Tips for FNM?
General forum
Posted on Nov. 9, 2017, 10:30 a.m. by Sorin_Markov_1947
I'm used to playing for fun, with family and friends and such, so I don't spend even $20 on most decks, I didn't spend ANY money on my best deck, First Death Strike. So, my question is, is there anything I need to be aware of when switching from playing casual to modern/standard tournaments?
I butchered some of that above my bad, typing this quickly on my phone lol.
But anyways if you have more questions feel free to let me know!
November 9, 2017 10:58 a.m.
So. Being brutally honest. Your deck is bad. There is a lot you can do to improve it. Some of the cards arent legal. Etc. I can help with that if you want. At FNM you are gonna see people running everything from tier 1 decks like Eldrazi Tron to decks like yours. So be aware and dont be discouraged.
Make sure you know the value of your cards and stuff. Dont get scammed. Rule of thumb find a site like SCG and so long as both players are getting the sameish value you should be fine.
Playmats are great. They protect your cards from sticky/dirty surfaces and makes cards easier to pick up.
Get a bunch of dice for life totals and counters etc. Dont let people touch your dice and fiddle with your life total etc.
November 9, 2017 1:53 p.m.
1: Don't use a spindown counter for tracking life - write it down, and your opponents too. It's just better like that. You are playing in a room full of people, and somebody always ends up knocking the table enough to make all the spindown counters roll a bit.
2: Some opponents act as if they're playing in the final rounds of the world championship. That can be distracting AF - judge being called to ensure that they have shuffled their deck properly, that you are entitled to shuffle your deck, that you have shuffled it properly, that you have taken 7 cards of the top, that your sleeves aren't transparent, and so on. Don't let it get to you. Fortunately its a minority acting like this (it's just a very loud minority).
3: Your deck needs help. Consider this: All decks in modern have are made to play in a format, where you occasionally run into tokens/elves/8whack or something else that spews out a pile of small critters from the start of the game. Therefore you find piles of Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods, Supreme Verdict, Day of Judgment and the like in your opponents' sideboard (or even mainboard). Keep that in mind when you revise your deck - you either need to be very fast, or be able to come back after getting your army of small creatures burned away.
November 9, 2017 2:23 p.m.
Money is going to be the biggest adjustment for you.
Unless you are someone who is an AMAZING deck builder (very unusual for someone who has just started to play FNM) you are going to need to purchase some powerful cards.
ALWAYS buy singles to build your decks. Don't try to crack Rares you need. It just doesn't work.
If you are going to play Standard I can give you some more tips.
I FULLY agree with getting good equipment:
Decent sleeves. I like KMC Hypermat Premium, but everyone has their own favourites.
Decent deckbox. Get one with a lid that locks into place. Legion ones are good.
Little box of d6. Chessex make decent ones.
Pen and pad to keep track of life total and energy counters, for both you and your Opponent.
Playmat. Playmat tube.
Bag to keep everything in.
ALL THE TOKENS, EMBLEMS, -1/-1 COUNTERS etc. you need for your deck. Don't become THAT person.
If you want to get fancy you can make sure that everything is in your favourite colour(s).
All my stuff is
If you need help with building a Standard deck, let me know on my Profile.
November 9, 2017 2:29 p.m. Edited.
But Argy Im an exception to that rule of cracking packs lol.
During BFZ I once got 2x packs of BFZ as a Christmas gift from my brother and opened a Windswept Heath expedition. Another time I once went to a draft back in Oath of the Gatewatch and proceeded to open 2x Expeditions in my draft packs.
From a kaladesh prerelease I opened a Sword of Feast and Famine alongside the 2 mythics Noxious Gearhulk, and Metallurgic Summonings have also opened a number of good foils too such as a Chandra, Torch of Defiance, and a foil The Scarab God.
I also opened a Chalice of the Void invocation about 3 weeks ago from a lone Aether Revolt pack lol. Then finally a couple days ago I got a Hazoret the Fervent and a Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh from 3 booster packs.
I just love cracking packs, but I dont go overboard with them either. Im just very lucky it seems. However I think your right that for most people and most times still that cracking packs isnt the best answer.
November 9, 2017 3:14 p.m.
And just what amazing decks did you build from those cards you cracked ...??
You can't play Sword of Feast and Famine, or Chalice of the Void in Standard.
Noxious Gearhulk doesn't see much play, and you'd need at least another to make it a worthwhile include.
Same with Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh.
Lucky cracks don't give you enough cards to build a competitive deck. Thanks for proving my point.
November 9, 2017 4:08 p.m.
Baron_Sengir_1947,
Some thoughts ...
- One HUGE adjustment is going to be the power level of the decks. Something like First Death Strike looks totally fun to play on a kitchen table, but it's going to get utterly blown away at an FNM by decks that are faster and more consistent.
- Deck building is a blast, but you will need to know a lot about the meta (i.e., the decks other people are playing) to do it effectively. I recommend starting out by "netdecking", and then tweaking your netdeck to fit your meta and playstyle, and then eventually building your own.
- My favorite resources for netdecking are the Budget Standard and Budget Modern pages at MTGgoldfish. You can click though and find articles (almost all of which have an Ultra-Budget option) and gameplay videos about all the decks too.
- Another great budget option is Atony1400's Cheap Deck Club (e.g., The Cheap Deck Club: Standard and The Cheap Deck Club: Modern.
- If you've got friends who already play at FNM it's easy, but if not I recommend stopping by your LGS early and making some. Even at the most competitive stores, there are folks who will be happy to help you out, talk about their deck, and even loan you a spare deck. Don't hesitate to ask the LGS owners to point them out :-)
- Making a decision between Standard and Modern is tough, and the biggest factor is probably the money involved. Modern decks are generally MUCH more expensive, but they tend to last longer ... you can play a Modern deck "forever", while a Standard deck will be legal for 2 years at the absolute max (and a deck is often "good" for much less than that).
- Another factor in the Standard vs. Modern decision will probably be the other players. Modern players have often been playing longer ... which tends to makes the nice ones more wise and helpful and the jerk ones more crusty and unhelpful. Stopping by early will also help you figure out the nice/jerk ratio at your LGS.
Best of luck (and skill!) as you transition!
November 9, 2017 5:33 p.m.
Give up mtg and run away!!! Ruuuuuun you fool, or your wallet will get hurt!
_Delta_ says... #2
Yes, you will want to construct your deck preferably around multiples of certain cards. This makes the deck a lot more consistent in what it is trying to do.
Also become aware of sideboards if you arent already familiar with those. This is where outside your main deck you are permitted to have an 15 additional cards that in your 2nd or 3rd game against an opponent whether you have won/lost are allowed to swap cards out for. You will want to have your 15 card sideboard contain cards that help shore up some weaknesses that your deck may have. For example, in your first match maybe you have a deck that has an issue with dealing with artifacts/enchantments, or perhaps evasive creatures with keywords like flying and, in your second and or third rounds it would never a good idea to swap in some cards that might help you deal with this issue. So you might have cards like Nature's Claim or Manglehorn to deal with noncreature permenants, or in the example of flying creatures you might have something like Plummet.
I have 2 standard decks anyways, one is a deck based around the energy mechanic. In my sideboard I have included things such as Duress, Gifted Aetherborn, Yahenni's Expertise and Lost Legacy. If Im against a deck that plays a ton of removal and such I generally will put 3x Duress into the main deck to help protect my creatures like Verdurous Gearhulk from dying. Or if Im against decks with creatures that can get quite big, I.e. Bristling Hydra or Longtusk Cub J might consider playing Gifted Aetherborn to gain a little bit of life and kill big threats. Yahenni's Expertise I use if Im against real swarmy decks that flood the board with a lot of weak creatures. Lost Legacy I formerly have used to deal with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger who use to be a big problem for this deck when it was still in standard.
Then my deck based around winning with Approach of the Second Sun, in its 15 card sideboard features Authority of the Consuls if Im against an aggressive, creature heavy deck to slow them down, and then it plays Negates if Im worried of my opponent possibly trying to countermy Approach of the Second Sun.
I think I have said enough for now, and I hope this is of help to you.
November 9, 2017 10:55 a.m.