Help for someone getting into MTG?
- Thread starter Regis_Neo
- Start date
Regis_Neo
Moderator
Well, I already play yu-gi-oh (though not competitvely). But MTG has a somewhat larger user base.
Though I play mostly unpowered Vintage and Legacy, and thus what I have to say doesn't apply too much to Standard, I will suggest that you just bite the bullet and buy as many of the staple cards as you can, even if they're really expensive. Things like Wrath of God will continue to be reprinted for ages, and they're good in a lot of white decks. Dual lands are also a solid investment. The painlands in Tenth Edition are a good starting place, as they're Standard-legal, and beyond those, albeit not in Standard, there are the Ravnica "shocklands" (such as Godless Shrine) and the original duals (such as Scrubland). If you're playing a lot of black, the Torment tainted lands are solid cards. Ultimately, it comes down to whatever you can find people playing, and the older the format, the longer-lived your purchases will be. You should also try to find large, bulk sets of commons and uncommons for relatively cheap, because that gives you a wide range of workhorses for whatever decks you might want to try.
Also, try to settle into which colour(s) you like the most (for example, I personally never play blue or green) as early on as you can, as that'll cut down the costs significantly, over trying to buy staples for every colour.
PS, ignore metricus. Magic is by far and wide superior to Yu-Gi-Oh in every possible respect.
Also, try to settle into which colour(s) you like the most (for example, I personally never play blue or green) as early on as you can, as that'll cut down the costs significantly, over trying to buy staples for every colour.
PS, ignore metricus. Magic is by far and wide superior to Yu-Gi-Oh in every possible respect.
Regis_Neo
Moderator
Hmm...I suppose that's another good question: is there any sort of Color that is better than the other?
So, I've noticed that there are usually quite a few theme decks for either each set or the Core starter set (which apparently has reprints of past cards of something). And I think I remember seeing something in stores about some Elf and Goblin thing with 2 60 card decks. Would any of those be a good place to start?
Btw, I'm trying to aim for casual, maybe slightly competitive (obviously nothing Pro or anything lol).
So, I've noticed that there are usually quite a few theme decks for either each set or the Core starter set (which apparently has reprints of past cards of something). And I think I remember seeing something in stores about some Elf and Goblin thing with 2 60 card decks. Would any of those be a good place to start?
Btw, I'm trying to aim for casual, maybe slightly competitive (obviously nothing Pro or anything lol).
~Blazi-King~
Active Member
I used to play casually/Slightly Pro and found that buying a Starter deck for each color then tons of booster packs did the trick. Its going to take a little money/time/trading to get what you need just for your fun/casual deck. The reason I suggested each color them deck is so that you can find what color you like best, because each one has its on characteristics.
Like me...I liked Green, Red, Black. So I built decks using the best cards for those colors.
Personally, I would start with the last core set that was released, so that you have access to the moajority of the cards, and then buy packs from each of the sub sets that were released.
Core Set = 250+ Cards
Sub-Sets = 125+ Cards
Im being Conservative on my numbers..Its been awhile since I actually look at my cards. LOL!
Like most have said find out what type of player you are, as in what color fits you play style the most.
So do research on the magic site to find this out. then buy a starter of the color and play a few days with just such. Find your niche in the flow of cards and see if that color fits you. You will also get to see other colors on how they play to see the style when you play against them.
Imo, no one color is better than the other, They all have strengths and weakness.
Just an example, Blue draws for low mana, where red does direct damage for low mana. Each color has cards that do the same but either cost more mana or comes with added restrictions.
IMO, Type 2, standard(modified in pokemon) is where its at. It has a smaller card pool to have to start off with or even tech against. When you get into Extended and older, the field changes alot and broken combos are much more avaible to use or tech against (alot of times this is not fun, more fustrating).
So with a small card pool to start with it will be easier to play casual decks with out feeling it is overwhelming to make a decent deck.
After the start up, single cards are the way to go. Im sure the magic site has a library to show every card before you even buy it or wonder if cards do what.
GL
So do research on the magic site to find this out. then buy a starter of the color and play a few days with just such. Find your niche in the flow of cards and see if that color fits you. You will also get to see other colors on how they play to see the style when you play against them.
Imo, no one color is better than the other, They all have strengths and weakness.
Just an example, Blue draws for low mana, where red does direct damage for low mana. Each color has cards that do the same but either cost more mana or comes with added restrictions.
IMO, Type 2, standard(modified in pokemon) is where its at. It has a smaller card pool to have to start off with or even tech against. When you get into Extended and older, the field changes alot and broken combos are much more avaible to use or tech against (alot of times this is not fun, more fustrating).
So with a small card pool to start with it will be easier to play casual decks with out feeling it is overwhelming to make a decent deck.
After the start up, single cards are the way to go. Im sure the magic site has a library to show every card before you even buy it or wonder if cards do what.
GL
hectagonman
New Member
Goblins/ Merfolk are pretty much dominating. Treefolk have made a comeback in the next set though. I'd go with Goblins(RED)if I were you.
I started right before Lorwyn came out, so I started on Tenth edition. When Lorwyn came out, I bought lots of boosters from there as well as two pre-con decks (Elementals and Goblins). From what I've seen so far, I would suggest Elementals with Changeling Berserker on the side if you like Beatdown decks.
Lorwyn introduced a few cards that really make it easy to bring out some heavy hitting monsters (Smokebraider and Incandescent Soulstoke, to name a few). Changeling Berserker, like all other Changelings, count as every creature type at all times. Therefore, it can take advantage of not only the effects of the two cards I mentioned before, but from the effects of any cards that specify a specific creature type.
To make matters better (or worse in some cases), Morningtide will be introducing cards that will go further into tribal gameplay, this time the focus on creature "sub-types" (for lack of a better term), such as Soldier, Shaman, Druid, etc.
And from what I've seen from Shamans... Oh yeah. Second deck, here I come...
Lorwyn introduced a few cards that really make it easy to bring out some heavy hitting monsters (Smokebraider and Incandescent Soulstoke, to name a few). Changeling Berserker, like all other Changelings, count as every creature type at all times. Therefore, it can take advantage of not only the effects of the two cards I mentioned before, but from the effects of any cards that specify a specific creature type.
To make matters better (or worse in some cases), Morningtide will be introducing cards that will go further into tribal gameplay, this time the focus on creature "sub-types" (for lack of a better term), such as Soldier, Shaman, Druid, etc.
And from what I've seen from Shamans... Oh yeah. Second deck, here I come...
Regis_Neo
Moderator
Mkay, so it'd definately be good to invest in one of the color theme decks. I'll have to read up on what colors would suit me as a player (I personally like Blue and Black just as regular, ordinary colors).
So for booster packs (or singles on Ebay), what are some of the standard cards that are used, or at least come back year after year?
So for booster packs (or singles on Ebay), what are some of the standard cards that are used, or at least come back year after year?
For the love of god, don't buy boosters unless it's for drafting. It's a waste of money, because the money can be better spent buying singles—a bunch of 10-cent commons, 50-cent uncommons, and dollar rares is better value than packs ever will be.
As for staples, as I mentioned, any mana fixing should be your top priority. If you only want to play Standard, then get all the good painlands from Tenth Edition that suit your colours (such as Caves of Koilos for B/W). I cannot emphasize how important a consistent mana base is if you're playing multiple colours. There is nothing that will improve your deck more than that. Otherwise, a quick search for a few articles (albeit a little bit dated for Standard) on the subject turned up some content on staples in general.
Also I wouldn't say older tournaments are that expensive compared to Standard. I have a Vintage mono-black control deck that's cheaper than a lot of high-end Standard decks, for instance, and it's probably only around the $100 range. Compare that to the Ravnica-era Standard decks that often had that much just in lands.
As for staples, as I mentioned, any mana fixing should be your top priority. If you only want to play Standard, then get all the good painlands from Tenth Edition that suit your colours (such as Caves of Koilos for B/W). I cannot emphasize how important a consistent mana base is if you're playing multiple colours. There is nothing that will improve your deck more than that. Otherwise, a quick search for a few articles (albeit a little bit dated for Standard) on the subject turned up some content on staples in general.
Also I wouldn't say older tournaments are that expensive compared to Standard. I have a Vintage mono-black control deck that's cheaper than a lot of high-end Standard decks, for instance, and it's probably only around the $100 range. Compare that to the Ravnica-era Standard decks that often had that much just in lands.
prof unky dan
New Member
not going to start a flame war, but yugioh is NOTHING compared to magic...yugioh isnt even a game anymore...pay 3000 health in 3 turns i win automatically YAY! i want to play....no way
MTG for ever!
danny
pat460
New Member
Hmm, well, what I would do is find out what you want to play. then mabey draft a few times, and buy the rest of the singles for the deck. Also, go to FNM. There is a lot of people at most FNM's and they could help you get better at playing in general. Just a warnin though, FNM often goes until about 2:30AM in my area, and your might be as crazy.
Dark Ninja
New Member
IF your going to play Standard (Type 2) DO NOT play green unless you have a lot of money to burn. Like $160 for a playset of ONE CARD. Stupid tarmogoyf. In other words, MTG is expensive.
Regis_Neo
Moderator
lol, just looking at those Power 9 cards or whatever scares me. Of course, they're used only in that one specific format, but those prices are scary for some paper.
Anyways, I should be buying a starter deck this weekend, probably Dark.