Magic The Gathering

I love magic, I got into it college through my brother-in-law.  Its a great and advancing game.  You can not play magic the same way 10 years ago as you do now.  Rules change, cards change and since it is ever changing it keeps people like me engaged.  One game of magic does not play the same way over and over agin.

Magics one fault
I don't particularly like meeting new people.  Magic was fun in the safety of who I know but since I no longer live close to those who play I have a stack of cards that sits in a closet begging for another chance to beat down on someone else.  I call this a fault and even though the fault is mine, I am sure it is shared with others like me.  It's fun to harass and be harassed by those you know but to go out of my comfort zone to meet others...well... the game will sit until I return the Florida.

Magic Online
Magic online opened up a lot of opportunities for me.  It gave me a place to play without having to really meet anyone new.  Although you played against real people it was chat via text making it easier to convince myself that the person on the other side is not interested in being friends just interested in playing the game.  It was fun but it was expensive.  I played both versions and there was no way I could afford both decks.  After I moved I would play off and on until finally it sits in the digital closet.  I would love to play again.

Magic Duels of the Planewalkers
This is an XBLA title that actually works.  I played Magic: Battlegrounds but was left empty.  Battlegrounds tried to take elements of the game and make a fighting game, and it was fun but it wasn't magic.  Duels is different, its not pure magic but its about as close as you can get on a console.  It's fun and addictive, and its a game that is fun to play against others.  Recently it was announced that Duels will be coming out with a new expansion.  The expansions are cheap and get you right back to trying to beat the game.  Duels lacks in the Deck Editor and the lack of cards, after a while it seems repetitive with the same cards and having to play the same guys over and over to earn new cards makes the game lose its flavor.  If only they would update the game with customizable decks, a full deck editor and a constant flow of new cards and gameplay, this could very well be a game that would last the long haul on XBLA.  Its a great start to deck based games on a console, it needs more but it's a great way to get back into magic.