MTG Rookie Thread

What format are you looking to play? If you are planning on playing casual picking up the card lots might not be a bad idea. If standard, I'd recommend the Battle For Zendikar event deck. You can build a nice sacrifice deck out of that (without losing your life savings in order to pay for fetch lands). Modern will require a little research and a larger investment. Commander is essentially a sandbox and there are a lot of ways to get started in that.

Also, buying cards singles in store is generally a rip off, but it depends on your community. Make sure you compare the prices of the store to that of a site like tcgplayer. My gaming store charges about 40 percent more than the card is worth, so you have to be careful about that.

>>43855776
I was thinking Modern because I like the idea that my cards won't be phased out of the format. I really don't like the idea of paying to be competitive though.

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>>43855903
Modern is generally very competitive and expensive.

To be honest, your best bet for casual kitchen table play would be the Commander(aka EDH) format. Pic related.

>>43855903
Modern is a safe bet, but it will take more time to get the staples you need (As they are more expensive). There are cheaper decks in the format that can win. If you don't want to play competitively I would recommend Commander for you.

>>43855948
>>43855960
i don't recommend starting someone off on commander at all. it's a different set of rules form the regular game and has wildy varying power levels between players. it's more like to confuse to a new player than be fun.

OP, you don't have to be competitive, just build a normal 60 card standard deck and let people know you're a casual player the magic origins clash pack is a decent place to start. it has two decks and comes with a list of cards to use from both decks to combine into one even better deck. http://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/magic-origins/magic-origins-clash-pack

>>43855903
Would probably suggest to go and ask if people around your area plays pauper. Cheap way to get into relatively competitive and powerful format.

Otherwise, if you are happy to play just about as strong decks at kitchen table, Duel deck: Anthology or Commander sets are for you.

Lots are just a bad idea in general. Having a lot of shit cards is annoying and having half decks is annoying.

>>43855682
Go to your local game shop and play draft.

It is a fun and educational format that will get you some cards that you like.

>>43856154
Pauper is a good start, if you can find a community for it.

>>43856131
Really the only rules in the format that are different are deck construction, life totals, and how the commander itself works. I honestly think the format is fine for new players.
>In multiplayer pods new players tend not to draw aggro or removal
>Doesn't rotate, bans are rare
>Large playerbase
>Generally pretty casual
>Most of the preconstructed decks are great entry points into the format
>There are tons of cards that are viable for the format

>>43856262
When commander players move to other formats, I have found that they have to practically relearn the game all over again. That format teaches them all the wrong things.

>>43856154
Thirding Pauper, though players may be hard to find outside of Northern Europe, where the format is seen the most.

>>43856340
>That format teaches them all the wrong things.
Mind elaborating on that? The only thing I've seen that Commander players learning other formats need to relearn is that big gimmicky 7-drop creatures are rarely viable outside of Commander.
I totally agree that Pauper is an ideal starting point, but no shop I've ever been to has had more than 1 or 2 players of that format, wherein Commander is more popular than all the 60 card formats combined in my area, and I've never been to a shop where at least half of the MTG players didn't have Commander decks.

>>43856444
Card evaluation tends to be wrong since Commander has that silly 40 life total and multiplayer magic is very different from 1v1 magic. Rules misunderstandings and unusual expectations on what to see in the game also tend to be very common.

Commander really is a different kind of game. Here in Finland Pauper is popular enough that you even see it in FNM:s nowadays, and the community is pretty much divided into the commander kids and the competitive grandpas with fairly little overlap.

I personally don't like 40 life, Commander damage and multiplayer rules at all, and I really really hate colour identity, so I seldom play Commander. When I want 100 card singleton, I play German Highlander, which is also very popular in northern europe.

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>>43855682

Duel Decks are good, Event Decks are better. Stay well clear of Intro Decks, those are complete garbage.

If you're just looking to play casually then just make sure you actually stick to the rules for the game and you should be fine really. If you haven't played any of the Duels of the Planeswalker games I'd recommend them, they're pretty easy to pick up and introduce some important rules interactions it can take a while to learn (like the whole "Block your attacker, sacrifice my blocker for X effect, your attacker still counts as being 'blocked' and deals no damage") They'll probably also give you some ideas for decks you might want to build.

If you want to play a bit more competitively then you should look into playing Standard, that's the most popular format (you're limited to only using cards released in the last 2 years for it.) It gets a lot of shit from people online for being 'babbys first format' but that is literally where pretty much everyone starts out playing seriously, and for good reason.

>>43856923
>If you want to play a bit more competitively then you should look into playing Standard, that's the most popular format (you're limited to only using cards released in the last 2 years for it.) It gets a lot of shit from people online for being 'babbys first format' but that is literally where pretty much everyone starts out playing seriously, and for good reason.
Now is a pretty bad time for it though. Standard hasn't been this expensive since JTMS+SFM era, if even then. Now there isn't even a cheap RDW in the relevant meta that could be a budget alternative. Getting a budget modern deck would be almost cheaper right now, and in Modern some budget decks actually have a fighting chance.

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Pauper.

If you are looking into playing at home with a friend or two, maybe Android Netrunner would be better suited. It is a CCG, meaning you but boxes of expansions and get every card in that expansion, for both runner and corporation player.

>>43855809

What sort of fucked up area do you live in? Everywhere here charges TCG mid for singles.

>>43855682
Imo the most interesting Magic formats are:
Commander
Pauper
Cube

>>43855682
The BFZ event deck is a good deck to start with, lots of value for the price. That aside, it's a difficult time to be getting into Magic, the latest set is considered by most to be pretty bad and standard (supposedly the most accessible constructed format) is at an all-time high in terms of card costs.

I actually just decided to play MTG today for the first time in about 7 years. Spent 35 bucks for the Commander deck "Wade into Battle."

Would definitely recommend starting with Commander, and heck, that deck too. It's pretty easy on the strategy aspect - focusing on beefing up your guys and relentlessness.

What's a good budget deck to assemble for Modern? Would like to use Blue and White because I like the looks of them.

>>43863093
So should I just get into Standard once Return To Innistrad rolls in?

>>43864657
Bogles is the only cheap-ish modern deck featuring white and blue that I can think of. Most of the other blue modern deck run play sets of Snapcaster Mage, which would set you back a few hundred dollars just for those four cards.

>>43864749
I think that's probably a good idea, the set released around this time last year (Khans of Tarkir) has really warped the standard format and filled it with really powerful but really pricey decks. I'd recommend just playing limited/casual Magic in the meantime.

>>43864807
Dragons and Origins are going to stay for Shadows Over Innistrad Block right?

>>43864848
Yes, DTK and ORI will stay until the block after Return to Innistrad is released.

>>43864874
Okay nice to know

Thanks

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I'd like to start playing with a friend and his group as well as maybe playing at the local place, the problem is I'm not sure which style I want to play. Whats a cost effective way of getting a reasonable variety of cards that let me put together viable decks?

>>43864657
If you are ready to blow 100$ on aether vials, you can do monocolored decks pretty cheap.

>>43856340
>northern europe
We play pauper? Where!?

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>>43862836
found the tumblrite

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>>43868509

>>43868656
>Scotland
>northern Europe
lol

>>43867945
I advise you to start playing casual limited with friends. It won't be too complicated, and you'll learn basic deckbuilding and understanding of the rules. After that you can decide whether you want to invest in some of the more expensive formats like standard, modern, or EDH.

I still have to check out the local scene to see what is popular in the area. Pauper seems interesting to look into though.

>>43870359
If they aren't playing pauper, you can always persuade them into it.

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>>43870359
>>43870835
There's literally no reason why people can't play pauper.

>MFW one of my friends said it was too expensive to make a pauper deck

>>43868656
whereabouts in fife, lad?

>>43869570

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Europe

>>43871049
Regardless of Wikipedia's definition, most people won't think Scotland if you say northern Europe.

>>43871104

have you conducted a questionnaire? who are 'most people'?

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>>43855948

>>43864749
The only reason to play standard is to get on the pro tour. Playing standard requires you to buy cards at peak prices and hold them until they crash after rotation, most of them never rising again. It's not just that you are spending money, you are only getting short term returns on that money and having to constantly put more in just to keep playing. Trading away hot standard cards for stable/rising EDH, modern, and legacy cards is the way to go because your collection accumulates value over time and the decks will never rotate out.

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>>43871197
Draft/Sealed

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>>43871038
Dunfermline. Part of the DWARF group.

http://www.dwarfclub.com/

>>43871363
nice, i'll add that to the next one. hadn't thought of limited

Can i use this as a casual thread and ask for advice on my deck?

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>>43873661
sure, post it.

>>43873964

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/casual-urw-dragons/

I feel like i know the direction i want to go with it but i dont know how to get there.

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>>43874838
404

>>43874838
That is probably set as private or something.

>>43874838
Broken link
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/casual-urw-dragons/

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>>43874838
>28 lands
>69 cards

You should probably pull it down to 60 for starters.

>>43875002
69 cards is 9 too many.

Belltoll Dragon is not very good.
Clever impersonator is probably not that good.
Cunning breezedancer isnt very good and you dont have that many noncreature spells
Dragonlord Ojutai is so good you could use more copies
Dragonlords servant could be supported by dragonspeaker shamans
Dragonmaster Outcast is nice. Get more.
Icefall regent is not good enough
Mindscour Dragon is completely useless.
Ojutai, Soul of winter is decent. You could play more.
Thunderbreak regent is great. Play four.
Wall of frost is shit. Lose it.

Berserkers' Onslaught is bad. Get rid of them.
Burning anger is too expensive.
Circle of flame is bad
Dunno about crucible. Probably just a win more card
Dragon tempest does nothing on its own

Dragonlords prerogative is too expensive compared to the alternatives, such as Ugin's Insight.
Jeskai Charm is good. Play more
Lightning Strike is great.
Negate is nice, but probably more of a sideboard card
Sarkhan's Triumph would be nice if you had a dragon-based toolbox, but your dragons dont really have different roles compared to each other

You could lose a few lands. Play some Plains. 26 Lands at most would be good.

Divination is bad
Into the Void is bad

>>43875002
Trim to 60 cards, I'd suggest taking out all the sorceries and the Walls of Frost and Clever Impersonator as those are your only creatures that don't fit the theme. I'd also play Dragonspeaker Shaman over Dragonlord's Servant. And I'd replace Circle of Flame with more targeted burn spells or counterspells.

>>43875002
I also have this one which i think is better but still worried about. I might end up breaking it down and play some kind of abzan deck.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/casual-athreos/

>>43875306
It's good for causal, maybe cut out a few lands or enchantments so you're down to 60.

>>43875057
>>43875197
>>43875264
Yea i have a hard time not trying to put everything that might help in a deck.
My main goal was to try and use burn, the walls, and the circle of flame to get me past early stuff till i could get the dragons out and then win in the air. I wanted a more control deck since all ive ever played was ramp but i dont really know what to include to play that way.

>>43875394
Well if you want it to be more of a control deck play Wrath effects.

Do they only give promo cards on friday night?

Would you reccomend draft or sealed for a new player?

>>43876693
neither. learn to play constructed, then move to limited.

>>43876693
As long as you're playing semi-casually, limited is probably one of the best formats to start out with.

>>43857761
>mixing old cards with new cards
pauper is shit

When gatewatch comes out will the draft format include bfz and gatewatch boosters?

>>43871197
why is standard for children?

>>43877367
Oath/Oath/Battle

>>43876693
There are pros and cons to each.

Draft is great because the card pool is limited, so a new player won't feel too overwhelmed with all of the cards. However, going into a color only to be cut off from it can lead to a bad deck and a case of the feels bads for new players.

Sealed guarantees safety from getting cut off from a good deck, but the amount of cards can be overwhelming.

Either way, I assume when you say "new player" that this a player who has only played a little but still has a good grasp of the rules. Anyone completely unfamiliar with magic shouldn't begin with limited.

>>43877398
not that is for children but it reflects the level of depth and or complexity

Dual decks are pretty fun me and my friend had the kiora one it was neat I'd recommend it

>>43881245
peple only say this because the "depth and complexity" is an only caused by the barrier to entry of having to know about cards from years ago and what they do and how they combo with other cards from years ago.

It's an artificial complexity desu.

>>43883449
I'd say it's more of a power level thing than a complexity thing. You don't see turn 2 combos in Standard.

>>43883671
Would you say that the power level of cards in general increases with each new set or decreases?
I'm playing magic duels and there are some absurd cards from older sets like traumatize

>>43883806
Magic has very little power creep. New sets have in general not been very strong for several years, but each of them tend to have one or two cards that are powerful enough to have an impact even in formats where the old powerhouses are playable.

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>>43877318
>not having a collection that spans 15 years.