Brand New!
Deck Help forum
Posted on Sept. 4, 2016, 12:02 p.m. by JunkyardKid161
Hey guys I am brand new to the game and wanted some advice. I bought the Dragon's Maze event deck to start with and some friends of mine bought a starter deck too. Where do I go from here and how can I build a deck to be competitive in this game later on down the road. I kind of have the concept of the game but know I have a lot left to learn. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
JunkyardKid161 says... #3
Simon_Williamson Appreciate it bud! Figured I needed to start slow and that sounds like a good way to do it!
September 4, 2016 12:14 p.m.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #4
Yeah, it eases you into the game and community. You'll hear tips and conversations from there. Welcome to the game!
September 4, 2016 12:21 p.m.
JunkyardKid161 says... #5
Thank you sir! I am so hungry to learn more you have no idea lol
September 4, 2016 12:37 p.m.
Dragons Maze is a couple of years old and no longer in standard. Get down to FNMs, do some drafts, build a collection
September 4, 2016 12:42 p.m.
Follow the channels magic and scglive on twitch.tv and watch tournaments on the magic youtube page itll help you learn magic cards and how to play competitively but thats more later after you learn to play. Definitely try to get some standard stuff and try out some casual fnms itll be pretty easy to get into the swing of things there. You can also try downloading xmage to play online with people for free with any card.
September 4, 2016 12:46 p.m.
JunkyardKid161 says... #8
What do you guys mean by standard? Can someone shoot me a link to a standard starter deck? Or maybe a deck builder I can go off of. A lot of this is foreign to me still sorry guys! I really do appreciate all the help! You can also go look at my inventory and tell me what I can and cannot use.
September 4, 2016 1:49 p.m.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #9
-Standard is the last 2 blocks (a block is two sets).
-Pauper is anything common (the black symbol in the center right)
-Sealed is you're given 6 packs and you build a deck of of them
-Draft you're given 3 packs, you open one, pick or "draft" a card, and pass the pack, as you're passed one from someone else, repeat with that pack until all the cards are gone, and then you each open your second pack and do the same process. Then you build a 40 card deck out of the 45 drafted cards.
These are good formats for someone just starting out, or you and your friends an just play with cards you have.
September 4, 2016 2:02 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #10
When you think you're comfortable and ready, Commander awaits you. ;) When you're ready to jump into that, let me know!
For now though, just play for fun among friends. Buy a fat pack here and there or a core starter kit to boost your collection.
Build off your imagination and ideas. The more you build for yourself, the more you'll learn your build and play styles which will help you improve in the long run.You'd be surprised how more often than not they end up being decent decks. For example, I build really stupid/silly/janky decks. Look through my folders for them if you want to have a laugh.
Oh, and if you haven't yet, take a quick skim through the Comp Rules for Magic. Basically the Golden Rules stuff and if you're curious, the more specific rulings. It'll speed up your knowledge of the game as well as improve your playing skills.
September 4, 2016 2:36 p.m.
You can check out some Standard decks here:
http://mtgtop8.com/format?f=ST
...and here:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/standard#paper
Standard is a good place to start if you're new to Magic because there's fewer decks and less oddball interactions/combos. However, it's worth noting that when Kaladesh comes out September 30th, Origins and Dragons of Tarkir will both rotate out.
There's other formats out there as well. The most common formats outside of Standard are Draft, Sealed, Modern, EDH/Commander, and Legacy. You can find the full list here.
September 5, 2016 1:08 a.m.
JunkyardKid161 says... #12
Thanks guys I really appreciate it! Now I have somewhere to start! I here most of you talking about if I can use certain cards or not. If I can't use these cards do they just become collectibles or is it still good to play with them with friends and such? We are all firefighters so we play when we are on duty at the station.
September 5, 2016 5:23 a.m.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #13
First of all thank you for your service. A secondly if you guys start to really enjoy magic look up what a cube is.
September 5, 2016 6:17 a.m.
@JunkyardKid161: When cards cycle out, they're still legal in non-rotating formats (i.e. pretty much everything outside of Standard). There are a few exceptions, with the most recent example being Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time being banned in everything outside of Standard.
Standard is usually good for new players, however, because you only deal with the most recent cards that everyone has access to (very few people have seen an actual Ancestral Recall in-person, nevermind the price).
Limited is also great for new players because it puts everyone on equal footing and helps you build up a collection. It might be a good idea to play booster drafts if you have several people you're sitting around with for a few hours. It only requires that each person each have the same 3 booster packs of any combination, usually with all 3 packs from the same block (2 packs of SOI and 1 pack of EMN). The set Conspiracy is specifically designed for multiplayer drafting, but the cards are only allowed in EDH, Legacy, and Vintage.
This is a lot of information, but it sounds like if you're playing at the station between calls, you'll likely want something like EDH or Standard, with booster drafts when everyone has money to spend. Modern and Legacy are great formats, and Vintage is my personal favorite, but the initial jump into those formats involves decks that can cost over $1,000 in some cases. You can build White Weenie in Standard for under $200 and take down tournaments at a reasonably competitive level.
Sim_Will_CMcantfindmehopefully says... #2
Start playing casually. Do drafts, sealed events, watch games locally, also watch Tolarian Community College or similar YouTubers, they had great advise.
September 4, 2016 12:10 p.m.