Thinking of Starting a Patreon to Give People Free $10 Commander Decks

enpc says... #2

$10 is insanely cheap for a commander deck. I would recommend trying to create a few lists of different commanders and get an actual idea of price - I think you'll find that even an ultra budget list will be closer to the $30 mark which significantly changes your model.

December 11, 2019 4:42 p.m.

SynergyBuild says... #3

Also, it's really dangerous to call your deck the first good deck that is $10, as well it is super subjective and vague, and your deck isn't $10. It's 13 on the low end. http://tappedout.net/mtg-deck-folders/20-decks-4/ would be a list of like 10+ lists that are 'close to $10' I made like forever ago. Point is that you aren't doing a favor to say you 'designed the first, best $10 deck' when you weren't the first, it isn't the best, and it isn't $10.

Now we can argue semantics about it being the best, but even if it was, I think anyone that wanted to buy someone else a deck to support the community wouldn't give them a stock, worse version of a precon that isn't even as cheap as it is advertised.

So no, I don't think people would be interested.

You want advice? Stop acting like you 'designed' something amazing, or that you are the first, or that you are the best, as the title: "The First Good $10 Commander Deck on Tapped Out" implies.

December 11, 2019 5:33 p.m.

Boza says... #4

I have to ask about the economics of the whole thing:

10$ from someone on Patreon
10$ when buy the cards minus Shipping and handling
0$ Net gain

Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

Plus, on Patreon, it is good idea to provide something your patrons cannot do themselves. I can go to tcg right now, spend 13 bucks and buy that deck. How supporting you on Patreon or Venmo-ing you cash change that?

The best ideas if you want to make $ from magic right now is to:

1/ Spike a tournament
2/ Write some articles for some websites and possibly get paid at some point if you are good at it.

December 12, 2019 3:52 a.m. Edited.

Deadpoo111 says... #5

I should have clarified, this isn't for profit. This is mostly to get new people into the game, if I was trying to make money, I'd do something else

December 12, 2019 9:09 a.m.

Deadpoo111 says... #6

Pardon me, that was meant to say that I can't afford to purchase all of said decks by myself, even though they are only ten dollars. You're right, I should've phrased it better

December 12, 2019 9:36 a.m.

Caerwyn says... #7

As I read this, Boza and TypicalTimmy, the goal is not to turn a profit, but rather give out starter commander decks, netting zero profit. As I read it, this would be akin to the 40-card constructed decks many LGSes give out to entice new players.

However, there are a ton of flaws with this plan:

People donate on Patreon because they expect something tangible in return--usually a continuation of content they enjoy watching. A nebulous deck giveaway to support people other than the content creator does not seem like it would be a big draw.
Your plan is to give out the deck at school and your LGS, neither of which are going to be too large of a community. Giving out the same deck to multiple members of said community would quickly saturate the meta.
Your deck seems rather linear, which is fine--provided the recipient likes that particular style of play. But Magic is about more than ramping and slamming big spells, and that playstyle does not appeal to a good number of players.
Your deck doesn't really serve as a jumping off point for something more competitive. There's a reason the deck's cost is so low--it only has one playable card: Swamp .
I presume your ultimate aim is to get more people into Magic. That's fine and dandy, but you're not going to do that by just giving away a mediocre deck--you need to encourage the individual that the game is fun and is something they want to put their time, effort, and money into. That means fostering an environment where others want to play, and giving them enough diversity in their deck options to keep the game exciting.

My advice: Start building a bunch of budget decks yourself that are commensurate with Precons in terms of power. Given how mediocre precons tend to be, that is not really a difficult task--depending on how many cards you have sitting about, you can probably throw together a few using the bulk rares/uncommons you already own.

Once you go to college, it should be pretty easy to find people who are interested in Magic, but have never played. By having a diverse set of decks on-hand you can lend out when organizing games, you'll be able to create an environment where players can learn and flesh out what type of player they are.

Related note: In general, Magic should never be the first "nerd game" you introduce someone to. If someone is only familiar with Sorry, Clue, Monopoly, or the other classic games, they often get intimidated by Magic's myriad complexities and the seemingly infinite options when deckbuilding.

I'd recommend investing in Settlers of Catan--a game that bridges the gap between traditional board games and "nerd games"--as well as Munchkin--a game that serves as a good gateway drug to Magic. Both will serve you better in terms of getting players to join Magic than handing out a bunch of budget decks for free.

December 12, 2019 9:48 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #8

Culmination of everything from my perspective, also I am waiting for a response, Deadpoo111 from my previous post, but if you'd rather not respond, or if you didn't see it, consider this a simple reminder.

enpc While we 100% agree that the price listed here is not going to work, I think it could possibly work if given a specific amount of heavily played or damaged cards. This however doesn't rectify any of the other main concerns with the deck and model. You bring up a pretty valuable point here.

Boza Without net gain, you are actually completely correct, cost of shipping, taxes, etc. would actually make this a complete loss for someone who is saving for college (Best of luck with that, Deadpoo111, I hope you get all of the scholarships you can get for it!) for each person they give the deck to, even including damaged or heavily played cards. Additionally, yeah there is heavy doubt this would be effective at all in terms of people paying for other random strangers to get something they could pay for themselves. Another valuable point!

TypicalTimmy I totally agree that if the goal is profiting off of these, that would be best, and then perhaps if you have a wide variety of decklists of different prices, in different playstyles, constantly making more and more, this would be a very interesting and perhaps popular channel. The income could go back into the channel, or into making decks and giving them out to help the community, which seems to be the goal, this could actually work pretty well, if not for the singular, extremely limited and linear deck being the only one, and being obnoxiously narcissistic about it.

Deadpoo111 Without a profit, you would be spending taxes, shipping, and time to help people, so no matter what there is a time-based and monetary cost to helping each person. Assuming a ton of people try this, you will be drained if you promised to make one deck per ten dollars. In fact it seems as though you haven't thought this through, the time taking to prepare the decks, giving them out, getting them in a box or even if you just stack the cards and rubber band them up, getting all of these weirdly specific cards at perfect prices in large numbers to mass produce these decks is almost absurd as an idea, considering it could be more than a full-time job if it blows up, and you don't get paid at all, but a ton of transactions costs would be draining you. I don't see how this is feasible, let alone useful or wanted.

Caerwyn As usual, great, indepth comment, Caerwyn, and you touched on too many topics for me to analyze them each indepth, but I'll go over your main 9ish (1-5 and the 4 remaining paragraphs) briefly.

Patreon can also just be to a cause that people like, perhaps people could buy decks but the people they know aren't interested or already play, in that scenario I actually could see donations, that isn't to say they would, but since you just said it wouldn't be a big draw, I 100% agree with you there are issues in the actual product attempting to be crowd-funded.
I agree, luckily I was imagining that this kind of issue could be solved by making multiple, varied decks, in color and strategy, even if the cards aren't good in any of them, a casual meta is a meta. Issues arise as players like the game and quickly upgrade decks for a few dollars and start dominating, or when the casual meta attempts to converge with the normal LGS meta. Because of that this requires both more decks of similar power level and similar cost, and also an insurance policy if decks get out of hand.
Couldn't have said it better, this is a pretty big issue when trying to introduce players into the game and you just give them a pile of cards that don't show them how varied the game could really be. Bad first impressions last.
100% agree. Touched on this issue a bit with the point 2.
100% agree, also touched on this with points 2&3.

Quickly responding to the other points here to try to help wrap this convo up for Deadpoo111, your advice is great, more effectively player-built precons of similar build is great, waiting until college to find more interest players may or may not work, idk, I think that Magic can be used as a first game for 'nerds' but specifically commander is much too complex. I could teach people MTG by tossing Arena's pretty well-built tutorial on them, but commander is another story. Idk much about Settlers of Catan or Munchkin to comment on the last one.

Overall great points by everyone, enpc, Boza, TypicalTimmy and Caerwyn!

Does this help answer your initial questions, Deadpoo111?

December 12, 2019 10:36 a.m.

FSims81 says... #9

Deadpoo111, if you want to take the idea of your deck and share it with people then do it. You're already sharing it here on Tapped Out, but if you want to gift it to people as well, then do so. Start your Patreon, people will either sign up or not. You don't need anyone here to advise you if it is a good idea or not. I personally like the idea of what you're planning on doing. One thing I would suggest is contacting local game shops in and around your area and seeing if they would be interested in "partnering" with you on this. You would essentially send them the decks, or even better the cash for the cards to build the decks (support your LGS), and they could provide them to those interested parties in their stores. I think this is fun and all the previous comments withstanding, if you want to try it then try it.

December 12, 2019 10:54 a.m. Edited.

SynergyBuild says... #10

FSims81 100% agree, if you want to try it, Deadpoo111, go for it, but FSims81, Deadpoo111 asked for advice, and the fact that they went for this community for help meant we gave them that advice. Remember currently it is also only one deck, so partnering with them wouldn't require them to get multiple decks per se, especially if you want them to build the decks.

Additionally, as with my issues with the cost being innacurate when including additional fees, you would be pushing that cost to the LGS, which isn't exactly supporting them.

December 12, 2019 11:22 a.m.

Caerwyn says... #11

Thought that just popped into my head: One of SynergyBuild's and my complaints was the lack of diversity resultant from a single deck.

If you are looking to make another ~$10 deck with a very different play-style, consider Talrand, Sky Summoner . Talrand makes a really good budget/starter commander-- Opt , Mana Leak , and Negate are all dirt cheap and will be useful cards for future builds. Counterspell only costs about $1.00, and is fully worth 1/10th the deck's cost. Beyond that, there are plenty of three-mana Blue counters/draw cards that are cheap and playable at the budget level and a number of high-mana-cost Blue creatures that make solid finishers.

December 12, 2019 11:49 a.m.

Deadpoo111 says... #12

Sorry this response took so long, just lots of things to respond to, if I don't answer something please point it out so I can do so.

enpc: I totally agree! I've been thinking of expanding past Macar, but I want to finish the Mulligan guide and the Upgrade guide first. I'm especially excited for Mowu, Loyal Companion ! It seems really strong!

TypicalTimmy: I believe I already answered your question, please tell me if I didn't so I can

SynergyBuild: So I've got a few things to answer here. First, the deck is $9.89 at base in NM/M condition on Star City Games, so your claim of $13 on the low end is ridiculous. I specifically say I exclude shipping, lands, and tax. Essentially this whole "fake advertising" point is false, do some research and read the disclaimer before you call someone a liar. To go onto your "advice" as you call it:

1) I know abut your budget folder, hell I love it, but none of the commander decks in it are $10, none of them even claim to be so I'll be keeping the name, thank you kindly!

2) The name attracts players, which furthers the decks goal of spreading to new players

3) You know what? I did design something amazing, 165 Upvotes, 79 Folders, and constant feedback from happy players don't lie. Even if it helped one person, it's amazing and I have multiple instances of proof that it has.

4) This is "The First Good $10 Commander Deck on Tapped Out" Are your decks $10? No. Did I claim this deck is better than them? No. We are operating on two different spectrums and you're claiming we're on the same one, hell the title has gone through changes throughout the decks history when it inspired a $10 deck trend.

To wrap up your first comment, I think it was more a product of salt. Let's talk about the next comment, I like the wrap up! Definitely helps me in writing this response. I agree, that the promise of $10 per deck is not possible so it would have to go to something like $12 to help pay for tax and then buy them in bulk to save on shipping expenses. On the "useful" or "feasible" argument, I would say it is. I've met a lot of players just in my area that want to get into commander but either don't know how or don't have the money, and that's not including conventions and my (multiple) game stores. As for the time consumption, I already have a few volunteers willing to help out/donate a few of the cards to get us started. In the end, your advice had meaning, it just feels like you based it on how offended you were, which hey that's okay, I didn't choose a name like that and not expect lashback.

Boza: That's a really good point! And I think the points on why people would donate are something to look into. I know I've already said it, but this isn't for profit. What would you suggest as some incentives to get people to donate?

Caerwyn: okay, so I'll answer each of your points in order, if that's alright.

1) I completely agree, just like I said in the comment right above, what would you suggest as an incentive to get people to donate?

2) Yes, that is a rather low number, but when I go into college, that number severely increases, I could use the rest of this grade to set up, prepare, and then next year execute the plan. Would you suggest something different (other than not doing the idea)

3) I mean, the purpose of the deck is to control the board and get out big threats in the form of Ulamog's Crusher and Aradara Express , from a lot of reviews (both on and off site) from new players, they tend to love the deck because it's simple. It's also not super linear because you can upgrade it to a full fledged macar deck (which can also be rather diverse).

4) Swamp is the best card? I guess we've just forgotten about Mobile Garrison , Ulamog's Crusher , King Macar, the Gold-Cursed , and Kaya's Ghostform . You should probably look at the decklist before you make a claim like that.

5) I agree that I should diversify the deck choices, I talked about that earlier.

I totally agree that college will open up a lot of opportunities! Thanks so much for the advice, I'll definitely take it into consideration. Finally, with your Talrand point, I absolutely agree! I think the Commander's Quarters just made a $9.95 Talrand deck, it's super cool. That's definitely an option. Thanks again!

FSims81: Appreciate the love! The lgs idea is really interesting and it's certainly something I'll look into. I think that could solve a number of problems outlined in this forum. If I do that, I will have to make more decks, luckily wizards supplies, I suppose. I talked more about this in comment above.

December 12, 2019 12:44 p.m.

Caerwyn says... #13

Point 1: You could try making something tangible, such as a set of articles on TappedOut or a set of videos about the process for designing budget decks for new players and then how to approach teaching new players the game.

Point 2: You'll still have a lot of intermixing at college--you'll find a lot of people interested in Magic, but not so many that you'll want 2+ copies of the same deck floating about. The only real fix is diversifying the decks.

Point 3: To each their own--I'd personally have found this deck quite dull to play when I just started out. As I think you understand, it's good to have a mix of hyper-aggressive, counter-control, midrange, etc. when teaching new players the game.

Point 4: I'll stand by my statement-- Swamp is the only card in your 99 that I'd want in a more competitive deck. Pretty much everything else can be upgraded to something more efficient. That is what I meant--not that Swamp was the best card; merely that it's the only one that remains playable as the owner develops their deck.

Compare to my Talrand suggestion, which, at a minimum has four budget cards I'd want in future builds (Opt, Mana Leak, Counterspell, Negate--I suppose Island as well). That's a much better starting point--each of those cards is playable from ultra-budget to cEDH levels.

December 12, 2019 1:04 p.m.

FSims81 says... #14

Reading through Caerwyn last post, I think I see the disconnect here. Most of the people responding with some change to the very simple idea of "i made a thing, i'm proud of my thing, I'd like to share my thing" are all established or seemingly established EDH players. I don't think this deck, or the idea that Deadpoo111 has right now is for that player.

Now someone like me, for example, who does not play EDH but may have a fleeting interest in sitting down with some of those players at my LGS looks at this completely different. For very little of my hard-earned money, I can acquire a deck that someone else has taken the time to put together and learn the game. I don't have to have the cards, put a list together, order them individually online if my LGS doesn't have them for some reason. I just support this kid's Patreon, and get a ready to play deck that I can make changes to or upgrade if I decide I enjoy playing in the format.

Are there ways to make the idea better? Absolutely, every idea can be better. Is this the best deck in the world? No, it is, after all, an idea and we just covered all ideas can be better. Is it possible this deck would be $10 here or $13 elsewhere? Sure, why not, card prices fluctuate. I don't think $10 is the point so much as this was simply "Hey guys, I'm proud of this thing I've done that some other people on this site seem to enjoy and I think this might be a fun way to share it. Thoughts?" I really do love the idea behind it and the potential for growth and doing something nice for the magic community is there if we don't kill the kid's passion for it by tearing it down immediately.

December 12, 2019 1:37 p.m.

SynergyBuild says... #15

I'm back, give me a moment to finish things up really quickly!

December 12, 2019 3:01 p.m.

Caerwyn says... #16

FSims81 - Let me rephrase in an effort to clear the air.

I actually find this deck to be rather neat for a budget build and think it would be a good addition to an LGS' loaner collection or the arsenal of someone who teaches others to plan Magic.

But the question was not for thoughts on the deck--it was on whether this deck would be a good item for a new player to get for free.

To that, I would still say no--the deck's pieces are fairly quickly outclassed (even by cards in the $.50 to $1.00 range) or so specialized that they do not work with other commanders. I think the first deck someone owns should be something that grows with them, and contains some pieces they can use for many years to come (I know I still feel a bit nostalgic whenever I play one of my old, but still relevant, Odyssey cards). I'm not sure that this deck meets that criteria--instead, it seems to work best as something that will remain put together as-is, admirably serving its duty as a borrowed deck for casual, new-player-focused kitchen table matchups.

I don't think that position is "tearing down" the deck--merely suggesting that it might not be the best to fulfill one specific, somewhat unusual purpose.

December 12, 2019 3:08 p.m. Edited.

SynergyBuild says... #17

Okay, time to get writing, Deadpoo111, this is gonna take a bit, so please bear with me. I am going to run through your response rather quickly, and I came up with about 4 separate ideas running back and forth in different parts, so if they aren't the same point just tell me and I will respond to each part individually!

Your list currently sits at $11.53 on tcgplayer, before I just used the built-in tcgplayer price/tappedout estimate, but I forgot that includes basic lands and can mess with the result. Point still stands that it is over $10

Your second point was about my decks, I didn't intend to claim I made better or more cheap decks, I most certainly didn't make cheaper ones for EDH, and I didn't try to claim it, looking back that was misleading. I was intending to claim that there are separate similarly cheap decks that are good, so if you claimed 'close enough' to $10 it wouldn't be an adequate response. I know that you have some strange notion it actually is $10, but that is seemingly false, by tcgplayer.

Perhaps elsewhere, at an LGS somewhere where shipping isn't an issue this could be $10 or less, but I don't have those numbers. The numbers I have show that it isn't $10, and even if it is wrong, calling me ridiculous is naive or intentionally misleading, idk which.

The third point was something about how you did something amazing. That is subjective, I can claim it isn't, you can claim it is, really a simple point, we disagree, no worries here man, I didn't want to mess you over by that, just a simple comment.

The fourth is the only one I am legitimately upset by, you clearly went over how I was offended, salty, or lashing back with whatever motive you want to assign to me. Assigning motive is an extremely underhanded and misleading tool. I was never salty, you told people I was with no evidence. I did my research, you told people I didn't with no evidence. I wasn't offended at the time, you told people I was with no evidence. I never called you a liar, you said I did with no evidence. Does that sound like I am being 'ridiculous?'

Those are my logical responses to your strange dismissals of what I wrote. If that doesn't suit you, how about a response in favor of you.

I actually am really happy you are making more. I quite enjoy helping new players and trying to build and give decks out. I do it quite often, giving people 100-200 dollar edh decks tuned and made for them if they are a close enough friend, or $20 decks to new and inspiring players even for formats I don't play. I ask for the metagame details for playgroups across the other side of the world to help build decks for people that ask me to, given colors, budget, level of competition, format, playstyle, you name it. The fact that someone else is making stock versions of what I do brings me great joy.

In fact, I want to help you, I don't think I would spend money online without knowing exactly where it goes to, but I would help build decks for you in your same theme, with any budget, commander, colors, playstyle, competitive level, etc. I would enjoy helping you, if you made sure that you weren't going to make blanket clickbait statements, mislead other people with serious complaints by using straw-men arguments, and were more helping people than bragging about doing so.

So, up to you what this means, whether you will take this as a helping hand in giving more players more decks, or as an insult to what an amazing and incredible deck you've made, but I made in about an hour a deck that costs 9.88 without basics, or 10.18 with basics for Edh that I barely had to think about:

$10 Edric Dorks

Commander / EDH SynergyBuild

9 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

Otherwise, for FSims81, I agree, let's not tear down any deck ideas or work. I wouldn't dream of it. I will show flaws in them and how to fix them if they ask for advice.

Caerwyn I mean I straight agree until you say Opt and Mana Leak are cEDH playable xD

December 12, 2019 3:25 p.m.

FSims81 says... #18

Caerwyn as you elaborated to re-state your position, allow me to do so as well. I didn't intend the use of the phrase "tear down" to speak to your suggestions regarding the deck. I'm sure your comments on the deck and the changes that could be made are perfectly accurate. I mainly meant that the idea behind what Deadpoo111 is trying to do here is being pretty well torn apart for various reasons that I, as one individual, don't agree with. I also feel like that kind of response to something that is really innocent and fun, like this idea, can be fairly hurtful to someone with a passion for something. I also don't mean to imply that it is you solely "tearing this down" but most of the commenting in general. What I garnered from your response was that this idea is clearly not for established EDH players. You (the collective group) have time in the format and a more basic deck like this would not appeal to you when you probably have scores of cards that could upgrade or replace it already. That's why I specifically mentioned myself as a player who stays more in the standard and draft pool. Sure I have thousands of cards to look through and build from, or instead I can spend a small amount and grab myself a deck someone else put together and go from there. I would have an interest in this idea of a platform to support creators that rewards me with their creation. Maybe we don't call it a Patreon but a store instead.

SynergyBuild I'm glad that we are on the same page about not tearing down deck ideas or work. I've seen you comment on plenty here and I know you provide great help and ideas to those requesting them. I'm just not sure Deadpoo111 was asking for deck help here. Granted, his post is vague because it does say "Any advice?" But I'm fairly confident that they were just asking for advice or thoughts on the idea of building and sending their proud creation to interested parties via Patreon. Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted from what I believe the OP to be about to discussing how good this deck is in the EDH environment, or what it costs (though to be fair you've both shown that it can be above or below $10 depending on where you buy).

I don't think anyone who commented did so with the intent to be malicious regarding the OP. However reading back through the comments there is a very clear, very quick disconnect between what is being asked and the responses given that feels very attacky. Everyone has the right to their own opinion about things, and mine is just that this idea could seemingly be something grand and fun if the response to it is supportive and/or constructive rather than destructive. Nothing wrong with criticism, but it can both build and destroy. I know which I'd rather do with mine

December 12, 2019 3:58 p.m.

SynergyBuild says... #19

FSims81 I am glad we agree! He seemed to respond to my message as though that was what he wanted though!

December 12, 2019 4:02 p.m.

Deadpoo111 says... #20

Well, I believe this will be my final post on this thread. I feel I was much too vague, and I apologize for that.

First I believe we need to reestablish what the discussion is about, this isn't a discussion of whether the deck is good, whether it stands up to the various tests etc...Hell, you could replace the deck, I mostly wanted advice or opinions on whether an idea like this could work, whether a patreon to put decks in the hands of new players could work. I'll admit, I certainly got pulled in, and lost focus of trying to get an actual answer. I understand that the title of my deck offends or seems misleading to some, I did not make that the title without research, nor did I post the post the price without research or explanation. I should have expected the backlash, and been fully prepared to take. People make good points on what is wrong with the deck, but let's talk about the idea instead. Could it work? Would people donate? What are some different options to achieve the goal. Because in the end, I want to give back. I've been inspired and nurtured and loved by the EDH community, sure you may not like the deck, but consider the idea?

Other than that, I stand by the deck. Yes, there are others who are better than me. People could probably brew circles around me, but I did not make my claims without research or informing those who click on it exactly what I meant by $10. I am not offended, nor do I think people have insulted me. I have not and will not claim to be the best, but the title will stand, because it is true. Thank you for your time everyone, I'm glad we could discuss a deck in detail, and I apologize for being so vague. Next time, I'll make sure to put exactly what I'm asking.

A final note for SynergyBuild: I respect the hell out of you man, I've looked up to you and your budget builds for a long time. When I claimed my deck was the first good $10 deck on Tapped Out, that was because it was $10 and it still is. This wasn't meant to offend you or your decks or your deckbuilding prowess, again I respect your decks man. If I had claimed: The Best $12 deck on Tapped Out or the First Good $12 deck on Tapped Out, you'd be totally right. Secondly, reading your first comment on the page, it's charged with negative emotion, especially that last paragraph, it was essentially a "fuck you". I totally see where you're coming from, and thank you for clarifying the points about your decks, really helped clear things up. Finally, cool deck man, love it when players have more options, sure the whole it took no thought thing was a little rude but whatever. I hope this hasn't caused any ill will between us, I'm sorry if I insulted you or offended you. I still stand by the fact that it is $9.89 on Star City Games as of 12/12/2019

December 12, 2019 7:41 p.m.

SynergyBuild says... #21

Deadpoo111 I actually didn't check SCG, I've been a firm believer in TCGplayer, so I will check it out, but despite that, you've consistently assigned motive to me. I never said you didn't do research, I never said you were salty, I never said you were lashing out at me, and I never said you were offended. As written clearly in this thread you have done so to me.

I am a firm believer that because you can't tell what a person's emotions are by what they wrote, you don't assume it means an insult unless it says so, and you don't assume negative 'energy' charged something.

I still have my offer to help you out, now do I think it will be a hit on Patreon? Not really, but given specific advertising and incentives, perhaps. Best of luck to you no matter what you decide.

December 12, 2019 8:41 p.m.

Last_Laugh says... #22

Deadpoo111 - I'm kinda with you on the fact that your first few replies you got were overly critical and a buzzkill for someone wanting to do something like this. Regardless of your decks title (its point is to garner attention) that was a bit much.

I do however think you'd have better luck starting out with loaning a deck that's made a bit better without that huge budget constraint. Let them get in a few games with different decks and see where that heads. If someone takes a liking to the game, have a few $10 decks already thrown together (different archtypes), and let them choose which they'd like. That way they match to their prefered style and you can personally match power levels after so you don't just beat face.

I agree with people that patreon probably won't pan out. You'd have better luck begging bulk rares off of fellow players you know. Hell, try your LGS... I'm sure you could easily talk an owner (assuming you have a few options) into promoting something like this as long as you aren't a knucklehead. You'd snag bulk rares and the other cards to make $10-15 decks for free and pass on the word to those new players about who promoted you and actually provided that deck. This would be a great PR for them, a way to get rid of some bulk (no better use imo), and it's a way to attract new players to their store.

December 12, 2019 8:56 p.m.

Boza says... #23

Deadpoo111 - well now it makes a bit of sense. I got confused by the "trying to get money for college" line and did not understand it actually meant "I do not want to spend money" rather than "I want to make money from this".

Regardless, Patreon is a good idea for something people cannot normally get - a 10$ deck is not something that players cannot get. Once they have the list, they can do it themselves. Plus, I do not think there are many potential players that cannot pay like 3 boosters worth for a deck. Magic is a luxury and I do not charity and luxury mingle well.

What you can Patreon in Magic is your time - eg coaching or deck building jam sessions. However, you cannot do that until people know that your time is valuable. And you cannot make people think your time is valuable without generating a lot of content and/or a name for yourself.

Spiking a tournament and writing an article on CFB about it is the easiest way to do it. If you cannot do that, produce content and make yourself heard. Magic is not popular like other games, but streaming it can be big (youtube is not worth it).

December 13, 2019 4:29 a.m.

dingusdingo says... #24

Oh boy

"I'm a high schooler who wants to give back to the community". You've been in this community for how long? We're still giving to you buddy. Based on your responses here, you still have much to learn too.
"The first good $10 deck on tappedout" is a pretty inflammatory title. You do realize you're calling every other $10 deck bad, right? Do you understand the contradiction between wanting to help a community and calling it bad at the same time? This, plus your refusal of help from "the guy that inspired you" makes your "help the community" seem a little more along the lines of "make a name for myself and get that +1 digital heroine". Totally fine to farm +1's from casuals, but don't hide it behind fake altruism.
Speaking of, you do realize that your goal is to make and distribute $10 decks, and that someone in this very thread who does exactly that offered to help you? That person who you said inspired you, who you looked at their lists, and then you did the exact thing that person already does. Do you understand how you might be stepping on their toes by jumping into their niche and then calling their decks bad?
Swamp really is the best card in your list. Also, "You should probably look at the decklist before you make a claim like that." You do realize the deck you built is just turn creatures sideways + sacrifice artifacts, right? You didn't reinvent the wheel here, and the interactions in your deck are extremely simple. This isn't a complex brew or some crazy list we haven't seen before. Everyone and their mom has built this deck in some format at some time. You just built it in commander for $10.
No one is going to give you money when there is no accountability, and they could simply do it themselves off the current existing public lists. You're basically begging for strangers to crowdfund every Tom, Dick, and Harry that you meet into playing some $10 deck worse than a precon deck. You're probably going to chase more players away when they get pubstomped by a $3000 Urza deck their first day playing at the LGS.
There is absolutely no real world tangible difference between a $10 deck and a $12 deck. Splitting hairs over a technicality of "Oh well your deck is ACKSHUALLY $XX.XX in cost" is getting lost in minutia. No one who will purchase a $10 deck would not purchase a $12 deck. You're in the same niche. You have the same potential customers for building both decks. Don't get it twisted.

A dash of humility would do you some wonders. It would probably do myself some good as well, but I'm not making posts telling moderators they need a second look at an 8/8 beater for . Also for real, you should extend an olive branch to Synergybuild. The man has offered to help you.

December 18, 2019 5:37 a.m.

SynergyBuild says... #25

dingusdingo That was really well worded and kind! Seriously though, I am not that offended xD.

I did want to give you, Deadpoo111, this list: 10 Dollar Decklists!