Duel Masters -- Its own game - MattW

I remember a few months ago when Duel Masters came out; there were many doubters that this game would survive, and more than enough people who wanted to bash it, as it was competition for the game they play. I wanted to write this sooner, but could never find the time, so this may be a little late.

Anyway, the point of this article is to examine all the hate and doubts of people that do not like this card game. Now, before I start, please note I am NOT trying to sound as though I'm bashing any other card games. I respect each game, no matter what I may say.

First off, the main competition Duel Masters is for is Yu-Gi-Oh!. Now, I play Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I have since it hit the US. Every week, I'd buy Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, watch the latest episode in the anime, etc. However, lately, Yu-Gi-Oh! has been... well, lacking something, and I've decided if I can't get back on track with Yu-Gi-Oh!, I think I'm going to quit. Anyway, though, my point is, I remember when Duel Masters first came to the US, and I loved it instantly. What was the first thing I saw on all the Yu-Gi-Oh! boards? "It's a huge and total Yu-Gi-Oh! ripoff! It's a Pokemon, Magic, and Beyblade ripoff, all in one! It will fail! Anyone who plays it is a big loser! etc.", and it just really bothered me that no one could accept that there was competition. I mean, to me, mostly all of their comments and remarks made no sense to me. For instance, the big one is the "ripoff" stuff.

Duel Masters is no Yu-Gi-Oh! ripoff; they have animes, that's about where they end. Even the animes aren't similar, in my opinion. Their main gripe is Duel Masters sounds like Duel Monsters, which happens to be what the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime dubs the card game. If you ask me, that's an incredibly stupid reason to consider Duel Masters a ripoff. Until Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are marketed and sold as Duel Monsters cards, there is no similarity.

About it "ripoffing" the Pokemon TCG, people say this because of the shield system. Now, I can't remember much about the Pokemon game, as I haven't touched it in years, however I'm pretty sure there's a huge difference between shields and prizes, as they were in Pokemon; prizes were awarded for KO'ing an opponent's Pokemon, whereas shields are destroyed in order to finish an opponent.

As to a Beyblade ripoff, that's just beyond me; I don't know anything besides it being about battle tops, but just from that, I can tell it doesn't even relates to Duel Masters. Beyblade is tops, Duel Masters is cards. What's the similarity?

It's also not a Magic ripoff; for one, they're made by the same company, so it can't be a ripoff. I'll admit, the game basics are the same, however, there are differences, such as in Duel Masters, and card can be mana, and Duel Masters also has the shield system. I also don't think it's a "dumbed down Magic for kids", more of a newer Magic for others that didn't catch on to Magic earlier. Now, I made, and I love this analogy that I'm gonna be saying shortly, but first, I want you to know I played Magic for about a month a few months ago, but quit. Why do I like Duel Masters then, if it's so much the same? (Analogy time!) To me, starting Magic this late was like watching the last ten minutes of a movie you've never seen; you just don't get everything out of it. I have to say, I really did enjoy Magic's gameplay and everything, but the reason I quit it was because I felt it was too late for some one to just start playing a game that's been around for a decade. Duel Masters was fresh and new, and I could easily start up and know everything about it, all its history, everything.

Now, another, less criticized point is gameplay. I've heard some say it's too fast, I've heard some say it's too slow, etc., but others turn it into a bashing remark. They just say "The gameplay sucks!" or something. When it was just starting in the US, this comment was big when Duel Masters fans tried to convince bashers to try Duel Masters. If you ask me, all the bashers probably did was pick up a starter pack, and maybe a few packs, and tried out from there. If that's what they did, and criticized from that, well, I feel that's pretty ignorant, as they should know the starter pack and a few packs don't even scratch the surface of the true game of Duel Masters.

Now, I don't have problems with people who just say they don't like it, or something, but if you're going to sit there and just bash it, well, you need to learn respect, for other games and for the people that play those games. Maybe you don't like that certain game, but there are bound to be people that do, and you don't have the right to try and force them to change.

Lastly, this is for any newer players starting to join in Duel Masters, as it is constantly growing. Please do not just listen on what everyone else says, specifically bashers. Chances are, if you ask around on a Yu-Gi-Oh! board, you'll just hear "Duel Masters?! That game totally sucks, don't play that, Yu-Gi-Oh! is WAY better!", and you'd be missing out. I'd say, look into it for at least a month before you make a final decision; buy some packs, learn the rules, try and make a deck or two, study up on its history, etc. That's what I did, and now I'm hooked on Duel Masters. Despite all the bashings and ripping off comments, I love this game. Sure, it has similarities to other card games, but hey, don't a lot of successful games have elements from other games? Maybe Duel Masters is similar to Magic, however, I truly believe Duel Masters is its own game.

Matt

(If you must send an e-mail, please send it to MattitudeVersion9@yahoo.com, despite any e-mail address you may see on this article)