Posting as I go to generate feedback and update as needed.
Part I
I’ve learned a lot from this community since I joined almost 2 years ago. In that time I picked up my first cards, made a ton of mistakes, and have played casually off and on throughout that time. I’ve wasted a lot of time and money on things that could have been avoided if I’d known better. This primer is designed to help newer players to figure out the best way to get going in this great game, without making the mistakes I did.
How to Learn
As with most skill-based games, the best way to learn is to jump in and figure out the rules, the process, the interactions etc. I did this by downloading the M15 app for my iPad and playing against the AI. This helped me to get to grips with the different deck archetypes, the flow of the game, strengths and weaknesses of each color, and how to build a deck. After the initial cost, it’s essentially free to play so you can experiment to your hearts content without spending anything.
A better way is to get involved with your local gaming store (LGS) or a close friend who knows the game and can lend you a deck or two to try. Nothing replaces the person-to-person interaction of playing this game and it’s incredibly useful to be able to ask questions about certain interactions (rather than resorting to Google). The first LGS I started playing at more frequently offered to lend me decks to try out the different formats before investing any money (an example of great community support).
You can also find all of the introductory rules and processes on the Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) website.
Which Format?
As you are starting out, you will likely want to play in the games that are supported in your area. The most popular games are likely to be Standard format, which is limited to just the most recent set printings (two main sets are released each year, with two supplemental sets released mid-way through, each main set will remain in standard for 18 months before becoming invalid for play in the standard format. You can find out what is currently standard-legal at WhatsInStandard).
Unfortunately, for new players, the entry to the top level of standard constructed (where you bring your own deck) can be very expensive with top-tier decks costing between $250 and $500 to build. You can build a ‘budget’ version of a deck for under $100, but you will still be playing against the top-tier decks at Friday Night Magic (FNM) and budget builds are generally uncompetitive (or the cards would be in more demand, and thus cost more). I learned this the hard way when I took my $20 budget Black and Green graveyard deck to a FNM last year and was torn to pieces by the top tier Abzan deck (and even lower tier Bant Heroic deck). I tried multiple ‘budget’ decks and wound up with over $100 of sub-par cards before I decided to just buy a ‘cheapish’ ($150) top tier deck to play competitively.
Even if you can afford to buy the top-tier deck, I argue that it is a bad investment for a player that is new to the format. The deck will be made up of some cards that will rotate out at the next set release, and so you are paying for cards with limited long-term playing potential. For example, one of the staples of the Abzan deck last summer was Siege Rhino. At the time, a playset would cost you $32 (4 x $8), but now you can pickup a playset for less than $6. This is due to 2 main reasons: popular cards are likely to be reprinted in supplemental decks (as was the case with Siege Rhino) and many ‘good’ cards in standard are not played in other formats, limiting the long-term value. Therefore you will need to buy/trade for new cards every three months in order to keep the deck, that just cost you over $250, current (assuming you don’t decide to completely change your deck between set releases). What makes this situation worse is that you may not even like the deck you pick, so all of that money is wasted!
I believe that the best way for a new player to get into the game is to play the current limited format. Limited involves each player either drafting from three packs (and passing around between 7 other players) or creating a deck from six sealed packs. This method has many benefits:
It focuses on skill (and luck of the draw) rather than pay-to-win. Once you have paid your entry fee, you don’t need to buy anything else and will get all of the cards you need to play – no one is advantaged/disadvantaged due to their bank balance.
Each time you draft/play sealed you get the chance to try out new cards and new interactions. This helps new players to get a feel of the flavor of each decks and intimately learn how all of the mechanics function.
It provides a revenue stream for the LGS, keeping the lights on and the games going (you can’t play Magic on Amazon, or at Target or Walmart).
It’s a good way to build a collection of cards you like without shelling out for costlier products.
Some may be concerned about the price of drafting (or sealed). A booster draft at my LGS costs $15, whereas a constructed tournament costs $5. The prize payout is the same so the only difference is the $10 that covers the cost of the booster packs. However, if you calculate the cost of buying a top-tier deck at $10/week then it would take 6-12 months to build, by which point the format will have changed, and you might have changed your mind about what type of deck you want to play (as I did many times). Assume that you start playing at the beginning of a set release and draft an average of once per week until the next main set is released in six months. You will have spent $260 and acquired 1,170 cards. Some of these will be valuable (more on what to do with these below) and some you will want to keep to brew decks with at a later date.
If you are lucky enough to be starting just as a new set is released, you should do your best to attend the pre-release event for that set. These are great events where packs of the new set are being opened for the first time and you get to build a deck that no-one has ever built before. There are special promo-cards that will help you to remember your first event, and lots of prizes.
So when should you build a deck? I think that the best time is after drafting through a full set release (including the supplemental set). If you are starting now, that would mean drafting throughout Kaladesh and Aether Revolt until the Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch sets rotate out. This means that you only need to become familiar with Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon sets, and you will likely have a good idea for the type of deck you want to build and a number of staples to help you build it out or trade for the right cards.
But I would still advise against investing big money into the standard format unless you are sure you want to become competitive. As mentioned above, standard format cards will normally lose value on rotation and are liable to be reprinted, reducing value further. I no longer play the standard constructed format, instead preferring to spend my money on building a competitive modern format deck. More on that to follow…
If you're looking for feedback. This is very bad way to start. You're giving too much information at once
Divide this into sections or layers. Your text should be short and sweet to quickly target your point. Avoid opinions...everything your saying is an opinion, say it in the first sentence and thats it
There is too.much text and you need to clear this out. A new comer would come here and say...all that trouble to get into MTG...and might just run away.
A new comer doesn't need to be involve into his LGS. If he has never play, most of the time.its a bunch of friends playing so buying duel deck can do the job.
Divide the cost versus format or one sentence of few words to describ each format about cost.
One just need a bunch of cards to play MTG against another person with equal bunch of cards strenght.
Maybe i shouldnt call it a primer... I would rather it be subjective and detailed rather than objective and sparse. I am writing this as advice to give to myself 2 years ago.
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Part I
I’ve learned a lot from this community since I joined almost 2 years ago. In that time I picked up my first cards, made a ton of mistakes, and have played casually off and on throughout that time. I’ve wasted a lot of time and money on things that could have been avoided if I’d known better. This primer is designed to help newer players to figure out the best way to get going in this great game, without making the mistakes I did.
How to Learn
As with most skill-based games, the best way to learn is to jump in and figure out the rules, the process, the interactions etc. I did this by downloading the M15 app for my iPad and playing against the AI. This helped me to get to grips with the different deck archetypes, the flow of the game, strengths and weaknesses of each color, and how to build a deck. After the initial cost, it’s essentially free to play so you can experiment to your hearts content without spending anything.
A better way is to get involved with your local gaming store (LGS) or a close friend who knows the game and can lend you a deck or two to try. Nothing replaces the person-to-person interaction of playing this game and it’s incredibly useful to be able to ask questions about certain interactions (rather than resorting to Google). The first LGS I started playing at more frequently offered to lend me decks to try out the different formats before investing any money (an example of great community support).
You can also find all of the introductory rules and processes on the Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) website.
Which Format?
As you are starting out, you will likely want to play in the games that are supported in your area. The most popular games are likely to be Standard format, which is limited to just the most recent set printings (two main sets are released each year, with two supplemental sets released mid-way through, each main set will remain in standard for 18 months before becoming invalid for play in the standard format. You can find out what is currently standard-legal at WhatsInStandard).
Unfortunately, for new players, the entry to the top level of standard constructed (where you bring your own deck) can be very expensive with top-tier decks costing between $250 and $500 to build. You can build a ‘budget’ version of a deck for under $100, but you will still be playing against the top-tier decks at Friday Night Magic (FNM) and budget builds are generally uncompetitive (or the cards would be in more demand, and thus cost more). I learned this the hard way when I took my $20 budget Black and Green graveyard deck to a FNM last year and was torn to pieces by the top tier Abzan deck (and even lower tier Bant Heroic deck). I tried multiple ‘budget’ decks and wound up with over $100 of sub-par cards before I decided to just buy a ‘cheapish’ ($150) top tier deck to play competitively.
Even if you can afford to buy the top-tier deck, I argue that it is a bad investment for a player that is new to the format. The deck will be made up of some cards that will rotate out at the next set release, and so you are paying for cards with limited long-term playing potential. For example, one of the staples of the Abzan deck last summer was Siege Rhino. At the time, a playset would cost you $32 (4 x $8), but now you can pickup a playset for less than $6. This is due to 2 main reasons: popular cards are likely to be reprinted in supplemental decks (as was the case with Siege Rhino) and many ‘good’ cards in standard are not played in other formats, limiting the long-term value. Therefore you will need to buy/trade for new cards every three months in order to keep the deck, that just cost you over $250, current (assuming you don’t decide to completely change your deck between set releases). What makes this situation worse is that you may not even like the deck you pick, so all of that money is wasted!
I believe that the best way for a new player to get into the game is to play the current limited format. Limited involves each player either drafting from three packs (and passing around between 7 other players) or creating a deck from six sealed packs. This method has many benefits:
Some may be concerned about the price of drafting (or sealed). A booster draft at my LGS costs $15, whereas a constructed tournament costs $5. The prize payout is the same so the only difference is the $10 that covers the cost of the booster packs. However, if you calculate the cost of buying a top-tier deck at $10/week then it would take 6-12 months to build, by which point the format will have changed, and you might have changed your mind about what type of deck you want to play (as I did many times). Assume that you start playing at the beginning of a set release and draft an average of once per week until the next main set is released in six months. You will have spent $260 and acquired 1,170 cards. Some of these will be valuable (more on what to do with these below) and some you will want to keep to brew decks with at a later date.
If you are lucky enough to be starting just as a new set is released, you should do your best to attend the pre-release event for that set. These are great events where packs of the new set are being opened for the first time and you get to build a deck that no-one has ever built before. There are special promo-cards that will help you to remember your first event, and lots of prizes.
So when should you build a deck? I think that the best time is after drafting through a full set release (including the supplemental set). If you are starting now, that would mean drafting throughout Kaladesh and Aether Revolt until the Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch sets rotate out. This means that you only need to become familiar with Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon sets, and you will likely have a good idea for the type of deck you want to build and a number of staples to help you build it out or trade for the right cards.
But I would still advise against investing big money into the standard format unless you are sure you want to become competitive. As mentioned above, standard format cards will normally lose value on rotation and are liable to be reprinted, reducing value further. I no longer play the standard constructed format, instead preferring to spend my money on building a competitive modern format deck. More on that to follow…
If you're looking for feedback. This is very bad way to start. You're giving too much information at once
Divide this into sections or layers. Your text should be short and sweet to quickly target your point. Avoid opinions...everything your saying is an opinion, say it in the first sentence and thats it
There is too.much text and you need to clear this out. A new comer would come here and say...all that trouble to get into MTG...and might just run away.
A new comer doesn't need to be involve into his LGS. If he has never play, most of the time.its a bunch of friends playing so buying duel deck can do the job.
Divide the cost versus format or one sentence of few words to describ each format about cost.
One just need a bunch of cards to play MTG against another person with equal bunch of cards strenght.