Am I ready for Magic?

[Kengaskhan]

I highly recommend the Deck Builder's Toolkit. It's an absolutely fantastic entry-product for new players. I'd also suggest getting a single Magic 2013 Intro Pack. The contents of both are as follows:

Spoiler: Deck Builder's Toolkit

100 basic lands (20 of each type)
45 unrandomized cards (every DBT will have these 45 cards. They're not amazing, but they truly aren't that bad either.)
40 "semi-randomized" cards: 4 sets of 10 cards. There are 11 different sets total, you get 4 different ones. (These are where most of the "good" cards are. Again, they're not amazing, but they're very solid foundations for their own individual decks.)
60 cards: 4 booster packs, 15 cards each. The card quality will vary greatly in the booster packs (some will be worse than the 45 unrandomized, some will be better than the 40 "semi-randomized".)

That's a total of 245 cards. You could split it with a friend, and each take two of the 10 card sets for yourselves and make decks from them. Also, the only rares you'll be getting are from the booster packs. Each booster pack contains 1 rare. Sometimes 2, if you get a foil card that also happens to be a rare.

Spoiler: M13 Intro Pack

A 60 card preconstructed deck, 2 of them being rare (the best rare in each of the 5 packs are intentionally visible, so be sure to check all 5 of them out).
2 booster packs (30 more cards).

That should come out to about $30 - $35. Not entirely sure how much the products cost in Europe, but I don't think it'll top your 40. The intro pack should be cheaper than the DBT.

Also, if you're joining the Magic community with some other friends, I'd recommend getting one DBT for each two players, and one intro pack for each player.

Hope you enjoy!

Its about £30 for that.

Hmmm... I did say I liked fire cards, and I found Mob Rule to be the hardest deck to play against so far in the game.

So maybe I should get Mob Rule.

Can you build around that deck? Or is it a specific playstyle?

(Maybe Wild Rush would be good, since green cards tend to be simpler to play. (Its all about the big monsters/armies in those, well... in the Planeswalker games at least)

Well, it is a deck. It's geared towards a more swarming playstyle, I believe. You pick off a few threatening blockers, then try to get in with as many creatures as possible for maximum damage. The two booster packs will probably give you a few tools to augment the deck with, but you're not likely to get enough cards to change the entire focus of the deck (quite simply, a lot of the cards in the booster packs won't be the colors you need for that specific deck). The Deck Builder's Toolkit will definitely help with that, though.

Wild Rush is kind of similar. Instead, you've got bigger creatures, but you'll have fewer of them out. You probably won't always be on the offensive, but it's got some tools to deal with your opponent's threats.

 

[DJ_DEnM]

So since Yu-Gi-Oh is pretty much dead now, (Well online it is anyway at least..)

What? That's a lie. Have you been to Dueling Network? There's always a bunch of people online.

 

[Kengaskhan]

But, I don't want to play someone then get embarassingly humiliated. (I'd feel like such a n00b! XD)

Then you need to know this: Each and every pre-made starter deck of any kind ever created is ten times inferior to a deck created by any competent Magic player. I would suggest, though it breaks my heart, to "net deck" your first deck (basically means copying a well-tried theme and strat) for your first intro to the game.

When you walk away from your first "serious" 20 matches or so, see if you have an above 50% win ratio, and use your newfangled knowledge of mana curve, combos, commison efficiency and mana economy to make your own killer deck.

Oh, and if you keep netdecking from now on to eternity, you're pretty much useless and will have zero respect anywhere from anyone.

You need to know though, that M:TG is a game of formats. The game is split into gaming formats, which basically controls what editions are allowed. Standard is (unfortunately) the most common, allowing the most recent 2 blocks of sets (a block consists of 2-3 editions, look for the symbol on cards and names of boosters) and the most recent core set. Standard has a very very limited card pool, and most people net deck in this format basically making it a (money + optimize) equation that even brain dead eunuchs can participate in. If this is your game of choice, ignore all my advice.

Extended is what you should be shooting for if strategy is your desire from M:TG, or even Classic, though Classic requires expert level knowledge and a deep wallet/ trading game.

There's certainly a lot you can learn from seeing a very well-constructed deck in action, but I think it's better to start with the basics. I highly suggest you start with building your own decks. The Intro Packs are bad, yes, but they're designed to help newer players properly build decks. There are a lot of suboptimal cards in them that they intend for you to replace with the cards you'll be getting from the two booster packs included. There's absolutely no reason you have to jump right into competitive play. Some of my friends I've been playing for 7 or 8 years could still probably learn from purchasing an Intro Pack and building a deck from there.

And trust me, you won't get humiliated, unless your opponent is a complete jerk (or you just get easily embarrassed). They might not be helpful either, but they're not going to be mean about it or anything. But the helpful ones are really, really helpful. They'll give you a few tips on how to play, what cards might be better in your deck. Heck, they might even give you some of the cards they suggest to you (provided it's not a really expensive one).

And if you've got a sizable group of friends who play (4+), it probably doesn't even matter how competitive your decks are if you keep playing with them. Well, at least at first.

 

[Zen Toombs]

XD

Yeah, you are probably right.

I AM overthinking things!

Might be due to your massively oversized brain.

Anyways, you should totally play Magic if you enjoy it. I'd recommend playing Standard (aka Type 2) as it is one of the easier formats to play "competitively".

If you aren't planning on starting within the next month or so, I'd recommend waiting until Return to Ravnica starts (release date ~October, if I recall correctly) and mostly buy stuff from that set. That way you'll have cards that will last you longer. If you do start playing within the next month, don't buy anything from M12 or the Mirrodin block unless it only costs a quarter or less, as it will be dropping when Return to Ravnica comes out.

Feel free to send me a message if you want to bounce off ideas for decks! ^_^

 

[gideonkain]

Ya, anyone can learn to play Magic, it's just a matter of knowing the steps in a turn and being able to read between the lines of the card to find strategies.

How to play your turn:

1) Draw a card.
2) Lay a mana
3) Look at your cards to see which ones you can afford
4) Play a card
5) Attack or don't

The trick in Magic isn't always to just attack, attack, attack - your usually better off taking the first few damage dealt to you rather than sacrificing your monsters repeatedly to keep you at 20 health.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Made the plunge. Grabbed me some goblins and a deck builder.

Ooh dear. What have I got myself into! XD

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Ya, anyone can learn to play Magic, it's just a matter of knowing the steps in a turn and being able to read between the lines of the card to find strategies.

How to play your turn:

1) Draw a card.
2) Lay a mana
3) Look at your cards to see which ones you can afford
4) Play a card
5) Attack or don't

The trick in Magic isn't always to just attack, attack, attack - your usually better off taking the first few damage dealt to you rather than sacrificing your monsters repeatedly to keep you at 20 health.

Oh yeah. I've done that already.

Infact in one game, (against the goblin horde), I deliberately held back, waiting for him to build up his little army, then BAM! One magic card wipes them all out. (and at this point I had magic cards that killed anything he could summon to defend with)

Then I put down my monster cards, and used my damaging spells.
It was close, (I only had 2 health left! XD), but it was a pretty epic comeback.
(And I was pretty lucky on the draw I guess! XD)

EDIT: On the flipside, if I had the Goblin deck, I would be looking for cards that could counter that.
(So an anti-spell monster ability, or card (do fire cards have those?))

I'd also want to put in some cards from the other fire deck, ones that damage the monster and the player (so I can continue to chip away at them in the long-run).

I also wonder, if the fire cards had ones like the Green ones do. (I'd love to be able to build up fire mana quickly because then I could wreak all kinds of havok! >)

 

[Baralak]

As someone who is from Europe: WTF is Yu-Gi oh. I'm pretty sure this game you are talking about is an absolute non-factor. Magic is the mother of TCGs, I'm sure even in the US you will never find any town where more people play this YGO instead of M:TG.

Spoiler: YGO intro

That's Yu-Gi-Oh!, the TV tie in for the TCG of the same name, and pretty much the biggest TCG to come out of Japan. Great game, I prefer it over Magic, but no one locally to play it with, since most of my friends prefer Magic. I'm also getting into Cardfight!! Vanguard, another great game.


OT: If you liked DotP, go grab a starter deck and head on out to a Friday Night Magic. They're great events!

 

[gideonkain]

Ya, anyone can learn to play Magic, it's just a matter of knowing the steps in a turn and being able to read between the lines of the card to find strategies.

How to play your turn:

1) Draw a card.
2) Lay a mana
3) Look at your cards to see which ones you can afford
4) Play a card
5) Attack or don't

The trick in Magic isn't always to just attack, attack, attack - your usually better off taking the first few damage dealt to you rather than sacrificing your monsters repeatedly to keep you at 20 health.

Oh yeah. I've done that already.

Infact in one game, (against the goblin horde), I deliberately held back, waiting for him to build up his little army, then BAM! One magic card wipes them all out. (and at this point I had magic cards that killed anything he could summon to defend with)

Then I put down my monster cards, and used my damaging spells.
It was close, (I only had 2 health left! XD), but it was a pretty epic comeback.
(And I was pretty lucky on the draw I guess! XD)

EDIT: On the flipside, if I had the Goblin deck, I would be looking for cards that could counter that.
(So an anti-spell monster ability, or card (do fire cards have those?))

I'd also want to put in some cards from the other fire deck, ones that damage the monster and the player (so I can continue to chip away at them in the long-run).

I also wonder, if the fire cards had ones like the Green ones do. (I'd love to be able to build up fire mana quickly because then I could wreak all kinds of havok! >)

There ya go!
The best advice I ever got about deck building (cause trust me your first couple are gonna SUCK.), is that every card in your deck should have at least one other card in the deck to complement it, so for example a "Take control of target creature" is nice and all but coupled with a "Sacrifice a creature you control to..." makes it awesome (especially when you attack your opponent with their own monster and then in the Ending Phase of your turn use that Sacrifice Instant on it.)

I always try to adhere strictly to a 60 card deck, every additional card is basically eroding your core mechanics IMHO

I tend to be build them 1/3rd mana, it's a little high but you'de be amazed how often you can pick cards for 10 turns and not get a mana.

 

[Rastien]

So since Yu-Gi-Oh is pretty much dead now, (Well online it is anyway at least..), I need a new card game to dabble in.

So of course, it looks like Magic is the best bet. (a lot of people play it. It might be handy to have if I went to a convention or a meetup somewhere. (I want to try that sort of thing out in the future)

Anyway, I've purchased and played Duals of the Planeswalkers 1-3, and played them for a bit (got pretty far in the original, barely touched 2012, about halfway through the campaign in 2013 on default difficulty), and I am getting familiar with the sort of cards and strategies the game has.

Also, there is a comic shop that sells the cards in my town, and its got me wondering:

Should I try to play the real, physical thing?

I haven't actually played a proper multiplayer match, even in planeswalker (I only have 1 friend who plays it and trying to get into contact with him is hard since he's a science University student, doing all that sciency stuff).

So anyway, anybody out there think I should give it a go, or should I hold back until I complete 2013 and play some multiplayer

(Though with Yu-Gi-Oh, I always liked the idea of building my own deck. (My favourite being a machine-equip deck, which lets me quickly set up monsters, but then be able to boost their power in the long-run for heavy damage. It was not too successful, but with some luck it performed well (the other deck I liked to play was the necro deck, with zombie and dark monsters with effects that made it hard to keep them out of play for an opponent))

Of course if I do decide to try playing it physically I need some core decks.
I'm thinking about getting a few.
Chandra being my favourite deck out of the 2013 game so far (It combines my favourite strategy, reviving monsters, boosting them up, and tampering with the opponent's play ). so I would likely start with that one.

But I do wonder if any vets out there would know a good color or deck that would compliment Chandra's.

Anyway, better not get ahead of myself. Afterall I am asking for advice here. So any suggestions?

What's that cappy? "Count your change"? You might be right on that one... XD

Dude not sure what has been advised yet im being a lazy bastard and not reading try and stop me muhahaha.

Anyways, go to the card shop and chat to the dude behind the counter , chances are there will be a casual evening when you can go and just play if your looking for a deck to bring to these casual events and have fun check out a pre built tournament deck for £20 such as:

http://www.manaleak.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=29682
http://www.manaleak.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=29695

These decks are obviously not the best but, they are usually the strongest cheapest pre-built decks you can buy, which come with a play guide and advise on improving the deck.

Something to also note is the duels games rules are a little bit... wrong in regards to when you can play instants and activate creatures abilitys so you may get caught out quite abit if thats only what you have played. The basics are there but the game gets alot more in depth in places.

Either way have a chat to the dude at the store, magic is great fun to play if the guys and girls you play with are fun. Don't rush into sinking alot of moeny into cards quickly you will waste your money take your time.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

So I've been to the store. Got my buttload of cards from the mail. Made a deck (though I definately need to look into improving it (needs more Goblin specials and another 2 giants (I got this sweet giant that gets +1/+1 for every monster summoned, so he would get massive boosts, when I summon goblin tokens and low-cost goblins in the end game! ).

Just need to make a few more, and wait for Friday Night Magic now! (I think the comic shop's meetup is on the 5th August)

(I have the lovely company of Kingdom Hearts 3D, and Metroid Prime Trilogy to keep me company till then!)

Another trip to the comic shop next week might also be needed. (to get some more more common cards to improve said decks)

 

[hedges1001]

my advice as a relatively new player (2 months in) is to start with the latest deckbuilders toolkit. you get 100 land (all 5 colours), 4 boosters (all standard legal) and 125 semi-random cards for less than 20 pounds ($30)

 

[Fappy]

If you have the money go for it. I stopped playing several years ago as it was a huge drain on my wallet. Too many hobbies!

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

First of all, ignore cotss2012. He doesn't know what objective and subjective mean, though I'm sure he's going to respond to this. The new sets are fine and if you choose to have fun playing them, you will.

Second, I would say just go for it. Get some boosters, maybe a starter deck and just start playing.

If you want to be precise with you deck building, buy single cards online. It ends up being a better deal than getting boosters and just hoping for the right card.

Also, from what you said you like in Yu-Gi-Oh, I would say go for an artifact/equipment deck. Lot's of little robots that get insanely big late game.

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

 

[Manji187]

What format takes your fancy, OP? Standard, I reckon?

Maybe you should try your hand at EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), or Commander (ugh..) as it is called by WotC nowadays. More options (more cards to choose from), longer sessions, possibility for political play.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

Trust me. I have tried.

But its an odd quirk I have when I type!
(I think its personality related...)

I'm literally fighting the keyboard not to type an emoticon.

Must... resist....

Anyway. I think I might look for some artifacts next.
I only have a handful of those, and I'm hoping the shop will have a lot of them I could just buy in bulk (because being mostly neutral element, I can pick loads of them up and look to use them in several decks)

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

Trust me. I have tried.

But its an odd quirk I have when I type!
(I think its personality related...)

I'm literally fighting the keyboard not to type an emoticon.

Must... resist....

You can do it! We all believe in you!

[image/]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34Pvrjxr4Ls/TuaJs0xH9YI/AAAAAAAAAHY/wlFNJk7O4M0/s1600/hang+in+there.jpg[/IMG]

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Whether the the older magic sets and rules were "better" or not is subjective.

No.

Under the old rules, the phrase "remove x from the game" actually removed it from the game.
Under the new rules, the phrase "remove x from the game" meant "remove x from play and put it into a game zone that functions exactly like the graveyard but is called something else."

Fuck that. If a card is in one of the game zones, then it's still in the game, and calling this game zone the "removed-from-game zone" doesn't make the new rule any less retarded.

Under the old rules, the ability to tap a permanent for one green mana was expressed the same way, regardless of what card the ability was on.
Under the new rules, the ability to tap a permanent for one green mana could be expressed as ": Add to your mana pool", or it could just be expressed as a giant-ass green mana symbol, or the ability might not be indicated anywhere on the card at all, or basically anything could happen depending on what WotC was smoking at the time.

The older rules are objectively better.

I don't think you know what the word objectively means. I started Magic a year ago, so you can claim I have whatever kind of biases, but I have never ran into a situation where it was vague as to whether an ability generated mana or not. Maybe it's not WotC who's smoking something...

The exiled zone still has quite a bit of significance, while it ISN'T always completely removed from the game it is sure as hell not as easy to get cards back from it. I can only think of 2 or 3 cards in the game that do that and they're all very selective about it. One card recently got a mythic rarity solely because it can be cast from exile despite being the equivalent of a common without that ability. You are just wrong in saying that they're treating it as a second graveyard even if it's no longer as definitive.

What killed the game was M2010, when they took the Rules and Noobified them.
That's to say, they asked people, who didn't know how to play, how they thought the game should be played and changed the rules to match it.

WHAT?!?

I mean, I knew things were going irreversibly downhill, but they fucked it up THAT badly? That's not just pissing on the game's grave, that's exhuming and opening the coffin, pissing on the body, and drawing a dick on its forehead with a sharpie pen while playing "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo.

I may be wrong, but didn't that only have to do with the wording they used for abilities? Like changing the wording from "sent from the battlefield to the graveyard" to "dies"? If so that really doesn't have much impact on the game at all.

OT: You're completely ready for Magic by the sounds of it, I went into it without any prior knowledge of the game with a couple of friends and, despite a couple rule misconceptions, had almost no trouble getting into it. Just be warned of the toll the game might have on your wallet. I probably spend more money on the game than I should, and don't even play competitively.