Magic the Gathering Deckbuilding and Play Tips
Challenges and Articles forum
Posted on Oct. 29, 2013, 1:57 a.m. by catrap0
I. Deck Theme
II. Deck Color
III. Deck Building
IV. Deck Tech
V. Deck Skills
VI. Rulings and References
2 Color Philosophies
White is friendly towards Green and Blue, but is the enemy of Red and Black.
White is for you if:You like to play defensively.You like to play large groups of small, cheap creatures.You like to gain some life.You like to play soft control that balances the board.You like to deal combat damage more than any other kind of damage.If you want to know even more about the philosophy of White, read the M: TG article called "The Great White Way."
Green is friendly towards White and Red, but is the enemy of Blue and Black.
Green is for you if:You like to play big, stompy creatures.You like to gain a bit of life, but it's not the main focus of your deck.You like to be able to stay one or two land ahead of your opponent.You like to deal combat damage more than any other kind of damage.You like to play aggressively.If you want to know even more about the philosophy of Green, read the M: TG article called "It's Not Easy Being Green."
Blue is friendly towards White and Black, but is the enemy of Red and Green.
Blue is for you if:You like to draw cards.You don't mind dealing combat damage occasionally.You like to play control that stops the other person's spells from going off.You like for the creatures in your deck to be multipurpose.You enjoy putting together powerful, epic game-winning combos.If you want to know even more about the philosophy of Blue, read the M: TG article called "True Blue."
Red is friendly towards Green and Black, but is the enemy of Blue and White.
Red is for you if:You like to do a lot of damage, but not necessarily through combat.You like to use instant-speed cards more than anything else.You don't mind taking a few points of damage if it will seriously damage the other player.You play much more offense than defense, usually attacking every turn.You like to play fast and not have to wait around for your deck to go off.If you want to know even more about the philosophy of Red, read the M: TG article called "Seeing Red."
Black is friendly towards Red and Blue, but is the enemy of Green and White.
Black is for you if:You like to control what's going on every turn--even on your opponent's turn.You don't mind sacrificing some of your own stuff on the board if it means keeping the opponent locked down a little longer.You're not worried about doing huge amounts of damage at once.You like having ways to bring creatures back from the graveyard.You like more inventive ways of winning than just dealing damage.If you want to know even more about the philosophy of Black, read the M: TG article called "In the Black."
Multi-Color
Natural (Friendly) Two-Color CombinationsThe following colors "get along" well together and play pretty similarly:
White/Green: either passive and highly defensive, or ultra-stompy. Does take a little while to "build up," but is well worth the wait. (Selesnya)White/Blue: White's quiet board control and troops mixed with Blue's counter, bounce, or draw, whatever you prefer! (Azorius)Blue/Black: NASTY, especially for tournament play. Hard to defeat a deck that controls or counters everything you do! (Dimir)Black/Red: Red's Burn plus Black's control = a strong one-two punch. (Rakdos)Green/Red: Chaos and nature get along very well--very, VERY aggressive! (Gruul)Interesting (Enemy) Two-Color Combinations
The following colors have a little harder time playing nice with each other, but it can be done!
White/Red: Orderly (White) troops mix with aggressive (Red) troops, and the result is surprisingly well-rounded! (Boros)White/Black: An Unlikely Alliance, until the two colors find their common ground--life-gain, little creatures, and even field control. (Orzhov)Green/Blue: Blue's draw, Green's mana acceleration, and both colors' creatures = a tidy combination of resources. (Simic)Black/Green: Life meets death and rebirth from the graveyard occurs--over and over again! (Golgari)Blue/Red: Red gives Blue the early-game punch it needs to take control fast, and Blue gives Red some Staying Power in later turns. (Izzet)The following list gives the friendly three-color combinations, with Shards of Alara "shard" names following the color listings.
Natural (Friendly) Three-Color Combinations
Green/White/Blue: Focus on big armies of small creatures as well as some flying larger creatures; you can draw down to what you need with Blue and keep the opponent busy with Green/White's creatures. (Bant)Red/Green/White: Quite aggressive, with Green as part of it; also has access to control through Red's burn spells and White's Pacifism-like spells. (Naya)Black/Red/Green: Lots of Dragons, lots of big, flying, crushing creatures. Red and Green allied with Black is enough to make even a veteran player cringe. (Jund)Blue/Black/Red: Undead stuff, and a variety of field control at your fingertips, with Red's burn, Blue's counter, and Black's kill. (Grixis)White/Blue/Black: Heavy artifact base, with some neat card-bouncing tricks involving artifacts; life-gain and board control are both possible in this combination! (Esper)What follows are the enemy color combinations, which do not have names as of yet. However, they did print Dragons in the Planar Chaos set that were associated with the enemy-color combinations. Those Dragons' names are listed in parentheses after the color listing.
Interesting (Enemy) Three-Color Combinations
White/Black/Red: White and Black's control mixed with Red and White's armies. Can be deadly! (Oros, the Avenger)Black/Green/Blue: Not well-supported with nonbasic lands, but still a subtle, poisonous combination of Blue's counter/draw, Black's field control, and Green's ability to land-search. (Vorosh, the Hunter)Blue/Red/Green: A rarely-played combo, but has the potential to saw an opponent's army in half (Red/Green style) and control whatever else they're trying to do with Blue. (Intet, the Dreamer)Red/Blue/White: Red's burn, Blue's draw and control, and White's massive army? DANGEROUS. (Numot, the Destroyer)White/Green/Black: Some support through Lorwyn's Treefolk creature type--White and Green keep mana flowing and toughnesses high, while Black is the "just-in-case" control. (Teneb, the Harvester)
October 29, 2013 1:59 a.m.
3 How to Build a Magic the Gathering Deck
Once you've picked your deck theme and colors, you're ready to put your Magic deck together! Your deck will contain land, creatures, enchantments, artifacts, instant and/or sorcery spells. A good starting point is to gather up all the Magic cards you think would be good candidates for your deck, and narrow it down to 60 cards as you focus your theme.
This is where the deck's mission statement comes in.The first thing I do is figure out what the deck's goals are; a mission statement, of sorts. If you're building a deck, there's probably a reason whyand this is that reason.
Your mission statement should include what your deck is overall and what it aims to do during a game. If you're ever unsure about a deck-building choice, this is the enshrined phrase you can look back to for guidance. Write it down and put it in the deck box if you want to. If a card doesn't fit the mission statement, then you need to question why you want to include it.
Here are some examples of good mission statements:"This is an aggressive red-green deck that wants to hit hard with creatures and burn spells early to win as fast as possible."
"This is a discard deck, utilizing cheap discard spells to start destroying my opponent's hand in the early game and reducing his or her options."
Decide on a win condition. How do you intend to win the game? Do you want to do creature damage, spell damage; do you intend to deck your opponents? Maybe you want to use poison?
Choose cards that support your chosen win condition. For example: If you intend to do fast creature damage, choose spells that will remove roadblocks on your path to victory. Make your creatures unblockable, give them flying, remove blockers, etc.
Land: Be wary of your mana curve, without the right mana you can't cast your spells.Based on the general consensus among MTG players, a "midrange" deck that relies on its three- and four- drops for heavy lifting should run about 22-24 lands (i.e. 40% lands). There are actually fairly few of these in 60-card Constructed. 16-17 lands is the equivalent in (40-card) Limited, and is very common. Most of the intro decks WotC prints come with 24 lands.CMC (Converted Mana Cost) factor= land needed to hit your curve close to 90% of the time2 = 16, 3 = 17, 4 =18, 5 = 18, 6 =19Add +2 to land total if running 2 colorsAdd +4 to land total if running 3 colorsAdd +6 to land total if running 4 colorsAdd +8 to land total if running 5 colors
Low-curve aggressive decks can get away with 16-20 lands. The idea here is that, unlike the "typical" deck above, you're only trying to hit your two-drops reliably, and being "mana-flooded" will usually cause a game loss as your deck runs out of steam.
Ramp decks tend to be over 50% mana sources or land-fetching cards, but only 24-28 lands. You can usually cut a land for every two non-land mana sources like Birds of Paradise or Azorius Signet that you play. (Why every two? Because you still need some land to cast your non-land mana sources, and because non-land mana sources are actually pretty pointless unless you're also making your land drops. Also, mana dorks are fragile!) Make sure your accelerators are low enough on your curve that they actually accelerate you, also -- for example, Pristine Talisman can help set up Elesh Norn and Gideon Jura, but it's pointless to put one in a deck that's all about Hero of Bladehold or Runechanter's Pike.
Control decks generally run 24-28 lands, with card-draw and card-filtering to help they hit land drops. Low-cost card-draw or card-filtering cards, like Preordain, are kind of like mana dorks for land-count purposes -- you'll see more cards, so you can afford to put fewer lands in the deck.
In Limited, if you don't have enough playables, it's okay to just go heavy on basic lands -- at least you'll avoid Mana Screw. I usually end up playing 17-18 lands even in low-curve aggressive decks because I'll only have about 22-23 cards I'll actively want to run (sorry, Diregraf Escort!).
If you play Commander using the official "Partial Paris" mulligan method, you can go a bit lighter on lands and use mulligans to find them. Typical Commander Decks seem to run 36-38 lands and a few mana rocks. Generally the range is the same as other formats: you'll see anything from low-curve aggressive decks with 32 lands (equivalent to 19 in 60-card Magic) and crazy hardcore ramp decks with 40 lands and 20 other mana sources.
If your deck is truly weird, you'll need to throw all conventions out the window and figure it out from scratch. For examples of these, look up Dredge (note the variety of land counts within one archetype, based on cardpool differences!), Belcher, and Legacy Lands.
Since there is no universal equation to finding out how many land your deck needs, the best you can do is to estimate and tweak your deck as needed. If you're playing a mono-color deck, start with 22 land. For a two-color deck, 24 land. Take ten "test draws" and see if the amount of land looks right. If not, change it up as needed.
Creatures: Find a good mix of creatures that fit with your deck's theme. Pick creatures with a good relative power to casting cost ratio. Evasion and "come into play" effects are extremely handy.
Enchantments: There are two types of enchantments, global and local. Local enchantments are played on a specific card, such as a creature enchantment. When the creature dies you lose the enchantment. Global enchantments, on the other hand, are not played on a specific card and work by themselves. A few good enchantments can help your deck when played at the right time.
Artifacts: If there are any artifacts that help your deck, make sure to include them. If your deck is based on creatures, you may benefit from equipment artifacts. Equipment is often better than creature enchantments as it isn't destroyed when the equipped creature dies.
Instant and Sorcery Spells: This includes removal spells, counter-magic, and any other non-permanent spells. Instants are preferable because they can be used anytime (even during your opponent's turn!) but sorcery cards can be helpful too. Make sure to include a good variety of spells to handle opposing threats.
How Many Copies? You can have up to 4 of any card (except basic land) in your deck, so how do you choose the right amount? Any card with a low casting cost that's critical to your deck should contain 4 copies. A good example of this would be Lightning Bolt or Mana Leak. You might only use 1-3 copies of cards with higher casting cost, or cards where only one is needed at a time. For example, you want to have formidable creatures in your deck, but you don't want several of them in your opening hand.
This many mana sources of each color1 2 3 4 5
of colors
1 color deck 1 2 3 6 82 color deck 3 9 15 21 273 color deck 8 19 28 36 434 color deck 14 26 36 45 525 color deck 19 33 44 52 -
This is an example of a curve that would work well with a standard 24 land.CMC 1: 12CMC 2:10CMC 3:4CMC 4:4
Example of a low mana curve:CMC 1: 8-12CMC 2: 8-12CMC 3: 4-6CMC 4: 2-4CMC 5+: probably none, maybe 1-3
Example of a medium mana curve:CMC 1: 0-4CMC 2: 8-12CMC 3: 6-8CMC 4: 4-6CMC 5 or 6: 4-6CMC 7+: probably none, maybe 1 or 2
Example of a high mana curve:CMC 1: 0-4CMC 2: 6-10CMC 3: 4-6CMC 4: 4-6CMC 5: 3-5CMC 6 or 7: 3-5CMC 8+: probably none
This formula can be used to determine how often you draw certain cards from a deck of cards.
The formula syntax is a bit complex, though. Recall the formula for the number of combinations for 3 out of 5 items that is C (5, 3) is (5 * 4 * 3 / 1 * 2 * 3) or 10. Alternatively, this can be written as 5! / (3! * (5-3)!). This can be converted into the general notation X! / (Y! * (X-Y)!). X is the total number of items to choose from, and Y is the number being chosen. Using the same X and Y notation, the formula for hyper geometric distribution
H (X, Y) is as follows:
H (X1? Xn, Y1? Yn) =
C (X1, Y1) *? * C (Xn, Yn) / C (X1 +? + Xn, Y1 +? + Yn)
However, this can be greatly simplified instead of having to go through each item from 1 to N, where N is the total number of cards. In a two-set case, that is, all the cards you are concerned about being one case and the rest being the other, this is the simplified formula:
H (n) = C (X, n) * C (Y - X, Z - n) / C (Y, Z)
X stands for the number of a certain card that you have in the deck.
Y is the number of cards in the deck.
Z is the number of cards you are drawing.
N is the number you are checking for.
Instead of doing all this arithmetic by hand or with a super calculator that can handle such large factorials, a spreadsheet such as Excel can be used to find hyper geometric distributions. The syntax is HYPGEOMDIST (N, Z, X, Y). For instance, if you have a 60-card deck, what will be your chances of not drawing one of your 4 Lightning Bolts on turn 1? By using HYPGEOMDIST (0, 7, 4, 60) you will get the chance for not drawing the card. Therefore if you want to check for the chances of drawing a Lightning Bolt, you would subtract the result from 1.
Turn 1 60.05%Turn 2 55.52%Turn 3 51.25%Turn 4 47.23%Turn 5 43.45%Turn 6 39.90%Turn 7 36.58%Turn 8 33.46%Turn 9 30.55%Turn 10 27.84%
Those are the chances of not drawing a Lightning Bolt. On turn 1, you will have 7 cards, and there is a 60.05% chance that you have not drawn one of your 4 Lightning Bolts out of 60 cards. By turn 10 this chance diminishes to 27.84%. Likewise, the chance of drawing one or more by turn 1 is 39.95%, and the chance increases to 72.16% by turn 10.
Hyper geometric distribution has other useful applications within the game. Calculating how many land cards to use in a deck is the base of deckbuilding, as one needs land in order to play his cards. Too many land cards will cause you to draw not enough good cards late in the game, and too few will cause you to stall, giving your opponent the advantage. Some decks will want more land and be able to take advantage of it, and others will want fewer because of smaller mana requirements. If you want to draw four land by turn four often, but not too often, this formula is helpful.
The best thing to do within the game would be to have a 70-80% chance of this happening, then use cards that allow you to look through your deck to get more. Right now I will examine the chances of drawing four land cards by turn four if there are varying amounts in the deck. Using HYPGEOMDIST on Excel, this takes a few steps. For each number of land in the deck (I'll use 16 through 30), you have to determine the chance of drawing 0, 1, 2 and 3 land in 10 cards out of a 60-card deck. Then they have to be added up, and the total subtracted from 1. The final numbers are the chances of drawing 4 land by turn 4.
16 24.99%17 29.52%18 34.25%19 39.12%20 44.05%21 48.98%22 53.85%23 58.60%24 63.18%25 67.54%26 71.64%27 75.46%28 78.97%29 82.17%30 85.05%
Depending on what ratio you are willing to work with, it would appear that 28 land seems to give a fair chance of drawing the lands this deck needs. Depending the number of cards in the deck that allow the player to look through extra cards, anywhere from 24 to 28 land is the number to use. Cards such as Impulse (1) help remedy this cause. As long as the player has 2 land to cast it with, Impulse can get the player what he needs anytime in the game.
Cards to play
Cards that trade life for powerLow toughness creatures with powerful abilities
And not to play
Obviously weak cardsCards that give your opponent a choice "that matters" Cards that only give your life or prevent damage (does not apply to white)Cards that sacrifice your long-term development for a short-term advantage
Generally toss out color-specific cards unless you have some way of making them useful in the event that your opponent doesn't have the color they work against. A CoP: Green becomes much more useful if you have the leprechaun that turns creatures that block it into Green cards...
Toss out cards that require your opponent to have something specific to be useful. A lot of blue creatures have Islandhome, which is useless if your opponent doesn't have islands.
Flying creatures are more versatile than non-flying creatures with the same abilities (usually; a notable exception is the Thicket Basilisk vs. the Cockatrice)
Use Cheap, Powerful Cards to Destroy More Expensive OnesFill your deck with powerful common cards like Duress, Lightning Bolt, and Mana Leak. Some of the best removal cards in the game are commons and uncommons. These cards get the job done and don't cost an arm and a leg. Besides, what's better than negating a $30+ card with a cheap common card?
Play the Metagame, FrugallyIf you know what kind of decks you're going to be up against, figure out an effective strategy to beat those decks and employ this strategy as cheaply as possible. For example, if you are expecting to play against a lot of slow control decks, you might build a deck with lots of discard spells. If you're anticipating burn decks, a deck with lots of life gaining and some creature removal would be helpful.
Use Proxy CardsA proxy card is a placeholder for a card you don't own, or don't wish to damage by shuffling it in a deck. Using proxies is a great way to test out a deck's effectiveness before putting down cold hard cash to buy those cards. This is great when playing with your friends, but keep in mind that a sanctioned Magic tournament will not allow the use of proxies.
The Uno Principle: When you diversify your deck a small amount by adding a random 1-of card, this will allow you to win in situations that you normally wouldn't be able to win. 1) Be synergistic. 2) Have a powerful effect (a reset button, bomb on the battlefield. 3) Have a devastating effect against a popular deck(s) (a hate/color hoser). 4) The ability to use the card in any matchup.
Learn the rule of nine (can be 10 or 8 depending on land base). You truly only need nine cards to create a magic deck.
Rationale: By only using 24 lands and nine play sets (four copies of a card) your deck will be focused and honed. By choosing only nine cards that support your win condition your deck will be a dangerous weapon whose strategy comes together quickly, rather than a random collection of 60+ cards with neat effects, or cool art. Many players find this approach too restrictive, but if you need evidence of its effectiveness, Google any number of pro decks and youll see the RoN at work. And remember, use the RoN as a starting point, but dont be a slave to it.
Sideboard StrategyWhen I build a sideboard, I build it based on several factors.
What type of tourney am I in? Singles, Teams, Multiplayer?What are the most potent cards I would add to my deck concept if I knew what my opponent was playing (both color wise and concept wise)What are my decks weaknesses?What cards would my sideboard cards be replacing? Could I afford to remove cards from my main deck?In detail, I'll cover each of these topics.
Tourney formatAlmost all tourneys where I play are singles, but I have been in a few Team and Multiplayer tourneys. For single tourneys, you must design your deck and sideboard for the fast kill. For team play, the emphasis is for coordinated attacks/spells. For multiplayer the goal is ultimate defense, hold out as long as possible, slow and unpreventable death for your opponents. Each of these factors should replay over and over again in your head as you design your deck and your sideboard. If you are unsure if you should add a card to your deck or sideboard, ask yourself "Does this really fit the tourney format?" and if not, dont add it.
Building the SideboardMost people build sideboards to combat certain colors of cards. But since you usually have only 4-6 cards/color in the sideboard, this accomplishes nothing since they have a whole deck of that color and you can only sideboard a few cards. Therefore, each card has to REALLY count - has to do something major. Therefore it is better to make a sideboard to face Deck TYPES, not deck colors.
For instance, you could make a sideboard like this:
4 Fellwar Stones (vs. Land Destruction)4 Guerilla Tactics (vs. Discard)4 Mishra Factories (vs. counterspell/permission decks)3 Pestilence (vs. weenie decks)
Each time you get one of your sideboard cards, it does not just fight one card or one color, but rather it fights their whole deck concept. And aside from the Tactics, all the cards are REUSABLE, not one-shot. If your sideboard cards are one-shot, then they are limited in use. If they are lasting, then even one will attack their concept and weaken it.
But, it is important to realize the potential for ALL cards. A Karma vs. a Black player is an incredible sideboard card, even though it only attacks their color instead of their concept. That is because it is a lasting, ongoing effect, not a one-shot, like Tsunami. Rather than adding a Shatter, I would add either an Energy Flux or a Titanias Song. The key to successful sideboarding is that any ONE of the cards has to count. Having one REB vs. a Permission deck is useless. Having one Mishra Factory can win the game.
What are my weaknesses?The best way to determine this is to play the deck in casual play against as many different decks as you can. Once you find out a weakness, write it down, be it land, creature or spell. Once you have a list, group common things into a single category, such as Weenies, Burn, Permission, Land Destruction, Discard, Enchantments, Artifacts, and Green, whatever. If you have more than 3 things that the deck is particularly vulnerable to, the deck needs re-working. Having 2 vulnerabilities is average. Having 1 is terrific, and I'd love to see the deck + sideboard once you win the World Champs...emoticon there arent no such thing as having none... Now, take 5 cards that combat each weakness (or 7-8 if you only have 2).
What cards do you replace?Most decks have at least a few emergency cards or bonus cards (like Ivory Tower, a few disenchants, a tranquility, etc.) It is important when making your sideboard that you ALREADY KNOW which cards you'll be switching for which. I usually make a list and keep it in my card box so I can simply pull it out (I usually show a judge so they dont have a fit) and quickly sideboard. Never pull out cards that are integral to your deck concept, like Pestilence in a Pestilence deck or a Stone Rain in a Land Destruction deck. It may seem that you could get away with one less of your core cards for the sideboard replacement, but any weakening of your core concept will negate the sideboard bonus. I would also suggest playtesting the deck with the sideboard cards in.Though the option is rarely exercised, don't forget that you can side lands in and out. Usually this is done when there are important utility lands that a deck might want to play. If you have the lands in your sideboard already, you can use them to alter your land count in order to match which spells are most time-critical for a specific matchup.
Deck building guidelines work for each format.
Vintage ("Type 1")Vintage allows cards from just about every set of Magic ever printed. There is a "banned list" of cards not allowed at all (usually due to "ante" abilities that were quickly discontinued) as well as a "restricted list" of cards for which you may only include one copy in your deck. This is the only format to contain a restricted list. As Vintage contains cards from even the oldest sets of Magic, players often use "proxy" cards to represent cards they do not actually own copies of, in order to take money out of the deck building equation.
Legacy ("Type 1.5")The Legacy format allows cards from all Vintage legal sets. Cards deemed too powerful are banned from this format, and there is no restricted list. This is a somewhat less expensive deck building format than Vintage for this reason.
Extended ("Type 1.x")This format includes the last four years worth of Magic block sets and core sets. At the writing of this article, that includes Lorwyn/Shadowmoor block, Shards of Alara block, Zendikar block, Scars of Mirrodin block, M10 and M11.
Standard ("Type 2")This format includes half the cards of Extended: two of the most recent Magic block sets and one core set. That is currently Zendikar block, Scars of Mirrodin block, and M11.
Block ConstructedAny block can be used for a block constructed format. Zendikar block constructed would include Magic cards only from Zendikar, Worldwake, and Rise of the Eldrazi.
LimitedUnlike constructed formats, a Limited event does not require you to build a deck prior to the tournament. You are provided with sealed packs of Magic which you will either draft off, or open up and make a deck with. This format allows for creative use of cards not normally used in constructed formats due to their lack of overall power.
October 29, 2013 2:03 a.m.
4 How to maximize your deck resources
Deck resources are mana, card value (tempo=drop rate), life, turns, tapping.
Card value depends on Deck Type(s)The very first thing to realize is that cards have greater or lesser value depending on what type of deck you are playing them in, and also what types of decks you play them against. A card might have an ability that is essential in one type of deck but worthless in a different kind of deck
Can it be played at different turns?Is it useful both early and late game? Is the card effective in many situations? Can the abilities be used many times? Does it affect many cards?Does it enable multiple effects on a single play?Do the effects / abilities use minimal resources? Does it have a good ability at a fair cost? Can it match opponents card for card (or better)?
Market rate for abilities
Draw a card2 Colorless, 1 Black, 1 Blue, 2 Green, 2 Red, 1 White
Creature Removal3 Colorless, 1 Black, 1 Blue, 3 Green, 2 Red, 1 White
Enchantment Removal2 Colorless, 2 Black, 1 Blue, 2 Green, 2 Red, 1 White
Artifact Removal2 Colorless, 2 Black, 1 Blue, 2 Green, 2 Red, 2 White
Land Removal
4 Colorless, 3 Black, 3 Blue, 4 Green, 3 Red, 4 White
Tutor Specific2 Colorless, 2 Black, 2 Blue, 2 Green, 2 Red, 2 White
Favored Colors
BlackCreature gets -1/-1Discard CardFearLose LifeRegenerateSacrifice Creature"Use" Graveyard
Colorless FlashbackLandwalkProtection from Color
BlueCan't be blockedCounteringCreature Alters TypeDraw CardsFlyingLand Alters TypeLook at HandsIndex Library"Move" CreatureRemoval (most)Retarget
GreenBlock FlyingCan't CounterCreature gets +1/+1"Instants"Land Effects to mana costPlay TokenPump on Block/edRegenerateTrample
RedCreature gets +1/0Deal DamageFirst StrikeHasteProvoke"Random" Effects
WhiteAttack w/o tapCreature gets 0/+1First StrikeFlyingGain LifePrevent DamageTap Creature
Special cost of life to mana is 1:1
October 29, 2013 2:05 a.m.
5 How to play like a pro.
What makes a good Magic player different from a bad Magic player?The ability to calculate plays correctlyAssessing relative strength of this hand versus a hand of one card less in this matchupAssessing the likelihood of this hand to improve over the next few draw steps. The ability to read your opponentAbility to manipulate and distract your opponent within sportsmanshipAbility to bluffThe ability to build and optimize your deckChoosing the right deck for a given metagameTuning a deck to its optimal formThe ability to See Beyond the current turn Deciding who should play first in this matchupEstimating possible draws of you and opponent, and their impact on the game The ability to seize the slightest opportunity to win the game
Mulligan a Slow Starting Hand (you want 2-4 land). Never mulligan more than twice.Favor the Main Phase after Combat.Use Resources at the end your Opponent's TurnLosing the game at 20 life is not better than losing the game at 0 life. Use your life total as you do any other resource.Pay attention to on-board tricks (e.g. the ability of one of your opponent's creatures). Once you stop losing to those you can start worrying more about what's in their hand.Your creatures can block my creatures, and there are plenty of times you'll actually want to do so. Sure, your blocker may be some key component of your deck...but it won't even matter if I kill you with combat damage.Think of your plays before you make them, not after. I can't tell you how many times a new player will do something and immediately say "I shouldn't have done that".
RULE #1: Fix Your Mana Base
RULE #2: Keep Close to 60 CardsI believe it is of vital importance to attempt to explain why one should always strive to play with only 60 cards in every deck that you make. It is in its simplest form a matter of mathematical probability, or also referred to as hyper geometric distribution. In your opening hand you generally want the ability to play at minimum 1 mana source and preferably a spell, (or at least have the option to do so in the case of a reactional control deck). To achieve this you need to maximize the probability of drawing a mana source and a spell to go with it in the first 7 cards drawn of your deck. In addition you also need to be able to have in your hand another mana source and a second playable spell after the first draw, (after having now drawn a minimum of 8 cards out of the 60). Here are some simplified numbers: If you have only 1 of a card in your 60 card deck the probability of drawing it in your first 8 is approx. 12% of the time. If you have a full playset of 4 in your deck the probability of drawing one rises to approx. 42% of the time. 20 land in a deck of 60 gives you a 96% probability of drawing one in the first eight cards. That last number might seem excellent but very few decks has a chance of getting out of the gate with only 1 mana source available in your first eight cards so running 22-24 lands are often recommended in most decks that are not built around ultra-low casting cost cards to increase the overall probability of drawing that second mana source. Lets take this one step further: In a 60 card deck you have an approximate chance of drawing at least one of your full playset cards, (hopefully the winning card!), 56-57% of the time by turn 4. In a 61 card deck those numbers drop close to a full percentile! And it just keeps getting progressively worse for each card you add. There is no card made in MTG that you can add to your 60 card deck that will justify this drop in probability. There simply is no valid reason to add that 61st or 62nd card to your deck, it will only hurt you.
RULE #3: Focus your goals, but don't be a slave to your theme
RULE #4: Have a curve
RULE #5: Enchant Creature cards are not your friends (bestow creatures not included)
B: Bombs- resets or global field clearingR: Removal- spot destructionE: Evasion- counter, prevent, or redirectA: Aggressive- damage, mill, instant winD: Defensive- card, life, creature advantage
October 29, 2013 2:06 a.m.
6 Rulings and References
112.7a. Once activated or triggered, an ability exists on the stack independently of its source. Destruction or removal of the source after that time won't affect the ability. Note that some abilities cause a source to do something (for example, "Prodigal Pyromancer deals 1 damage to target creature or player") rather than the ability doing anything directly. In these cases, any activated or triggered ability that references information about the source because the effect needs to be divided checks that information when the ability is put onto the stack. Otherwise, it will check that information when it resolves. In both instances, if the source is no longer in the zone it's expected to be in at that time, its last known information is used. The source can still perform the action even though it no longer exists.
601 Casting Spells601.2. To cast a spell is to take it from where it is (usually the hand), put it on the stack, and pay its costs, so that it will eventually resolve and have its effect. Casting a spell follows the steps listed below, in order. If, at any point during the casting of a spell, a player is unable to comply with any of the steps listed below, the casting of the spell is illegal; the game returns to the moment before that spell started to be cast (see rule 717, "Handling Illegal Actions"). Announcements and payments can't be altered after they've been made.601.2h Once the steps described in 601.2a-g are completed, the spell becomes cast. Any abilities that trigger when a spell is cast or put onto the stack trigger at this time. If the spell's controller had priority before casting it, he or she gets priority.
A spell is considered "cast" when you put it on the stack, not when it resolves. Countering it while still on the stack means it doesn't resolve, but it was still "cast"
80% of this article is merged from many sources, here are the links
http://www.angelfire.com/games3/mtgpages/faq/strat.html
http://gamersrepose.withinmyworld.org/colorphilosophies.php
http://www.oshkoshmagic.com/magic/index.php
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~kel/MTG/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-zQ3Usfm98
http://www.kibble.net/magic/magic10.php
https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/bb62
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/255
http://voices.yahoo.com/what-rule-nines-7321732.html?cat=5
http://voices.yahoo.com/magic-gathering-pro-tips-tip-1-4534119.html
http://plumeria.vmth.ucdavis.edu/~saintly/gaming/mtgstrategy.html
http://www.mtgdeckbuilder.net/Blogs/ViewBlog/1621
October 29, 2013 2:06 a.m.
wow. i didn't read but that's a lot of devotion to these. i suggest you make this into an article. calling KrazyCaley
catrap0 says... #2
1 Choosing a Magic the Gathering Deck Theme
Whether you are a competitive tournament player or a casual gamer, it's important to find the right type of Magic the Gathering deck to suit your play style. Some decks thrive off heavy offense (lots of creatures or direct damage spells) and others from their defense (counter-magic and removal spells). Depending on what Magic cards are available to you, you can also build a "combo deck" that combines a few different cards together to provide an instant win condition.
Aggressive "Speed" DecksAggressive decks come in all colors and styles. The strategy you will be employing with this style of Magic deck is to overrun your opponent with damage faster than he can handle. Cheap, powerful creatures and damage spells help you get a quick start. It may be good to include a handful of more expensive creatures or spells in case your opponent is still alive after you run out of your smaller threats. But your primary objective is still to bring your opponent from 20 to 0 life points as quick as possible. I.e. Burn Deck, Poison Deck, Weenie Deck
Defensive "Control" DecksA control deck will utilize removal spells, counter-magic, and good defensive creatures to keep your opponent at bay. This type of Magic deck takes a lot longer to win, as victory is earned slowly by controlling the board. Mass creature removal spells, and deck-searching spells are extremely handy. When you can handle multiple threats with just one card, you gain an advantage. When you can do this several times per game, while staying alive, you greatly increase your chances of victory. I.e. Denial Deck, Discard Deck, Permission Deck, Protection Deck.
Instant-Win "Combo" DecksA Magic deck based upon a 3-card (or 4-card) combo has only one way to win play all of the cards in your combo and win instantly. These decks are often completely wacky to watch in action. However, they require a great deal of both luck and skill to win consistently. If you play this kind of deck against your friends, they may get irritated! Most combo decks don't have any other way of winning besides the combo, so the degree of interaction between you and your opponent is more limited. Usually it's just a matter of trying to get your combo out before your life points are gone.
Hybrid Decks & Cluster DecksMagic decks don't have to fall into just one of the three above categories they can be hybrids. For example, a deck might contain both aggressive and defensive elements. Or it may contain several good card combos that are able to help you win, without requiring any specific combo. That is often referred to as a cluster deck, as many card "clusters" will help give you an advantage.
Net DecksA "net deck" is simply slang for a Magic deck you copied off the internet, often one that won a major tournament. This isn't necessarily a bad idea if you're new to deckbuilding, and have a lot of cards at your disposal. As long as you are able to learn the strategies involved it can be a great way to save time building a deck. Some Magic players get irritated by playing against net decks, but there's only so many deck ideas to go around, right?
Rogue DecksA rogue deck is a deck no one's seen before. It's a completely original work of art. The best part about playing a rogue deck is that no one will know what to expect (well, at least not until after the first game!) If you can find a good use for cards that are normally overlooked, building a rogue deck can earn you a lot of respect. You might even get your deck copied! The major downside of a rogue deck is that it may not be as reliable as a net deck. While a net deck has been tested extensively, a rogue deck might have weaknesses against many popular deck types.
Try Them AllDuring your Magic the Gathering gaming experience, it's a fun idea to try many different types of decks and see which ones you enjoy playing the most. Find out which ones work best for your play style. But most of all, don't forget to have fun!
For more decks http://community.wizards.com/forum/magic-general/threads/998481
October 29, 2013 1:58 a.m.