worn out.

3. Last time I was playing, the popular cards were selling on Ebay for around the same price as the real thing (this isn't really an example of superiority, but just a counter to the argument that they aren't worth anything). Apprentice cannot offer any value for the cards.

4. It is impossible to cheat. Okay, if you're a cheater, maybe this doesn't appeal to you. But otherwise, this is an important improvement over the original game. It is also something which Apprentice cannot promise you.

5. There are real monetary prizes for the big tournaments, just like there are for tournaments with real cards. Nothing to gain by playing online? Think again.

6. If you collect an entire set of online cards, you can, at any time, trade them in for a set of the real cards. So the online cards essentially have an enforced 1:1 value ratio with the real cards.

6. Finally, M:tG Online permits you to find trade partners, practice games, and real tournaments, any time of the day, any day of the week, and without having to travel to get there. This is the biggest advantage it has over the real game.

Disadvantages:

1. You have to pay for the cards.
2. You don't get to hold them in your hands.

Basically, the problem with the real game is that it is subject to all the problems that come with tangible real-world objects. The game is too expensive given that they are such a high value theft target, and that theft of Magic cards is remarkably easy. The problem with Apprentice is that it completely removes the collectability aspect of the game, which for many people is half (if not more) the entire point.

If I were to ever play again (which I doubt, I don't have the money), it would defintiely be the online version.

[biko]

i played mtg really much before.. i quitted about when legions was released and it seems to me that the game really is going downwards.. the new cardface is really ugly, and thats just 1 thing.. it seems to me like theyre making preconstructed combos too much and well bwah.. imo the game was on top around the urzas.

mtg online doesnt seem fun to me.. i mean.. online?!? its not even real cards!!

real cards pwn. they smell good.

[DrunkPotHead]

Tech, you seem to know a lot about the game.

How exactly does it work with paying for it? (I don't wanna spend too much money).

You pay the $9.95 and get ???? (fill in the ????)

You play with other people for ante ???? (yes or no)

To get new cards, you have to pay real $$ ???? (yes or no)

Payment works how? (paypal/credit card/etc, do they take money orders?)

Any other important info would be appreciated.

[Technetium]

Tech, you seem to know a lot about the game.

How exactly does it work with paying for it? (I don't wanna spend too much money).

It's pretty much just like the real thing in that sense. You can spend perhaps $20 or a little every now and then and just have fun playing with other people who don't want to spend a lot. On the other hand, if you want to go all out for the tournaments, you'll probably have to make a big investment, just as you would for real cards.


You pay the $9.95 and get ???? (fill in the ????)

That much credit on the M:tG online store. You can spend it on anything you want there. They should have all the Type 2 starter decks and booster packs.


You play with other people for ante ???? (yes or no)

I don't think it allows for ante, but I don't remember. It was a while ago.


To get new cards, you have to pay real $$ ???? (yes or no)

Yep, or trade. When I was playing the real game, I got myself into a cycle where I would trade all my cards that were going to become non-Type 2 legal about a month before they actually went out. I was able to get new cards this way without having to buy them.


Payment works how? (paypal/credit card/etc, do they take money orders?)

Once you register with them, you fill out a form each time you buy. I think they take credit cards directly there (i.e. no need for Paypal).

Other stuff... They actually do have the "foil" versions of cards. It would be nice if they had semi-transparent animated gifs to make the shimmering effect, but they still do look a lot like the actual foil cards. You buy tickets to use for admission to tournaments. Some people use these tickets as currency (they cost $1 each from the store, so it's easy to do this). If you get dropped from a game because of your internet connection, there is a pretty decent window during which you can re-enter the game without getting disconnected completely (and effectively losing the game). The gameplay itself is very fluid.

I haven't played in over a year, though. I remember there is someone else here that plays (adamt-something or other) and has pretty much the same views on it that I do. I'd ask him.