Hi all
I'm kinda new to stuff like FNM and more competitive events and I'm just looking for some advice and good budget decks.
I have been playing magic for about a year but only causally.
the 2 cheapest competitive Standard decks atm are mono blue tempo and mono red frenzy. Both can be had for under $100. In terms of advice, Id suggest going up to you local LGS for an FNM and just spend the night watching everyone else play. You'll learn quite a bit.
1) gets you immediate value as opposed to Vraska.
2) Digs 2 cards deeper into library
3) finds you that land to cast Vivien/Carny T/Finality on curve
4) starts with high loyalty, making him harder to deal with and increasing the liklihood of multiple activations
Karn for card advantage since red loses steam quickly, phoenix's to have a bigger threat thats more difficult to deal with, & Treasure Map to feed bigger Banefire and scry away dead cards when Frenzy is in play
Supplies arent a bad idea. For a single deck I definitely recommend Dragon Shield sleeves (the Matte Sapphire are especially nice), Ultra Pro Satin Tower case, and assorted dice depending on your preference (D6, D12, D20, etc). 25x D12's + Tower + Sleeves will run about $35. Add in a playmat if you so desire and that should eat up the entirety of the gift card
My question is, what next? I got a gift card to Amazon and was debating picking up a booster box of something but am unsure of what. I don't want to waste it, it is a $50 credit. I'd put the rest on my card, I know boosters are more than $50. I am not sure what the next best move would be at this point. I want a midrange deck but they are way too pricey up front for me right now. My favorite deck is Golgari midrange. I would almost prefer more of a midrange-y deck, then pretty evenly aggro and control.
If you want to play competitive paper magic, Id suggest selling the gift card for cash value and then using the return to buy singles. It's the best way to build a deck. Otherwise you'll just be wasting money on random cards you don't want/need.
If you cant unload the gift card, then I'd suggest buying a case (not a box) and putting the gift card towards that. You still end up with the problem I described above, but you should pull enough value where you can sell/trade to get what you need if you're patient enough
A hard shell offers more external protection than a sleeve. I've noticed with the Ultra Pro magnetic hard cases the card slips around a bit so I figured there might be a case that allows for a sleeved card to better lock in the fit, not too tight but also no movement, for added protection. I worry if the case was moved around and a card is slipping inside that the contact with the case could harm the card. The sleeve also helps reduce the amount of air in the case pocket.
yes, that one. You could always try putting 2 cards back to back in a penny sleeve if you needed added thickness.
the 1" ultra pro lucite screwdown advertises as being useable with sleeves. I bought one via amazon just yesterday for a gift for my daughter. I am unsure if by sleeves they mean something like a standard Dragonshield or a perfect fit.
Out of curiosity, why the need for sleeves plus the hard case protector?
1) gets you immediate value as opposed to Vraska.
2) Digs 2 cards deeper into library
3) finds you that land to cast Vivien/Carny T/Finality on curve
4) starts with high loyalty, making him harder to deal with and increasing the liklihood of multiple activations
If you want to play competitive paper magic, Id suggest selling the gift card for cash value and then using the return to buy singles. It's the best way to build a deck. Otherwise you'll just be wasting money on random cards you don't want/need.
If you cant unload the gift card, then I'd suggest buying a case (not a box) and putting the gift card towards that. You still end up with the problem I described above, but you should pull enough value where you can sell/trade to get what you need if you're patient enough
Out of curiosity, why the need for sleeves plus the hard case protector?