When comparing Minecraft - Pocket Edition vs Eternal, the Slant community recommends Minecraft - Pocket Edition for most people. In the question“What are the best cross-platform PC/Android games?” Minecraft - Pocket Edition is ranked 6th while Eternal is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Minecraft - Pocket Edition is:
Each new world a player starts is randomly generated, making for a different experience every time a new world is started. There are 38 biomes - snowy, cold, medium/lush, dry/warm, and neutral biomes, each with numerous sub-biomes (such as mountainous, rivers, forested, swamp, beach and more). These biomes each have their own set of blocks and configurations, and each frozen river biome will be different from the next frozen fiver biome you see.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Completely new experience with each generated world keeps the game fresh
Each new world a player starts is randomly generated, making for a different experience every time a new world is started. There are 38 biomes - snowy, cold, medium/lush, dry/warm, and neutral biomes, each with numerous sub-biomes (such as mountainous, rivers, forested, swamp, beach and more). These biomes each have their own set of blocks and configurations, and each frozen river biome will be different from the next frozen fiver biome you see.
Pro Great freedom of expression thanks to the sandbox gameplay
In Minecraft you can really do whatever you want. If exploring different landscapes is your thing, creative mode lets you do that. Building castles or villages, or even sculptures, computers (complete with redstone logic), or unique builds can be done such as roller coasters or replicas of objects like the Enterprise from Star Trek.
For more combat focused gameplay, enter survivor mode and you can fight monsters, gather resources, craft weapons, build traps and farms and much more.
Pro Local multiplayer option for when there is no internet connection
Minecraft can be played with other people locally over Wi-Fi. This is great for those that have friends or family they would like to play with locally, or when there is no way to connect the device to the internet.
Pro Plenty of fun customizable skins for those interested in customizing their look
Minecraft for Android offers player skins, so users can customize their avatar's look. While some of the skins are free, there are others that cost money through in-app-purchases offered as skin packs. All skin packs are $0.99 a piece.
Pro Active development means plenty of new features and fixed bugs
There are updates to the game all the time, new features do get added at a good pace, which means that not only do bugs get fixed but that the game will constantly be growing as the platform grows with it, which allows more demanding features to be added with time.
Pro Plenty of expansive mods available if the core game gets too boring
Minecraft can be modded in order to bring extended functionality to the game. Using mods created by the community, users are able to theme the game to their liking, such as theming the game to look like Grand Theft Auto or adding extra crafting objects.
Pro Addictive gameplay makes the title difficult to put down
There is always one more thing that the player can get done before turning off the game. Building a structure and wanting to complete it - oh but you ran out of materials. Well you will therefore need to go down into the caves again. Oh you died in a cave and need to go back before your items disappear - better get down there again. And so it continues. There is always one more thing to do before you are "done", which is the underlying appeal of the game, never wanting to stop playing.
Pro Monika
This is cool!!
Pro Good controller and button mapping support allows the game to be easily played with many different controllers
For those who would like to play with a controller, support was added in July 2015. Anyone with a HID supported controller can easily connect through Bluetooth. They can then go into the games settings to map which buttons they want to use. This customizability means that you can now adjust the controller to your liking when using an HID controller.
Pro Do not log
Pro Exceptional limited (draft) format
Draft allows you to keep the cards you pick and earn some extra rewards. Unique mechanics allow signalling and signal-reading in draft while still allowing you to draft on your own time (no waiting for pod or passing).
Pro Sweet spot between MtG and Hearthstone
This game is not as complex and deep as MtG, but still it requires a lot more of strategic thinking and deck-building skills than HS. At the same time, a game of Eternal can usually be finished within 10 minutes.
Pro Very friendly to free to play players
Rewards for playing vs AI help new/inexperienced players not get obliterated in constructed, and keeping cards you draft helps you build the collection you want without simply opening packs.
Pro Frequent balance changes and diverse metagame
Devs are not afraid to frequently buff or reasonably nerf cards to balance the metagame.
Pro Huge variety of deck types
You can win with weapons, spells, units, and strategies of all kinds. Brewers and casual players can explore a near-infinite variety of fun decks without tanking their win rate.
Pro Respects your time
The game's reward structure understands that players want to be competitive without spending tons of money. Rewards can even randomly upgrade to higher tiers.
Pro Generous on rewards
The game is very generous on rewards and plays very fast once you're used to it. It's not a money sink like many of the CCGs you encounter nowadays.
Pro The dev team is motivated to make this a great game
Many professional MtG players on the dev team have ensured an eye for overall balance and metagame health throughout beta testing.
Pro Rewards thoughtful gamers
Many lines of decision making and careful deck management require you to always be on point.
Pro Very fast dev response to bugs and issues
Devs are active in discord channel and official forums.
Pro Beautiful and user friendly UI
The PC UI is incredibly smooth, and although the mobile/tablet UI is a little sluggish, it is still better than some other games.
Pro Community is mostly kind
Eternal's subreddit and discord server tend to be mature and respectful. People you friend in game are more likely to talk about how cool your deck is than to give you salt.
Pro Regular updates and content
Updates and promos once a month every month since open beta.
Pro Pack system is generous
Instead of trading cards with other players, there is a recycling/crafting system for handling duplicate cards and obtaining cards you want. Every pack gives you "shiftstone" on top of whatever cards you open, making it easier to craft expensive cards than in other games.
Pro Explores unexplored design space
Complex and interesting card design that makes the most of its medium.
Pro Card art is attractive and inclusive
Art is simpler than Magic's, but leans toward realism over cartoons. Women are represented in a respectful and diverse way.
Cons
Con Laggy multiplayer gameplay
Depending on the speed of your device and graphics quality, this game tends to lag and load slowly when using the multiplayer function.
Con Not as deep as other versions
Minecraft - Pocket Edition does not have as much content as other versions due to the app needing a limited size for mobile devices and their small storage. This means there is missing content in the mobile version over the PC or console versions. It is getting comparative better, but still is lacking due to the platform.
Con It is a MTG clone minus any skill requirements
It has almost no way to out maneuver your opponent. Your draws decide the game. The screw/flood seen in MTG is made worse with the horrible design choice to use 75 card decks.
Con Mana screw happens
There are elements in the design to help prevent it, but you will still randomly lose games to drawing little or too much mana.
Con Power Creep
This game was very enjoyable from its release right through its first 3 expansions. Afterwards the balance was thrown off by developers releasing powerful and more powerful cards with each set or adventure.
Con Hearthstone clone
Con Visually lacks in flair and drama that might be appealing to players of other games
Voice-overs for many cards were recently added in a patch, but only one game board and no interactions between particular entities (calling out relationships or rivals) can make the game feel "stale" or "bland" compared to the level of polish of, say, Hearthstone.
Con Card art may be unappealing to some
While some of the art is appealing, the design of the card eliminates completely the attractiveness that the art could have.
Con Playing constructed is expensive
It takes a huge time or money commitment to have the most powerful cards for constructed. Many of the best decks require 10+ of the highest rarity card.
Con Requires waiting for a full board
Most of the time you have to wait to fill your board with the correct units before attacking. This makes the game quite slow and clumsy.
Con Toxic community
Con Not a mobile-friendly game
Best played on a PC or a tablet. Playing on a phone can be difficult as it's a direct port from PC so text and images can be tiny. Not a problem if you're familiar with the game, but new players it will be frustrating.