Am I ready for Magic?

[Rastien]

So since Yu-Gi-Oh is pretty much dead now, (Well online it is anyway at least..), I need a new card game to dabble in.

So of course, it looks like Magic is the best bet. (a lot of people play it. It might be handy to have if I went to a convention or a meetup somewhere. (I want to try that sort of thing out in the future)

Anyway, I've purchased and played Duals of the Planeswalkers 1-3, and played them for a bit (got pretty far in the original, barely touched 2012, about halfway through the campaign in 2013 on default difficulty), and I am getting familiar with the sort of cards and strategies the game has.

Also, there is a comic shop that sells the cards in my town, and its got me wondering:

Should I try to play the real, physical thing?

I haven't actually played a proper multiplayer match, even in planeswalker (I only have 1 friend who plays it and trying to get into contact with him is hard since he's a science University student, doing all that sciency stuff).

So anyway, anybody out there think I should give it a go, or should I hold back until I complete 2013 and play some multiplayer

(Though with Yu-Gi-Oh, I always liked the idea of building my own deck. (My favourite being a machine-equip deck, which lets me quickly set up monsters, but then be able to boost their power in the long-run for heavy damage. It was not too successful, but with some luck it performed well (the other deck I liked to play was the necro deck, with zombie and dark monsters with effects that made it hard to keep them out of play for an opponent))

Of course if I do decide to try playing it physically I need some core decks.
I'm thinking about getting a few.
Chandra being my favourite deck out of the 2013 game so far (It combines my favourite strategy, reviving monsters, boosting them up, and tampering with the opponent's play ). so I would likely start with that one.

But I do wonder if any vets out there would know a good color or deck that would compliment Chandra's.

Anyway, better not get ahead of myself. Afterall I am asking for advice here. So any suggestions?

What's that cappy? "Count your change"? You might be right on that one... XD

Dude not sure what has been advised yet im being a lazy bastard and not reading try and stop me muhahaha.

Anyways, go to the card shop and chat to the dude behind the counter , chances are there will be a casual evening when you can go and just play if your looking for a deck to bring to these casual events and have fun check out a pre built tournament deck for £20 such as:

http://www.manaleak.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=29682
http://www.manaleak.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=29695

These decks are obviously not the best but, they are usually the strongest cheapest pre-built decks you can buy, which come with a play guide and advise on improving the deck.

Something to also note is the duels games rules are a little bit... wrong in regards to when you can play instants and activate creatures abilitys so you may get caught out quite abit if thats only what you have played. The basics are there but the game gets alot more in depth in places.

Either way have a chat to the dude at the store, magic is great fun to play if the guys and girls you play with are fun. Don't rush into sinking alot of moeny into cards quickly you will waste your money take your time.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

So I've been to the store. Got my buttload of cards from the mail. Made a deck (though I definately need to look into improving it (needs more Goblin specials and another 2 giants (I got this sweet giant that gets +1/+1 for every monster summoned, so he would get massive boosts, when I summon goblin tokens and low-cost goblins in the end game! ).

Just need to make a few more, and wait for Friday Night Magic now! (I think the comic shop's meetup is on the 5th August)

(I have the lovely company of Kingdom Hearts 3D, and Metroid Prime Trilogy to keep me company till then!)

Another trip to the comic shop next week might also be needed. (to get some more more common cards to improve said decks)

 

[hedges1001]

my advice as a relatively new player (2 months in) is to start with the latest deckbuilders toolkit. you get 100 land (all 5 colours), 4 boosters (all standard legal) and 125 semi-random cards for less than 20 pounds ($30)

 

[Fappy]

If you have the money go for it. I stopped playing several years ago as it was a huge drain on my wallet. Too many hobbies!

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

First of all, ignore cotss2012. He doesn't know what objective and subjective mean, though I'm sure he's going to respond to this. The new sets are fine and if you choose to have fun playing them, you will.

Second, I would say just go for it. Get some boosters, maybe a starter deck and just start playing.

If you want to be precise with you deck building, buy single cards online. It ends up being a better deal than getting boosters and just hoping for the right card.

Also, from what you said you like in Yu-Gi-Oh, I would say go for an artifact/equipment deck. Lot's of little robots that get insanely big late game.

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

 

[Manji187]

What format takes your fancy, OP? Standard, I reckon?

Maybe you should try your hand at EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), or Commander (ugh..) as it is called by WotC nowadays. More options (more cards to choose from), longer sessions, possibility for political play.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

Trust me. I have tried.

But its an odd quirk I have when I type!
(I think its personality related...)

I'm literally fighting the keyboard not to type an emoticon.

Must... resist....

Anyway. I think I might look for some artifacts next.
I only have a handful of those, and I'm hoping the shop will have a lot of them I could just buy in bulk (because being mostly neutral element, I can pick loads of them up and look to use them in several decks)

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Off Topic Note: Cut back on the emoticons just a bit. Fine now and then, but this isn't YouTube.

Trust me. I have tried.

But its an odd quirk I have when I type!
(I think its personality related...)

I'm literally fighting the keyboard not to type an emoticon.

Must... resist....

You can do it! We all believe in you!

[image/]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34Pvrjxr4Ls/TuaJs0xH9YI/AAAAAAAAAHY/wlFNJk7O4M0/s1600/hang+in+there.jpg[/IMG]

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Whether the the older magic sets and rules were "better" or not is subjective.

No.

Under the old rules, the phrase "remove x from the game" actually removed it from the game.
Under the new rules, the phrase "remove x from the game" meant "remove x from play and put it into a game zone that functions exactly like the graveyard but is called something else."

Fuck that. If a card is in one of the game zones, then it's still in the game, and calling this game zone the "removed-from-game zone" doesn't make the new rule any less retarded.

Under the old rules, the ability to tap a permanent for one green mana was expressed the same way, regardless of what card the ability was on.
Under the new rules, the ability to tap a permanent for one green mana could be expressed as ": Add to your mana pool", or it could just be expressed as a giant-ass green mana symbol, or the ability might not be indicated anywhere on the card at all, or basically anything could happen depending on what WotC was smoking at the time.

The older rules are objectively better.

I don't think you know what the word objectively means. I started Magic a year ago, so you can claim I have whatever kind of biases, but I have never ran into a situation where it was vague as to whether an ability generated mana or not. Maybe it's not WotC who's smoking something...

The exiled zone still has quite a bit of significance, while it ISN'T always completely removed from the game it is sure as hell not as easy to get cards back from it. I can only think of 2 or 3 cards in the game that do that and they're all very selective about it. One card recently got a mythic rarity solely because it can be cast from exile despite being the equivalent of a common without that ability. You are just wrong in saying that they're treating it as a second graveyard even if it's no longer as definitive.

What killed the game was M2010, when they took the Rules and Noobified them.
That's to say, they asked people, who didn't know how to play, how they thought the game should be played and changed the rules to match it.

WHAT?!?

I mean, I knew things were going irreversibly downhill, but they fucked it up THAT badly? That's not just pissing on the game's grave, that's exhuming and opening the coffin, pissing on the body, and drawing a dick on its forehead with a sharpie pen while playing "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo.

I may be wrong, but didn't that only have to do with the wording they used for abilities? Like changing the wording from "sent from the battlefield to the graveyard" to "dies"? If so that really doesn't have much impact on the game at all.

OT: You're completely ready for Magic by the sounds of it, I went into it without any prior knowledge of the game with a couple of friends and, despite a couple rule misconceptions, had almost no trouble getting into it. Just be warned of the toll the game might have on your wallet. I probably spend more money on the game than I should, and don't even play competitively.

 

[Chased]

Definitely go for it. I've been playing since Onslaught which was quite some time ago. I have more cards than I'd like to admit to having and I've had a lot of fun playing and have met some interesting people doing so.

Here's some pro Magic advice: People that seriously play Magic tend not to play consistently (I'm talking over the span of years). Most will take breaks during blocks they don't like or go on hiatus. If you did keep up with the game through every twist and turn you'd probably go insane and be dirt poor. For example, I took a massive break between Ravnica and Innistrad and I had one friend who took a break from Ice Age up until Kamigawa.

Play the game, enjoy it and when you get burnt out save your cards!

Also don't worry about buying the most uber elite cards, I saw an interview with some dude in the Pro Tour that was going 6 - 0 and wiping the floor with a few overlooked jank cards that combo-ed well. A lot of the great and most iconic Magic cards, often referred to as "staples" are affordable and easy to come by (such as: Llanowar Elves, Mana Leak, Fireball, Oblivion Ring, and
Diabolic Tutor).

 

[Ryotknife]

wow, im surprised there are people out there who know what the Ice Age is in magic. Everytime Magic has come up in conversation with people who currently play it (i stopped playing over 10 years ago) and i bring up Ice age, i get a blank stare.

That said, i doubt if i would ever get back into the game due to all of the new rules and abilities that make my creature killer deck either obsolete or....more like just plain ole banned.

I will admit that i always wanted to make a green/black deck.

 

[Jitters Caffeine]

Yeah. I know of that.

But I was kind of referring to the series and the cards. (And the official online game! XD)
It kind of got a bit ridiculous in its latest incarnation.
(I played the xbox 360 game, and the final person you duel? WTF? A whole army of high level monsters in 2 turns! Insane. Truly insane.)

I don't know. I think I'm a little bored of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Looking at the prices, it is a little steep physically. Really need to try to get some friends into it, (or try to make some at the Comic Book shop).

Maybe I should try to track down that old PC magic game, since that had proper deck building and more content.

But for now. I think some more practice on Planeswalkers is in order!

Wait, steep prices? Last I saw, didn't Pot Of Duality drop from like $360 to less than $8? That's a pretty steep drop if you ask me. Even my beloved Six Samurai have dropped DRASTICALLY in price after going for over $100 for a Gateway of the Six when Storm of Ragnarok came out, now go for as low as 25 cents.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Ok.

I think I got the deck I want to run with down mostly now.

Out of all the cards I have so far, my Red and White card seem to work together the best.

This is the deck so far:

10x Mountain (Red)
10x Plain (white)

Goblin Arsonist X2
Warclamp Mastiff X2
Torch Fiend X2
Attended Knight X2
Elgaud InquisitorX2
Mogg Flunkies X2
Voice of the Provinces

Krenko's Command X3
Thatcher's Revolt
Captain's Call
Midnight Haunting

Flames of the Firebrand X2
Volcanic Geyser X2

Trumpet Blast
Glorious Charge X3
Cleaver Riot X2
Fervor

Pacifism X2

Ring of Valkas
Brimstone Volley
Searing Spear


The main cards to play with are:

Crusader of Odric X2
Krenko, Mob Boss X1
Hamletback Goliath X1
Griffin Protector X1

I know its not a great deck, and if I had the cards I'd like to change a thing or two but the strategy is pretty straight forward.
Get a lot of creatures down -> Buff -> attack

Or

Put big monster down -> Put lots of little monsters to power them up -> Buff -> attack

Use pacifism and fire to slow enemy down

Cards I think I would want to substitiute are Elgaud Inquisitor, and Voice of the Provinces, since they don't work great.
But I don't have any more Crusader of Odric, Krenko, or Hamletback Goliaths so they are there because they create tokens when they die (so the net amount of monsters on the playing field stays the same)

As for spells I do have a pair of Traitorous Bloods (But they need 2 fire mana so if I draw poorly they may not be so useful...), more goblin arsonists, a pair of Goblin Battle Jesters (good effect at preventing blocking, but high mana cost (4) for only 2/2 power), and a pair of oblivion rings.

I coud subsistute them in, but I don't want to risk having too many low level monsters, or too many without flying, else I don'y have much to counter with.

(though it being white, I might be also to get more Angelic Walls. They are cheap to play, have 4 defense and they fly, so they make good all-round blockers)


I'm also pondering removing the volcanic Geysers as well, as they may not end up being very helpful...

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

If you're playing Black or Red sub in the oblivion rings since my red/Black deck pretty much dies every time 'Exile target permanant' comes up in combat.

And if it's still legal, get a Goblin Chieftan or two, it'll work out well.

 

[Signa]

As much as I enjoy the Planeswalker games on the PC, I could never get into the real thing. Not only do you have to buy booster pack after booster pack, you'll have to figure out what cards to build your deck out of based on the random cards you got. You could pay a premium to get specific cards, but that's just going to run you even more money. After all that is said and done, you're going to have to find a friend that is equally invested to play with. There are some public options available, but it won't be as instant or cheap as the PC games are.

Basically, if this isn't going to be a major hobby for you, it's going to be a waste of time.

 

[gideonkain]

snip

Why was I quoted in this rambling diatribe of nonsense?
Did you just want to show off all the "face palm memes" you've collected?

A new player was asking for advice and everyone you quoted (and then gave the "face palm") provided useful information.

You just strung words together but failed to provide a single cohesive thought.

Especially you listing every card you knew that could get cards back from exile...those cards are all from legacy editions and are no longer playable in Standard format -- No I hadn't heard of nor seen any of those before because there are over 10,000 magic cards, why would you expect someone to have an encyclopedic knowledge of old ass cards? That's like expecting a person to know what was said on page 13 of issue 27 of Uncanny X-Men off the top of their heads.

 

[gideonkain]

Ok.
SNIP

I used the bulk import feature (beta) to import your deck to mtgvault - this I found useful when first starting with deck creation to visualize the whole thing and easily make changes:

http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=366636

According to the mana ratio you might wanna drop 2 or 3 white mana and replace with red.

idk, so many of the images are broken links - you may want to create your own account and manually add your cards in, I think it may be drawing from legacy card art that it's database doesn't have.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

*snip*

Okay, until that last part I was actually giving you the benefit of the doubt that you had a serious argument. You're just pissed that the game has changed. Counterspell is no longer a viable card nor is demonic tutor. Both of which were dropped because they had way too big of an impact on the game.

Also, those cards that you listed for being able to bring back cards from exile don't prove your point. I acknowledged that there were cards that interacted with the exile zone, but they were few. Could you also take note that all of those cards you listed were released ten years ago and have almost no equivalents in any recent sets. Besides the card that I mentioned was completely vanilla except for it's ability to be cast from exile, which warranted it being boosted from a common to a mystic. It's pretty damn obvious that the exile zone still has quite a bit of significance.

In comparison would you like me to count the number of cards that return cards from the graveyard? I just put the terms "Return target from graveyard" into gatherer and it came up with 274 cards.

Also your definition of objective is still flawed. You could say it's objectively a more accurate interpretation of "remove from the game", but it isn't objectively superior. The term has been changed to exile anyways, so it isn't objectively more accurate anymore either.

 

[chaos order]

Just double checked and the local comic shop (just a 10-15 min bus journey away), does do Friday Night Magic events.

(5th August. Which is a Sunday? o_0 )

Could like nuba km suggsted, and get a couple of deck builders and some boosters.

About £40 spend. (Cost of a video game here)

If I don't like it, then I can leave it.

Do you guys think its a good idea?

(Plus it might give me a good idea of how many people in town actually play the game! XD)

i would strongly suggest you strong arm some friends to get into MTG with you. cause playing casual with a bunch of friends is just funny. (unless they play with dirty elves cause fuck those guys)

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

*snip*

I'd definitely throw in a couple Oblivion Rings, probably over pacifism. For one extra mana it's definitely worth having a catch all removal. As Gideonkain suggested Mtgvault is pretty useful, but I personally prefer tappedout because it shows a spoiler of the card when you hover over the text instead of having to click the link