Help starting on MTGO

Online Magic forum

Posted on Aug. 9, 2017, 1:57 p.m. by Chandrian

I want to make an account on MTGO because I usually am not available for FNM and only play EDH with my friends every 2 months or so.

I noticed you start with 800 cards and some other stuff when you finish making your account, it looks like it's mostly commons, all from Standard-legal sets.

As Standard will rotate soon, should I wait for it to rotate before making the account? Or are the cards too bad anyway and it doesn't really matter when you start?

Any tips on what I should do first, after making the account?

Thanks for helping me out!

Chandrian

clayperce says... #2

Chandrian,
You start with 2x of every Common in Standard and 40 of each basic Land from the most recent set.

So it kind of depends on your budget. If you play super-budget and a lot of Standard, you might want to wait for rotation. Otherwise, you'll lose nothing but a bunch of $0.01 cards.

My biggest tip is to check out the MTGO Beginner's Guide at Cardhoarder.

Some other thoughts:

• You get a bunch of newbie Play Points. I recommend playing a BUNCH of free games (in the Open Play area) before using your Play Points (in the Tournaments areas).
• Remap your keys! F2, F6, etc are a pain on a bunch of keyboards. I like F4=S (start), F3=D (doh!), F2=F (fine), and F6=G (go).
• Set your stops! It's SOOOOOO painful playing someone who makes you wait on every Upkeep when they never actually do anything on your Upkeep!
• You might want to check out Momir Basic. It's a bizarre format only available on MTGO, but a ton of fun. Here's a good intro from MTGgoldfish.
• I buy the vast majority of my cards from Cardhoarder, but on expensive ones I will always check Goatbots and MTGO WikiPrice too.
• I'm clayperce on MTGO too, where I play Modern (always) and Standard (some sets). Feel free to add me as a buddy/hit me up anytime.

Draw well!

August 9, 2017 2:44 p.m. Edited.

Chandrian says... #3

Thanks clayperce!

I did see the beginner's guide, and read most of it, but there is so much information it's a bit overwhelming.

I don't play Standard (yet?), and it doesn't seem worth waiting for rotation (it doesn't even say that you get HOU commons yet, so no idea how long it would be for me to benefit from waiting for that to rotate).

I noticed the stops thing... any recommendations on that? Like main phase 1, combat phase, main phase 2? (I'll only be able to see what it looks like once my account is created later today)

The Momir Basic thing seems weird and interesting, I'll probably check it out.

Thanks for your advice

August 10, 2017 12:36 a.m.

clayperce says... #4

Chandrian,
I'm on mobile atm but will look up my stops later.

That reminds me though: Check out this excellent LR episode on MTGO.

August 10, 2017 6:48 a.m.

Chandrian says... #5

Maybe a stupid question, but how do the freebots from Cardhoarder work?

August 10, 2017 12:08 p.m.

Chandrian says... #6

I'm playing my second game and already found a salty player lol.

He decided that playing a Dawnfeather Eagle was too good and I shouldn't be in the Just Starting room (when my deck is mostly 2-ofs and nearly only comons...)

It's slightly annoying that he/she didn't concede the game, but decided to time out with 18+ mins on the clock

August 10, 2017 12:26 p.m.

clayperce says... #7

Chandrian,
Sorry didn't make it back until just now. Hope you're having fun on MTGO!

Bummer on the salty person though.

My stops btw, are:

• Opponent's Turn: Main, Begin, Attack, Block, Main, End
• My Turn: Main, Attack, Block, Main

Depending on my deck, I will sometimes set the stops on my turn's Upkeep (if I want to Beast Within an opponent's creature on their turn (so it can't attack), Draw (if I want to Monstrous Stormbreath Dragon right after they draw a card for max danage), and Begin (e.g., if I have Vehicles I want to Crew at this point).

Draw well!

August 16, 2017 1:44 a.m.

Dracoson says... #8

If I can throw my two cents in, if there is one format I can recommend for a new MTGO player on a budget, it's Pauper. It's non-rotating, the metagame is healthy, it's wallet friendly (it is commons only), it's generally untouched by bannings, and the online community is active (I've rarely had any waits of note in either Leagues or 2 man queues). And it's just plain fun. Of all the formats I play on MTGO, it's probably gotten the most of my time and the least of my money.

August 17, 2017 11:30 a.m.

Chandrian says... #9

Thanks for the info both of you.

I like drafting and the reason I joined MtgO was because I couldn't draft often because I work on friday evenings most of the time.

I did 4 drafts so far (I'm always too excited when discovering a new game :) ). I also made a budget boros deck that did okay in the friendly area.

In the last draft I did I was lucky and pulled a Torrential Gearhulk that and the boosters I won allowed me to upgrade my deck to a good Boros build (it shares quite some cards with Ramunap Red)... I'll probably put the list on tappedout soon.

So far my experience with MtgO is very positive. It's expensive if you want to do events (because you'll need a good win/loss rate) and the strength of players is okay.

I'll just allow myself a small budget to spend on MtgO each month and I think I'll make the most out of it that way.

August 22, 2017 11:37 a.m.