Magic the Gathering vs. Pokemon vs. Yugioh

Magic the Gathering vs. Pokemon vs. Yugioh

If you play Magic The Gathering (MTG) you probably do play Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. Experience with other trading card games (TCGs) is a great way to have fun and to meet up with a community that loves these games. In this article, we at MTG Lion discuss the three games and let you decide which of the three you like more. 

• Pokemon 

Pokemon is short for pocket monsters, and Satoshi Tajiri created the game. It is a game where creatures bond with the trainers that control them. The game was first released in 1995. Today the TCG has evolved to include toys, competitive battles, a manga series and an anime series. Most MTG and Yu-Gi-Oh players often confess that the game is a little confusing and boring. Regardless of its faults, below is a review of the game.

Pokemon is iconic regarding design as every card has its design and with classics such as Feraligator, Pikachu, Maractus among others this game has the upper hand regarding the designs compared to the other two. Additionally, Pokemon is cheaper compared to the other two games. Even on competitive deck, you will pay less for Pokemon.

Another thing I do love about Pokemon is that it is not afraid to errata a card effect if it’s too powerful. For instance, Pokemon Catcher was a very dominating card, but Pokemon changed the effects of the card to add a coin flip to balance the card. It shows that Pokemon does care about its metagame and keeps it healthy without the need to ban cards, which is common in MTG.

If you watch the Pokemon anime, it is a lot different from the TCG, and you will not understand how to play the game, but the Yu-Gi-Oh anime is different. It is straightforward. As a new player, you can use it as a reference to understand the game.

• Yu-Gi-Oh

Yu-Gi-Oh was first launched in 1999 in Japan. Compared to Pokemon and MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh is usually seen as very simple and not intriguing enough for adult players. The few simple rules of the game are its most significant advantage as people of all ages can play this game and this makes it universally understandable. It also makes it easier to learn compared to the other two games. MTG and Pokemon are characterized by many rules making them hard to learn.

However, some Pokemon and MTG fans might consider Yu-Gi-Oh outdated. However, despite this most Yu-Gi-Oh players will attest that this game is very artistic. The highly detailed paintings that are part of the cards are unique, and in a simple comic book style, that is aesthetic placing it above the rest.

The rarities in Yu-Gi-Oh are found in different impressive designed ways. Well, Magic does have rarities, but there is no physical difference except a small logo on the card. Yu-Gi-Oh on the other hand, have super rare cards, ultra rare, secret rare, gold rare that have cosmetic advantages over Magic and Pokemon cards.

Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh do share a similar mechanic of taking your opponent’s life points to win the game while MTG  has 20 points Yu-Gi-Oh has 8000 life points. It means that the game does need a higher mathematical solving skill die to this high number of life points. The best lesson learned from this feature is that many children learn how to do quick addition, subtraction, and division which enhances their math skills.

We cannot forget the animated series of Yu-Gi-Oh. It is one of the reasons players love the game. The anime version of Yu-Gi-Oh has become very popular. The Yu-Gi-Oh: the Abridged series is one of the successful series on YouTube and has inspired other abridged series such Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z.

• MTG

Dr. Richard Garfield created Magic the Gathering, and it has been around since 1993. Today it has over 12 million players globally. It is one of the most popular games and the most successful card games in the United States.

MTG has weekly Friday night magic events where there are organized tournaments for standard, modern and draft. The availability of tournaments and competitions for players of the game has made this game very popular. The tournaments also allow players to get to know the metagame, learn competitive decks and will enable players to play more creative and less known decks in a tournament setting.

MTG makes it easier for new players to start competitive play. It is tough for Pokemon as the best starter product you can get is a theme deck. Although this allows you to learn the game, the pack has no value in terms of the cards it has. However, MTG intro packs and planeswalker decks have a strategy as they can be upgraded with cards from within the set.

The MTG game provides a non-limited environment such that many cards that are part of the booster packs can be used in play. For many years now, MTG has created an excellent environment for prereleases and draft that allows cards that have never been used in Modern or standard like the Untethered Express to be used by limited players. The majority of the cards from MTG can serve as a decent filler for a deck in the sets limited format. It is unlike in Pokemon where most of the cards from booster packs are rendered useless.

MTG players can be found all over the world due to the popularity of the game. Additionally, online information about the game is readily available. Online communities also discuss the latest trend of the game, and this makes it easy for players all over the world to identify with the game. Further MTG stores such as MTG Lion can be found in your neighborhood in case you are in need of a new set of cards, or you need some help with the game.