I'm a newcomer to Magic. I've played a few games with the starting 30-cards free decks, watched tutorials and gameplay on YouTube and I think I'm ready for a "real" deck. The problem is that I have basically zero cards and don't know what's the best way to go about acquiring them. I've thought about pre-constructed decks (Planeswalker Decks, Duel Decks), but from what I've heard, the cards they include are severely underpowered when facing anything that isn't another pre-built deck. I'm not looking for a top tier meta deck, of course; all I want is a Standart deck that can get me a couple wins at FNM, and pre-con decks seem unable to do even that. So I'm considering buying the Amonkhet Deck Builder's Toolkit. Are they of any use for what I want? Are there better options? What would you recommend?
Thank You.
I'm a newcomer to Magic. I've played a few games with the starting 30-cards free decks, watched tutorials and gameplay on YouTube and I think I'm ready for a "real" deck. The problem is that I have basically zero cards and don't know what's the best way to go about acquiring them. I've thought about pre-constructed decks (Planeswalker Decks, Duel Decks), but from what I've heard, the cards they include are severely underpowered when facing anything that isn't another pre-built deck. I'm not looking for a top tier meta deck, of course; all I want is a Standart deck that can get me a couple wins at FNM, and pre-con decks seem unable to do even that. So I'm considering buying the Amonkhet Deck Builder's Toolkit. Are they of any use for what I want? Are there better options? What would you recommend?
Thank You.
Hello! Welcome
I can't help much on the intricacies of Modern or Standard but some generally good deckbuilding advice is to try out some of the websites available that let you make decklists and then hopefully the website you choose also has a playtesting feature. This is a very useful practice because you can wrap your head around the card interactions that please you without having to commit to spending any $ until you're satisfied.
Generally the best way to limit the $ spent on building a deck is to purchase singles/individual cards. This strategy is really only practical though if you know what it is that you need.
I'm a newcomer to Magic. I've played a few games with the starting 30-cards free decks, watched tutorials and gameplay on YouTube and I think I'm ready for a "real" deck. The problem is that I have basically zero cards and don't know what's the best way to go about acquiring them. I've thought about pre-constructed decks (Planeswalker Decks, Duel Decks), but from what I've heard, the cards they include are severely underpowered when facing anything that isn't another pre-built deck. I'm not looking for a top tier meta deck, of course; all I want is a Standart deck that can get me a couple wins at FNM, and pre-con decks seem unable to do even that. So I'm considering buying the Amonkhet Deck Builder's Toolkit. Are they of any use for what I want? Are there better options? What would you recommend?
Thank You.
Welcome to the community mate!
Anyways, I would personally suggest that you use proxies to start out. Yes, they are paper cards, but they work very well for new players, since you aren't restricted by the money.
I'm a newcomer to Magic. I've played a few games with the starting 30-cards free decks, watched tutorials and gameplay on YouTube and I think I'm ready for a "real" deck. The problem is that I have basically zero cards and don't know what's the best way to go about acquiring them. I've thought about pre-constructed decks (Planeswalker Decks, Duel Decks), but from what I've heard, the cards they include are severely underpowered when facing anything that isn't another pre-built deck. I'm not looking for a top tier meta deck, of course; all I want is a Standart deck that can get me a couple wins at FNM, and pre-con decks seem unable to do even that. So I'm considering buying the Amonkhet Deck Builder's Toolkit. Are they of any use for what I want? Are there better options? What would you recommend?
Thank You.
If you're looking for a product to start out with, the Planeswalker decks are still the easiest and way to go. Toolkits comes with an assortment of random cards that don't necessarily help build a deck, but to add to one. They're normally not the kind of cards you want either. Planeswalker decks at least come with a deck with synergy for you to learn with.
If you're still learning, I wouldn't jump ahead and buy singles for a deck just yet. I would try and find out what kind of play style, colors, and cards you prefer before jumping into that.
I think one toolkit isn't actually a bad buy, but you won't be building decks from it, really. What you do get is a fine storage box, a stack of lands that you'll likely use later, and some packs. Singles are the best route to a deck worth playing in a shop, that much is true.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Decks:
Modern: Jund
Legacy: Pox
EDH: Chainer Reanimation and The Dragon Show, with Zirilan of the Claw
I picked up the game by mocking up a bunch of decklists on tappedout.net and playtesting until I came up with a janky monocolor deck based around underplayed rares, then bought the singles for about $20.
If you're a huge dork and don't mind putting way too much time into it, buying singles can be a very cost-effective way of coming up with a competitive FNM deck, even without a lot of experience. But the time cost isn't small.
Hey everybody, thank you so much for answering! I'm not sure what'll do, 'cause that depends on my budget. Reading your comments I realize I might be rushing a bit into this —I still don't know want kind of deck I'm good at / want to play. As such, I'll spend some time browsing and trying out decklists and cards in order to know which singles to get. If I find the DBT at a good price I might buy it to get some basic cards and continue experimenting, but I'll definitely be playtesting.
Thanks for your advice everyone!
I feel like you are probably jumping ahead of yourself if you want to go from just starting out to a Tier 1 deck. Buy a Planeswalker deck and learn to play the game. Once you have mastered the fundamentals, you can think about how to expand.
A few ideas on how to expand:
- Buy the Deck Builder's Toolkit. This will give you many cards to play with but very few play sets, which is a bummer.
- Buy packs. This is a fun way to get new cards but it is expensive and rarely gives you play sets (unless you buy a lot of packs).
- Draft. This is the best way to use packs and hone your skills at becoming a better player.
- Go to eBay. They have auctions for play sets (4 of each card) of all the commons and uncommons from a particular set. This is an efficient way to get play sets of cards and expand your collection.
By the time you really become ready to worry about tier 1 decks, Ixilan (the next set) will be out and with it, a lot of older sets will rotate out of standard, thus shaking standard up.
OP actually specifically said not a top tier deck.
Singles (either purchasing or trading) is the best way to build a viable constructed, but it takes time to be ready to do so.
Assorted preconstructed decks (including Planeswalker decks) are a good way to learn and find one's preferred playstyle. The first deck I built for Standard included Serra Angel (I thought the flying would be relevant), but she was shortly discarded, as my deck morphed into a hodge-podge similar to Waffle House, though relying more on Ghost Council of Orzhova and Kodama of the North Tree. Still was difficult to compete with Heartbeat decks and Greater Gifts. This was approximately a year after I learned how to play. It's been quite the journey.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I know he thinks I'm impressed by a 102 MPH fastball in the 9th inning... Ok, I'm impressed, but that doesn't mean I can't crush it.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Thank You.
Hello! Welcome
I can't help much on the intricacies of Modern or Standard but some generally good deckbuilding advice is to try out some of the websites available that let you make decklists and then hopefully the website you choose also has a playtesting feature. This is a very useful practice because you can wrap your head around the card interactions that please you without having to commit to spending any $ until you're satisfied.
Generally the best way to limit the $ spent on building a deck is to purchase singles/individual cards. This strategy is really only practical though if you know what it is that you need.
Good luck!
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
Welcome to the community mate!
Anyways, I would personally suggest that you use proxies to start out. Yes, they are paper cards, but they work very well for new players, since you aren't restricted by the money.
If you're looking for a product to start out with, the Planeswalker decks are still the easiest and way to go. Toolkits comes with an assortment of random cards that don't necessarily help build a deck, but to add to one. They're normally not the kind of cards you want either. Planeswalker decks at least come with a deck with synergy for you to learn with.
If you're still learning, I wouldn't jump ahead and buy singles for a deck just yet. I would try and find out what kind of play style, colors, and cards you prefer before jumping into that.
Standard: BG Golgari Midrange
Modern: U Merfolk GWUBR 5 Color Humans UBW Esper Gifts GW Bogles
Modern: Jund
Legacy: Pox
EDH: Chainer Reanimation and The Dragon Show, with Zirilan of the Claw
If you're a huge dork and don't mind putting way too much time into it, buying singles can be a very cost-effective way of coming up with a competitive FNM deck, even without a lot of experience. But the time cost isn't small.
Thanks for your advice everyone!
A few ideas on how to expand:
- Buy the Deck Builder's Toolkit. This will give you many cards to play with but very few play sets, which is a bummer.
- Buy packs. This is a fun way to get new cards but it is expensive and rarely gives you play sets (unless you buy a lot of packs).
- Draft. This is the best way to use packs and hone your skills at becoming a better player.
- Go to eBay. They have auctions for play sets (4 of each card) of all the commons and uncommons from a particular set. This is an efficient way to get play sets of cards and expand your collection.
By the time you really become ready to worry about tier 1 decks, Ixilan (the next set) will be out and with it, a lot of older sets will rotate out of standard, thus shaking standard up.
Singles (either purchasing or trading) is the best way to build a viable constructed, but it takes time to be ready to do so.
Assorted preconstructed decks (including Planeswalker decks) are a good way to learn and find one's preferred playstyle. The first deck I built for Standard included Serra Angel (I thought the flying would be relevant), but she was shortly discarded, as my deck morphed into a hodge-podge similar to Waffle House, though relying more on Ghost Council of Orzhova and Kodama of the North Tree. Still was difficult to compete with Heartbeat decks and Greater Gifts. This was approximately a year after I learned how to play. It's been quite the journey.