Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of the Magic: The Gathering franchise. All you have to do is check my Raptr stats and see I have literally spent DAYS playing Duels of the Planeswalkers. Not to mention all the time I have spent playing the actual card game and the PC version, Magic: The Gathering Online. Anytime I hear of a new version of this game, I am all for it. Such was the case when I stumbled upon Magic: The Gathering — Tactics at this year's E3. As is the purpose of this article, I will be expressing my thoughts on the collectible card game (CCG), Online (PC), Planeswalkers, and Tactics versions of Magic.

The Original

It all started with the original collectible card game (and yes, it was actually THE original collectible card game) — Magic: The Gathering. Magic: The Gathering, or MTG, was created by Whitman College professor Richard Garfield and is arguably one of the best strategy games ever. Dedicated players of the game number in the millions and span over 70 countries. The game is usually played by two to four players at a time.

Traditional gameplay consists of players emulating beings called "Planeswalkers," powerful wizards able to traverse planes of existence and summon powerful magic and creatures to do their bidding. Each player starts with 20 life points and a constructed deck of cards. The game is over when a player is reduced to either zero life or zero cards in their deck. There are many different types of cards and rules that govern MTG play, but I will get into that some other time. I will, however, mention deck construction is a MAJOR part of the strategy involved in playing MTG. A properly tuned deck is absolutely necessary to consistently win matches.

My Take: I absolutely love this game! I first started playing in 1994 and have been hooked ever since. Admittedly, I had to take a few steps back because of the pure cost of staying competitive (buying cards can be expensive!) versus paying bills, but I am always up for a quick game any day of the week.

The Original ... but Online

Magic: The Gathering Online, or MTGO, is a direct video analogy of the original game. The game is free to download and play, but buying cards, just like in real life, costs money. The game engine enforces rules, facilitates tournaments, and supports an online market where players can buy and trade cards. There is also an added option to redeem "live" versions of any cards you own online at the cost of losing the online version.

My Take: Once again, I absolutely love this game! This was my replacement for playing the CCG version. It has all of the plusses with none of the minuses. You can play from your own home. Rules are enforced so there are no arguments as to who has how much life or any other such common disagreements. In short, I actually think this is better! The only drawback is this game, combined with a valid credit card, makes you go broke quicker! Yes, this game is what made me have to slow down ... and adopt Duels of the Planeswalkers almost entirely.

Magic: The Gathering for Dummies?

Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers is another online version of MTG available for Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Windows. It is largely similar to the original and online versions of MTG with various tweaks that make it more accessible to the masses. These "tweaks" include the following:

• The exclusion of deck construction. Players only have access to certain preconstructed decks.
• Players must win against the AI to unlock cards for said decks.
• Players get a free "mulligan," a chance to redraw their opening hands, at the start of the match. Traditionally, taking a mulligan would mean one less card in your hand per attempt. In Planeswalkers, the first attempt would still yield you a seven-card draw as opposed to six.
• There are also several game modes, such as "Challenge," that enhance card and strategy knowledge.

My Take: At the risk of sounding biased, twice again, I absolutely love this game! Although it is a bit watered down, this game is just FUN! It's easy to get into. It's easy to play. And mostly, it's FREE! — aside from the initial cost and buying the expansions. I can play this version and still pay my rent! Duels of the Planeswalkers is the methadone to my Magic addiction.

Final Fan ... er ... Magic: The Gathering — Tactics

Magic: The Gathering — Tactics is an online turn-based strategy version of MTG being released by Sony Online Entertainment in late 2010 for the PC and early 2011 for PS3. The major difference between this version and the previous versions is this one is played more like Final Fantasy Tactics than a CCG. The environments and characters are all to be rendered in 3-D. It is similar to MTGO in that you can purchase cards and participate in tournaments through the game interface. It will not feature all of the cards available in MTG and MTGO from the outset, if ever, but more content will be rolled out periodically after the initial release.

My Take: I love Magic. I think I will love this one, too. My first impressions from E3 were quite positive. I am happy deck-building will be a part of the game again, but I am a bit leery of the added cost of playing. As a recovering addict, I don't want to be sucked in ... but I am still extremely excited!

I hope this article helped anyone who had any questions about the differences between these versions of MTG. If you are already a fan and have not yet tried of all of them, do it!  You won't be disappointed. If you're new to the franchise, I recommend starting with Planeswalkers (ask @Nuyoriquena! She is a new convert!) and THEN moving to MTGO or MTG. I recommend MTGO over MTG because of convenience and the smaller chance of dealing with elitist players: the one drawback that transcends any nerdy activity. Please feel free to email me or comment on this article if there are any questions. I always respond.