What advice would you give newer players?

General forum

Posted on Sept. 10, 2020, 4:40 p.m. by MollyMab

So I have been playing a while and I notice the same mistakes and misconceptions over and over. Its the sort of things that sort of make sense when you have a basic understanding of the game but are wrong when you get deeper. So I was thinking what advice would you give people?

For me I would say:

-Stick to 24 lands in a 60 card deck. You generally cant go wrong with that. 22 for aggro maybe but leave the 19-20 land decks to the hyper efficent older formats.

-Netdecking isnt bad but make sure you understand the choices and core of the deck. Know what is the basic idea of how the deck functions and what is a tech choice based on prefrence and meta.

-Fetch lands thin your deck but its 4 life and 4 fetch lands to have "drawn" a card of value by turn 20. Fetchlands are for fixing your mana, gy effects and shuffle effects and even then they probably arent the best option.

-Consistancy is king. If you are running 3 copies of a card why isnt it 4? 1 of cards cannot be relied on and should be upped or cut.

-For aggro about what turn you want to win by and focus your deck around that critical turn.

Balaam__ says... #2

From personal experience, it would be to make sure the basic turn sequences and what happens in each phase is accurately understood. So many of my own ideas failed because I did not have a good enough conceptualization of what can be done when, and how.

September 10, 2020 5:01 p.m.

Caerwyn says... #3

I would add a caveat to your Consistency post--generally you can get away with 2-3 cards if those cards are (a) redundant with one another (such as Ensnaring Bridge, or (b) are your high-mana/high requirement finisher. If you get to the end of building and find you have 1 or 2 slots, fill that slot with removal--more removal is always good, even if it's just a secondary card placed there for filler.

Some other things:

  • Think about how you want to win, including how you win in different types of matchups. It's not enough to just throw goodstuff together--you need to be able to close out the game.

  • Don't play lands that enter tapped if you want to be competitive. You don't need to splurge on a full set of shocks or fetches; things like check lands and pain lands can get the job done on a budget.

  • Buying singles is generally more cost-effective than cracking packs.

  • Go to Prereleases. Prereleases are fun, casual, and do not require you to have a high-powered deck. Though it shares that last trait with Draft events, Sealed is a lot more forgiving for newer players.

September 10, 2020 5:03 p.m.

Lanzo493 says... #4

I've seen this way too often in new players, and even with experienced players that just haven't learned their lesson yet. You need to PRESS YOUR ADVANTAGE. If you're ahead, you need to make sure you stay ahead and keep the pressure up. This often means attacking with creatures every chance you have. Yes, there are times when you shouldn't attack, but there are also games I've won simply because the other person didn't press their advantage whereas I ALWAYS press the advantage the second I take it away from them. I guess I'm just an aggro player at heart, but too many people are too careful and it can get you killed.

September 10, 2020 5:13 p.m.

GenericToaster says... #5

I think the biggest thing i see with new players is running wayyy too many 1-ofs and 2-ofs.

My general advice here would probably be to run 4 copies of anything you want to do consistently, 3 copies of anything you want to do maybe once a game, and 2 copies if something is a very high costed finisher in an slower paced deck, and 1 copy if part of your can search it up at will, and would otherwise be too narrow to put in.

(my own personal exception is my cycling deck where i run 1 Imposing Vantasaur, but since i never hard cast it, to me its the exact same card as Frostveil Ambush)

September 10, 2020 5:19 p.m.

TriusMalarky says... #6

  • Know the cards in your meta. I have won multiple matches by holding one mana up(regardless of color) and having 3+ lands in hand. Granted, these were against 12-yr-olds that I had a reputation with... but still, understand what can be done.

  • Attack! Hecking attack. The games I won by holding open mana to cast a land were also lands I won because it convinced the opp not to attack. I had a super inferior board state, and would have died immediately had they attacked. Also, that 1-2 damage can be SO important.

  • Judge your opponent early on. If they have a creature that could trade with yours, don't auto hold back -- think of what that creature is there for and if they'd be willing to throw it in front of yours. Additionally, how important is your creature? If you're going to be playing a big thing later that turn or next turn, go ahead and risk a trade in order to clear out the board.

  • Play things early! It might be something specific to the group of players I've been around, but too many people skip turns 1-3 in favor of bigger plays. I've watched players(with mana dorks in hand) play nothing for three turns while I flooded the board with peezy.

  • Ignore artifacts. Unless you know what you're doing, artifacts(in 60 card formats) suck. It is so much easier to run Kraul Harpooner or Oreskos Swiftclaw than Field Creeper.

  • 90% of the time, equipment and auras SUCK. They are absolute garbage.

TBH, I play with a lot of people who really don't know what they're doing. I can easily be in the top half of my LGS with a $15 deck when I'm not brewing something stupid.

September 10, 2020 5:25 p.m.

GenericToaster says... #7

My previous comment obviously doesnt apply to commander lol.

But something else I'd like to add is about mulligans, If you can't effectively start building your board with nothing but your starting hand, you should mulligan. A starting hand with 2 lands and 5 cards that are 1-2 mana is so much more valuable than a hand with maybe 3-4 lands and only cards that are 4-5+ mana

September 10, 2020 5:27 p.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #8

1) Have respect for everyone, including yourself. Shower and brush your teeth daily. Additionally, wear deodorant.

2) Don't be an elitist. We were all new at one point and made plenty of mistakes and some of still make them.

3) Remember it's a game and remind new players that it can be enjoyed in lots of different ways.

4) Magic doesn't need to be expensive. Make connection and friends who are okay with you using their cards.

5) Be open to new ideas and understand that just because someone may view Slivers as an unstoppable, syngerstic, friend killing machine doesn't mean you have to :)

September 10, 2020 6:03 p.m.

Icbrgr says... #9

I honestly think Magic the Gathering Arena (MTGA) is one of if not the best teaching tool for newer players.

It is a fantastic demonstration of the general rules of the game and card interactions without being stuck in a vacuum of a narrow card pool as many of us were who learned the game through duel decks years ago.

Playing multiple back to back free to play games in arena will show players far more than just the basics of the game and by seeing and experiencing other decks and effects and interactions over time they will develop a true understanding of more complex deck building and what kinds of cards are janky and what kinds of cards are truly competitive and why.

September 10, 2020 7:23 p.m.

maxon says... #10

Start organizing your cards now.

September 10, 2020 7:30 p.m.

Balaam__ says... #11

@maxon Amen.

September 10, 2020 7:43 p.m.

enpc says... #12

My big three would be:

  • Try to properly learn the rules of the game. I'm not talking about the 200+ page comprehensive rules, but if somebody explains a rule to you, try to remember it. But the amount of people who want to play Magic the Gathering but flat out refuse to learn the any of the details is staggering.

  • Don't be afraid to be wrong and to admit it. Try something, test an idea. If it doesn't pan out then that's fine, but be willing to learn from it.

  • Cutting lands for more bombs makes decks less playable, not more playable.

September 10, 2020 8:03 p.m.

golgarigirl says... #13

1.) There's a billion different strategies in Magic. And once you find what you like...what comes naturally to you...it's going to be SO MUCH EASIER to learn.

2.) Like anything, every aspect of this game is a SKILL. Deckbuilding? Skill. Sequencing? Skill. Threat assessment? Skill. Mulliganing? Skill. Sideboarding? Skill. It's going to take practice and time to learn, and the only way to do that is play and watch people play.

3.) And ask questions!

September 10, 2020 9:26 p.m. Edited.

My basic knowledge to people is to run enough lands in there decks and to pay attention to the mana curve of the deck. I know early in my playing days I bought a mono green precon deck that was all about the big creatures. Needless to say I thought that casting a 6/6 on turn 6/7 with no ramp was a great strategy.

September 10, 2020 9:35 p.m.

Gidgetimer says... #15

Take the time to learn the stack and priority. I'm not talking about learning advanced interactions right away. Or CR117 and CR405 including 13 sub-rules and 21 sub-sub-rules. The basic rules have a 7 sentence explanation of "using the stack". This is sufficient for learning the game and only certain types of players will ever need to know more. Having a good grounding in when stuff happens and when you can act is important and will help you enjoy the game.

As one of the site's rules nerds, I can't tell you the amount of times I have answered some variation of "Can I make my kill spell uncounterable by playing a split second card immediately after it?" No, Little Jimmy, objects resolve one at a time with a chance for each player to respond after each resolution.

September 10, 2020 10:56 p.m.

ghostmode says... #16

I never net-decked in the first 15 years of playing the game. It wasn't as common then, but I grew up playing this game and I loved the combo aspect of it, the building aspect of it, synergy and learning how to create unique mechanical tools and effects.

To me, the game was initially a set of building blocks much more than it was a streamlined game experience. The deck was never taken for granted as a given item of the game. There was no being good at playing a deck without having the knowledge to create that deck. Still, I often think how interesting it is that the game really does not have any set rules on what to actually do with the game pieces.

ANYWAY, I suffered GREATLY for it! HA! I wanted to do everything my own way. That's what inspired me to play the game so it wouldn't really have happened another way but it would have been so beneficial for me at any point to pick up a handful of tried-and-true decks and play them to get a feel for what made them work, and THEN go on to continue building my own. I thought of everything in a vacuum and had no concept that the game had a pace to it, because in my mind i vehemently rejected that idea and that the meta was important (I still do, heh).

I've learned a lot in my time playing this game, don't get me wrong (the hard way), and I would actually recommend the opposite to players who think they know how to play well but exclusively net-deck Standard decks or even anything else with a heavy focus on the meta. It's such a good tool, the internet, but try new ideas from scratch if any inspire you so that you can have learning experiences and you'll know what to do in unexpected situations.

I don't really play "piles," but sometimes I throw together "pile-esque" decks with underlying synergies that hold the game plan together. For example, Turbo Agonies Zoo has a game plan that inspired me and keeps it worth playing but the random variety and interactions also keep it really interesting! I've had to contemplate what is the best time to do certain things, and if I should be more aggressive, or defensive, conservative or sacrificial.

I highly recommend trying new things, because you'll end up making silly mistakes and learning a lot, or achieving accidental greatness. Also, I recommend the opposite.. play tried-and-true decks to really get a handle on how "the game feels."

September 11, 2020 1:47 a.m.

magwaaf says... #17

play aggro first to learn the basics and go from there, don't copy netdecks, build your own to find out how you like to play before you dump money into something you might not end up liking

September 11, 2020 1:51 a.m.

ghostmode says... #18

Gidgetimer Hey, for what its worth, if you hold priority and cast your split-second spell, they can't counter the spell at least until the split-second spell resolves. You probably know that, but hey if that does the particular job it might be worth mentioning!

September 11, 2020 1:53 a.m.

MagicMarc says... #19

I second the earlier comments about the stack, priority and timing.

The only other comment I have is...

Read The F**KING Card!

I cannot count the number of times I have won a game or lost a game because either my opponent or I did not read and understand a card in play or when it was cast.

September 11, 2020 11:25 a.m.

Don't be afraid to talk to your opponents and even ask questions about their deck after the game. They may just give you some info you would have never thought of.

Test out a few playstyles at first until you find something you can make sense of and stick with that until you feel you understand it well.

Join a community. It can be your group of friends that already plays, a local game store, a discord channel or a lovely site such as this.

Watch people play. Find someone you like on youtube and you will learn a lot. I never play modern, but I love watching thegrimflayer jund em out.

Don't worry too much about winning or losing at first. Just play the game and try to learn as much as you can each time you play. Remember that for the majority of players it will never be for profit, so just enjoy the game.

September 11, 2020 4:01 p.m.

Gidgetimer says... #21

enter image description here

I need an esper one since that is my shard of choice. I just thought I would share this little beauty. It is available on shirts and playmats from LoadingReadyRun if anyone is interested.

September 11, 2020 6:18 p.m.

You've made a terrible mistake.

Turn around and run for your f#@king life.

September 11, 2020 9:48 p.m.

DemonDragonJ says... #23

I have several pieces of advice to offer to newer players:

First, have a deck with only one or two colors when new to the game; do not attempt to build a deck with three or more colors until one is more experienced.

Second, use mana-generating artifacts (commonly known as "mana rocks") and mana-generating creatures (commonly known as "mana dorks") in addition to lands, because they provide benefits beyond mana.

Third, while both mana screw and mana flooding are undesirable, it is always better to err on the side of caution, so, if a player must suffer from one of those two situations, it is better to be mana flooded than mana screwed; i.e., always have too many lands, rather than too few.

September 13, 2020 10:19 p.m.

ghostmode says... #24

  • Include cheap card filtering effects to lessen the annoying dead draws and top-decking as well as finding lands early.
  • Every point of damage counts.. swing, unless you're really freakin sure not to.
  • Buy singles for decks.
  • You will want those rare lands pretty soon, so think twice about trading them away for creatures just yet.
September 14, 2020 5:40 a.m.

ghostmode says... #25

Know your playgroup. If someone shows up with a Legacy deck to a group who normally plays Standard, people are going to end up being annoyed after they try to give the game a fair chance. The power level available in these formats is just so different.

Often times, I think what happens is that people start playing kitchen table, using any cards they have. That's technically the most powerful format though so someone finds a card that seems like it outright wins the game and brings it along in their deck to surprise everyone. They play their Phyrexian Unlife and you're just like "wtf mate." This strikes people as ridiculous at first, but it pushes them to learn how to respond to that card or come up with their own unbeatable strategy. Often times, I think this is the way that a playgroup starts to learn the game. People may start bringing standard and modern decks and becoming more organized about it.

Responding to that Unlife is a tough lesson, because it really decides where you're going to go with the game. Many people might think, "Well I'm going to improve my strategy" because they don't want to have to base their deck on someone else's. An experienced player, however, would probably have answers to that card built into their synergistic deck and sideboard. Someone else might be super keen on finding that answer and brings it the next time to ultimately annoy the heck out of the Unlife player who is playing into hate every game. This might prompt the discussion of sideboarding and if its appropriate to pack mainboarded hate every casual game.

I used to play a modern manaless dredge deck, and I wanted the draw first turn or else I lost a full turn for no reason. Unfortunately, my group knew the sleeves for that deck, so that was a tough situation. They would have an super advantage if in the first of three games they always knew to take the draw. I can deal with that, but also you could consider a "gentleman's" honest first pick of the play on their part if they'll agree they'd probably have taken it without knowledge, but I rarely had to do this cause I could often try to get them to take the play before revealing my deck that day anyway XD

September 14, 2020 6:10 a.m.

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