I got four packs (I still have to get lands) and I noticed that some decks have dupes. Is it necessary and why?
How much does it usually cost to enter draft tournaments in shops?
What are the best sleeves to protect the corners of the cards? I have a fear that even though I already have sleeves there will still be some damage when playing (no pun intended.
Fat pack, event deck, clash pack or booster packs? Which is more worthy?
Is it worth getting that Star City loot box?
And lastly, any tips for building a multicolored and red/black deck? Thanks in advance.
Are you talking about decks you see in tournaments? If you're asking if having 4-ofs of the cards in your deck is important, then yes, very. It really helps to eliminate the variance you'd see if your deck was only made up of singles. If you look at most decks their core cards are all 4-ofs. Extra flourishes or minor elements of the decks range from 2-3 usually.
Most shops I've been to have been $5-7 to play a standard tournament. Bigger events cost more because bigger prizes. Prize support varies store to store too. Some give packs, others credit. Some focus more on the people that win while other give prizes a little farther down the bracket. Modern or legacies events seem to tend to be a little more per day than standard.
Sleeves are a personal preference. KMCs and Dragon Shields are the big favorites where I play. Really anything above penny sleeves should protect them well enough though assuming you're not going crazy with the cards.
Honestly if you're going to build a deck find what you want to build and just buy the singles. The chances of even making your money back on any boxed products is really small. Find out what you want to play (you can even proxy it up with friends first just to get a feel to see if you like it before you buy anything), and just buy the singles. If you buy boxes you're going to have some of everything, but not a lot of something.
Red and Black tend to be paired together as aggro colors. There's lots of cheap, efficient early game threats in both. You're probably going to want to look for the aggressive creatures and burn spells. What kind of deck are you looking at building?
Is there a format that's standard except for sets that are out of rotation?
I'm a little confused, are you asking if there's a format that's got the same 2 blocks 1 core set structure as standard, just with older sets? No, probably not unless your local play group does it specially. If you're asking for formats that never rotate old sets out, there's options.
Modern is 8th edition through everything in standard. There's a banned cards list, but it's mostly the overly strong cards. It's usually quite a bit more expensive than standard to start, but it's usually seen as a one time deck purchase rather than the constant repurchasing of new decks to keep up with standard. Modern changes, but pretty slowly. Usually some new toys in each set are good enough for modern and are incorporated in. It's quite a diverse format.
Legacy is from the beginning of Magic on, and also has quite an extensive banned list. Again, some of the strongest cards Wizards have ever printed (like the power nine) are on there. It's one of the most expensive formats. Decks don't run cheap usually, and there's a lot of oddball stuff that makes it not for everyone. There's a lot of people that enjoy it though. It changes incredibly slowly though. The power level needed for a card to be considered for Legacy play is high. New toys are few and far between.
Event decks are a pretty good place to start if you are looking to play Standard. Packs are good to play Limited, but not a great investment if you are trying to play typical constructed formats like Standard or Modern.
A draft of current sets is usually in the $15-$20 range.
Thanks man. I don't have the time to reply to everything you said but I'll make sure to read it later. Anyway i'm talking about a format (just like standard) except it can have sets that are out from the rotation. I think the closest thing is the Legacy format?
Thanks man. I don't have the time to reply to everything you said but I'll make sure to read it later. Anyway i'm talking about a format (just like standard) except it can have sets that are out from the rotation. I think the closest thing is the Legacy format?
Legacy is everything Magic's ever printed. The only limits are what's on the banned list. Modern is 8th edition to today. Minus their banned list. If you're looking to play where nothing ever rotates those are your formats. Legacy's really expensive though, so if you're set on making a legacy deck make sure you know there's people in your area willing to play it. You are talking like $1,500-3,000 on the upper tier decks in the format after all.
I got four packs (I still have to get lands) and I noticed that some decks have dupes. Is it necessary and why?
Having multiple copies of a card in your deck increases the chances you will draw it during a game. Most tournament decks have a very specific game plan, and want to always get the same cards, so that they can win more efficiently, more often. There are some reasons to run fewer than 4 copies of a given card, but by and large you'll see people running 4 copies of every card in their deck other than basic lands.
How much does it usually cost to enter draft tournaments in shops?
Most drafts cost about the same as the price of 3 packs. If the entry fee is higher, that money is most likely going towards the tournament's prize pool. Tournaments are generally designed to get people in the door rather than make money themselves; as any store owner will tell you, the biggest hurdle to getting a sale is getting someone to walk in the door, and tournaments accomplish that.
What are the best sleeves to protect the corners of the cards? I have a fear that even though I already have sleeves there will still be some damage when playing (no pun intended.
UltraPro, Dragon Shield, and KMC are the top brands. If you're buying solid-color sleeves (as opposed to sleeves with images), there are few differences in quality.
If you are paranoid about protecting your cards, you can get "perfect fit" sleeves, which fit inside of the standard sleeves, and you can double-sleeve your deck. You put the card in the perfect fit sleeve upside-down, and then put the perfect fit sleeve in the standard sleeve so the card is right-side up, and then the card isn't directly open to the air, and it's more protected than in a single sleeve. (KMC also produces "character guard" sleeves, which a standard sleeve can fit inside. If you really want to, you can triple sleeve your deck!)
Fat pack, event deck, clash pack or booster packs? Which is more worthy?
Fat pack is only worth the money (in comparison to buying regular packs) if you want the extras that come with it: basic lands, deck boxes, spindown die, booklet, poster, and the fat pack box itself.
Event Decks and Clash Packs have the same set of cards in them, so they're only worth it if you want some or all of the cards within, and you can't buy those cards as singles for cheaper. Event decks tend to be higher-powered than clash packs.
Booster Packs are only really worth their money if you enjoy gambling. You are almost guaranteed to get the cards you want for cheaper if you buy singles.
Is there a format that's standard except for sets that are out of rotation?
The most common constructed formats available:
Standard
Modern
Legacy
Vintage
Commander
Only Standard rotates. Modern only permits cards from 8th edition forwards. Commander requires 100 card decks (with no duplicates other than basic lands), one of which is a legendary creature and the other 99 cards must have a color identity which is a subset of the commander's color identity. Commander has some alternate rules during play from the other formats, as well.
I was talking about Modern this whole time................:rolleyes:
I doubt that starting with the modern format would be a particularly great idea. You have a very large cardpool and decks can be both powerful and complex (and expensive to boot). If you are just learning the game, you would likely end up getting frustrated/confused. While there are many problems with the standard format (IMO), it is a reasonable place to start the game--generally more intuitive, smaller cardpool, etc. Really, you should just check out your local shops and find the one that has a more casual FNM crowd--it'll probably be a good place to cut your teeth. Let them know you are just starting out--sometimes there are people who are willing to show you the ropes, which is usually a good thing.
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Oh darn I didn't explain myself very well. It will be a long time before I could start joining tournaments. I'm just asking for now because I'm worried I have to get new cards all the time for standard. Anyways, I'll have to practice and build up my collection for now. :-D
And I shouldn't worry about people. This is part of the Geek culture people will help each other out (I wish XD).
Thanks man.
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I got four packs (I still have to get lands) and I noticed that some decks have dupes. Is it necessary and why?
How much does it usually cost to enter draft tournaments in shops?
What are the best sleeves to protect the corners of the cards? I have a fear that even though I already have sleeves there will still be some damage when playing (no pun intended.
Fat pack, event deck, clash pack or booster packs? Which is more worthy?
Is it worth getting that Star City loot box?
And lastly, any tips for building a multicolored and red/black deck? Thanks in advance.
Is there a format that's standard except for sets that are out of rotation?
Most shops I've been to have been $5-7 to play a standard tournament. Bigger events cost more because bigger prizes. Prize support varies store to store too. Some give packs, others credit. Some focus more on the people that win while other give prizes a little farther down the bracket. Modern or legacies events seem to tend to be a little more per day than standard.
Sleeves are a personal preference. KMCs and Dragon Shields are the big favorites where I play. Really anything above penny sleeves should protect them well enough though assuming you're not going crazy with the cards.
Honestly if you're going to build a deck find what you want to build and just buy the singles. The chances of even making your money back on any boxed products is really small. Find out what you want to play (you can even proxy it up with friends first just to get a feel to see if you like it before you buy anything), and just buy the singles. If you buy boxes you're going to have some of everything, but not a lot of something.
Red and Black tend to be paired together as aggro colors. There's lots of cheap, efficient early game threats in both. You're probably going to want to look for the aggressive creatures and burn spells. What kind of deck are you looking at building?
I'm a little confused, are you asking if there's a format that's got the same 2 blocks 1 core set structure as standard, just with older sets? No, probably not unless your local play group does it specially. If you're asking for formats that never rotate old sets out, there's options.
Modern is 8th edition through everything in standard. There's a banned cards list, but it's mostly the overly strong cards. It's usually quite a bit more expensive than standard to start, but it's usually seen as a one time deck purchase rather than the constant repurchasing of new decks to keep up with standard. Modern changes, but pretty slowly. Usually some new toys in each set are good enough for modern and are incorporated in. It's quite a diverse format.
Legacy is from the beginning of Magic on, and also has quite an extensive banned list. Again, some of the strongest cards Wizards have ever printed (like the power nine) are on there. It's one of the most expensive formats. Decks don't run cheap usually, and there's a lot of oddball stuff that makes it not for everyone. There's a lot of people that enjoy it though. It changes incredibly slowly though. The power level needed for a card to be considered for Legacy play is high. New toys are few and far between.
A draft of current sets is usually in the $15-$20 range.
Legacy is everything Magic's ever printed. The only limits are what's on the banned list. Modern is 8th edition to today. Minus their banned list. If you're looking to play where nothing ever rotates those are your formats. Legacy's really expensive though, so if you're set on making a legacy deck make sure you know there's people in your area willing to play it. You are talking like $1,500-3,000 on the upper tier decks in the format after all.
Most drafts cost about the same as the price of 3 packs. If the entry fee is higher, that money is most likely going towards the tournament's prize pool. Tournaments are generally designed to get people in the door rather than make money themselves; as any store owner will tell you, the biggest hurdle to getting a sale is getting someone to walk in the door, and tournaments accomplish that.
UltraPro, Dragon Shield, and KMC are the top brands. If you're buying solid-color sleeves (as opposed to sleeves with images), there are few differences in quality.
If you are paranoid about protecting your cards, you can get "perfect fit" sleeves, which fit inside of the standard sleeves, and you can double-sleeve your deck. You put the card in the perfect fit sleeve upside-down, and then put the perfect fit sleeve in the standard sleeve so the card is right-side up, and then the card isn't directly open to the air, and it's more protected than in a single sleeve. (KMC also produces "character guard" sleeves, which a standard sleeve can fit inside. If you really want to, you can triple sleeve your deck!)
Fat pack is only worth the money (in comparison to buying regular packs) if you want the extras that come with it: basic lands, deck boxes, spindown die, booklet, poster, and the fat pack box itself.
Event Decks and Clash Packs have the same set of cards in them, so they're only worth it if you want some or all of the cards within, and you can't buy those cards as singles for cheaper. Event decks tend to be higher-powered than clash packs.
Booster Packs are only really worth their money if you enjoy gambling. You are almost guaranteed to get the cards you want for cheaper if you buy singles.
The most common constructed formats available:
Standard
Modern
Legacy
Vintage
Commander
Only Standard rotates. Modern only permits cards from 8th edition forwards. Commander requires 100 card decks (with no duplicates other than basic lands), one of which is a legendary creature and the other 99 cards must have a color identity which is a subset of the commander's color identity. Commander has some alternate rules during play from the other formats, as well.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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Signature courtesy of Rivenor and Miraculous Recovery
EDH Altered Cards by Galspanic (Seriously, this guy's awesome.)
My Pauper Cube
Tapped-Out Simulator
My Trade Thread
-Decks-
Commander:
GWR Rith, the Awakener RWG
U Kami of the Crescent Moon U (Flagship Deck)
BW Teysa, Orzhov Scion WB
Under Construction:
UBR Crosis, the Purger RBU
Cube:
WUBRGX Pauper XGRBUW
I doubt that starting with the modern format would be a particularly great idea. You have a very large cardpool and decks can be both powerful and complex (and expensive to boot). If you are just learning the game, you would likely end up getting frustrated/confused. While there are many problems with the standard format (IMO), it is a reasonable place to start the game--generally more intuitive, smaller cardpool, etc. Really, you should just check out your local shops and find the one that has a more casual FNM crowd--it'll probably be a good place to cut your teeth. Let them know you are just starting out--sometimes there are people who are willing to show you the ropes, which is usually a good thing.
And I shouldn't worry about people. This is part of the Geek culture people will help each other out (I wish XD).
Thanks man.