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A Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First, I was introduced to Magic the Gathering by a High School Student of mine many years ago, I loved the game but didn't like having to go to the back room of a comic book store and listen to some teenager rant about their interpretation of the card text and declare my combo illegal etc etc... so I gave up.

Fast forward 12 years, the online game is up and running, after a few bumps in the road, the software works great, yes it takes along time to download, it is a big install (you can get the CD ROM for free) and yes the cards do cost money... that is the whole point of the game, some cards being more valuable that others, therefore making them more desirable, you don't have to spend a fortune to play... a small, weak deck can beat a powerhouse deck if the cards fall in the right order and the player is paying attention.

If you feel inclined to complain about the cost of "virtual" or online cards look at your real world deck, are they free? How different would the game be if you and every other player were issued 4 copies of every card in print, every player would load up with rares and wollap on each other! The beauty of this game is building a balanced deck that uses commons, uncommons and a few rares to play off of each other, great decks can be built on the cheap.

Finally, I've heard the rant "they want us to pay money for online cards?!?" Exactly how much do you think that your "real" cards are really worth? They cost less than a nickel each to print, and yes, Wizards is making money hand over fist, the only value that cards have is to play the game or to a collector; other than that they might as well be a used Kleenex box, cardboard and print bound to end up in the trash.

Wizards designed a great game and in the process minted a licence to "print their own money" as they create new cards... if any one of you who are complaining could pull this off you would do it all day and all night while laughing all the way to the bank! Any hobby costs money, I got into fishing because it was "cheap" one bass boat, 20 or so rods and reels and countless lures later... well you get the point, I fish and play magic to relax and have a good time.

The pros are, no back rooms filled with annoying teens arguing over rules, (annoying teens take no offense I was one once as well) play anytime with people around the world, if someone gets obnoxious, just concede the game and move on, no haggling over rules or the meaning of the card text, the cons are cards... like anything else of value in this world, costs money, and you can always redeem them for "real" cards if you want.

Fun, but DO NOT BUY!!!!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: October 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Okay, first off, I love playing MTG. However, this game requires you to spend hundreds of dollars if you ever hope to build a truly great couple of decks. The prices alone lured me away within ten minutes. I bought this game used, luckily, so I didn't waste too much money. I installed the software, prepared to battle fellow MTG fans around the world, then saw the prices. I haven't turned the game on since. Don't be fooled by the fact it's online. If you ever see this game, run away. Far, far away!

A great hobby that makes you think

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I personaly like the Magic: The Gathering card game in general because it's a card game that makes you think, unlike Yu-Gi-O and other card games of that nature because in those, all you need is the biggest, baddest creature in order to win. Magic, on the other hand, can be won even with the weakest creatures. All you need is a deck and a mind for strategy, and the compitition will come as you embark on this virtual oddysee. I also recomend this to anyone who has played the real card game because they will have somewhat of an advantage. If you didn't, the game comes with a pretty good online rulebook. I would have given it five stars if instead of paying cash for new cards, you were able to spend virtual points you win from playing and winning.

Overall, I think this is a great game for those that want to play a good strategy game, or if you are a seasoned Magic veteran who wants to find some compitition.

Perfect for the lonely player

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is not a game for just anyone, you have to purchase your product as if it were regular MTG. If thats not a problem, or you already play MTG this is pretty close to the real thing. The really great thing besides various types of MTG is that there are tournies, drafts, leagues etc... You can trade cards, chat, post cards for sale. Collecting a whole online set, you can trade it in for a physical set. The gaming options are are endless. Plus if you get home say 3am and want to play, there's always someone to play.

Appalled. Read on to know why.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 20 / 37
Date: March 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I want to make it clear right now that I have not played this game and never will. This isn't because I believe it to be a bad game. In fact, I have been waiting for a game with an interface as I've seen described. Right after I heard of it I searched around. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE THE CARDS YOU WANT!!!! YOU have to pay to use DIGITAL cards!!!!!!!!
I immediately left the web site after seeing that in search of a SENSIBLE Magic online game. I found the incredible Magic the Gathering Interactive Encyclopedia, which lets you use any of the thousands of Magic cards in existance at your will to battle opponents online. It even had a deckbuilding judge that gave you an analasis of your deck. Alas, this game is no longer on sale, but I urge anyone who reads this review to get the message to Wizards that we just want an updated version of that game! And if you agree or disagree with me, please voice your opinion by voting on whether this review was useful to you or not.

What an INCOMPLETE CD

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 18
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Now normaly when you buy an online game thats supposed to be a full version, you have expectations of playing that game soon after installing it. Well i must say that i installed this game in the late morning and I am STILL DOWNLOADING files and updates that are an apparent requirement FIVE HOURS later! For all of us that still are in the unfortunate dark age of dial up modems, the phone bill is going to be more expensive then the game is! And i havent even played it yet! If they plan on so many updates for a game that KNOWS it will require them, WotC should constantly send out new UPDATED CD's so that an entire day doesnt have to go by just to start playing a game. So to all those people out there that have dial up like myself, either switch to DSL or cable now or just dont bother with Magic Online. People are complaining about spending money on online cards, im complaining about spending more money on the game itself than i have to!

Magic Online too Expensive? No - Its Cheap!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Many here say that magic Online is a great game, but unfortunatly its too expensive. How ca that be? Finally you can make a living playing magic. Drafting in Boosterdrafts cost you appx. 12$ to get started but if you are anything but a newbie to Magic, you can go a long way by selling the drafted cards, getting you to next booster draft and setting some of the cards aside from every draft. Id say that in comparision to playing Magic in real life, you can come VERY far with an investment of say... 25 $. For my 12$ I still play drafts, you only need to get used to selling the Rares that only takes unwanted space in your collection... GG Magic... Good Game Wizards of the Coast!

Great!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I play magic, but i never really had anyone to play with other than a couple of my friends. I got this, and i can play whenever i want to! It doesnt matter that you have to pay for the cards, because you can sell the virtual ones on ebay for more money than the cardboard ones!

Magic Online

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 15 / 29
Date: March 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I simply love Magic cards, and I probably will for a long time. Now, I am 12 years old and I don't know many people who play Magic cards, and this is a fairly good way to play. I don't own it, but I played the beta version. I loved it. But, in the beta version you didn't have to pay for your cards. THIS IS WHY I HATE MAGIC ONLINE!! I wouldn't mind if you had a monthly fee, but paying for cards that aren't real and could buy at a lower price is ridiculous. I think this is the game for people who are too lazy to go out and find a REAL LIFE Magic card tournament with REAL LIFE Magic cards. I, personally dislike this game because of the fact that you have to pay money for virtual cards. Strange...

Finally, a great way to play this epic game online.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 41 / 44
Date: February 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've had a passing fascination with Magic: The Gathering for quite some time. When I first tried the game several years ago, I knew it was my type of game. Sadly though, not a single person I knew played Magic. My attempts to teach others failed horribly, resulting in little to no challenge whatsoever. Finally I gave up and learned to live with the pain of seeing Magic in card shops, books, TV, and everywhere else.

I made attempts at finding other ways to play. I tried most of the previous Magic: The Gathering games only to be disappointed. I even tried Apprentice, only to find it a very poor substitute for the real thing.

Well, finally all my Magic: The Gathering troubles are behind me. With M:TG Online, playing a round of M:TG takes less than a minute to get started. The card art is faithfully reproduced and looks relatively good considering the limited screen space. The feel of the game is exactly like the real thing, in my opinion, better.

Why's it better? Well, from my attempts at playing the card game with newbies, I can tell you that it's highly annoying explaining the rules and why your genius finishing combo isn't cheating. For that matter, even the highly skilled players can still be unclear about certain card combos and their effects from time to time. M:TG Online will never let you make an impossible move, and you never have to wonder if you are in fact making a correct move. Everything is clear and precise, with no annoying popup messages or other time wasting dialogs. If something can't be done, it simply won't be possible to do. And don't think that this will give players an edge by making them able to effectively try everything until something works, it simply won't work that way. Anyone who has to rely on a strategy like that would be stomped in 3 seconds flat by a skilled player.

Some people will unquestionably whine about buying digital cards for full price, but I believe Wizards has made the right choice. If the game simply shipped with all cards for a flat $..., the game would simply lose its lifelike realism. It would become just like Apprentice, where everyone uses only the best cards and all of the lower cards are never even looked at much less played with. When I play, I want to play a round of Magic: The Gathering, not a dream deck building simulation. This is the only way that is actually possible. The people that seem to think M:TG is only lasting as long as you keep spending money on boosters are simply incorrect. At just under $... a deck, you could buy a good 4 or 5 theme decks and still be under the cost of one PC game. As any player knows, each and every card pretty much changes how the game is played. Each deck plays different, and feels different. 4 theme decks would not only give you plenty to keep you playing without getting bored for a very long time, it would also give you plenty of cards to build a custom deck or two with. You don't need to spend a fortune for boosters to build and collect if you don't want to. Your cards and decks never expire.

You deck builders out there will love this one. All of your cards are stored in a central collection you own, a master album. Decks are built only when needed, using cards from your collection. So in other words, you never really need more than 4 of any non-land cards, since your decks are seamlessly disbanded and rebuilt before and after every match. No deciding where to put your best cards, no hording tons of a great card, and plenty of tradable cards! If that's not enough to quell any gripes about the price of the cards, nothing is.

So, with so much right... what's there to complain about? Well, there are a few small gripes. Although the interface is sleek and quick, the avatars aren't. They're slow loading, and quite ugly. The skeleton for example has all the quality of a early 90's dungeon crawler sprite. It's a small gripe, sure... but it's annoying. The play area backgrounds are the same way... somewhat pixilated and just nothing that would make you say wow. These graphics problems thankfully don't get in the way, but they don't compliment the game's incredible art either. In a game known for it's jaw dropping card art, you'd think they would put a little more effort into the avatars and backdrops. They could have at least made it customizable so others could step in where they left off. The sounds are also about as plain and dull as humanly possible, but again not so much so it would force you to turn them off. That's pretty much the worst thing I have to say about M:TG Online.

Well, it should be clear by now I love M:TG Online. It's simply must have for anyone who's always wanted to play M:TG but couldn't do so using the cards. The game is equally rewarding for current players of the card game, if you can get over the fact that you can't use your current cards most likely sitting in shoeboxes and albums.

My advice: Download the software, try the demo decks. If you like that, buy one theme deck and see if it feels right. Stick with just one, buy a handful, or go full on M:TG collector. It's up to you.

- Rirath_com

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