Overview
A in-depth guide to all achievements, personas, and titles in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015. From the writer of the definitive 2014 guide. Enjoy!
Foreword
Due to the nature of the game direction taken with Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015, it is more difficult to have a distinct strategy for each achievement. Cards are randomized, save for the starter decks at the beginning. This makes it much harder to pick certain decks for certain achievements–especially because Magic 2015 achievements often require you to use specific cards to do so.
Unlocking Cards & Practice Duels
Unlike its predecessors, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 is completely based on opening booster packs for cards. With the exception of the single premium booster you get at the beginning of the game and the small booster containing your in-game Magic 2015 prerelease promo card (e.g. Phytotitan, Siege Dragon), each booster pack mimics those you get in real life.
For each plane, there is a fixed number of cards you can get from that plane. You can find a guide for which cards are found where on Steam as well. For any pack, you will get a rare, three uncommons, and the rest commons.
You get one booster pack for beating any opponent in the campaign. Defeating the final boss on each plane will grant you a larger booster pack that contains extra rares as well.
When deckbuilding, note that Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 puts a limit on the number of each card you can use. Each deck may have 4 of any single common, 3 of any uncommon, 2 of any rare, and only a single copy of a mythic rare. This is to decrease redundancy in deck-building and normalize deck quality outside of luck.
Under Single Player, there is an option for Practice Duel. This tool is invaluable for unlocking achievements because it allows you to pit any of your decks against another custom made one (played by the AI). If you use this tool, you can “rig” the duels so that the achievements are easier to unlock. For example, since the decks don’t actually require the right color mana to save, you can make a deck with only Mountains and green cards they can’t cast. Just make sure to keep any cards that can harm you at a minimum. Have fun!
Campaign Unlocks
These achievements cannot be missed because they are a part of the main campaign.
Gameplay Achievements
These achievements are hard to miss because they are related to building decks–the main new feature and focus of Magic 2015.
Build a new deck.
Collect every card from the main campaign. You can view your progress in Player Status.
__________
Magic 2015 has two multiplayer achievements. One that is ridiculously easy to get–and one not so much. But there’s nothing to it: just win matches.
Win a mutliplayer duel.
Win 100 multiplayer duels. This will take some time.
“The Champion”
Strategy / Conditional Win Achievements
These achievements are not specific to certain cards, but often require you to have a build-around-me style of deck to unlock.
Deal 20 damage to a single opponent in a single duel using creatures with flying.
Gain 20 life in a single duel. Using Nylea’s Disciple and a Green Devotion deck, you can rack up the life total very quickly. If you are able to get Nylea’s Disciple to ten devotion in one shot, you will get the Devout Disciple achievement as well.
Cast a spell without paying any mana for it. The best way to do this achievement is with any spell with Convoke. Gather enough creatures such that your Convoke will pay for the entirety of the spell. Triplicate Spirits (Zendikar C) is good with Seraph of the Masses and Mentor of the Meek for a few other achievements too.
Cast the same spell five times in a single duel Since the game doesn’t have a lot of recursion, using Void Snare (Shandalar C), Voyage’s End (Theros C), or Quickling (Shandalar U) you can repeatedly bounce your own creatures back to your hand. Cast one of them five times.
Cast five spells in a single turn. Construct a mono-colored deck with all spells that cost 1 mana to cast. Wait until you’ve dropped five lands and cast five spells in one turn. Easy!
Control a creature with three Auras attached to it.
Have seven lands on the battlefield before the end of your fourth turn. This requires a bit of luck since DOTP 15 is lacking in good ramp. Cultivate (Theros U) and Elvish Pioneer (Zendikar C) are mandatory. To help grab some lands to play, you might consider Satyr Wayfinder (Theros C) and Elvish Visionary (Shandalar C) too.
Sacrifice a creature you don’t own. The easiest way is to use Act of Treason (Ravnica C) on a creature that already has a sacrifice effect. If it doesn’t, Bloodflow Connoisseur (Innistrad C) or Corpse Blockade (Ravnica C) can help.
Win a duel with twenty or more cards in your Graveyard. Anything works here, really. Just so long as you can survive until your graveyard is full. The Innistrad campaign’s “Cursed Existence” starts out with Curse of the Bloody Tome, which is very helpful for this achievement.
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Win a duel without an opponent losing life. Mill! If you’re looking for a tricky way to do this, explore Innistrad until you find the Laboratory Maniac encounter. Coax the Maniacs out and remove them right when the opponent is about the draw the last card. Remember not to deal any damage though!
“The Mastermind”
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Card-Specific Achievements
Destroy an opponent’s Angel using Shadowborn Demon.
Shadowborn Demon is a mythic rare that can be obtained in Shandalar. Your best bet is to play against Avacyn, who has a flock of Emancipation Angels ready to die for you.
Deal 20 damage with Vent Sentinel in a single duel.
Vent Sentinel is a common that can be obtained in Zendikar. There’s not much to this one other than a long, grindy game. Choose an opponent that doesn’t like to pay life a whole lot or else you’ll end up killing them before you get the achievement.
Control a 20/20 Seraph of the Masses.
Seraph of the Masses is an uncommon that can be obtained in Innistrad. Your best bet to do this is by running small White creatures. Some cards that may help in this strategy are Raise the Alarm (Shandalar C), Triplicate Spirits (Zendikar C) Brimaz (Theros M), or Krenko’s Command (Ravnica C).
Draw three cards with Mentor of the Meek in a single turn.
Mentor of the Meek is a rare that can be obtained in Innistrad. Since Mentor takes {1} to activate per creature, you will need to amass a good amount of mana before going for the achievement. Your best bet is to grab Triplicate Spirits (Zendikar C), since its Convoke cost can alleviate the cost and it makes three creatures that can trigger Mentor’s ability.
Deal 10 noncombat damage to opponents with a single Guttersnipe in a single duel.
Guttersnipe is an uncommon that can be obtained in Ravnica OR the Blue/Red Starter Deck. There’s not much to this achievement other than keeping your Guttersnipe alive and casting five instants or sorceries over the course of the duel.
Put twenty cards into graveyards with Hedron Crab in a single duel.
Hedron Crab is an uncommon that can be obtained in Zendikar. With this, seven lands must enter the battlefield under your control while you control Hedron Crab. While it’s tempting to run Green ramp, the long grind also works and lends itself to a mill win that will get you the Ingenuity achievement as well.
Pay only two green mana to activate the monstrosity ability of Nemesis of Mortals.
Nemesis of Mortals is an uncommon that can be obtained in Theros. You must have seven creatures in your graveyard before you activate its monstrosity cost. Any deck works.[/i]
Have a devotion to green of 10 or more when Nylea’s Disciple enters the battlefield.
Nylea’s Disciple is an uncommon that can be obtained in Theros. Any Green cards work here, but Arbor Colossus {Theros R), Nemesis of Mortals (Theros U), Pelakka Wurm (Zendikar U), and Terra Stomper (Zendikar R) are all good suggestions for high devotion creatures. If you gain 20 life or more while doing this achievement, you will also unlock Second Life.
Titles / Personas
The interesting thing about Magic 2015 titles and personas is that they all share criteria with an achievement. This is fairly boring, but it should make completion easier.
The following 17 personas are unlocked by default.
The remaining 10 personas should be unlocked as you complete achievements.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this guide for Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers. I hope it was somewhat helpful. Feel free to leave questions and comments.
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