One of the best computer translation of a non-computer games ever made, MicroProse's Magic: The Gathering not only deserves a Hall of Fame status for its faithful rendition of Wizard of the Coast's blockbuster trading card game of the same name, but also for the numerous innovations that are only possible as a computer game.įor the uninitiated (and have never played Master of Magic before), Magic: The Gathering the card game pits two players, as powerful wizards, against each other in a magical duel, where each wizard can cast spells, summon monsters, and invoke various enchantments or curses. The game is turn-based, with each turn comprising several phases. The rules are too intricate to go into detail here - suffice it to say that there are 5 colors, i.e.
#How to play magic the gathering free download download#
It is available to download with no fee and is a fully free-to-play-game. disciplines of magic, each with its own characteristic appropriate to that element. MTG Arena is intended to be the ultimate way to play the latest card sets in Magic. Therefore, there are many blue illusion spells, and 99% of all blue monsters you can summon can swim.īlue, for example, is water, which prefers illusions and guile. Green, on the other hand, represents Earth. You will therefore find many regeneration cards and forest creatures in this discipline.
There are many types of cards: enchantment (which typically lasts infinitely, as long as it's maintained and not destroyed), creatures (which you summon), instant (spells that can be cast only once the card must be discarded after use), land (gives our mana), artifacts, and more.
This computer game version, in contrast to the horrendous BattleMage game from Acclaim which is based on the same license, truly brings all the fun and subtleties of the card game to life via an elegant point-and-click interface and excellent graphics that does justice to the cards' original intricate artwork. Not content with giving the players just a card game rendition, MicroProse wraps the entire card-game mechanics around an epic fantasy storyline, set in the world of Shandalar. As a novice but noble wizard, your goal is to defeat the powerful evil wizards who are wrecking havoc on the land. After creating your character, you start with a random deck, which include very standard (i.e. not very powerful) cards, most of the color of your choice. The system pairs you with similarly ranked opponents where the winner’s rank increases.You amass more powerful cards by winning duels with wandering monsters, or taking on quests in the various villages using the multiple-choice interface that is based on a simplified version of Darklands engine. Quite simply, you must win your battles to increase your rank. These let you add cards to your deck and improve it. If you play in Constructed Deck mode and win your battles, you can win booster packs.
Doing so would make it problematic for the developers to maintain a steady, manageable economy. This is because physical cards don’t have unique identifiers that could be used to convert them into their digital counterparts.Īnother divergence from the physical game is that there’s no card trading system within Magic: The Gathering Arena. The main difference from the controversial loot box system is that all gameplay content in Magic: TGA is accessible without spending real money. You can play for free, but there are opportunities to spend real money on gems or in-game currency. However, it follows the ‘freemium’ model. Magic: The Gathering Arena is available on Android.