Wizardly: Magic 2015 Reworking Microtransactions
Every card unlockable by playing
Oh, what a rare and wonderful day when Wizards of the Coast admit their pricing is wonky! Well, perhaps they haven't admitted Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers was a bit of a mess in as many words, but they're changing it all the same. 2015 brought to DotP the long-awaited ability to truly build your own decks from scratch. The problem was, players faced a whole lot of grind to unlock enough cards (or some ghastly microtransactions), only to discover that they couldn't get some of the best ones without paying. Many high-powered cards are only available through 'Premium Booster Packs', which give you ten virtual cards for £1.49. It's a mite cheeky. And being changed.
An update arriving on November 5th will change Magic 2015 so every card can be unlocked simply by playing, IGN say. You'll still need to grind, mind, and can still pay for instant unlocks to skip that. Folks who bought Premium Boosters will receive compensation of some sort, depending on how much they spent. Quite what that'll be is a mystery for now. A grovelling apology might be a nice start.
Wizards of the Coast have also announced an expansion for November 5th, titled Garruk's Revenge. It'll add a new campaign starring that surly woodsman with an interesting deck idea. You can't edit Garruk's deck, but it'll change itself, adding more and more Black cards as you progress through the campaign. Adding 51 new cards usable in all modes, it'll cost $4.99. Here, this chap has played it already, if you want to know more.
I'm glad Wizards are actively changing this rather than sitting back and waiting for next year's refresh. Perhaps they realised quite how many people are put off by this, and might not return. Folks have already modded 2015's new cards (and many more) back in DotP 2014. If developers Stainless Games could scrap the hideous UI and start over for that, perhaps Magic 2016 will finally be the game card-slingers have wanted for yonks. That said, I know I'll probably buy it anyway because I'm terrible garbage desperate for a small dose of virtual Magic each year to stave off cardboard urges.