Am I ready for Magic?

[Chased]

Definitely go for it. I've been playing since Onslaught which was quite some time ago. I have more cards than I'd like to admit to having and I've had a lot of fun playing and have met some interesting people doing so.

Here's some pro Magic advice: People that seriously play Magic tend not to play consistently (I'm talking over the span of years). Most will take breaks during blocks they don't like or go on hiatus. If you did keep up with the game through every twist and turn you'd probably go insane and be dirt poor. For example, I took a massive break between Ravnica and Innistrad and I had one friend who took a break from Ice Age up until Kamigawa.

Play the game, enjoy it and when you get burnt out save your cards!

Also don't worry about buying the most uber elite cards, I saw an interview with some dude in the Pro Tour that was going 6 - 0 and wiping the floor with a few overlooked jank cards that combo-ed well. A lot of the great and most iconic Magic cards, often referred to as "staples" are affordable and easy to come by (such as: Llanowar Elves, Mana Leak, Fireball, Oblivion Ring, and
Diabolic Tutor).

 

[Ryotknife]

wow, im surprised there are people out there who know what the Ice Age is in magic. Everytime Magic has come up in conversation with people who currently play it (i stopped playing over 10 years ago) and i bring up Ice age, i get a blank stare.

That said, i doubt if i would ever get back into the game due to all of the new rules and abilities that make my creature killer deck either obsolete or....more like just plain ole banned.

I will admit that i always wanted to make a green/black deck.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

Yeah. I know of that.

But I was kind of referring to the series and the cards. (And the official online game! XD)
It kind of got a bit ridiculous in its latest incarnation.
(I played the xbox 360 game, and the final person you duel? WTF? A whole army of high level monsters in 2 turns! Insane. Truly insane.)

I don't know. I think I'm a little bored of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Looking at the prices, it is a little steep physically. Really need to try to get some friends into it, (or try to make some at the Comic Book shop).

Maybe I should try to track down that old PC magic game, since that had proper deck building and more content.

But for now. I think some more practice on Planeswalkers is in order!

Wait, steep prices? Last I saw, didn't Pot Of Duality drop from like $360 to less than $8? That's a pretty steep drop if you ask me. Even my beloved Six Samurai have dropped DRASTICALLY in price after going for over $100 for a Gateway of the Six when Storm of Ragnarok came out, now go for as low as 25 cents.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Ok.

I think I got the deck I want to run with down mostly now.

Out of all the cards I have so far, my Red and White card seem to work together the best.

This is the deck so far:

10x Mountain (Red)
10x Plain (white)

Goblin Arsonist X2
Warclamp Mastiff X2
Torch Fiend X2
Attended Knight X2
Elgaud InquisitorX2
Mogg Flunkies X2
Voice of the Provinces

Krenko's Command X3
Thatcher's Revolt
Captain's Call
Midnight Haunting

Flames of the Firebrand X2
Volcanic Geyser X2

Trumpet Blast
Glorious Charge X3
Cleaver Riot X2
Fervor

Pacifism X2

Ring of Valkas
Brimstone Volley
Searing Spear


The main cards to play with are:

Crusader of Odric X2
Krenko, Mob Boss X1
Hamletback Goliath X1
Griffin Protector X1

I know its not a great deck, and if I had the cards I'd like to change a thing or two but the strategy is pretty straight forward.
Get a lot of creatures down -> Buff -> attack

Or

Put big monster down -> Put lots of little monsters to power them up -> Buff -> attack

Use pacifism and fire to slow enemy down

Cards I think I would want to substitiute are Elgaud Inquisitor, and Voice of the Provinces, since they don't work great.
But I don't have any more Crusader of Odric, Krenko, or Hamletback Goliaths so they are there because they create tokens when they die (so the net amount of monsters on the playing field stays the same)

As for spells I do have a pair of Traitorous Bloods (But they need 2 fire mana so if I draw poorly they may not be so useful...), more goblin arsonists, a pair of Goblin Battle Jesters (good effect at preventing blocking, but high mana cost (4) for only 2/2 power), and a pair of oblivion rings.

I coud subsistute them in, but I don't want to risk having too many low level monsters, or too many without flying, else I don'y have much to counter with.

(though it being white, I might be also to get more Angelic Walls. They are cheap to play, have 4 defense and they fly, so they make good all-round blockers)


I'm also pondering removing the volcanic Geysers as well, as they may not end up being very helpful...

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

If you're playing Black or Red sub in the oblivion rings since my red/Black deck pretty much dies every time 'Exile target permanant' comes up in combat.

And if it's still legal, get a Goblin Chieftan or two, it'll work out well.

 

[Signa]

As much as I enjoy the Planeswalker games on the PC, I could never get into the real thing. Not only do you have to buy booster pack after booster pack, you'll have to figure out what cards to build your deck out of based on the random cards you got. You could pay a premium to get specific cards, but that's just going to run you even more money. After all that is said and done, you're going to have to find a friend that is equally invested to play with. There are some public options available, but it won't be as instant or cheap as the PC games are.

Basically, if this isn't going to be a major hobby for you, it's going to be a waste of time.

 

[gideonkain]

snip

Why was I quoted in this rambling diatribe of nonsense?
Did you just want to show off all the "face palm memes" you've collected?

A new player was asking for advice and everyone you quoted (and then gave the "face palm") provided useful information.

You just strung words together but failed to provide a single cohesive thought.

Especially you listing every card you knew that could get cards back from exile...those cards are all from legacy editions and are no longer playable in Standard format -- No I hadn't heard of nor seen any of those before because there are over 10,000 magic cards, why would you expect someone to have an encyclopedic knowledge of old ass cards? That's like expecting a person to know what was said on page 13 of issue 27 of Uncanny X-Men off the top of their heads.

 

[gideonkain]

Ok.
SNIP

I used the bulk import feature (beta) to import your deck to mtgvault - this I found useful when first starting with deck creation to visualize the whole thing and easily make changes:

http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=366636

According to the mana ratio you might wanna drop 2 or 3 white mana and replace with red.

idk, so many of the images are broken links - you may want to create your own account and manually add your cards in, I think it may be drawing from legacy card art that it's database doesn't have.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

*snip*

Okay, until that last part I was actually giving you the benefit of the doubt that you had a serious argument. You're just pissed that the game has changed. Counterspell is no longer a viable card nor is demonic tutor. Both of which were dropped because they had way too big of an impact on the game.

Also, those cards that you listed for being able to bring back cards from exile don't prove your point. I acknowledged that there were cards that interacted with the exile zone, but they were few. Could you also take note that all of those cards you listed were released ten years ago and have almost no equivalents in any recent sets. Besides the card that I mentioned was completely vanilla except for it's ability to be cast from exile, which warranted it being boosted from a common to a mystic. It's pretty damn obvious that the exile zone still has quite a bit of significance.

In comparison would you like me to count the number of cards that return cards from the graveyard? I just put the terms "Return target from graveyard" into gatherer and it came up with 274 cards.

Also your definition of objective is still flawed. You could say it's objectively a more accurate interpretation of "remove from the game", but it isn't objectively superior. The term has been changed to exile anyways, so it isn't objectively more accurate anymore either.

 

[chaos order]

Just double checked and the local comic shop (just a 10-15 min bus journey away), does do Friday Night Magic events.

(5th August. Which is a Sunday? o_0 )

Could like nuba km suggsted, and get a couple of deck builders and some boosters.

About £40 spend. (Cost of a video game here)

If I don't like it, then I can leave it.

Do you guys think its a good idea?

(Plus it might give me a good idea of how many people in town actually play the game! XD)

i would strongly suggest you strong arm some friends to get into MTG with you. cause playing casual with a bunch of friends is just funny. (unless they play with dirty elves cause fuck those guys)

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

*snip*

I'd definitely throw in a couple Oblivion Rings, probably over pacifism. For one extra mana it's definitely worth having a catch all removal. As Gideonkain suggested Mtgvault is pretty useful, but I personally prefer tappedout because it shows a spoiler of the card when you hover over the text instead of having to click the link

 

[Gregory McMillan]

Don't listen to the vets who keep saying "OMG [insert set] killed Magic! It's too boring/overpowered/blah blah." Every block is unique and fun if you go into it with a free mind. The thing is, nearly everything in Magic can be dealt with and Wizards recognizes when they made the mistake of printing a supercard.

 

[viranimus]

Honestly.. I recently have been trying to get back into it after buying DotP. Ive broken out cards almost 20 years old and started buying some new cards from Avacyn (actually got the [mtg_card= Avacyn, Angel of Hope] card out of a booster pack) and 2013 core set.

Heres my thing. It really depends on who you know as well as who you are able to bring into the fold. If you know say 5-10 people who actively play or are versed enough into gaming and geek culture that they might be able to be taught, Physical is the best way to go because of the social interaction outside of the game.


However, if the crop of people for you to play against would be more limited, The best upgrade to DotP would have to be MTGO (Magic the gathering Online) It "plays" like the real game, but in digital format. Has access to quick and easy match making options, and just recently revamped their UI to be more modern and asthetically pleasing. I think a paltry 10$ investment gets you like 400 digital cards, whereas a 10$ investment for physical cards might get you a pre fabbed deck.

Ive not played MTGO since the UI revamp (been playing physical) but the only problem I ever had out of it, was the fact that it is highly anal about mixing in DOTP and non DOTP cards in the same deck and it did not do a very good job making it easy to differentiate and select. Hope thats something else they improved on with the new UI.

 

[deth2munkies]

If you wanna get into Standard, buy the Green event deck: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/1022

It's fucking bonkers and easy to upgrade into an actual tournament deck.

 

[chaos order]

Like I said, FNM is either Standard (ie. Type 2) or Limited.

In that case, FNM can go suck a dick and the OP should skip it and instead play with people who aren't a bunch of fucktards.

a block consists of 2-3 editions

[QUOTE=gideonkain]2) Lay a mana[/QUOTE]

[img src="http://cdntheologianscholar.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/captfacepalm.jpg?w=690"]

[QUOTE=Mr. GameBrain]monster cards[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Mr. GameBrain]fire mana[/QUOTE]

[img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KGeW9KbptIA/TJ2NS5t948I/AAAAAAAAAJo/httXbMBdFQk/s1600/Facepalm.gif"]

[QUOTE=MrDeckard]First of all, ignore cotss2012. He doesn't know what objective and subjective mean[/QUOTE]

Actually, I do. It's the difference between fact and opinion. For example, if someone says "the 8th Edition look is ugly", that's subjective. However, a set of rules in which "remove x from the game" actually removes something from the game is OBJECTIVELY superior to a set of rules in which "remove x from the game" just moves something from one game zone to another. (of course, this is no longer relevant now that "exile" has been keyworded, but still...)

[QUOTE=The Almighty Aardvark]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.[/QUOTE]

You never heard of these?

[img src="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=34399&type=card"]
[img src="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=34400&type=card"]
[img src="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=34402&type=card"]
[img src="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=34403&type=card"]
[img src="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=34405&type=card"]

Oh wait... those would only work if removing cards from the game actually removed them from the game. How stupid of me.


[QUOTE=The Almighty Aardvark]can be cast from exile[/QUOTE]

Oh God... will the idiocy never end?

[QUOTE=Chased]A lot of the great and most iconic Magic cards, often referred to as "staples" are affordable and easy to come by (such as: Llanowar Elves, Mana Leak, Fireball, Oblivion Ring, and
Diabolic Tutor).[/QUOTE]

Anal Leak, O-Ring, and Diabolic Impostor do not belong on that list. Do you know what cards DO belong?

[img src="http://bidwicket.com/Item/C/Collectible_Card_Games/Magic_the_Gathering/Singles/4th_Edition/27556_1M_Counterspell.JPEG"]
[img src="http://magiccards.info/scans/en/at/1.jpg"]
[img src="http://magiccards.info/scans/en/rv/13.jpg"][/quote]

This post is so full of elitist fail it's almost funny. The game has changed to the point that overwhelmingly powerful cards aren't printed. What is exactly is fun about beating your opponent before they can draw a card?

Am I exaggerating? No. It is easily possible with at least 3 combos off the top of my head:

Ad Nauseum/Tendrils of Corruption
Glimpse of Nature/Tendrils of Corruption
Worldgorger Dragon/Animate Dead/Fireball

The designers decided a card game being entirely determined by a coin flip (who gets to go first) was A BAD IDEA.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: People want to help a new player in this thread. You're doing nothing helpful, and instead are scaring people away with your rhetoric about how removing damage from the stack screwed up the game. Here's a hint: IT DIDN'T. A tiny ass town like Eugene, Oregon had 150 players last week for a Pro Tour Qualifier. The Grand Prix event in Seattle had over 2,000. There are more players in the game now than ever before. Somehow I don't think they care that "counterspell" is never coming back.

If you have anything helpful to post, do so. If you just want to whine how you're old, and the game changed, do it somewhere else please.[/quote]

although im completely agree with you and how the guy was sorta being a little bit of a prick, but im gonna go on the side to mention my friend knows of a turn 0 win. i forget the cards but if said person is stupidly lucky he can win right when his hand is formed

 

[deth2munkies]

The game has changed to the point that overwhelmingly powerful cards aren't printed.

Oh really?

Jace, The Mind Sculptor
Griselbrand
Stoneforge Mystic
The Swords
Snapcaster Mage

And that's being conservative (I left out Ponder/Preordain for instance) and sticking with the past 2 years.

And he's not even being that elitist, the SCG commentators last weekend were doing it to a ridiculous degree, so much as calling for a ruling that white bordered Blood Moons should not shut down black bordered Tropical Islands (they were joking of course, but dead serious about berating the poor guy for not dropping the extra cash to get an older Blood Moon).

Oh and for a T2 kill in Standard:

T1: Forest/Glistner Elf
T2: Miracle Revenge of the Hunted + Mutagenic Growth, swing for 10 infect.

You can also do the same with other combinations but they involve multiple mutagenic growths which is unlikely but possible.

 

[Thanatos5150]

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.

You forget 6) COMBAT TRICKS! amd
7)Actually cast spells which mess up your opponent's game here, after they spent all their mana dealing with your Combat Tricks, as well as
8) Blow up enemy permanents during your opponent's end step so you have the mana open for your turn.