So I used to play table top magic a few years ago but never really go into playing any form of actual mtg. Currently I'm trying to get back into the game more because of few of my friends invited me to join their edh playgroup so I've also been theory crafting a deck for that. Going from there I'm wondering how can I get into other formats without spending the couple hundred dollars for a deck that isn't even top tier in a competitive format? Also, how do I begin to build a collection of cards so if I feel like building a new deck I might actually have some of the cards I need lying around?
Then about my current collection. I mostly just have 2-3 of a bunch of random commons from sets ranging from New Phyrexia to Guilds. A similar thing with uncommons but just much less. Then for rares I have very few let alone very few of value other than an Ugin, Cyclonic Rift, Demonic Tutor, and Bloodstained Mire.
As a side note for building a collection I already know that drafting is a good way to build a collection but from what I've seen as well as my luck it doesn't work out to well at least right now because as I've been looking over good standard decks most require many mythics and other than that primarily uncommons which while not usually expensive they aren't something I'll probably get through drafts.
If anyone helping me out needs more information about anything just ask.
Building a collection and getting a tournament worhty deck are two very different shoes. For a tournement deck that can stand its ground you will have to lay down quite some cash just to get that deck unfortunately. Though there are good budget decks and budget versions of good decks. But you will still then only have those few cards for that one deck. That's still comparatively a lot of money for just a few pieces of cardboard. And you likely have to update it regularly, too. Definitely if you want to break into Standard and stay there. Standard decks have an expiration date. But they can then serve as a stepping stone into Modern.
Probably the best way to expand your collection besides drafting and Sealed, is deck building. Just build decks, lots of decks. Use gatherer or some other search engine to find cards that fit your ideas, or simply start with some intriguing new card and go from there. Don't limit yourself to what you have, expand based on what cards you need/want for those decks, and buy only those. Or go with some preconstructed decks, like the commander series, and tweak those to your liking. The cards will start piling up, but it won't be all the draft chaff that you don't want. Most of those cards will be things you can use for a long time.
Every once in a while, you can treat yourself to some more expensive format staples (for Modern, this doesn't work with Standard since that rotates frequently) to power up. You don't have to go from zero to 100 in a day, give it time and spend your money a little at a time.
And you can ask your friends for cards they don't need. I think, they will be more than happy to provide you with commons and uncommons from sets you haven't invested in. Those cards are just collecting dust for them, but they can give you more tools to build with.
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
What formats are being played in your area? That’s a huge consideration when collecting. There are different strategies for collecting cards in the different formmats. You also don’t want to build decks in formats that no one’s playing.
Next is your budget. Knowing this and what formats you’d like to get into will help others guide better.(Not a critique of the above advice, which is good).
Commander can be easier than it looks to aquire cards for. Buy getting preconstructed decks. Things like Deckbuilders Toolkits, a random box of Conspiracy or Battlebond, Explorers of Ixalan, Planechase, and Archenemy can net you plenty of bulk playable rares and other stuff.
Buying singles is truly the only way to get exactly what you want/need. You get less cardboard for your money this way, but you get what you need.
how can I get into other formats without spending the couple hundred dollars for a deck that isn't even top tier in a competitive format?
Avoid formats with rotation, like Standard and Brawl. When cards rotate, you are constantly forced to buy new cards as you watch cards you already bought lose value and legality.
One word to start:
Pauper
Won't cost you a lot and you can go from there.
Pauper is great and can be built fairly cheaply; it's just a matter of finding others that are willing to play it.
Personally, I play Commander, Cube, and Pauper.
- Commander is my favorite format (and I've built over 80 decks with more being devised all the time). It offers tons of variety, and politics make it fun and even the playing field when budget is a concern.
- Cube is great because you can keep replaying it over and over, gaining drafting experience and deck-building experience without spending money beyond the initial purchase of each card. If you're worried about budget, you can build a peasant cube or pauper cube or use bulk rares - there are plenty of playable cards for cheap. I've built three different cubes, and we have a blast every time we get together to play. It's also easy to find other people willing to play because they don't have to spend any money or bring any cards themselves.
- Pauper is fun and often cheap. Don't make the mistake of thinking that all commons means no power - there are plenty of very powerful pauper decks, and I've even run them against non-pauper decks.
With all three of these formats, you can typically build and then play forever. Sure, you'll want to tweak and improve over time, but you don't lose the ability to play anything just because the calendar says "that's no longer legal."
Just wondering but do you have advice on building a cube? It's something I've been looking at doing for a while but I'm not sure where to start let alone finish.
I guess no matter what you wanna do with your collection, just set a budget and try to abide by it. Also, if you can trade aggressively it would help. Even with very small gains, it piles up over time.
Trying to balance collection x making decks can be daunting. I would say make two separate budgets for each activity (they may overlap a bit) as well. Have a set plan for collecting and stick with it (like priority in what to acquire).
For instance, in my case I wanna have at least one of each English card from Revised and onward (except for some weird sets like P3K) as I started playing during that time, so I focus more on buying complete sets if possible. Also, buying collections for close to buy list prices from people stopping playing is a good way to increase your collection; however, you may need to be on the lookout for such offers as they aren't common (you can resell stuff you don't need to recoup some of the "investment"). I don't care much about foils and I'm mildly into promos. Lately I changed my focus on Reserve List cards a bit. I may buy a booster box (for the promo) and a bundle (for the booklet) just to satiate my booster cracking.
I will only make Standard decks if I happen to have cards for a T1 or T2 deck. I don't devote much of my budget making decks.
About making a cube, you need to set how much you wanna pimp it. Usually cube is a very long commitment. You gonna spend a lot on supply stuff (like sleeves, storage, token and so on) even before getting the cards for it. If you aim big, you probably want good supplies as well. Even pauper/peasant cube can be pretty pricey if you wanna acquire in one go.
A friend of mine made a quick peasant cube. The cards themselves probably cost $200 and most of the sleeves were provide for free by me (I had extra unused ones). He didn't pimp it or anything, just wanted a quick way to draft without having to spend money opening packs. In the end he only committed $50 or so (friends provided some of the cards and he had a small collection from past drafts).
I think designing a list took more time. Because it's a long term commitment, I would say take it slowly, proxy if needed (to test which card you like and dislike), and tune it. You may look at lists as reference, but I would say make some experimentation yourself. You wanna make it a very personal project. Also, don't skimp on how make your cube organized (like lands, tokens, and so on) and inventoried.
Just wondering but do you have advice on building a cube? It's something I've been looking at doing for a while but I'm not sure where to start let alone finish.
First, get a cubetutor account (totally free); I was resistant at first, but once I started using it, it became indispensable, and I couldn't imagine not using it. You can view other people's cubes, manage your cube, do test drafts, and view stats based on that drafting to help improve your cube. The playtest function is amazing - I can run through a draft in less than five minutes, and after drafting repeatedly, I get a feel for what cards I always pick and which cards I'm never happy to see, making cuts and replacements easier.
Second, you need to figure out what kind of cube you want and what size (how many players will it support). There's powered, unpowered, block, peasant, pauper, and other types. My first cube was 400-card peasant (commons and uncommons only), which is a nice balance of cost vs power and has great replayability. My second was 300-card silver bordered craziness, which is fun to play on occasion. And most recently, I built a two-headed giant microcube (140-cards) largely based around Battlebond and other multiplayer cards. The sky's the limit, and you can pick any theme or constraints you want.
And remember, you absolutely don't have to start with a perfect cube - start with cards you have and let it evolve as you acquire new cards and determine what works and what doesn't. As each set comes out, I add a couple cards if they work better than ones I'm already running.
Also, if you worry about not getting enough players, look into Winston draft and Grid draft. I've used grid draft for 1-on-1, and it was really fun.
Another question for anyone taking a look at this still, what would your opinions be on buying something like a mtg collection off a site like ebay and what amount of card to price ratio should I go for if it is a good idea?
No, don’t buy collections or bulk lots, generally speaking anyway - they tend to be terrible value, and very unlikely to have much that’s any use, as well.
Choose a format, or more than one, that you’re likely to enjoy, and that there are other players for, to game with. Then see what kind of deck appeals, for each format, and work on getting the cards for it/them. You can always start with a budget version, and uograde bit by bit over time. Or, for example, if you want to play Commander (recommended, btw), you could buy a precon from WotC - their Commander products are some of the best things they sell, and you can definitely play Commander with one of those decks, as is. Plus they’re easy to upgrade.
Some people buy random lots for funsies and make YT videos about the finds. Usually it's just a bad gamble. You may lucky out, but you will lose more often than not. You may become an experienced spotter, but again it's just luck. You also need a cost-effective way to dump bulk (lot of lots will come with 8+ of each useless cards).
If you need a price ratio, I would say if you can buy unsorted lots at buylist bulk prices (check tcg or any major buyer and compare their rates), it may be worthwhile. Sorting the cards is time consuming, even if you find amazing cards, the time consumed to just sort them (also, just looking for the offers and negotiating can be time consuming) may not be worthy depending on how much you make a hour. So at very least they should be at this low price to break even or make a small profit (usually the ebay lots are at premium prices instead of discounted price).
If you wanna buy collection, it's better to pay a bit more and know the actual content you're buying. I used to do this more in the past, but there is a lot of competition and unless it's close to buylist price (if vendors offer 30 ~ 40%, you want to buy for 35 ~ 60%), it's more cost effective to just get the singles than spend hours looking, sorting, and occasionally negotiating. If you enjoy this sorta activity, yeah it's fine. Some people just like this process.
In the end it's just a bad gamble and a huge time sinker.
How many are/will be in your play group? Will you be playing at a LGS (local game store)?
How much are you willing to spend?
What is your play style? Like to win or just want a good time?
I ask these questions because Commander gets recommended quite a bit but you need a dedicated larger play group (4 or more in my opinion). Whereas in the head to head formats you can have a buddy that you can even loan a deck out to and play whenever you find the time. Commander is very "political" and a Spike player usually doesn't make a good fit. But if that is your thing, then more power to you.
You will find your niche in time. Have fun and don't overspend.
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Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
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Then about my current collection. I mostly just have 2-3 of a bunch of random commons from sets ranging from New Phyrexia to Guilds. A similar thing with uncommons but just much less. Then for rares I have very few let alone very few of value other than an Ugin, Cyclonic Rift, Demonic Tutor, and Bloodstained Mire.
As a side note for building a collection I already know that drafting is a good way to build a collection but from what I've seen as well as my luck it doesn't work out to well at least right now because as I've been looking over good standard decks most require many mythics and other than that primarily uncommons which while not usually expensive they aren't something I'll probably get through drafts.
If anyone helping me out needs more information about anything just ask.
Probably the best way to expand your collection besides drafting and Sealed, is deck building. Just build decks, lots of decks. Use gatherer or some other search engine to find cards that fit your ideas, or simply start with some intriguing new card and go from there. Don't limit yourself to what you have, expand based on what cards you need/want for those decks, and buy only those. Or go with some preconstructed decks, like the commander series, and tweak those to your liking. The cards will start piling up, but it won't be all the draft chaff that you don't want. Most of those cards will be things you can use for a long time.
Every once in a while, you can treat yourself to some more expensive format staples (for Modern, this doesn't work with Standard since that rotates frequently) to power up. You don't have to go from zero to 100 in a day, give it time and spend your money a little at a time.
And you can ask your friends for cards they don't need. I think, they will be more than happy to provide you with commons and uncommons from sets you haven't invested in. Those cards are just collecting dust for them, but they can give you more tools to build with.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
Pauper
Won't cost you a lot and you can go from there.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Next is your budget. Knowing this and what formats you’d like to get into will help others guide better.(Not a critique of the above advice, which is good).
Commander can be easier than it looks to aquire cards for. Buy getting preconstructed decks. Things like Deckbuilders Toolkits, a random box of Conspiracy or Battlebond, Explorers of Ixalan, Planechase, and Archenemy can net you plenty of bulk playable rares and other stuff.
Buying singles is truly the only way to get exactly what you want/need. You get less cardboard for your money this way, but you get what you need.
Personally, I play Commander, Cube, and Pauper.
- Commander is my favorite format (and I've built over 80 decks with more being devised all the time). It offers tons of variety, and politics make it fun and even the playing field when budget is a concern.
- Cube is great because you can keep replaying it over and over, gaining drafting experience and deck-building experience without spending money beyond the initial purchase of each card. If you're worried about budget, you can build a peasant cube or pauper cube or use bulk rares - there are plenty of playable cards for cheap. I've built three different cubes, and we have a blast every time we get together to play. It's also easy to find other people willing to play because they don't have to spend any money or bring any cards themselves.
- Pauper is fun and often cheap. Don't make the mistake of thinking that all commons means no power - there are plenty of very powerful pauper decks, and I've even run them against non-pauper decks.
With all three of these formats, you can typically build and then play forever. Sure, you'll want to tweak and improve over time, but you don't lose the ability to play anything just because the calendar says "that's no longer legal."
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Trying to balance collection x making decks can be daunting. I would say make two separate budgets for each activity (they may overlap a bit) as well. Have a set plan for collecting and stick with it (like priority in what to acquire).
For instance, in my case I wanna have at least one of each English card from Revised and onward (except for some weird sets like P3K) as I started playing during that time, so I focus more on buying complete sets if possible. Also, buying collections for close to buy list prices from people stopping playing is a good way to increase your collection; however, you may need to be on the lookout for such offers as they aren't common (you can resell stuff you don't need to recoup some of the "investment"). I don't care much about foils and I'm mildly into promos. Lately I changed my focus on Reserve List cards a bit. I may buy a booster box (for the promo) and a bundle (for the booklet) just to satiate my booster cracking.
I will only make Standard decks if I happen to have cards for a T1 or T2 deck. I don't devote much of my budget making decks.
About making a cube, you need to set how much you wanna pimp it. Usually cube is a very long commitment. You gonna spend a lot on supply stuff (like sleeves, storage, token and so on) even before getting the cards for it. If you aim big, you probably want good supplies as well. Even pauper/peasant cube can be pretty pricey if you wanna acquire in one go.
A friend of mine made a quick peasant cube. The cards themselves probably cost $200 and most of the sleeves were provide for free by me (I had extra unused ones). He didn't pimp it or anything, just wanted a quick way to draft without having to spend money opening packs. In the end he only committed $50 or so (friends provided some of the cards and he had a small collection from past drafts).
I think designing a list took more time. Because it's a long term commitment, I would say take it slowly, proxy if needed (to test which card you like and dislike), and tune it. You may look at lists as reference, but I would say make some experimentation yourself. You wanna make it a very personal project. Also, don't skimp on how make your cube organized (like lands, tokens, and so on) and inventoried.
Second, you need to figure out what kind of cube you want and what size (how many players will it support). There's powered, unpowered, block, peasant, pauper, and other types. My first cube was 400-card peasant (commons and uncommons only), which is a nice balance of cost vs power and has great replayability. My second was 300-card silver bordered craziness, which is fun to play on occasion. And most recently, I built a two-headed giant microcube (140-cards) largely based around Battlebond and other multiplayer cards. The sky's the limit, and you can pick any theme or constraints you want.
The cube forum has a bunch of resources to help figure out what archetypes and cards you want to run. Here are a few:
Peasant Archetypes and Combos
Budget Cube cards that cost less than $2 USD
Average MTG Salvation Peasant cube
There are also some videos on YouTube. Here are just a few examples:
Beginner Cube
Intermediate Cube
Advanced Cube
Another intro video
And remember, you absolutely don't have to start with a perfect cube - start with cards you have and let it evolve as you acquire new cards and determine what works and what doesn't. As each set comes out, I add a couple cards if they work better than ones I'm already running.
Also, if you worry about not getting enough players, look into Winston draft and Grid draft. I've used grid draft for 1-on-1, and it was really fun.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Choose a format, or more than one, that you’re likely to enjoy, and that there are other players for, to game with. Then see what kind of deck appeals, for each format, and work on getting the cards for it/them. You can always start with a budget version, and uograde bit by bit over time. Or, for example, if you want to play Commander (recommended, btw), you could buy a precon from WotC - their Commander products are some of the best things they sell, and you can definitely play Commander with one of those decks, as is. Plus they’re easy to upgrade.
If you need a price ratio, I would say if you can buy unsorted lots at buylist bulk prices (check tcg or any major buyer and compare their rates), it may be worthwhile. Sorting the cards is time consuming, even if you find amazing cards, the time consumed to just sort them (also, just looking for the offers and negotiating can be time consuming) may not be worthy depending on how much you make a hour. So at very least they should be at this low price to break even or make a small profit (usually the ebay lots are at premium prices instead of discounted price).
If you wanna buy collection, it's better to pay a bit more and know the actual content you're buying. I used to do this more in the past, but there is a lot of competition and unless it's close to buylist price (if vendors offer 30 ~ 40%, you want to buy for 35 ~ 60%), it's more cost effective to just get the singles than spend hours looking, sorting, and occasionally negotiating. If you enjoy this sorta activity, yeah it's fine. Some people just like this process.
In the end it's just a bad gamble and a huge time sinker.
How much are you willing to spend?
What is your play style? Like to win or just want a good time?
I ask these questions because Commander gets recommended quite a bit but you need a dedicated larger play group (4 or more in my opinion). Whereas in the head to head formats you can have a buddy that you can even loan a deck out to and play whenever you find the time. Commander is very "political" and a Spike player usually doesn't make a good fit. But if that is your thing, then more power to you.
You will find your niche in time. Have fun and don't overspend.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."