Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

Another update to Stainless Game's Magic The Gathering simulator, 2013 offers new cards and an interesting new mode, but the tweaks and additions still fail to drastically alter the usual formula

73%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

stability, grinding

86% User Score Based on 1,520 reviews

Critic Score 81%Based on 4 reviews

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About

"Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013" is a digital adaptation of the popular trading card game. It offers improved gameplay features, including new decks, opponents, and the ability to build custom decks. This edition also includes a revamped tutorial system for new players.

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Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 screenshot

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,524 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

Great for learning the basics of Magic: The Gathering and understanding game mechanics.
Fun multiplayer modes like Planechase and Two-Headed Giant add variety to gameplay.
Offers a nostalgic experience for long-time fans of the series with improved graphics and deck themes.

Limited deck customization options prevent players from building their own unique decks.
AI can be frustratingly predictable and often seems to cheat, leading to unbalanced matches.
The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, particularly in multiplayer modes.

gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
50%
19%
Gameplay in "Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the accessibility and helpful tutorials for newcomers, as well as the introduction of the Planechase mechanic for multiplayer. However, frequent timer issues, clunky mechanics, and slow gameplay detract from the experience, leading to frustration during matches. While the game offers a variety of decks and strategic challenges, it struggles with execution, making it feel less engaging compared to playing the physical card game.
- “Decks are fun with plenty of powerful cards (really love the Golgari and Jace decks), graphics are great, and gameplay is straightforward with lots of helpful tips.”
- “Overall while this game is more of a plan B for when you can't meet your friends on Friday night, it is still a good alternative for a few short games every now and then, and it is a great game to help those who are new to the game to learn both gameplay and deck building.”
- “Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is easily Stainless Games’ best effort at providing an accessible yet challenging version of Magic to date, and the new decks and improved gameplay are satisfying enough to trump most concerns arising from the new Planechaser mode.”
- “Horrible sound quality, extremely slow gameplay, clunky mechanics and user interface, and outright boring compared to playing the actual card game with real friends.”
- “Terrible gameplay... forced timers make you skip content.”
- “This game is quite clunky: modifying decks is a chore; gameplay is flashy but painful; the system resources it uses are ridiculous (Skyrim on high settings uses less memory and CPU).”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
35%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning artwork and smooth animations that enhance the overall experience. While some users appreciate the improved visuals and sleek user interface, others criticize glitchy and outdated graphics, suggesting that the game could benefit from higher definition. Overall, the artwork remains a highlight, captivating players despite some technical shortcomings.
- “What drew me into the game in general was the artwork, and it still fascinates me how this simple but effective illustration style manages to make the action jump right off the table.”
- “The graphics are very slick and smooth, the music is great and the sound effects are good too.”
- “A classic version of the epic MTG game with nicely beefed up graphics, decent animations, and many new abilities that so far are impressive.”
- “For me, what ruins it are the glitchy graphics.”
- “The graphics are abysmal.”
- “Outdated graphics: Magic 2013 looks about as polished as a mudhole.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
9%
The story mode offers an interesting progression through various planes, though it lacks depth and ultimately feels underwhelming, with many players noting that it serves primarily as a backdrop rather than a compelling narrative. While the campaign includes enjoyable elements like varied decks and encounter missions, the reliance on DLC for unlocking cards detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the storyline is seen as a minor enhancement rather than a standout feature, with some players appreciating the additional context it provides for gameplay.
- “Fantastic game, fantastic storyline, fantastic characters, and absolutely fantastic multiplayer.”
- “2013 is that but with 10 new decks, they replaced the archenemy game mode with planechase. The encounters are cool and fun, and there is some storytelling to go along with the campaign, which adds a little extra to playing your matches along with background info on the planeswalkers you face.”
- “Campaign - the game has a single player campaign that's separate from the custom matches. Don't expect a super great plot, but it's enjoyable.”
- “The story takes you to several planes, which is a nice touch missing from the last game, but ultimately just amounts to you having a different background in the menu and a different looking picture in the corner of your screen during gameplay.”
- “There is no story to speak of, though.”
- “Storyline wasn't all that great.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting frequent freezing, lag, and crashes, particularly in comparison to the 2012 version. While some updates have improved multiplayer functionality, the overall interface remains clunky and unresponsive, leading to a frustrating experience for many users. Despite these issues, a few players found the game enjoyable for its price, though the lack of deck customization and persistent bugs detract from its appeal.
- “All work quite well, with a streamlined and bug-free interface.”
- “The interface is clunky and unresponsive, it has poor Xbox controller support, it constantly freezes, lags, and crashes. All the DLCs are pointless money grabbers, you are limited to a selection of generic and boring pre-made decks, and you can't make your own custom deck.”
- “This game sucks more than the two previous ones. If you're a Magic fan, get it; if you're new, this is the worst one to start playing. The decks are not balanced and the machine foresights and glitches every time.”
- “Decks are not as fun as 2012; they should have made this an expansion. The Planechase mode looks awesome (4 player vs), but the AI is so buggy in that it's unplayable.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unfulfilling, particularly due to the slow pace of unlocking cards and the cumbersome deck management system. While the single-player experience is enjoyable, the repetitive nature of grinding for card unlocks detracts from overall satisfaction, leading some to lose interest before completing the game.
- “Grinding for unlocking cards is super boring.”
- “The single player is enjoyable to play through but it can get kind of grindy to unlock everything.”
- “If I'm going to be grinding a long game, I don't want to see every card taking 5-10 seconds to play.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting the phenomenal soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. The background music is noted for being subtle yet engaging, contributing to the game's slick graphics and sound effects. However, some users mention that the soundtrack's downloadable content is limited, with only a few songs available online for free.
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal, and the puzzles are great.”
- “The graphics are very slick and smooth, the music is great and the sound effects are good too.”
- “Pros: addictive gameplay, includes a tutorial for newer players, good soundtrack, and visuals.”
- “You get foiled cards (meh), 5 wallpapers (they're bad), the 2nd comic (low-res pdf), and the soundtrack (6 songs that you can find online for free).”
- “You get foiled cards (meh), 5 wallpapers (they're bad), the 2nd comic (low-res pdf), and the soundtrack (6 songs that you can find online for free).”
- “You get foiled cards (meh), 5 wallpapers (they're bad), the 2nd comic (low-res pdf), and the soundtrack (6 songs that you can find online for free).”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find it enjoyable and appreciate the strategic depth, others feel it is limited due to a lack of variety in game modes compared to other titles in the series. Fans of the franchise may still return for casual play, but overall, the consensus suggests that replayability could be improved.
- “High replayability; fans of MTG will always come back and play a round or two with people they know, and the mere strategy involved in just this small card pool is still enough for anyone.”
- “The replayability is great, and it's very enjoyable.”
- “There are some nice game modes and replayability.”
- “The problem is that the game lacks the variety of modes and replayability that characterize other games in the series.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
67%
The game features minimal in-game advertisements primarily before and after matches, which users find to be generous compared to typical monetization practices. While it lacks microtransactions, some players note that the presence of ads and slow animations may detract from the overall experience.
- “A fun way to enjoy the game without the burden of microtransactions.”
- “A great experience that allows players to engage without spending extra money.”
- “An enjoyable way to play without the pressure of in-game purchases.”
- “So if you have low expectations, enjoy regular in-game advertising, slow irritating animations, and pointless emo character bios, then I'd recommend this game.”
- “There are some minimal in-game ads (before and after games), but it's really very generous.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting excessively long load times—up to two minutes to reach the main menu—even on high-performance systems with SSDs. This poor optimization detracts from the overall experience.
- “It doesn't help that it's extraordinarily poorly optimized and takes like two minutes just to load everything and get to the main menu (and 30 seconds just to get from clicking on it in Steam to showing anything on screen), and that's running it off an SSD on a rather fast desktop.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally resonant, evoking nostalgia and warmth as it reminds them of their early experiences with the game, akin to rediscovering their first deck and reflecting on their growth as players.
- “For a magic veteran, this game is a heartwarming blast from the past, like digging up your first ever deck and realizing you've been playing land cards wrong for decades.”