Magic: The Gathering

Magic the Gathering Core set 9 Starter CD.
. See Magic: The Gathering World Championship, Hall of Fame and Pro Tour for lists of more notable players and their accomplishments.. As the architectures are entirely different between Xbox and Xbox 360, unlike other backward compatible consoles such as the PlayStation 2, software emulation is the only viable option for compatibility.
. (Games in emulation add support for the Xbox 360's higher screen resolution and anti-aliasing abilities.) These emulators are periodically updated to add compatibility for older games; these updates are available for free on Xbox Live for those with the hard drive. Magic was the basis for a controversial patent obtained by Wizards of the Coast, which covers many of the game's mechanics and concepts. When equipped with a removable hard drive add-on, the Xbox 360 supports a limited subset of the Xbox's library (more than 200 games at US launch) through emulation.

The gambling rule is forbidden at sanctioned events and is now mostly a relic of the past. [17]. The rule was later made optional due to these restrictions and due to the dislike most players have for having to possibly lose a card they own. NVIDIA ceased production of the Xbox's GPU in August of that year, which almost certainly marks the end of Xbox production and the quick release of the Xbox 360 featuring a new GPU from NVIDIA's rival ATI. This was controversial due to many regions having restrictions on games of chance. Microsoft's next generation Xbox, the Xbox 360, was released on November 22, 2005. There were a few cards with rules designed to interact with this gambling aspect, allowing replacements of cards up for ante, adding more cards to the ante, or even permanently trading cards in play. To avoid frustrating early adopters, they offered a bundle containing two games and one controller for free to any purchaser who could provide a sales receipt showing the original higher price.

At the end of the match, the winner would become the owner of those cards. Microsoft countered with a £100 price drop (and its equivalent in the rest of Europe) some scant months after launch. Each player would remove at random a card from the deck they wished to play with and those cards would be set aside. With a price-dropped PlayStation 2 and a comparatively inexpensive GameCube as competition, many users were naturally reluctant to invest in the console. The original set of rules prescribed all games were to be played for ante. Obviously, ignoring the GBP-USD exchange rate in the way gives the impression of a 100% mark-up for Europe. The themes most often used in Magic are folklore, classic fantasy and cultures inspired by the real world. As with many games consoles (for example, the PlayStation series), the Xbox was launched with a price in GBP equal to its US price in USD (in this case, $/£299), and this price then converted for the rest of Europe.

However, although there are a number of cards that represent demons, Magic boasts over 7,000 different cards, most of which have no relation to demonic themes. Of note is the high European launch price. This change was foreshadowed in Ask Wizards, a question-and-answer section of MagicTheGathering.com, with a memorable tongue-in-cheek response from Brady Dommermuth, Creative Director of Magic:. Oceania. Later, believing that the concept of "demons" was becoming less controversial, Wizards of the Coast abandoned this policy and restarted printing demons and cards with "demonic" in their name in 2002. Europe. For a few years, some schools banned Magic games altogether from being played on school grounds. North America.

Although there was a long period when all references to demons were carefully avoided, the game still received criticism for its occult themes. Recently, the firmware to the newer optical drives was edited to allow signed code to play. Further criticism was a contributing factor for the alternative production of the Revised Edition that became known as the Summer Magic edition. Modding your Xbox in this manner will definitely void your warranty, since it requires you to disassemble the console. For reasons discussed in the article Where Have All The Demons Gone? by Mark Rosewater, these kinds of cards were removed from later sets. There are now sites that offer to modify the software on your Xbox for free. For the first few years of its life, Magic: The Gathering featured occasional cards with names or artwork that implied demonic or occultist themes (such as the cards Demonic Tutor and Unholy Strength, which both featured reversed pentagrams in their artwork). Probably the most legal way of modding the Xbox is replacing the whole motherboard so that you can install Linux or any other operating system designed for PC without having to hack anything.

Many players advocate Limited formats of competitive Magic over Constructed formats because of this phenomenon. One such successful use of Live to discourage modding was when the hit game Halo 2 was released, and many owners of modded consoles found out that they were permanently banned from the Xbox Live service, but was retaliated with On-Off switchable Modchips (or add-ons) and XBOX Live friendly softmods from XBOX hackers community. The player may be inexperienced, unfamiliar with the operation of the deck, or they may enter an event where a large number of other players have also "net decked" and in which possibly a metagamed-deck (a deck tuned to fight common builds in a certain metagame) may be a superior choice. As of November 2004, Microsoft has been taking new actions for banning Xboxes with hard drive modifications from the Xbox Live service. While this strategy is often a good one, it is not a guarantee that the deck will repeat its earlier success. Also, most internal hardware modifications will render an Xbox unable to participate in Xbox Live, which has forced many modders to use a switch that turns on and off their modifications. Using a process known as "net decking", some players will take this information and construct a deck containing the same, or very similar, contents – relying on the expertise and experience of other players. Modding an Xbox may require opening the Xbox case, and would certainly void the Xbox's warranty.

Strategy discussions and tournament reports frequently include a listing of the exact contents of a deck and descriptions of its performance against others. A modded Xbox can even be configured into a computer running Linux, FreeBSD, or Microsoft Windows CE operating systems. The Internet has played an important role in competitive Magic. Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with the Xbox Media Center software (XBMC) allowing the playing of DVDs without the DVD dongle/remote and streaming of music and video files from the hard drive or from another computer over a network. An excellent source for information on the "mulligan" can be found in the article "Starting Over" by Mark Rosewater. This process does require a modded Xbox using one of the alternative dashboards, and is used by scrupulous users to eliminate load times or leave their games in storage, and by unscrupulous users to play illegally copied games. The "mulligan" allows players to shuffle an unsatisfactory opening hand back into the deck at the start of the game, draw a new hand with one less card, and repeat until satisfied. This allows the user to spare game disks from scratching and allows for faster load times.

A "mulligan" rule was later introduced into the game, first informally in casual play and then in the official game rules. Then Xbox games can be copied from the DVD to the hard disk with programs such as DVD2Xbox and PxHDDLoader, and then played directly from the hard drive. The standard land count in most decks is about 24, although the use of special spells or lands (eg Land Tax, Harrow, Brushlands, Tundra, etc) and the relative costs of the main spells within the deck can substantially increase/decrease the number of lands required. The original hard drive can be replaced with a larger one. A good land count and proper shuffling techniques can substantially minimize any mana problems. This is especially attractive as the Xbox is designed to output to TVs, and high-quality controllers and arcade sticks are available for it. A common response is to say that the luck in the game can be minimized by proper deck construction. This allows running an alternate dashboard such as UIX, Avalaunch, Evolution-X or UnleashX and in turn makes playing original (free) homebrew games or various older games through arcade and console game emulators possible.

Too much or too little land, especially early in the game, can ruin a player's chance at victory without the player having made a mistake. Software modding is much less intrusive, and only involves running software exploits to trick the Xbox into running unsigned program code. A common complaint, however, is that there is too much luck involved with the basic resource of the game, land. [15][16]. Magic, like many other games, combines chance and skill. He was sentenced to 140 hours community service, ordered to pay £750 costs at a court in Caerphilly, Wales, and his computer equipment was confiscated. The average cost of a good quality Block deck (which is arguably the cheapest Constructed format) is well over US$100. It is the first conviction since the Directive was enacted in October 2003 in the UK.

These types of decks are rarely fit for top flight tournament competition or even advanced play outside of tournaments, though, and certainly not the Type 1 or "Vintage" Metagame. (The Directive makes it illegal to circumvent copy protection systems on hardware including video game consoles). This can only be accomplished by either using newer, less expensive cards, or online internet resources such as Ebay.com, where $10 can buy a lot of 100-1000 cards which can be used to build a solid deck. This was the first conviction of its kind in the UK. Many advanced and expert players find it a fun challenge to make a good, solid deck with a tight budget. In July 2005, a 22 year old Cambridge University graduate was convicted under the EU Copyright Directive for modifying Xboxes and selling them with an upgraded 200 GB hard drive, which was pre-loaded with 80 games. Other formats, such as Extended, Legacy and Vintage (also known as Type 1.5, Type 1 (without banned cards) and Type 1(All cards legal)), allow much older sets to be played, but many out-of-print, hard-to-find, or widely-used cards increase in price dramatically over time because they hold higher competitive value. Hardware modding can involve anything from simply replacing the console's green decorative "jewel" with a custom-designed one to opening up the case and installing a modchip.

The principal competitive format, Standard or Type 2, uses only cards from the last completed block (a block being three consecutive sets with common themes and game mechanics), the block currently in print, and the last "core set", forcing players who wish to remain competitive to maintain an updated collection. The recent popularity of the Xbox has inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms (sometimes in order to use the Xbox as a low cost web server), as well as to add customized design touches to the console's case (similar to PC case modding). With three to four new sets appearing each year, many players complain that it requires a substantial investment to maintain a Magic collection that is competitive and/or complete. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable just like other console technologies. Recently, Magic has begun to venture out of Dominaria and into new planes including Mirrodin, Kamigawa, and Ravnica. Microsoft's set of low-level APIs for game development and multimedia purposes, DirectX, was used as a basis for the Xbox's hardware programming. The majority of Magic's early story is set in the plane called Dominaria, and can be broken down into several distinct time periods each detailed in certain sets. This output selectivity is made possible by the Xbox's SCART-like AVIP port.

It takes place in the multiverse, which consists of an infinite number of planes. Numerous unofficial third-party cables and breakout boxes exist that provide combinations of outputs not found in these official video packages; however, with the exception of a few component-to-VGA transcoders and custom-built VGA boxes, the four official video packages represent all of the Xbox's possible outputs. An intricate storyline underlies the cards released in each expansion and is shown in the art and flavor text of the cards, as well as in novels and anthologies published by Wizards of the Coast (and formerly, by HarperPrism). Included with the Hello Kitty Crystal console was a matching Crystal Controller S and a copy of Hello Kitty Mission Rescue. Due to this existing artwork has had to be edited[2] or given alternate art[3] to comply with Chinese standards. A limited production run of 550 units was sold at a retail price of S$99 (US$61), if you purchase selected Samsung LCD TVs during a promotion. For example, the portrayal of skeletons and the undead in artwork is banned in China. The special edition console was translucent with a pink and orange Hello Kitty picture covering the X on top of the case.

Oddly enough, as Magic has expanded across the globe its artwork has had to change for its international audience. The Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox was released with Sanrio in Singapore, to commemorate the release of Hello Kitty Mission Rescue on the Xbox. However, the artist is allowed to sell the original piece and printed reproductions of it, and for established and prolific Magic artists, this can be a lucrative source of revenue. Included with the neon green console was one of two games: Project Gotham Racing 2 or Amped 2. All of this artwork becomes property of Wizards of the Coast once a contract is signed. Dew logo under the Xbox name. Even older cards with iconic art such as Serra Angel or Wrath of God are not immune to a visual overhaul. The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox was neon-green colored and had a special jewel atop the Xbox that had the words "Limited Edition" and the Mt.

As cards are reprinted over the years, many older cards eventually return with new art. Production numbers are unknown. Each block of cards now has its own style guide with sketches and descriptions of the various races and places featured in each new setting. The sweepstakes spanned 5 months – from April to August – in 2004. However, after a few years of submissions featuring beings with wings on creatures without flying, or multiple creatures in the art of what was supposed to be a single creature, the art direction team decided to impose a few constraints so that the artistic vision more closely aligned with the design and development of the cards. The Mountain Dew Limited Edition Xbox was only available through a Mountain Dew sweepstakes requiring loyal Dew-drinking Xbox fans to amass 550 points in order to "buy" the Limited Edition Xbox. Most of the artwork created was initially left completely in the hands of the artist. Included with the Ice Blue console was a matching Controller S, and a copy of Halo 2.

Consequently, alternate art is now only used sparingly and mostly for promotional or chase cards (with a noteable exception for Basic Land cards). The console was translucent blue and retailed for approximately $249. Many players learn to recognize a card by its art and, thus, having multiple versions of art caused confusion when players tried to identify a card at a glance. On March 18, 2005, an Ice Blue Halo 2 Limited Edition Xbox was released in Canada and Asia. This created an unforeseen problem and a lesson learned for the company. The original retail price was ¥22'800 yen ($215), and included the translucent blue console with a matching Controller S, a DVD Playback Kit, an Xbox Live Starter Kit with a free one-year membership, a copy of Dead or Alive Online, and a five-foot-long Kasumi body pillow. A few early sets experimented with alternate art for functionally identical cards. The translucent blue case was based on the costume of Dead or Alive's main character, Kasumi, and had "Dead or Alive Online" written in white lettering in the lower left corner of the top of the case.

Notable artists who have contributed art for Magic cards include John Avon, Brom, John Coulthart, Mike Dringenberg, Kaja Foglio, Phil Foglio, Frank Kelly Freas, Donato Giancola, Rebecca Guay, John Howe, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ron Spencer, Bryan Talbot, Christopher Rush, Kev Walker, Michael Whelan, Dan Frazier and Keith Parkinson. The system had a limited manufacturing run of 5,000 units, and was released simultaneously with Tecmo's fighting game, Dead or Alive Online. Since its inception, Magic has used exceptionally high-quality art on its cards, by many well-known fantasy and science-fiction illustrators. On March 25, 2004, a Kasumi-chan Blue Xbox console was released in Japan. Each card has an illustration to represent the flavor of the card, often reflecting the setting of the expansion for which it was designed. 200,000 of these Xboxes were produced. Additionally, several countries still have import restrictions that could be construed to bar the import of Magic: The Gathering or other collectible card games (Italy, for example, places restrictions on the importation of "playing cards".). The version of Halo that came with this bundle was identical to other versions of Halo, with the exception of a "NOT FOR RESALE" notice placed on the front of the game case.

Affecting this market, wholesale distributors are not allowed to ship product to foreign nationalities, thereby creating pockets of opportunity. The console case featured the Halo logo and the words "Special Edition"; the controller had a jewel that had the Halo logo in place of the normal Xbox logo. [1]. This version was translucent green and came with a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved and a matching translucent green Controller S. To help protect the collectible value of many old cards, Wizards of the Coast has formulated an official "Reprint Policy", which details certain cards that are unavailable to be printed again. On March 14, 2004, Microsoft released a special version of the Xbox in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. However, if the card is primarily attractive to collectors, reprinting will often decrease the original version's value. A Crystal Controller S was also availible separately.

If a card has high play value, reprinting will often increase the original version's price, because of renewed demand among players. The Crystal console was re-released on October 8, 2004 in a new bundle (but with only one controller) at the normal Xbox price of €149/£99. As new sets come out, older cards are occasionally reprinted. It is unknown how many Crystal Limited Editions were produced, however; later bundles were released pairing a re-released Crystal Xbox with different Xbox games and Xbox Live subscriptions. In 2003, after the rotation of the Extended tournament format and in combination with the first Type 1 Championships, the prices for such old, tournament-level cards underwent a large, unexpected increase. With a price tag of €199/£139, the Crystal Limited Edition came with a transparent console and two matching Crystal Controller S. A small number of cards of similar age, rarity, and playability – chiefly among them the other cards in the so-called "Power Nine" – routinely reach high prices as well. On March 14, 2004, the Crystal Limited Edition Xbox was released in Europe to celebrate the Xbox's European birthday.

The most expensive card which was in regular print (as opposed to being a promotional or special printing) is Black Lotus, with as of 2005 average prices of US$500 and high-quality "graded" copies rising above US$3000. Included with the Pure White console was a matching Controller S, a DVD Playback Kit, and an Xbox Live Starter Kit with a free one-year membership and voice communicator. The most expensive cards in Standard tournament play usually cost approximately US$10-20. The original retail price for the Pure White Limited Xbox was ¥19'800 yen ($186) and was only available for purchase online at the Official Xbox Japan website between the dates of January 30 and February 6, 2004. Uncommon cards and weak rares typically cost under US$1. The words "Limited Edition 2004" were also carved into the jewel of the console, and into the exclusive Controller S (right below the Xbox name). Common cards rarely sell for more than a few cents. The system had a limited manufacturing run of 1,000 units and allowed purchasers to personalize their console with up to twenty letters (Japanese characters not allowed) engraved on the case.

The prices of individual cards vary accordingly. On February 22, 2004, a Pure White Limited Xbox Console was released in Japan, to commemorate the console's two-year anniversary in that country. The game cards are published by Wizards of the Coast in varying quantities – a standard booster pack contains eleven common cards, three uncommon cards, and one rare card. The Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox was also released in Candada and came with one matching Controller S and two games, Crimson Skies and Project Gotham Racing 2. Many other physical and online stores also sell single cards or, more commonly, "playsets" of four of a card. The green Controller S was also sold separately. On eBay, for example, there are an estimated 30,000 Magic: The Gathering card auctions running at any one time. The styling of the Translucent Green Xbox is identical to Debug Units used in game development; of course, the retail versions lacked the words "Debug Unit" on the front of the case.

There is an active secondary market in individual cards among players and game shops. The console came with two matching Controller S and retailed for €229/£149. This change received a mixed reception when first announced, but players quickly adapted, and it is now generally accepted that the new frame design is superior to the original. On May 2, 2003 a Translucent Green Limited Edition Xbox was released in Europe to celebrate Xbox's one-year European birthday. The new frame design aimed to improve contrast and readability using black type instead of the previous white, a new font, and partitioned areas for the name, card type, and power and toughness. Included with the Special Edition console was a matching white Controller S, an Xbox Component A/V cable, an Xbox Component AV pack, a copy of Panzer Dragoon Orta with its soundtrack CD, and a dragon head necklace. In 2003, starting from the Eighth Edition, the game went through its biggest visual change since its creation--a new card frame layout was developed to allow more rules text and larger art on the cards, while reducing the thick, colored border to a minimum. The Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition was priced at ¥35'800 ($358) and could only be pre-ordered on November 1, 2002 through Sega Direct.

A large number of fans permanently quit at around this time, though whether this was mostly due to the rules changes or the so-called "combo winter" is still debated. The console's special features included a white case with the Panzer Dragoon Orta logo in top's the lower left hand corner, as well as some artwork from Orta surrounding the Xbox jewel. Some had very strong feelings about the changes, while others pointed out that they made very little functional difference. This Special Edition had a limited production of 999 units; however, it is rumored that there are actually 1,049 units in total. A few agreed or disagreed with all of the changes, but most fans agreed with some changes and disagreed with others. This quickly became the most sought-after Xbox to date. Reactions from the game's fans were extremely varied. On December 19, 2002, a Panzer Dragoon Orta Special Edition Xbox was released in Japan to commemorate the release of Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox.

Sixth Edition also removed more cards from the base set, and for weaker reasons, than any other revision up to that point. Included with the Clear Black console was a matching Clear Black Controller S, an Xbox Component AV pack, and a key chain that had Bill Gates' signature and the console's serial number engraved in it. Other changes were made to card formatting and terminology, and one creature ability was removed from the rules entirely (it was reinstated later). The system had a limited manufacturing run of 50,000 units, and originally retailed for ¥35'800 yen. Wizards of the Coast decided that the best solution was to rewrite the rules from the ground up, regardless of how previous cards had been worded or how poorly those wordings would work under the new rules. In 2001, a Clear Black Limited Edition Xbox was released in Japan to commemorate the Xbox's Japanese release. Spell timing and other issues had become quite complicated by 1999 due to the somewhat inelegant ways in which unforeseen interactions had to be dealt with. Manufacturing photos can be found here..

The game was not originally designed to have expansion sets, so its rules were not designed to accommodate new cards and mechanics. Microsoft extended the warranty on those first generation Xboxes that came with faulty drives and fixed them for free, unlike Sony and their first generation PS2s. The biggest rules change in the game's history came with the Sixth Edition of the base set. Several internal hardware revisions have been made in an ongoing battle to discourage modding (hackers continually updated modchip designs in attempt to defeat them), cut manufacturing costs, and to provide a more reliable DVD-ROM drive (some of the early units' drives gave Disc Reading Errors). The current size for a stand-alone expansion set is 306 cards, with older sets being slightly larger; the current size for a non-stand-alone expansion set is 165 cards, with older sets being slightly smaller. This Japanese controller (which was briefly imported by even mainstream video game store chains, such as GameStop) was subsequently released in other markets as the "Xbox Controller S", and currently all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", while the original controller (known as Controller "0" or "The Duke") was quietly discontinued. Each such trilogy of sets is called a "Cycle" or "Block". In response to these criticisms, a smaller controller was introduced for the Japanese Xbox launch.

Each stand-alone expansion is also associated with two smaller expansion sets of its own (except Ice Age, which only had one smaller expansion). The original game controller design, which was particularly large, was similarly often criticized since it was ill-suited to those with small hands. Expansion sets are the sets in which new cards are first printed, and they once consisted exclusively of new cards; but now, almost a third of them are large "stand-alone" expansions, which contain a few reprints of already-existing cards and can be played without the base set. However, the Xbox has also pioneered safety features, such as breakaway cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being yanked from the shelf. The base set is periodically revised, with the rules, card artwork, and even card list itself being changed; nine editions of the base set have been made so far, each containing anywhere from 302 to 449 cards. Because of this, the Xbox has found itself a target of mild derision, as gamers poke fun at it for things like a warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" to a small child or pet. Magic cards are released in two types of sets: the game itself, also called the base set or core set, and various expansion sets. This is largely due to a bulky tray-loading DVD-ROM drive and the standard-size 3.5" hard drive.

The first Magic cards were printed exclusively in English, but current sets are also printed in Simplified Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. The Xbox itself is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries. Each player builds a deck of cards, chosen from those which he or she owns (with certain restrictions as discussed below) to be used in a duel against an opponent. The Xbox does not use Windows CE due to Microsoft internal politics at the time, as well as limited support in Windows CE for DirectX. Over 7000 unique cards have been produced for the game, with about 600 new ones added each year. Therefore if the Xbox crashes, the only way to recover is to reboot the console as there is no multitasking support on Real Mode. Each Magic card, approximately 63 x 88 mm in size (2.5 by 3.5 inches), has a face which displays the card's name and rules text as well as an illustration appropriate to the card's concept. That is why Xbox is running on Real Mode and not Protected Mode as seen on Windows 2000.

Magic: The Gathering cards are produced in much the same way as normal playing cards. Although the Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel using APIs based largely on DirectX 8.1, it incorporates changes optimized for gaming uses as well as restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. Players then commence building 40-card decks out of some of the cards they picked in each pack, adding as many basic lands as they want. An Xbox owner can rip music from standard Audio CDs to the hard drive so players can use their custom soundtrack in addition to the original soundtrack of Xbox games that support such feature. The third pack is distributed like the first pack. Some games support "Custom soundtracks," another particularly unusual feature allowed by the hard drive. The process is repeated with the second pack, except that the cards are passed to the right. Most of the games also use it as a disk cache, for faster game loading times.

This continues until all of the cards are depleted. The Xbox was the first console to incorporate a hard disk drive, used primarily for storing game saves (eliminating the need for separate memory cards) and content downloaded from Xbox Live. Each player then selects one of the 14 cards from the pack that was just passed to him, and passes the remaining cards to the left again. Nonetheless, most of these features were not fully exploited in its first year of launch, notably the lack of Xbox Live online multiplayer. Each player opens a pack, selects a card from it and passes it to their left. Also, the console cost as much as the high-end GeForce 3 video card alone in 2001, while having comparable graphics processing power (the Xbox's NV2A graphics chipset is a derivative of the GeForce 3). In a rochester draft, several players (usually eight) are seated around a table and each player is given three booster packs. At the time of its introduction, the Xbox was the only game console to do so.

In sealed deck tournaments, each player receives five booster packs, or a 75-card Tournament Pack and two booster packs from which to build their deck. The Xbox was designed to take advantage of a slowdown in the saturated PC gaming market and incorporates a built-in Ethernet adapter. The decks in limited tournaments need only be 40 cards; all the unused cards function as the sideboard. This prediction turned out to be correct; Microsoft Game Studios, Microsoft's game division in charge of Xbox development, had its first profitable quarter reported in January 2005, thanks largely to the success of Halo 2[14]. Limited tournaments are based on a pool of cards which the player receives at the time of the event. Microsoft predicted that it would not make a profit on the Xbox for at least three years. Since these formats are constantly changing and adapting to new sets, more comprehensive rules for each format can be found at the DCI website. The losses deepened when sales of the Xbox increased and when the price was reduced successive times to compete with PlayStation 2 [13].

The current extended format consists of Invasion, Odyssey, Onslaught, Mirrodin, Kamigawa, and Ravnica Blocks, and Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Edition Core Sets. [12] In particular, the Xbox hardware itself is a loss leader, since the console was sold at a loss even at its debut price. Any additional blocks to be released between rotations are automatically added to this format's card pool. Internal documents show that the Xbox division had invested $4 billion from 2000 to 2005. Extended format rotates every three years and leaves the six most recent blocks and three most recent core sets. The large size of the hardware itself did not endear itself to the size-sensitive Japanese consumers. The current Standard card pool consists of Ravnica block, Kamigawa Block, and Ninth Edition Core Set. The Xbox has sold poorly in Japan mainly because Microsoft was unable to enlist enough local developers to cater to Japanese interests.

Standard is the format defined by the current block, the last completed block, and the most recent core set. In Europe, the Xbox's market share is currently ahead of the GameCube, but is still behind the PlayStation 2. The current block consists of Ravnica: City of Guilds and Guildpact with the third set of the cycle still to be released. The Xbox has enjoyed its greatest success in North America, where an estimated 13.5 million units have been sold and where it managed for a time to outsell the PS2[11]. Block is the format defined by the current cycle of three sets of cards. Although ahead of the GameCube's 18.5 million, this was far behind the PlayStation 2's 90 million (after the Xbox was discontinued in favour of the Xbox 360, the GameCube and PlayStation 2 have reached 19.8 million[9] and 100 million[10], respectively). In 2004, the format was revitalized by separating the banned list from Vintage and banning many cards which had been staples of Type 1.5 including Mishra's Workshop, Mana Drain, and Bazaar of Baghdad. According to company documents, Microsoft has shipped 25 million consoles to retailers worldwide at the end of 2005[8].

It evolved from a format called Type 1.5, which was defined by a banned list that merely consisted of all banned and restricted cards in Type 1 (now called Vintage). However, as of February 2005, estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is only moderately ahead of the Nintendo GameCube and far behind the PlayStation 2. Legacy is the other eternal constructed format. Some critics were initially concerned that the Xbox would allow Microsoft to extend its dominance of the PC software market to consoles. Players are permitted to proxy cards in many Vintage tournaments because of the expense involved in acquiring some older cards. In July 2004, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live reached 1 million subscribers, and announced in July 2005 that Live had reached 2 million. Restricted cards are cards that a player may only use one of in his or her deck. 250,000 subscribers had signed on in 2 months since Live was launched [7].

The only banned cards are cards using the ante mechanic, as well as Chaos Orb and Falling Star, two cards that involved flipping the card onto the table. This online service works exclusively with broadband. The Vintage card pool is therefore restricted solely by the Banned/Restricted list maintained by the DCI. In November 2002 Microsoft released the Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing subscribers to play online Xbox games with (or against) other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the hard drive. This means that all the sets that are currently legal will continue to be legal and any new sets will automatically be included in the legal card pool. In 2005, the long-awaited Xbox-exclusive Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and Far Cry Instincts were released. Vintage is considered an eternal format because the card pool never rotates. That year, Microsoft and Electronic Arts reached a deal which would see the latter's popular titles enabled on Xbox Live.

They include Vintage, Legacy, Extended, Standard, and Block. In 2004, Halo 2 set records as highest grossing release in entertainment history [6] as well as being a successful killer app for the online service. There are various formats in which Constructed tournaments can be held. In addition, many other publishers got into the trend of releasing the the Xbox version alongside the PS2 version, instead of delaying it for months. The original deck configuration is restored before the start of the next match. Take-Two Interactive's exclusivity deal with Sony was amended to allow Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its sequels to be published on the Xbox. Tournaments are normally structured so that the first player to win two games is the winner of the match. Several best-selling and critically-acclaimed titles for the Xbox were published, such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Ninja Gaiden, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Thus a player may alter his or her deck to better deal with their opponent's strategy. The Xbox Live online service was launched with a strong lineup including MotoGP, MechAssault and Ghost Recon. Following the first game of a match, each player is permitted to replace any number of cards in his or her deck with an equal number of cards from his or her sideboard. In 2002 and 2003, several releases helped the Xbox to gain momentum and distinguish itself from the PS2. In addition to the main deck, players are allowed a 15-card sideboard. Lastly, Sony countered the Xbox by making exclusivity deals for highly anticipated games such as the Grand Theft Auto series and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Various tournament formats exist which define what card sets are allowed to be used, and which specific cards are disallowed. Although it enjoyed strong third-party support from its inception, many early Xbox games did not take full advantage of its powerful hardware, with few additional features or graphical improvements to distinguish themselves from the PS2 version, and this negated one of the Xbox's main selling points.

Decks must consist of no fewer than 60 cards, and no more than four of any one card (the basic land cards may be used in any quantity). However, the failure of several first-party games (including Fuzion Frenzy [4] and Azurik: Rise of Perathia [5]) damaged the initial public reputation of the Xbox. In Constructed tournaments, each player comes with a pre-built deck. Other successful launch titles included NFL Fever 2002, Project Gotham Racing[2] and Dead or Alive 3 [3]). There are two basic/standard types of organized play, Constructed and Limited. Halo still remains the console's standout title. The DCI is owned and operated by Wizards of the Coast. The greatest success of the Xbox's launch games was Halo: Combat Evolved, which was critically well-received [1] and one of the best-selling games of the year.

The Duelists' Convocation International (or DCI) is the organizing body for professional Magic events. The Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001. A number of websites report on tournament news, give complete lists for the most currently popular decks, and feature articles on current issues of debate about the game. The Xbox even brought high-end gaming technology to the mainstream, sporting a top of the line GeForce 3 equivalent graphics processor, a built-in Ethernet adapter, and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Large sums of money are paid out to those players who place the best in the tournament, and the winner receives sums upward of US$50,000. The Xbox also presented a standardized alternative to the near-endless variety of end-user configurations on the PC. Larger tournaments with hundreds of competitors from around the globe sponsored by Wizards of the Coast are arranged many times every year. Being based upon Windows and standard PC hardware, the Xbox was more familiar to developers and as a result was significantly easier to develop for in contrast to PlayStation 2's proprietary processor and operating system.

Magic tournaments are arranged almost every weekend in gaming stores. The authors concluded that the Xbox project as a direct response to the upcoming PlayStation 2. Magic: The Gathering has grown a lot since it was first introduced in 1993, and a large culture has developed around the game. As well, a venture into the gaming console market would also diversify Microsoft's product line, which up to that time had been heavily concentrated into software. The most popular alternatives describe ways of playing with more than two players and change the rules about how decks can be built. The growing video game market seemed to threaten the PC market which Microsoft had dominated and relied upon for most of its revenues. While the primary method of Magic play is one-on-one using standard deck construction rules, casual play groups have developed many alternative formats for playing the game. According to the book Smartbomb, by Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby, the remarkable success of the upstart Sony PlayStation worried Microsoft in late 1990s.

Hybrid cards also introduced a series of "split" mana symbols, designating a mana cost which can be paid with one of the two colors. Some see the Xbox as a way to capitalize on the growing video game market, noting that the PC market growth was stagnating after the dot-com bust. The border of these cards has a distinctive "half-and-half" design, with a vertical merge between colors in the middle. In May 2000 the "Xbox Project" was officially confirmed by Microsoft. More recently, two-color "hybrid" cards that can be paid for with either of the card's colors (as opposed to both, as is the case with normal multi-color cards) were introduced in the Ravnica set. Gates said that a gaming/multimedia device was essential for multimedia convergence in the new times of digital entertainment. Due to the restriction of having to play all the colors in the casting cost, multi-color cards tend to be more powerful for their cost compared to single-color cards. The rumors of a video game console being developed by Microsoft first emerged at the end of 1999 following interviews of Bill Gates.

These cards tend to combine the philosophy and mechanics of the colors used in the spell's cost. The Xbox was initially developed within Microsoft by a small team which included Seamus Blackley, a game developer and high energy physicist. Multi-color cards were introduced in the Legends set and use a gold border to distinguish them. . A series of six articles written by Mark Rosewater describing each color in depth can be found at the game's official site at MagicTheGathering.com: The Great White Way, True Blue, In the Black, Seeing Red,It's Not Easy Being Green, and Midas Touch. Notable launch titles for the console include Amped, Dead or Alive 3, Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, and Project Gotham Racing. Each color, as noted above, has its own distinct attributes and the pie is used to put new cards where they belong, so that one color does not impede on the territory of another. The Xbox was Microsoft's first independent venture into the video game console arena, after having developed the operating system and development tools for the MSX, and having collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast console.

The R&D team at Wizards of the Coast balances the power between the five colors by using the Color Pie to define the strengths and weaknesses of each. The Microsoft Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console first released on November 15, 2001 in North America and Puerto Rico, then released on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and later on March 14, 2002 in Europe. However, it is generally less powerful and less equipped to face many different types of decks, such as those found in a tournament. Xbox: Part Deux (Xbox XGPU Basics)" by Dave Salvator, ExtremeTech.Com, November 30, 2001, retrieved January 30, 2006. A deck using colors that are complimentary generally revolves around one strategy, and it can be played by a more intermediate or beginner level player. "GameCube vs. In general, a deck that uses opposing colors can be more powerful and versatile, but has more intricate strategies and requires an expert-level player to utilize it efficiently. NZ$249 (2004 Q4, 2005).

For instance, red is the color of chaos, while white and blue are the colors of order and logic. NZ$299 (2004 Q2). The two non-adjacent colors to a particular color are "enemy" colors, and are thematically opposed. AU$249 (2004, 2005). Red and green are opposite blue and have very few flyers. NZ$349 (2004). White and black, being next to it, also have many flying creatures. AU$299 (2004).

For example, blue has few efficient, aggressive creatures in general, but does have a relatively large number of flying creatures. NZ$399 (2003). The colors adjacent to each other on the wheel are "allied" and have similar, complementary abilities. AU$349 (2003). (Many times a player will refer to a five-color card as a WUBRG card, pronounced: "woo-burg.") Each color is also associated with a basic land type; respectively, plains, islands, swamps, mountains, and forests. NZ$499 NZD (3 October, 2002, Launch Price). These can sometimes be abbreviated as W, U, B, R, and G respectively. AU$299 AUD (2005).

Starting from the top, going clockwise, they are: white, blue, black, red, and green. AU$399 AUD (2004). The colors can be seen on the back of the cards, in a pentagonal design, called the "Pentagon of Colors". AU$699 AUD (26 April, 2002, Launch Price) (Quickly dropped to $399 to compete with launch of Nintendo GameCube). Because the trade-offs between the abilities of each color are integral to keeping the game balanced, it is helpful to discuss the various color philosophies. €99 (Spain, January 2006 promotional price). The various strengths and weaknesses of each color are attributed to the fact that each color represents a different "style" of magic. €99 (Ireland; Christmas 2005 promotional price).

The equilibrium among the five colors is one of the defining aspects of the game. £99 (August 27, 2004). To play a spell of one color, mana produced by a land of the appropriate type is required. €149 (August 27, 2004). Most spells come in one of five colors: white, blue, black, red, or green. £130 (2003). The decision on what colors to use is vitally important, and successful decks have used nearly every combination of colors. €199 (2003).

Many players feel that it is essential to use more than one color in a deck in order to increase the versatility and midgame play. €249 (August 30, 2002). On the other hand, the five colors each have different strengths and weaknesses, and playing more colors may help create a more versatile and well-rounded deck. €299 (Launch Price (Rest of Europe) and Ireland April 26, 2002). Although five colors of spell are available, it may help to play just one or two in a deck so that the color of spells drawn will match the color of mana available. £299 GBP (Launch Price March 14, 2002),. A deck composed of mostly cheap spells can run smoothly on fewer mana sources, while a deck with large creatures or expensive spells often requires a larger number of mana sources. €479 (Launch Price (Ireland) 14 March, 2002),.

In a sixty card deck, it is usually best to have 16 – 27 mana sources and 33 – 44 other spells (either creature spells, enchantments, instants or sorceries). US$179 (February 6, 2006, Bundled with Forza). A deck must have enough mana sources to fit the mana curve of the deck's spells. CAD$199 (March 29, 2004). A proper balance of mana sources, including basic land and mana-producing artifacts and creatures, to spells is also important in creating an effective deck. US$149 (March 29, 2004). When deciding which cards to include, it is often beneficial to use the minimum deck size, combined with the maximum number of card copies, to provide consistent draws to minimize the affect of luck on a particular game. US$179 (May 14, (2003).

Players may use no more than four of any named card, with the exception of the "basic lands" that act as a standard resource in Magic. US$199 (May 15, (2002). Normally, decks are required to be at least sixty cards. US$299 (November 15, 2001, Launch Price). Due to the many possibilities, two players seldom play with the same decks. Approved by Microsoft for wireless gameplay with Xbox. Beginners typically start with only a starter deck, that is pre-built and ready for play, but over time, more cards are added to the player's stock through purchases or trading with other players. Logitech 2.4 GHz wireless controller.

A player needs a deck ready before he or she can play a game of Magic. This system has been defeated by the Xbox hacking community, who have developed tools to modify gamesaves to work in a different console, though some unique technical information concerning the recipient Xbox must be known. A detailed rulebook ² exists to clarify these conflicts. Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball) do not support this accessory as a cheat prevention measure. The so-called "Golden Rule of Magic" is that if a card's text conflicts with the rules, the card has priority. Resolving interactions between conflicting spell effects is one of the more difficult aspects of game play. Note that some recent games (e.g. Some spells have effects that override normal game rules (e.g., allow you to play more than one land per turn). Memory Unit: An 8 MB removable solid-state memory card onto which game saves can either be copied from the hard drive when in the Xbox Dashboard's memory manager or saved during a game.

Players may never look into the libraries (unless a card's ability allows you to do so) and may see only their own hands, but may normally view all the other cards on the table without restriction. The precise layout of the controls differs between the two variations of controller.

The types of cards are:. Xbox Music Mixer: A utility software bundled with a microphone that connects to an adapter that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller. There are two basic types of spells: those which become a "permanent", which stay on the table once they have been played, and those which affect the game immediately and are then put into their owners' graveyards. Later, as the price of the Xbox dropped, the DVD remote was bundled. Players fight each other by casting spell cards by drawing upon mana, or magical energy, from Land cards. Although there is nothing to prevent the Xbox from acting as a progressive-scan DVD player, Microsoft chose not to enable this feature in the Xbox DVD kit in order to avoid royalty payments to the patent-holder of progressive scan DVD playback. The object of Magic is to be the last surviving player. By selling a DVD remote separately, Microsoft was able to bundle the cost of the DVD licensing fee with it.

A player also loses the game if he or she needs to draw a card, and has no cards in his or her deck. DVD playback was not included as a standard feature of the Xbox due to licensing issues with the DVD format that would have added extra cost to the console's base price. If a player is reduced to zero life, that player loses the game. DVD Playback Kit: Required in order to play DVD movies, the kit includes an infrared remote control and receiver. A player starts the game with twenty "life" points and seven cards in their hand. It can also be used for DVD playback. In a game of Magic, two or more players are engaged in a duel. Xbox Media Center Extender: A kit that allows Xbox to act as a Media Center Extender to stream content from a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC.

. This functionality is similar to Sega's DirectLink for Sega Saturn. The online version has been a runaway success for the company and has inspired similar products from many popular collectible card games. System Link Cable: A Cat 5 crossover cable for connecting together two consoles or a Cat 5 straight through cable used in conjunction with an ethernet hub for connecting up to four consoles, for up to 16 total players. It has features which are lacking in other methods; specifically, it handles game rules automatically. The headset can in fact be replaced with most standard earpiece-and-microphone headsets; headset specialist Plantronics produce various officially-licensed headsets, including a special-edition headset for Halo 2. While less functional methods of online play exist, Magic: The Gathering Online was the first to capitalize on this interest. Xbox Live Starter Kit: A subscription and installation pack for the Xbox Live service, as well as a headset (with monaural earpiece and microphone) that connects to a control box that plugs into the top expansion slot of a controller.

In 2002, an official online version of the game was released. While the official Wireless Adapter guarantees compatibility with the Xbox, almost any wireless bridge can be used. The company publicizes good players who win frequently in order to create a "star" system, and examples to which other players to follow and aspire. Xbox Wireless Adapter: a wireless bridge which converts data running through an ethernet cable to a wireless (802.11b or 802.11g) signal to connect to a wireless LAN. The system is similar to the ones used in golf, tennis and other professional sports. Note that while there is an "official" Xbox 'System Link' cable (a crossover cat5e cable), any PC ethernet cable can be used in the normal way treating the xbox as an NIC, eg an Xbox-Xbox connection requires a crossover cable, whereas an xbox-switch connection requires a straight-through cable. Sanctioned by the DCI, the popular series of tournaments adds an element of prestige and weight to the game by virtue of the large payouts and media coverage from within the community. Ethernet (Xbox Live) Cable: A Cat 5 cable for connecting the Xbox to a broadband modem or router.

In 1996, Wizards of the Coast established the "Pro Tour", a circuit of tournaments where players can compete for top prizes in excess of US$30,000 for a single weekend-long tournament, with a total purse of over US$200,000. As Europe has no HDTV standard, no High Definition cable is currently provided in those markets. Although Magic's gross card sales have been surpassed in recent years, particularly by Japanese import games based on the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! franchises, Magic's popularity continues to grow steadily. Advanced SCART Cable: The European equivalent to the Advanced AV Pack, providing a full RGB video SCART connection in place of S-Video, RCA composite and stereo audio connections (composite video and stereo are still provided by the cable, through the SCART connector, in addition to the RGB signal), while retaining the TOSLINK audio connector. Many of them were poorly designed and failed both commercially and in popularity. Also provides analog RCA and digital TOSLINK audio outputs. The commercial success of the game prompted a wave of other collectible card games to flood the market in the mid-1990s. High Definition AV Pack: A breakout box, intended for HDTVs, that provides a YPrPb component video signal over three RCA connectors.

Role-players were enthusiastic early fans of Magic, but the game achieved much wider popularity among strategy gamers. Advanced AV Pack: A breakout box that provides S-Video and TOSLINK audio in addition to the RCA composite video and stereo audio of the Standard AV Cable. Adkison immediately saw the potential of the game and agreed to produce it. RF Adapter: Provides a combined audio and video signal on an RF connector. Garfield returned later with a prototype he had been working with on and off over the last few years under the development name of Mana Clash. European systems come with a RCA jack to SCART converter block in addition to the cable. He did enjoy Garfield's ideas and mentioned that he was looking for a portable game that could be played in the downtime that frequently occurs at gaming conventions. Comes with the system.

Adkison was not very keen on the idea, as board games are expensive to produce and difficult to market. Standard AV Cable: Provides composite video and monaural or stereo audio to TVs equipped with RCA inputs. When Peter Adkison, then CEO of the fledgling Wizards of the Coast games company, met Richard Garfield, then a graduate student who would become a mathematics professor, it was to discuss Garfield's new board game Roborally. Dimensions: 320 × 100 × 260 mm (12.5 × 4 × 10.5 inches). . Weight: 3.86 kg. The cards themselves also have value, much like other trading cards, but in the case of Magic, a card's value is based not only on scarcity and intangible aesthetic qualities such as the quality of the card's artwork, but is primarily a function of its game play potential, with more powerful cards carrying a correspondingly greater value. Controller Ports: 4 proprietary USB ports.

The game has an official tournament system, in which the game is played for cash and scholarship prizes, and the game has a number of professional players. EDTV and HDTV Support: 480p/720p/1080i (see game boxes for supported resolutions). Though the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic as a game bears little resemblance to role-playing games. PAL TV's have less than 600 horizontal lines. Each game represents a battle between very powerful wizards called "Duelists" or "Planeswalkers" who use magical spells, items, and fantastic creatures to defeat their opponents. Note: NTSC (Non-HD) TV's have less than 500 horizontal lines. The game is a strategy contest which includes an element of chance due to the random distribution of cards during shuffling. Maximum Resolution (2x32bpp frame buffers +Z): 1920(vert.)x1080(horiz)