Interview: A peek at Wizards’ latest Magic tricks

I had an opportunity to have a brief chat with Adam Dixon, Brand Manager for Magic at Wizards of the Coast, about some of the changes that are being brought into game in 2014. You can also read about our other post of Magic-related announcements here.

Digitally Downloaded (DD): What sets will the upcoming game be built around? Will we see the most recent mechanics from the Return to Ravnica block?
Adam Dixon (AD): Magic 2014 draws on cards from all Magic sets, including the Return to Ravnica Block. Some of your favorite mechanics will definitely make an appearance.

DD: Planechase was one of the new modes introduced in 2013, and in a lot of ways I thought it was easier to play in video game form than physical. Were you happy with its implementation in 2013 and did you feel it was well-received?
AD: Archenemy and Planechose both offered fans a unique way to experience Magic multiplayer gameplay and were generally well-received by players. Stainless Games did an excellent job of incorporating these rather complex gameplay modes into the previous iterations of the game.

DD: Deck building – I am sure it comes up just about every year. We have seen better control over customising our decks in the Duels series, but we are still short of a true, full deck building mode. Will we be seeing one any time soon?
AD: We’re excited to say that with Magic 2014 we will be introducing Sealed Play for the first time ever. This new gameplay mode will allow players to open six 14 card boosters and build a 40-card deck that they can then use is a Sealed Play campaign or for PvP. In Sealed Play, players will build their decks from a pool of around 11 cards and will be able to specify the land in the deck; adding and removing land at their discretion.

DD: There was a promotional tie-in with the release of Duels 1013 and the core set that released along side of it last year. Did you feel the promotion was successful in rasing player awareness for both the video game and the physical card game, and are there similar plans for this 2014 release?
AD: The level of fan participation has been great, so we will be doing a similar promotion this year with Magic 2014. Purchasers of Magic 2014 will be able to redeem a voucher in participating game shops to receive a special 6-card promo booster containing a premium alternate-art promo card.

DD: How does the upcoming 2014 video game tie into the physical card game release? As a fan of both, I am curious if we will be getting a preview of things to come from the Core Set.
AD: Players will see several cards from the upcoming Magic 2014 Core set release in Magic 2014 – Duels of the Planeswalkers, for the first time giving them a great preview of what they will see with in the Core Set. You will also see cards from 2014 featured as the face cards on the Magic 2014 Core Set Intro Packs. The Magic 2014 Core Set should be very familiar to the video game players when they go into their local game shop and see it on the shelves this year.

DD: Lastly, there was an old Magic: The Gathering video game by Microprose back in 1997 that several friends and myself really enjoyed. It had full deck editing, RPG elements and a storyline that all seemed to be pretty well-received at the time of its release, even prompting an expansion. Has there been any converation about making a game similar to that, or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
AD: We are always looking at ways to bring gamers great Magic experiences. However, we haven’t announced any plans for future digital games beyond the upcoming release of Magic 2014.