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Magic: The Gathering
Duels of the Planeswalkers
Home of the Underdogs
http://www.the-underdogs.org/
Table of Contents
Warning! Read Me First!
4
Requirements and Installation
A Word About This Game
We would like to t h a n k you lor purchasing one of our products. Please
remember that the developers of this product are relying on you not to
give away copies to others. They have spent a lot of lime, effort and
money to bring this software In you, and a t e depending solely upon
royalties from sales in order In make a living. Your purchase will allow
them to invest the t i m e and energy necessary to produce additional high
quality software in t h e future.
We are committed to providing products for you that are of the highest
quality and value. If you have questions concerning any of our software,
or if there are additional programs that you would like to see developed,
please contact us at:
MicroProse
2490 Mariner Square Loop
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 864-4550
CompuServe: 70004,2223
Fax (510) 8()4-4()()2
Internet: [email protected]
World Wide Web: www.microprose.com
Gilman G. Louie
MicroProse
The Technical Stuff
Installing the Game
Startup
......4
.
The New Main Menu
Changes
Cards
Decks
7
........8
.
Shandalar
The Deck Builder
The Duel
Single Match
The Gauntlet
Additions
Making a Name for Yourself
Making Faces
ManaLink: Multiplayer Dueling
Connecting via LAN
Connecting Modem to Modem
Connecting Through the Internet
Connecting with a Null Modem Serial Cable
Disconnecting
Duel Now!
The ManaLink Icon
The ManaLink Dialog
Online Dueling
Appendix: Naughty Cards
Restricted
Banned
Ante
Credits
Customer Support
.........4
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Warning! Read Me First!
Both this manual and the larger one include installation
instructions and technical requirements. The instructions in this
book unconditionally supersede the other ones.
Ignore the Requirements and Installation Instructions in the other book!
We mean it. The installation instructions in the other book were
written long before Duels of the Planeswalkers™ was completed; they are
only applicable to the original Magic: The Gathering computer game.
Thanks.
Requirements and Installation
Here's what you need in your computer and how to install the
game,
The Technical Stuff
Your computer must be capable of 256-color SVGA quality graphics
or better and a resolution of at least 640 x 480. For best play, we
recommend 1024 x 768 resolution in High Color or True Color
mode (at least 16-bit color)
There must be a working mouse (or a device that fulfills the same
function) attached to the computer.
If you think you have all of these, but still have a problem running
the game, please contact MicroProse Customer Support for help.
Installing the Game
Before you can use Duels of the Planeswalkers, the installation
program must copy some files onto your hard disk. To have it do so,
follow these instructions:
Turn on your computer. Windows 95 should load.
Open the CD-ROM drive, place the Duels of the Planeswalkers CD in
there, and close the drive.
For Duels of the Planeswalkers to work, there are a few things your
computer must have. (Note: If you can successfully run the original
Magic: The Gathering, you can run this program as well, as long as you
have enough tree disk space.)
Duels of the Planeswalkers is a Windows 95 "AutoPlay" CD-ROM.
That means that just putting the disc in the drive for the first time
starts up the installation program.
The processor has to be a 486 or better. Basically, any computer
with "486" or "Pentium" in its name should do just fine. If you're
using a 486, the system speed should be at least 100 MHz
(megahertz). For best performance, we recommend a 120 MHz
Pentium or better.
Note: Some older CD-ROM drives do not support the "AutoPlay"
feature. If you have one of these, here's how you start up the
installation program:
1) Double-click on the My Computer icon on the Windows
95 desktop.
2) Double-click on the icon for your CD-ROM drive.
3) Double-click on the folder called Setup.
4) Double-click on the file named setup.exe.
You must have at least 16 Mb (megabytes) of RAM (working
memory) installed.
You must have a CD-ROM drive. We strongly recommend a quadspeed or faster drive.
You must have Windows 95 installed and running on your
computer.
Since the installation program will copy parts of Duels of the
Planeswalkers onto your hard disk, you must have a minimum of 115
Mb of empty storage space on your hard drive. (Don't confuse these
Mb with RAM Mb. These are storage space; the others are working
memory.) To find out whether you have enough space, double-click
on the My Computer icon on the Windows 95 desktop. Change the
View setting to Details, and the amount of empty space on your
hard drive (usually drive 'C') is listed under Free Space.
Next, you'll need to make a few decisions. The first is what sort of
installation you want to do. Pick one of the options presented:
Typical installs the required program files and the tutorial (not
Including the video files).
Compact installs only the required program files.
Custom gives you control of what gets installed. How much disk
space this takes up depends on what you select. (You have no
choice about installing the program files; they're necessary.)
The second decision is to what directory you want to install the
game. (If you already have any of the other MicroProse Magic: The
Gathering games installed, you do not need to make this choice;
the installation program finds the directory that that game is in
and installs Duels of the Planeswalkers there.) You can accept the
default, type in a directory path, or use the Browse button to seek
out a directory. Click OK when you're done.
Lastly, you can choose a Windows 95 Start menu group for the
game to show up in. The default, of course, is Magic: The Gathering.
Duels of the Planeswalkers will now copy the files you selected from
the CD-ROM to your hard drive.
The New Main Menu
As soon as you fire up Duels of the Planeswalkers, those of you who
played the original Magic: The Gathering (or read the big manual) will
notice two subtle changes. First of all, there's an unusual icon in one
corner of the screen. That's the ManaLink icon, and it's described in
detail in the Additions section. The other thing is that the Main Menu
has been replaced. In its place are the five option spheres.
After the game itself has been copied over, Duels of the Planeswalkers
installs updated versions of a few important utility programs (if you
don't already have them). These include Microsoft's DirectX
drivers and the Indeo video drivers. The space these take up is
included in the total noted above.
When the installation program is done, you are returned to the
new Main menu.
Once the installation is complete, the game is ready to play.
Startup
To start playing the game immediately after installation:
Leave the Duels of the Planeswalkers CD-ROM in the drive.
6
Double-click on World to begin your travels in Shandalar anew,
or
click on Duel to compete in online duels, solo duels, or run the
Gauntlet,
or
click on Tools to use the Deck Builder and other utilities.
To play later:
The spheres are more like categories than options. Each one gives
you access to a particular segment of the Magic: The Gathering
experience. When you click on any sphere, all the activities that fall
within that category appear on the right side of the screen, in the
upper area. Note that even when you have a sphere selected, all of
the other spheres are still available. You can switch from sphere to
sphere with just a click, or you can deselect the current sphere by
clicking on it again.
This sphere encompasses the Solo Duel, the
Gauntlet, and die new Duel Opponent feature,
which is described later, in Additions.
Make sure that the Duels of the Planeswalkers CD-ROM is in its drive.
All of the utilities—useful things like the Deck
Builder—are collected in this sphere.
Open the Windows 95 Start menu, then open the Magic: The
Gathering group (or whatever group you assigned the game to
during installation).
The world of Shandalar and the introductory
animation that accompanies it reside in this sphere.
Click the Magic: The Gathering option.
Have fun!
This sphere includes all of the online sources of
information, such as the Help system, the Tutorial,
the Readme file, and the game Credits.
The setup for your dueling persona, all the statistics,
and any other record-keeping functions are
contained in this sphere.
7
To select a displayed activity as the current one, click on it. Any
settings and options associated with the currently selected activity
appear in the larger area below the list of activities. (The options for
those activities with which you're already familiar from the original
game have not changed significantly. The options for the new
activities are explained in the relevant parts of the Additions section.)
To minimize Magic: The Gathering, click the Minimize button in the
upper right-hand corner. To exit the game, click the Close button.
Shandalar
There's one new feature on the way to getting started in Shandalar.
You are no longer limited to choosing what your character looks like
from a screen of premade images. Now, you have much more control
over your looks.
Changes
Other than the Main menu, Duels of the Planeswalkers makes
changes to some other parts of the game with which you're already
familiar. Here's the rundown.
Cards
First and foremost, there are quite a
number of new cards in this version of
Magic: The Gathering. These cards come
from some of the earliest published card
sets. Some of them have survived into the
Fifth Edition, and some were reissued in
Chronicles, but many have never been
reprinted.
8
All of the new cards are drawn from
these sets:
The Dark: This was the fourth Magic expansion set
released. It focuses on the sinister side of each of the
five colors of magic.
Legend: This expansion card set includes many of
the legendary characters and heroes of the Magic
"multiverse." The multicolored, gold-bordered cards
were introduced in this set.
Naturally, all of the new cards are covered in the Help system.
Decks
With new cards, of course, come possibilities for new decks. The
expansion furnishes the creatures of Shandalar with quite a number
of new decks to use, all of which take advantage of the added cards.
These decks show up in the Duel, in the Gauntlet, and in Shandalar.
When you get to the point at which the big manual tells you to just
pick a character, the new Face Builder tool takes over. This allows you
to choose a wizard (basic body and face), then customize your look
with various accoutrements and other variations. For the details,
please read Making Faces, in the Additions section.
The expanded set of cards also results in some changes inside
Shandalar. The creatures there have new decks available to them (as
mentioned above, in Decks). Of course, that doesn't mean that a
creature will always use its new deck; the bad guys have a choice.
Also, the additional cards are available throughout Shandalar just
like any other cards; that is, they're for sale in villages and cities, you
can trade amulets for them, powerful ones are hidden in lairs and
dungeons, and so on. Naturally, some creatures could ask riddles
about the new cards, too.
The Deck Builder
The Deck Builder is still accessible from the Main Menu. To get to
the Deck Builder, click on Tools, then select the Deck Builder option.
The expansion upgrades the Deck Builder to reflect the new sets
of cards. Essentially, there's a whole new bunch of Set Filter buttons.
Basic Set determines which versions of the basic
Magic card set are visible. This filter has three
options, all of which are independent toggles. That
is, you can turn any one on or off without affecting
the status of the other. At least one of these must be
selected at all times.
9
Unlimited is the second collected release of the basic card set,
which included cards from both the first (Limited or "alpha") and
second ("beta") versions.
Revised Edition is the third version of the basic card set.
Fourth Edition is the fourth version of the basic card set.
Astral still controls the inclusion of those cards
available only in Shandalar, and now it also includes
the Promotional cards. (Note: If you do not have
Spells of the Ancients installed, you have no
Promotional cards.)
Arabian Nights filters for all of the cards from that
expansion set. (If you do not have Spells of the
Ancients installed, the only cards from this set that
you'll have are those that also happen to be included
in die Fourth Edition set.)
Antiquities includes or excludes all of the cards from
that expansion set. (If you do not have Spells of the
Ancients installed, the only cards from this set that
you'll have are those that also happen to be included
in the Fourth Edition set.)
The Dark filters for the cards from that expansion set.
Legends includes or excludes the cards from that
expansion set.
10
When you decide to save a deck, you'll notice a minor change in
the Deck Header dialog. Now that you can use the new Face Builder
to build your looks, there is no longer any reason for you to associate
a face with a deck. Rather, you might want to link the deck to one of
your screen names. Thus, the Face selection box is gone, and Name
has taken its place.
The Duel
The new Main Menu has a Duel option, just as the original did.
You use this option to get to both the Solo Duel and the Gauntlet, just
as before. However, the new option functions a little differently.
When you select Duel, you'll see an upper area, which lists the
activities available through this option, and lower area, which holds
the options associated with the currently selected activity.
As for the new option, Duel Opponent, that's covered in the
Additions section.
Single Match
To play a single match (or duel), make sure that the Solo Duel
activity is selected, set the options the way you want them, and click
Start Match.
The only things different about actual duels are the availability of
the new decks and the new look of the Deck Selection window, where
you set the dueling options.
The options are the same, except that:
The options that are relevant only to the Gauntlet have been
removed. They're in the options for the Gauntlet activity.
There is no longer a Create Deck button for access to the Deck
Builder. That's because it's not needed; you can simply click on the
Tools sphere to get there from here.
You can Load a saved duel or match and continue where you left
off.
The Gauntlet
To go through the gauntlet, make sure that the Gauntlet activity is
selected, set the options the way you want them, and click Run
Gauntlet.
11
These also function exactly as before, except:
The options that are relevant only to the single duel have been
removed. They're in the options for the Solo Duel activity.
With all the new decks, running the entire gauntlet is a more
varied and longer endeavor. For those of you who don't relish the
idea of playing 50 matches in one sitting, we've added the Length
option. Use, this to set the maximum number of matches you want
to play.
After each duel is over (regardless of the outcome), you're
provided with all the relevant information. Click OK to accept the
results
and
move
on.
Note also that now only the first duel of any match begins with the
coin flip (to determine who chooses play or draw). After the first duel
(unless it ends in a draw), whichever player lost the previous duel gets
to make the choice.
Additions
Okay, putting in lots of new cards was a good idea. Modifying the
rest of the game to take full advantage of the new cards was a good
idea. Changing the Main Menu around to make it easier to use was
nice. However, the main event is in the new stuff.
12
Making a Name for Yourself
Before you can start racking up a brilliant record of sequential
wins online (more about that a little later), you must create a player
persona, what we call your Screen Name. Why? Well, in order to keep a
record, there must be a name with which to associate that record. As
a bonus, you can also determine what your character looks like and
give yourself a tag line like all the AI characters have.
To get started on your screen name, select the Screen Name
activity in the Player sphere.
Screen Name When you have selected a player number (see
below), you see the corresponding Screen Name. (At
first, they're all filled with default names.) If you
want to change the displayed name, simply click
anywhere in the text box and begin typing.
Next to the Screen Name, there is a box you can use
to associate a particular character image with the
player number you have chosen. Select any one of
the existing faces or, if you don't care for any of
them, use the new Face Builder tool to create new
ones.
Date
Real Name
E-Mail
Quote
Player
Clear Player
This simply notes when this particular screen name
was created.
Since a screen name is more often than not a
pseudonym, you might want to associate your real
name with a character. After all, you created it and
you'll likely spend quite some time building a record.
If you'd like online opponents to be able to
communicate with you when you're not connected,
you can enter your e-mail address here.
All the built-in characters have quotes associated
with them. It's only fair that you have the same
opportunity to express yourself.
Each screen name is associated with a Player Number.
Before you do anything else, you should choose a
number to work with. If no screen names have been
set up yet, you can do no harm, so choose any
number. Later, however, if you pick a number that
already has a screen name associated with it, keep in
mind that the changes you make might erase the
record for that player number.
Use the Clear Player button only if you wish to
permanently erase the record associated with the
current player number and screen name. If you want
to change the info for an existing screen name
without erasing the record, simply enter new text in
the boxes—do not use this button.
13
The record of wins and losses and whatnot for each screen name is
kept for you. Not all of this information is self-explanatory, so here's a
brief summary:
DO Record
DCI Rank
ManaLink™ keeps track of your record of wins,
losses, and draws in matches that qualify for
inclusion in the calculation of your DCI Rank
(Internet matches on GatheringNet are the only
ones that qualify). Your win percentage is also
figured for you, as a convenience.
This is your ranking according to the system devised
and maintained by the Duelists' Convention
International (DCI). New players begin with a rank
of 1600, and that number goes up or down
depending on your success in duels against other
human players. This ranking is unofficial.
DCI Ranking: The Gory Details
For those of you who are interested in the mechanics of the DCI
ranking, here's an overview. As you read this, please keep in mind that
the DCI is the final authority on this ranking system, and they can
change the rules if it becomes necessary.
14
Based on the theory that a higher ranked (more skillful) player is
expected to be able to defeat a lower ranked (less skillful) player
in match play, the DCI uses this formula before the match to
compare the two rankings and determine each player's probability
of winning (W):
W=
I/(IO((R2-RI)/400)+I)
Where Rl is your current ranking, and R2 is your opponent's.
(The calculation for your opponent would reverse the two—RI
his ranking and R2 yours—and result in the complementary
probability.) After the match is over, the probability is plugged into
another formula to calculate each player's new ranking (Rn):
Rn = Rp+(K*(S-W))
Where Rp is the player's old ranking and W is still the probability
of winning. S is that player's score for the match; a win makes
S= I, for a loss S=0, and a draw sets S= 112. K depends on the
value of Rp. If the old ranking was between 0 and 1099, K=32; if it
was between 2100 and 2399, then K=24; otherwise, K= 16.
The overall effect of these calculations is that a lower ranked
player who defeats a higher ranked player will gain more points
{in rank) than a high rank who beats a lower rank.
Multiplay
Record
Your record of wins, losses, and draws against human
players is noted. This includes both qualifying DCI
duels and any other duels against humans.
Skill Level
Your skill level is a brief description of your dueling
skills, as measured by your DCI ranking.
Concede Rate
This keeps track of what percentage of your duels
end with you conceding.
Disconnect
Rate
Overall
Record
What percentage of your duels are interrupted by
disconnection is noted here. If your disconnect
percentage is high (greater than 10% is high), you
might consider trying to find out why you experience
so many disconnections and fixing the problem.
For the sake of completeness, your record versus all
opponents—human and computer—is recorded
here.
Your changes are saved as you make them. When you're finished
here, just click on one of the other spheres to move on.
Making Faces
In the original game, you had very little control over what your
character looked like, regardless of whether you were tromping
around saving Shandalar or just dueling. Now that you've got Duels
of the Planeswalkers, the scope of your options has expanded
dramatically. A new tool called the Face Builder gives you the ability
to generate customized character images from a library of faces,
bodies, and accessories.
There are two ways you might wind up at the Face Builder:
1) If you're starting a new game in Shandalar, the Face Builder
appears at the point when you would previously have chosen an
image from a screen full of characters. Whatever face you make
and save becomes your character's image.
2) Choosing the Face Builder activity in the Tools sphere brings you
here, too. In this way, you can create and save faces that you can
later assign to decks you build in the Deck Builder or associate with
a particular screen name.
15
ManaLink: Multiplayer Dueling
Here's the game you've been waiting for. You've had plenty of time
to practice on the computer; now let's see how well you fare against
the malicious cunning of other humans.
At the top left is the Portrait window. This shows you exactly what
your character would look like if you accepted the current settings.
Immediately to the right of the Portrait is a group of buttons. Let's
look at them out of order:
Wizards
Variations
16
By clicking on the left and right arrows on this
button, you can cycle through all of the available
wizards. Each wizard comes with a unique "base
body" and some variations.
Clicking the left and right arrows on this button is
how you move back and forth to see the variations
available for the current wizard. This button is not
needed for every wizard—only for those who have
more variations than fit in the six Variation windows.
When you start up Duels of the Planeswalkers, you also
activate ManaLink, the multiplayer part of the game.
You'll know it's active because there's a jewel-like icon
in the corner; that's the ManaLink icon. This icon is a
convenient way to tell your connection status at a
glance. Double-click on the icon to see the other half
of ManaLink, the ManaLink Dialog. What this looks
like depends on whether you're already connected or not. (If you're
hooked to a LAN, you've been autoconnected.) This dialog is the
central control point for all multiplayer functions except setting up
the actual match.
You set up the match using Duel Opponent, the newest activity in
the Duel Sphere. That's getting ahead of ourselves, though. First, let's
go over all the basic steps to starting a multiplayer match:
Set up your screen name and all the information that goes with it.
(At this point, you might also want to build a few dueling decks.)
Connect to another player (or a community of players) through
your chosen communications medium (modem, network, direct
cable, etc.).
Save
When you're satisfied with the look of your
character, click this button to accept and save the
character with the current settings.
Invite another connected player to a match. Once she accepts the
invitation, the two of you become registered opponents. (If you're
using a one-to-one connection—a null modem cable, for
instance—this step is automatic.)
Leave
Use this one to exit the Face Builder without saving.
Choose your dueling deck for the match.
The rest of the screen is taken up by the Variation windows
themselves. Each of these displays one type of optional modification
or accoutrement for the current wizard's basic body. For example,
one possible variation could be skin color, another could be "the
thing in the wizard's left hand." Whatever you see in a Variation
window can be changed; every one of the active windows has arrow
buttons beneath it. Using these, you can cycle through all the
possibilities for that variation. Whatever's shown in the windows is
reflected in the wizard's Portrait.
When you're happy with your looks, click on Save to return
whence you came (proceed toward Shandalar or go back to the Tools
sphere). You get a last look at your character; press [Esc] to go back
and make more changes, or click to proceed.
One player proposes the parameters for the match. The other player
can accept them or propose changes. When both players agree to
the parameters, the match starts immediately.
Do the duels.
Afterwards, each player's record and ranking are recalculated.
Read on for the gory details.
17
ManaLink will always make the attempt to autoconnect to a LAN
unless you give it other orders. To disable the autoconnect feature:
Right-click on the ManaLink icon.
At the
mini-menu
that
opens,
select
Preferences.
At the second mini-menu, select Options.
Connecting via LAN
A Local Area Network (LAN) can provide one of the most
convenient environments for multiplayer dueling; it's the best of both
worlds. Networks give you the flexibility of having multiple potential
opponents (like Internet play), and network connections are often
more stable and communications faster than on the Internet (like
cable and modem duels). Then there's that mighty convenient
Autoconnect feature...
AUTOCONNECT
If your computer is attached to an active LAN, ManaLink attempts
to connect you as soon as you start up Magic: The Gathering. You're
listed under whatever screen name you last used. (If this is your first
time, the default screen name is <player>.) Note that ManaLink does
not attempt log you on to the network; it connects you with other
players, not to the network itself.
18
Astute readers will have noticed that ManaLink can connect you
to other players on a network even if you (and they) are not
actually logged on to the network.
In the Options box, click the Use Autoconnect checkbox (the box
should become empty).
Click the Apply button.
As long as you leave this disabled, ManaLink will not attempt to
autoconnect you.
MANUALLY
It's also fairly easy to initiate a connection when you are not
connected (that is, the ManaLink icon is in the No Net state) . To
initiate a LAN connection manually:
Double-click on the ManaLink icon to open the ManaLink
Dialog (unless it's already open, of course).
Select the type of connection you want to make: LAN. (Click
on that type in the list.)
Click the Connect button.
Now that you're in contact with other players, you're ready to set
up a duel.
Connecting Modem to Modem
Playing via modem is a good option for those of you who don't
have access to a network, aren't close enough to one another to use a
cable, and don't enjoy the crowds on the Internet. The one possible
disadvantage is that you only have one potential opponent—the
person at the other end of the line.
19
Obviously, if you expect to play via modem, both computers must
have working modems attached to them (and to functional phone
lines).
To begin, select the Modem Connection option and click
the Connect button. One player must select to Answer
(await the other player's call), and the other must select Dial (initiate
communication). The two of you should decide who will do which
ahead of time so as to avoid confusion. Next, both players must
choose the modem they intend to use.
Click the Connect button.
If you have never used TEN before, you must install the TEN
software and set up your TEN membership.
The installation program begins automatically. This copies a
few files to your hard drive, then dials and connects you to
GatheringNet.
Create a TEN membership for yourself. (You must be a
member to use the TEN online services, including Magic.) If
you have questions about registration, please consult the
TEN Help feature or call TEN Customer Service. Registration
is a simple, three-step process:
1) Read and accept the Terms of Service.
The dialing player must enter the phone number to call. When
that's done, the rest is automatic. The two of you are registered as
opponents as soon as the connection is successful.
20
Connecting Through the Internet
Internet play promises to deliver a whole world of challengers and
champion players—not to mention rules experts you can consult and
company representatives ready to help you with problems. The
possibilities are virtually boundless, so let's get started.
There are a couple of necessary preparation steps you must
complete before you can successfully start Internet play on
GatheringNet™ via the Total Entertainment Network (TEN). Chances
are some players have already taken care of these, but for new players,
here's the list:
1) You must have access to the Internet; this game will not do that for
you.
2) You should set up a screen name for yourself and maybe build a
few decks.
Once that's done, it's time to get online. To initiate an Internet
connection:
Double-click on the ManaLink icon to open the ManaLink
Dialog (unless it's already open, of course).
Select the type of connection you want to make:
GatheringNet. (Click on that type in the list.)
2) Enter your name and address.
3) Enter your Screen Name and create a password. (For the sake of
convenience, you might want to make your TEN Screen Name the
same as the ManaLink Screen Name you expect to use most often.)
Timeliness Note
These instructions were correct at the time this manual was
written, but procedures sometimes change when online services
are upgraded. If what you see on the screen doesn't seem to
match what's described here, the chances are good that this
printed information has become out-of-date.
Please consult the Help feature provided by the online service
for the most current instructions.
After that's done (or if you are already a TEN member), you
proceed to the TEN Sign On screen.
Enter your TEN Screen Name in the appropriate box.
Type in your TEN password in the other box.
Click the Connect button.
Assuming you got your name and password right, you are now
signed on to GatheringNet. Next up is the Arena Selector screen.
This is a sort of general intersection where the roads to all of the
games begin.
Select one of the GatheringNet arenas (click on it, that is).
21
Click the GO button.
Now you're at the Game Arena screen for whichever arena you
chose. The arena is rather like a hotel lobby; you can see who else is
here (in the list on the left) and converse with whoever else is in the
lobby with you (in the chat area on the right). Keep in mind that
chatting in the arena is a broadcast chat, meaning that everyone hears
what anyone says; the ManaLink chat feature is a one-on-one
conversation.
To move on into the actual dueling area, click the Duel
button (below the player listing).
When you select the Serial Port/Null Modem Cable option and click
the Connect button, you're prompted to choose the settings for the
communication. With one exception, Port, both players must choose the
exact same settings.
Port
This tells ManaLink which of your computer's
communications ports you have the cable attached
to. (Most computers have ports named COM1,
COM2, COM3, and COM4.) This is the only setting
that may be different for each player.
Baud Rate
Determines the speed of the communication
between the two computers. Both players should set
this at the highest setting allowed by the slower
computer. (Generally, anything 9600 or above
provides good, smooth play.)
This is something technical that only people with
nothing better to do understand. If you leave it on
the default setting, nothing bad happens.
That's all there is to it. Now that you're online, you're ready to find
a dueling partner.
Connecting with a Null Modem Serial Cable
Playing via cable is likely to be the fastest method of communication,
There are no middlemen, just the two computers with a wire between
them. The disadvantage, of course, is that you only have one potential
opponent—the person at the other end of the cable.
Stop Bits
Parity
Parity is another one of those technical things. Don't
change the default setting and nobody gets hurt.
Flow
22 Obviously, if you expect to play via a null modem serial cable, you
must have the cable hooked up before you begin.
More technical junk here. (These things always come
in threes, don't they?) If you leave it alone, it works.
When the settings are correct, click the OK button to make the
connection. That's all there is to it. The two of you are registered as
opponents as soon as the connection is successful.
Disconnecting
If you are connected and decide you would rather not be, it's easy
to remedy the situation. To disconnect from whatever connection you
have established:
Double-click on the ManaLink icon to open the ManaLink
Dialog (unless it's already open, of course).
Click the Disconnect button.
That's all there is to it.
23
Duel Now!
Before we get into the details, some of you probably want to just
jump right into a duel and read about it later. (Those of you with
some self-control should keep reading,) If you've already got an
opponent lined up and can't wait to get started, here's a quick stepby-step:
Both players should already have Magic: The Gathering installed
and running. (That might sound obvious, but you know how some
people
are.)
Whatever communication method you're using—modems,
network, cable, or whatever—should be in place.
Follow the connection procedure for the type of connection you're
using. (Turn back a few pages to the appropriate Connecting
section.)
If you 're using a LAN or Internet connection:
Both of you must double-click on the ManaLink icon.
One of you must select the other's name from the list
and click the Invite button. (The other one should
just wait.)
24
The challenge goes to your opponent (the one who
waited), who must double-click on the invitation in the
Message window, then click the Accept button.
When you receive notice of the acceptance, you should select a
deck to use in the duel (if you haven't already). The two of you are
now registered as opponents.
Now set the Match Parameters for the duel. (For details
on the parameters, please refer to the Online Dueling
section.) Click on Send Parameters to transmit the parameters to
your opponent. (You can still change your deck, but not for long.)
Your opponent either clicks Agree to accept your
parameters or Disagree to reject them. If the parameters
are not acceptable, your opponent has a chance to
propose new ones. Then you can accept or reject those, and so on
until the two of you agree.
As soon as the parameters are accepted, the match begins with the
selected decks.
The ManaLink Icon
The more astute among you will have noticed that
when you start up Duels of the Planeswalkers, an
unusual icon appears onscreen and stays there. It's
called the ManaLink icon, and it's absolutely essential
for multiplayer Magic. As noted in earlier sections,
the ManaLink icon is your gateway to all of the
different methods of connecting with other players.
Above and beyond that, it serves while you are
connected as both your access point to the ManaLink
Dialog and your social secretary.
If you don't like the ManaLink icon sitting in the default
placement, don't fret. You can move it anywhere on the screen
that you want it, and it stays there until you move it again (or
close it).
The ManaLink Dialog is covered a little further on (in a section
called, remarkably enough, The ManaLink Dialog). The social
secretary part is next. The icon has several different states, each of
which gives you information as to what's going on online.
STATES
The ManaLink icon sits wherever you placed it and monitors the
online environment for you. Depending on what's going on out
there, it changes its look—goes into a different "state"—so that you
can tell the situation at a glance. These are the possible states and
what each tells you:
No Net is pretty self-explanatory; you're not
connected. If you get disconnected unexpectedly,
there is a sound cue to warn you.
The Net state tells you that ManaLink has successfully
connected to either a LAN or the Internet, but that
there are no other players present at the moment. (If
you're playing via modem or cable, you should never
see this state.)
Users is just like the Net state, except that in this case
you are connected and there are other players
present. (If you're playing via modem or cable, you
should never see this state.)
25
The Opponent state indicates that you are registered
with an opponent and are preparing to start dueling.
If you're playing via modem or cable, you'll enter
this state as soon as you connect with the other
player.
When the left facet of the ManaLink icon lights up
yellow, that means that someone has invited you to a
Chat session. (To answer the invitation, open the
ManaLink Dialog and double-click on the chat
request in the Message window.) A chat request
persists until everyone involved in that particular
chat session leaves it. Note that if you receive another
invitation after the facet is already lit, there is a
sound cue to notify you, but the icon does not show
any change. For a little more detail, please see the
Talking to Other Players section.
26
If your registered opponent becomes disconnected
(for whatever reason), you go into the Drop state
temporarily. This really just serves to let you know
what's going on; there's nothing you can do about it.
After a few seconds, you should return to some other
state. A LAN or Internet connection switches to Net
or Users; one-on-one connections change to No Net.
PREFERENCES
Naturally, the ManaLink icon doesn't perform all these functions
without some guidance from you. You have some control over how it
works (and you can always turn it off, too). Right-click on the
ManaLink icon, then select Preferences from the mini-menu. At the
second mini-menu, select Options.
If the top facet of the ManaLink icon lights up red,
that means that someone has challenged you to a
duel. (To answer the invitation and register as that
person's opponent, open the ManaLink Dialog and
double-click on the challenge in the Message
window.) A challenge persists until it is answered or
withdrawn. As soon as you accept an invitation to
duel, any other pending challenges are erased, and
you cannot receive new ones until you are no longer
registered with an opponent. Note also that if you
receive another challenge after the facet is already
lit, there is a sound cue to notify you, but the icon
does not show any change.
27
At times, the right facet of the icon lights up blue.
This is an indication that a player you have marked
as a friend is online with you. For the scoop on
friends, read The ManaLink Dialog.
If you're the popular type, the bottom facet of your
icon lights up green. That means that someone has
sent you a message. To read the message, open the
ManaLink Dialog and check the Message window
(the lower portion of the dialog). For the details
(like how to erase or reply to a message once you've
read it), please see the Talking to Other Players
section.
You can also get to the Preferences window by clicking the
Options button in the ManaLink Dialog.
Messages
1
I
There are times when you're glad to receive all the
messages other players send, and there are times (in
the middle of a tough duel, for example) when you'd
rather ignore their chatter. This option controls
whether you get messages sent to you. To toggle this
preference, click the check box labeled Show System
Messages or select Show Messages from the (second)
mini-menu.
Sounds
Sometimes, the ManaLink icon makes noises.
Generally, this is to notify you that something is
happening—another player is inviting you to a duel
or a chat, for instance. The sound cues can be useful,
but there are times when you don't want to be
bothered by them. This option allows you to turn
them on and off. To toggle this preference, click the
check box labeled Play Sounds or select Play Sounds
from the (second) mini-menu.
Availability
Just because you're online doesn't mean you want to
duel anybody who comes along. If you're busy with
Something and don't want to be disturbed, you can
make yourself not available to other players. To set
your availability status, click the appropriate radio
button (I am available or I am unavailable), or you
can use the Do Not Disturb option on the (second)
mini-menu as a toggle.
Autoconnect
If you're connected to a LAN, ManaLink attempts to
connect you every time you start up the game. If this
is not what you want, you can disable the autoconnect feature. To turn this one on or off, click the
check box labeled Use Autoconnect; there is no
option on the mini-menu for this.
Badges
28
There's a box in the middle of the Preferences
window that provides an easy way to review and
manage the badges you have assigned to other
players. (If you don't know what badges are, don't
worry; they're explained just a few pages from here,
in Who's Who.) If you select a player—by clicking on
a name in the box—the Delete button removes any
badge you have given that player. The Delete All
button does just what it says; it removes all the
badges you have given every player in the list.
When you're finished at the Preferences window, click Apply to
make the changes or Cancel to ignore your changes and close the
window. (Any changes you make on the mini-menu take effect
immediately.)
The ManaLink Dialog
Double-click on the ManaLink icon, and the real meat of the
multiplayer game opens up. The ManaLink Dialog is your control
center for all of the major features and functions you'll need in the
online community.
A couple of notes:
1) If you're not already connected, double-clicking on the
ManaLink icon won't bring up the ManaLink Dialog; it'll
open the Connect window.
2) If you're connected using a one-to-one communications method
—modem or cable—you're registered with your opponent
as soon as the connection is successful.That means that some of
the features of the ManaLink Dialog—the ones designed for
an environment with many players—won't be available to you.
The largest portion of the dialog window is taken up by the player
listings. This tells you who's online with you and gives you a bunch of
information about each player. The scoop is in Who's Who. Below the
listings and all the function buttons is the Message window. This is
where you'll receive notes from other players. The details are covered
in Talking to Other Players.
29
Last, but not least, are the buttons spread around the dialog. What
these buttons offer is not just the basic communications options
(messaging, chatting, and so on) and the necessary functions (invite
someone to duel, disconnect), but also a few convenient features that
our online research has led us to believe you'll appreciate.
Use this button to get the lowdown on a particular
player—real name, ranking, record, and all that good .
stuff. First, select a player from the list by clicking on that person's
name listing. Next, click the Info button. The whole story on what
you'll find out is in Who's Who.
When you feel you're ready to go up against
another player in a match, you have two options:
you can challenge someone (see Invite), or you can use this button to
advertise that you want an opponent. This changes your status to
Available. (The details about your status are in Who's Who.) Keep in
mind that as soon as you accept a challenge, any other invitations are
automatically declined for you until you finish the match or
Unregister.
This is How you challenge another player to a match.
First, select a player from the list by clicking on that
person's name listing. (Make sure you select someone who is not
already registered with an opponent, in the midst of a duel, or
marked with Do Not Disturb status.) Next, click the Invite button. Your
invitation has been sent.
Sending messages is fine, but if you want to have a
Conversation, you can request a private chat with
someone. First, select a player from the list by clicking on that
, person's name listing. (Make sure you select someone who is not
marked with Do Not Disturb status.) Next, click the Chat button. Your
request goes out immediately.
This one is fairly obvious; click Disconnect to sever your
connection with whatever sort of communications link
you're using. This does not shut down ManaLink; it only cuts off the
communications connection.
30
When you get into an online community, there can be an
awful lot of people in the player listing. If the size of the
list gets to be a problem, you can use the Player Filters to decide who is
and is not listed on your screen. Click the Filters button to work with
the filter options. (The details are in Filtering the List.)
It's a fact of life (especially online) that some people are
more interesting than others. When you find one of those
people, you can mark that player as an online friend. First, select a
player from the list by clicking on that person's name listing. Next,
click the Friend button. The friend badge appears next to that
player's name. (For the skinny on badges, please read Who's Who.)
Friends are always listed near the top of the player listings.
If (for whatever reason) you do not want to chat
with or duel anybody, you can prevent unwanted
invitations by changing your status to Do Not Disturb. (The details
about your status are in Who's Who.) Just click the Don't Disturb
button. As long as you leave this on, you receive no chat requests or
duel invitations. You do still get messages, however (which you should
feel free to ignore)..
This is how you send a brief text message to another
player. First, select a player from the list by clicking on
that person's name listing. Next, click the Message button. When the
text box appears, go ahead and type in whatever it is you want to say
to that person. To finish and send the message, click Send (or click
Cancel if you change you mind).
If for any reason you do not want to receive
communications from a certain player, you can tape that
player's mouth shut with the Mute button. First, select a player from
the list by clicking on that person's name listing. (There are some
players you cannot mute; read Who's Who for the details.) Next, click
the Mute button. As long as you leave the mute on, you receive no
messages, chat requests, or duel invitations from that player. Also,
muted players are dropped to the bottom of the player listings.
This changes your status to Needs Help. (For the whole
scoop on status, refer to Who's Who.) Essentially, this
alerts the online rules experts and service folks that you have a
question or a problem.
The player list is up-to-date when you connect, but it is
not updated for you. Every once in a while, you'll want to
see what's changed—who's new, whose status has changed, and so on.
To update your information, click the Refresh button.
If you are registered with an opponent, but you decide
that you don't want to duel that person after all (or need
to undo the registration for any other reason), this is the button for
you. Clicking this immediately releases you (and the other player)
from the registration.
Now let's get on to all those details we keep mentioning.
31
WHO'S
WHO
The main part of the dialog window is taken up with listings of the
players who are currently online. These listings provide more than
just the screen names of the players. For one thing, you might have
noticed that some of the names have icons associated with them,
Those are badges, and all of them mean something.
The Expert badge is one to watch for. This player is two
things: (1) an official online representative and (2) a Magic
rules expert. If you have questions or problems, it is part of
this player's duty to help you solve them, in any disagreement
online, the opinion of the Expert is law.
There are only a few Gunslinger badges. These players are
official online representatives who are ready and willing to
pit their skills against yours in a one-on-one confrontation,
Watch out—the stakes are likely to be higher than normal.
This badge marks an official online representative of
MicroProse. Please remember that this person is a company
representative, not necessarily an expert on the rules of
Magic
Only official online representatives of Wizards of the Coast
have this badge. Please remember that this person is a
company representative, not necessarily an expert on the
rules of Magic.
32
The official online representatives of the Total
Entertainment Network (TEN) wear this badge. Please
remember that this person is a company representative, not
necessarily an expert on the rules of Magic.
The Master badge alerts you that this player knows the rules
of Magic very well—well enough to have earned the badge—
and is willing to answer your questions. Please remember that
Master players are volunteers trying to help you, not official
online representatives. Be courteous, even if you disagree
with their decisions.
Any player you have marked as a friend has this badge.
However, if that player also has one of the superseding
badges (any of the above), the friend badge won't be visible
(but you know it's there).
If you have muted a player (marked them as persona non
grata), this badge notes that fact. You do not receive
messages, chat requests, or duel invitations from muted
players, even if they send them by the truckload.
Unfortunately, you cannot mute a player with any of the
other badges—except the friend badge, which is removed
when you mute the person.
Note that new badges might be created at any time by the
managers of the game arena. If you see a badge you don't recognize,
please consult the online Help system to find out what it means. After
a player's name, the window lists that player's current status. There
are only a few possibilities:
.
Unavailable
The Unavailable status means that the player is busy
just existing. Probably, this person is chatting,
sending and receiving messages, or whatever, but is
not
at present interested
in
dueling.
Available
A player who wants to duel has Available status. This
person is ready to go and is seeking an opponent.
Do Not Disturb The Do Not Disturb sign is hung out. This player
does not receive chat requests or invitations to duel,
but messages still get through (though they might be
ignored).
Need Help
This player has a question or problem and is waiting
for a rules expert or an official online representative
to help out.
Opponent
When a player is already registered with an
opponent, this status lets you know that invitations
to duel will not get through.
Whenever a name on the list is highlighted (you have selected it by
clicking on it), you can do all sorts of things to that person. One that
you'll want to early and often is gather information about that player.
Click on the Info button to get the skinny on the selected player.
When the info window opens, the picture shows the face that that
player has chosen to wear, and the listings give you all this
information:
33
Screen Name
This is just the player's screen name.
FILTERING THE LIST
Real Name
This is—theoretically—the player's real name.
However, he or she typed this name in, just as you
entered your name in the Real Name space. So
there's no guarantee that this is really the player's
real name.
E-Mail
If the player entered an e-mail address, it is listed
here. Just like the Real Name, this is text the player
entered. The address might or might not work for
e-mail purposes.
When you click on the Filters button, the Player Filters options
window pops up. These options can be extremely useful when the
number of players online starts to climb. Every one of these is a
toggle, meaning that it's either on or off; there are no other settings to
fret over. They're also additive, meaning that any player who is
excluded from your list by one filter cannot be "re-included" by
another filter.
Quote
If the player typed in a quote, it's shown here.
Skill Level
A player's skill level is a brief description of his or her
dueling skills, as measured by DCI ranking.
DCI Ranking
This is the player's ranking according to the system
devised and maintained by the Duelists' Convention
International (DCI). New players begin with a
rank of 1600, and that number goes up or down
depending on success in duels against other human
players. This ranking is unofficial.
DCI Record
34
Disconnect
Rate
Date
The two Show Only options are quite restrictive. In fact, they're so
restrictive that you can only use one of them at a time. These
eliminate everyone from your list except those players who match the
condition you choose. Note that any players who match the types you
choose to Hide do not appear on the list even if they match this
criterion.
Friends
List only those players you have marked as friends (and
officials, of course).
This is the player's record of wins, losses, and draws
in matches that qualify for inclusion in the
calculation of DCI Ranking.
Overall Record The player's record versus all opponents—human
and computer—is recorded here.
Concede Rate
Don't worry, you can never filter officials (players with official
badges) out of the player listing—not even accidentally.
This notes what percentage of the time the player
has chosen to concede rather than finish a duel.
What percentage of the player's duels have been
interrupted by disconnection is noted here. If the
disconnect percentage is higher than you're
comfortable with, the technical difficulties could be
annoying, and you might not want to duel this
person.
This tells you when this particular screen name was
created. As a general rule, if the date is very recent,
you're looking at either a new player or one who
thinks he has a reason for starting over (to hide
something in his record, perhaps?).
Available
Include only players with Available status (and
officials).
The Hide options are less exclusive than the Show Only options
(you can use more than one at a time), but they're no less powerful
and useful. These simply prevent the listing from including players of
the types you determine you don't want to see. Keep in mind that any
players excluded by these filters are not listed, even if they match the
Show Only criteria.
Muted
Wipes all players you have muted off the list.
Do Not Disturb Removes players with Do Not Disturb status from your
listing.
Registered
Players registered with someone else are of no use,
anyway; this cuts their names out.
35
Beginner
Intermediate
This eliminates players with a Beginner skill rating.
This wipes out players with the Intermediate skill
rating.
Advanced
This erases players with skill rating of Advanced.
When you engage in a chat with someone, a separate Chat window
opens. In this window, you type your messages, then press
to
send each one. You also receive messages from your chat partner as
soon as they are sent. The window keeps a running record of the
conversation, too. To leave the chat, click the Close button.
Concede >
For this option, you enter a percentage number in
the box. (For example, you would use 50 to mean
50%.) Any player with a Concede Rate higher than
that percentage is excluded from your listing. This is
a good way to ensure that your duels go all the way to
the bitter end.
This is how you challenge another player to a match.
Select a player from the list (someone not already
registered with an opponent, in the midst of a duel, or with Do Not
Disturb status), and click the Invite button. Your invitation has been
sent. (For what happens next, check out the next section, Online
Dueling.)
Disconnect >
You also enter a percentage number in the box for
this option. (For example, you would use 35 to mean
35%.) Any player with a Disconnect Rate higher than
that percentage is not included in your listing. This is
a good way to avoid that annoying duelus interruptus.
This is how you send a brief text message to another
player. Select a player from the list: and click the Message
button. When the text box appears, type in your message. Click Send
to finish and send or click Cancel to erase the message without
sending it.
Players Online simply tracks the total number of players who are
connected to the same online community as you. For modem and
cable connections, obviously, this number will never change.
Players in List tells you the number of players left in your filtered
list. If this number is zero, you'll probably want to readjust your filters
a
All the messages you receive—including invitations to duel and
chat requests—appear in the lower portion of the ManaLink Dialog,
the Message window. This isn'tjust a nonfunctional display, however;
this is where you answer messages.
bit.
TALKING TO OTHER PLAYERS
36
Anyone who's been in an online environment before knows that
chatting back and forth with others is half the fun (or more than
half). With ManaLink, once you've figured out who's who, you have
several ways of communicating with the folks who are online with you.
First off, here's a quick review of the communications options:
If you want to have a conversation, you can request a
private chat with someone. Select a player from the list
(someone who does not have Do Not Disturb status) and click the Chat
button. Your request goes out immediately.
37
First off, let's explain the function buttons. There are three of
them next to the Message window, and they're pretty straightforward:
Erases the selected (highlighted) message from the
window—permanently.
Removes all the messages from the window—also
permanently.
Opens the Preferences window. For the details on the
various preferences, please read the section Preferences, in
The ManaLink Icon.
To select a message, you click on it. No surprise there. However,
unless all you want to do is erase messages and play with your
preferences, you need to do more than that. To actually deal with a
message, double-click on the text of that message in the Message
window. What happens next depends on what type of message you
chose.
If you double-click a Chat Request, you're prompted to Accept or
Decline the conversation. Click on the button that better suits your
desires. If you accept, you immediately enter a Chat window with the
person who sent the request. If you decline, the other player is
notified of your refusal to converse at this time.
If you double-click a plain old Message, you open the message. Only
the first few words of any message are actually displayed in the
Message window, but when you open a message, you can read the
entire text. Using the convenient buttons, you can Delete the
message here, Close the message and return to the Message window,
or Reply with a message of your own. (Note that replying deletes the
original message.)
There's one further method of communication—Taunting. This
one is a private conversation between you and your opponent during
a duel. When you only want to talk to your opponent, this is much
more convenient than using the messaging feature. Any time you're
engaged in a duel, you can press
to open the Taunt box, in which
you can type and send a brief note to your opponent. When you press
the message is sent; if you press
instead, it cancels the
message.
Online Dueling
This is it—how to duel another person. We've scattered bits and
pieces of this information throughout the manual, so much of this
will seem familiar to those of you who actually read the whole book.
BEFORE You CHALLENGE ANYBODY.
It's a safe bet you don't want to go into serious online dueling
calling yourself "<player>" (the default screen name). If you haven't
already, you should click on the Player sphere right away and set up a
screen name for yourself. (For the how-to, read Making a Name for
Yourself.)
38
If you double-click an Invitation to a duel, you're prompted to *
Accept or Decline the challenge. Click on the button that better
describes your choice. If you accept, you become a registered
opponent of the person who sent the invitation. If you decline, the
challenger is notified of your refusal.
If you're playing on a LAN, you might have been autoconnected
when you started up Duels of the Planeswalkers. If so, your new
screen name doesn't show up on the listing.What's wrong?
Nothing—but you must disconnect and reconnect for the new
name to take effect.
39
Next, there's the issue of a dueling deck. Even before you looked
into the possibility of playing against other people, chances are you
took the time to build a few decks of your own design and test them
in the Gauntlet. However, if you didn't, now's the time.
When that's done, you're ready for the next step—connecting.
That's what all the instructions in the Connecting... sections are about.
We won't repeat all that here. Once you're actually connected, it's
time to actually set up the dueling match.
To get into a match, you must register with an opponent. How you
do that depends on what sort of connection you're using.
With Modem and Cable connections, there is only one possible
opponent: the person at the other end of the line. ManaLink
registers you and that person as opponents as soon as the
connection is successfully established. You don't need to do
anything; go on to set the parameters.
40
Get into the Deck Builder and make yourself a few decks. (Yes,
some of the premade decks are pretty good, but taking a deck
someone else designed into a duel just isn't the same as using one of
your own.) It doesn't hurt to have at least one of every type ready
(Unrestricted, Wild, Restricted, Tournament, and Highlander—
they're explained a little later); you never know type of play what an
opponent will ask for.
ON YOUR MARK. ..
Now you're set up. Well, mostly. There's one step that you must go
through without instructions from us; you need to get your computer
attached to another computer (via a modem or a cable), a network,
or the Internet (through an ISP—Internet Service Provider).
On a LAN or Internet connection, you must find an opponent from
among the players online. Using the ManaLink Dialog, you must
either invite someone to a match (and have them accept), or wait
to be invited then accept the invitation. The details on how to use
the dialog to invite and accept are in The ManaLink Dialog.
Registered opponents are on the very verge of actually dueling
each other. There's only one teensy little roadblock in the way; the
two of you must agree on the parameters—the rules—for the match.
THE PARAMETERS
Now that you're registered with an opponent, it's time to set the
parameters for the match. Parameters are necessary not only because
they allow you to play the type of duel you like, but—more
importantly—they give you a way to avoid playing types of duels that
you would rather avoid. Click on the Duel sphere, then select the
Duel Opponent activity. The parameters are in the lower section of
the screen.
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Ante
This toggle determines whether each duel in the
match is played for ante.
Free Play
This option declares that you do not want to play a
limited number of duels. Rather, Free Play means
that you play duel after duel until one of you decides
to quit (If you select this, you don't need to worry
about
Best
of.)
Best of
A match can be a one-shot duel a best 2 of 3, or a
best 3 of 5. You choose.
Minimum deck Choose the minimum number of cards that a deck
must contain to be allowed in this match. The only
options are 40 cards and 60 cards.
in
The options on die right determine what sort of decks are allowed
the
match.
There
are
five
possibilities:
Unrestricted
This is a total free-for-all. Unrestricted decks may
include any card in the game and as many of each
card as you care to add.
Wild
The only difference between Wild and Unrestricted is
that no deck may include more than 4 of any card
(except for basic land). All cards, including
restricted and banned cards, are still allowed.
Restricted
42
Tournament
Highlander
This deck type allows no more than 4 of any card
(except for basic land), like Wild. The difference is
that Restricted decks may include only 1 of each
restricted card and no banned cards. (Those of you
who are familiar with tournament play will recognize
this as the definition of a Type 1 or Classic deck.)
The Tournament type of deck may include no
restricted or banned cards at all. Otherwise, like
Restricted and Wild, it allows up to 4 of any other card
(except for basic land.) (Those of you who are
familiar with tournament play will recognize this as
the definition of a Type 1.5 or Classic-Restricted deck.)
In a Highlander deck, you are allowed only 1 of each
card (except for basic land). Restricted and banned
cards may be included.
Restricted and Banned Cards
Some of you are scratching your heads and asking, "What's a
restricted card? How do I know which cards are banned?" Good
questions.
Wizards of the Coast decides which cards are banned and
restricted; these decisions are generally based on the fact that
the card is too powerful, contradicts the rules, or otherwise
unbalances
the
game
in
some
way.
The banned and restricted list for Duels of the Planeswalkers
is in the Appendix.This list is based on Wizards' current list as
of the time Duels was created.
After you have set the parameters—and before
you click the Send Parameters button—you
should choose a deck (only those that match the type you selected
are in the list). As soon as your opponent accepts the parameters
you've sent, your chance to change decks is gone.
DUELING AND AFTERWARD
Matches conducted between two human players are no different
from those you play against the computer opponents, except for the
communications option. During a duel, you do not receive invitations
to other matches, but messages and chat requests still come through.
Of course, they only show up as blips on your ManaLink icon, so it's
easy to ignore attempts at communication until the match is over. If
you want to, you can continue to send and receive messages and
engage in chat sessions during a match. (Some opponents might get
a wee bit testy, however, if your social activities significantly slow the
progress of the duel.)
There's also a convenient way to communicate privately with the
person you're dueling—the Taunt feature. (Let's face it, going out to
the ManaLink Dialog and using the message feature would be a pain
in the neck.) Press
at any time to open a Taunt box. In this box,
you can type a brief note to your opponent. As soon as you press
the message is sent. If you change your mind, pressing
cancels the taunt message.
What you can and cannot do between duels in a
match is simple—you can continue or quit.
Those are your only options. There is no chance
to modify your deck between duels in a match,
only between matches.
After each match is over, your new ranking
and record are calculated for you.
43
Appendix: Naughty Cards
These lists include all of the cards that are restricted and banned
for Restricted and Tournament decks. In addition, the ante cards are
considered banned for non-ante play but unrestricted for ante games.
Restricted
44
Ancestral Recall
Balance
Berserk
Black Lotus
Black Vise
Braingeyser
Demonic Tutor
Fastbond
Fork
Ivory Tower
Library of Alexandria
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Regrowth
Sol Ring
Time Walk
Timetwister
Wheel of Fortune
Credits
Producer
Game Design
David Etheredge
Original Magic:
The Gathering Game Design
Richard Garfield
Programming
Additional Programming
Art
Original Magic:
The Gathering Graphic Design
Sound Recording &
Engineering
Documentation & Help
Product Marketing Managers
Robert Colbert, Chris Taormino
Jim Thomas
Kim Grouse
Frank Frazier, Lead Artist
Todd Bilger, Betsy Kirk
Jesper Myrfors, Christopher Rush
Lisa Stevens
Mark Reis
John Possidente
Stephen Haney, U.S.
Lisa Humphries, Europe
Creative Services
Kathryn Lynch, Jerome Paterno
Rick Rasay, Reiko Yamamoto
Quality Assurance
Tom Falzone, Supervisor
Chrispy Bowling, Project Lead
Kevin Bane, Assistant Lead
Bob Abe, Tim Beggs
Grant Frazier, Michael Gibbons
Mark Gutknecht, Tim McCracken
Wm. David Possidente, Mike Seal
Jeff Smith
Banned
Channel
Mind Twist
Ante Cards
Bronze Tablet
Contract from Below
Darkpact
Demonic Attorney
Jeweled Bird
Rebirth
Tempest Efreet
Alessandro De Lucia
Wizards of the Coast Liaisons
Rene Flores, Emily Arons
Jim Butler
Very Special Thanks
Kerry Wilkinson, Roland Rizzo, Marisa Ong, Tom Wylie
Rob Voce, Mendy Lowe, Jan-Maree Bourgeois
Rob Stewart, Henry Stern, Skaff Elias, Bill Rose
Joel Mick, Shirley Carlson, Chaz Elliott, Juliane Parsons
Karol Fuentes, Karen Kapscady, Doru Culiac, Pete Venters
Yasuyo Nohara, Brandon Gamblin, Derek McLeish
45