I'm new to Magic the Gathering
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SL33TBL1ND said:
That was my standard deck, which I described as budget. You can and I have made a great standard deck on a budget of less than $30. Fact: Including $15 dollar cards makes your standard deck not budget. Wasn't complaining about price, merely explaining how 3 cards making up $45 in a budget deck still made it quasi-budget.
I repeat, you put words in my mouth. There were no complaints.
Anyways, I know how redonkulous Legacy prices and games are, but that's besides the point. You don't get into Legacy because you're poor, you get into Legacy because you enjoy the format and you've got cash to burn. If I had $280 for a playset of [mtg_card=Force of Will] and $600 for a playset of [mtg_card=Underground Sea], I wouldn't spend it on pieces of cardboard - I'd spend it things like my tuition or food.
I play magic for fun, and so do most people. The high prices of certain cards does make some archetypes impossible if you don't have cash to burn, and that is (understandably) upsetting. Fact - it kinda sucks to build a really cool deck that you really like, only to check the prices and find that two of the lynchpin cards would cost you your food for the next couple weeks. Fact - it kinda sucks that the only dual lands available on a budget are the M10 allied checklands like [mtg_card=Rootbound Crag], which severely hurts a player's options with multicolor decks.
Side note: this is quibbling over definitions, but there is no way in which a deck that costs several hundred dollars is "casual".SL33TBL1ND said:
I used to play it years ago but stopped because less and less people played it. But there is one thing i remembered quite clearly from my days playing it: make your deck as small as possible with only the best of the best in it and try to focus on one color. Going multi color simply makes things harder.Everin said:As the title reads, I've recently (in the last year or so) been playing Magic the Gathering. However, it wasn't until I went online a week or two ago to look at some rule guidelines for a card that I was part of a huge HUGE community that has pages and pages and pages of conversations on one card's rules or quality among other things. Now, I kind of assumed that MtG would have a large following, being the first (I think) real trading card game and the longest lasting.
Now my question to the Escapist Community, do you play Magic the Gathering (or did or would like to) and what are some good hints/tips/tricks to building/playing a good deck, and what
colour/multi-coloured deck do you play?
In regards to my play style, I play a mono-Red deck geared towards getting as many weak Goblins on the field, mostly with [mtg_card=Krenko, Mob Boss] or [mtg_card=Krenko's Command] and then have a lot of piercing cards like [mtg_card=Searing Spear]. I've read online that Red decks are geared towards lots of piercing damage and therefore thought I'd follow that line.
Oh, there's plenty enough love. Did you miss my conversation with UnmotivatedSlacker? EDH is awesome!Manji187 said:
Everin said:
OP included because they're relevant to this conversation.generals3 said:
By what measure are multi-color decks harder? They can often be better and cheaper and more fun. Pre-rotation, I had a $30 White-Red deck that splashed a touch of black that consistently went to top 4 against people who played cards that cost more than my deck and who played legacy.
I've been interested in trying it out, especially because there is now a possibility that I could play it regularly. But, what I really need to know before I take the plunge is how much money I would need to invest in it. I really need to know how much I could expect to spend on Magic before I even consider playing it, and I honestly have no idea. Could anybody help me out here?
Well... Ive been playing since the mid 90s and still have all my cards. I did not play very much at all between 2000-2010, but recently tried getting back into playing physical. Have added quite a large quantity of cards from Avacyn, 2013 core and now return to rav.
However my problem is I simply dont have many people to play against face to face. So after a while of playing against someone repeatedly you become fully versed in all their tricks and strategies. Thats when it gets boring. Especially if the person your playing against is not 100% up on all the rules and perfers to play "gentlemens rules" /eyeroll
I do play online as well, however my deck is microscopic in comparison, and really I find its a LOT more tedious to build a deck online than it is physically. So I really dont play that often online. Games are too mechanical, and essentially devoid of fun.
As for decks... Typically I keep Black as my core. I will usually build around black and supplement with either Green or Red. I have two primary decks at the moment.
One black/red "Death Frenzy" which is from black, mostly undead with secondary focus on spells and enchantments. And from Red is a combination of haste based goblins, Large juggernaut types as heavy hitters, and used in conjunction with artifacts that "band" things together. The primary focus is to use the hasty goblins to start chipping away early as I work to bring out slightly larger undead such as zombies and skeletons with undying or the ability to sac/res, to which I will sac goblins as needed. While I hold this neutralizing front it gives me a chance to build up a wall of juggernauts to overpower opponent. It also has a fallback method of banding together either zombies or goblins via things like coat of arms in the case of prolonged knock down slug fests where mana becomes a problem.
The Black/Green one is themed around "Rotten dogs" and pack mentality. In this one I have old school hounds, and ducatti jackals (for shadow, which I rarely see used any more) Along with Green wolves and werewolves. This comprises most of my low to mid game. The deck is very creature heavy with its major focus being the end game a string of very large green wurms. Combination of at least 8 massive wurms, the weakest of which is the old school 8/5 [mtg_card= Whiptail wurm]. Intermixed with this deck, it is also artifact/enchantment/aura/spell/miracle laden with artifacts to act as equipment, black spells to debuff opponents. A few nightshade peddlers hide to soulbond deathtouch.
Dunno how my decks would stack against seasoned players, but my online decks which are rather weak due to lack of cards, I can generally hold my own against most players, SO I like to think my physical decks would do alright.
However my problem is I simply dont have many people to play against face to face. So after a while of playing against someone repeatedly you become fully versed in all their tricks and strategies. Thats when it gets boring. Especially if the person your playing against is not 100% up on all the rules and perfers to play "gentlemens rules" /eyeroll
I do play online as well, however my deck is microscopic in comparison, and really I find its a LOT more tedious to build a deck online than it is physically. So I really dont play that often online. Games are too mechanical, and essentially devoid of fun.
As for decks... Typically I keep Black as my core. I will usually build around black and supplement with either Green or Red. I have two primary decks at the moment.
One black/red "Death Frenzy" which is from black, mostly undead with secondary focus on spells and enchantments. And from Red is a combination of haste based goblins, Large juggernaut types as heavy hitters, and used in conjunction with artifacts that "band" things together. The primary focus is to use the hasty goblins to start chipping away early as I work to bring out slightly larger undead such as zombies and skeletons with undying or the ability to sac/res, to which I will sac goblins as needed. While I hold this neutralizing front it gives me a chance to build up a wall of juggernauts to overpower opponent. It also has a fallback method of banding together either zombies or goblins via things like coat of arms in the case of prolonged knock down slug fests where mana becomes a problem.
The Black/Green one is themed around "Rotten dogs" and pack mentality. In this one I have old school hounds, and ducatti jackals (for shadow, which I rarely see used any more) Along with Green wolves and werewolves. This comprises most of my low to mid game. The deck is very creature heavy with its major focus being the end game a string of very large green wurms. Combination of at least 8 massive wurms, the weakest of which is the old school 8/5 [mtg_card= Whiptail wurm]. Intermixed with this deck, it is also artifact/enchantment/aura/spell/miracle laden with artifacts to act as equipment, black spells to debuff opponents. A few nightshade peddlers hide to soulbond deathtouch.
Dunno how my decks would stack against seasoned players, but my online decks which are rather weak due to lack of cards, I can generally hold my own against most players, SO I like to think my physical decks would do alright.
Just stick with "standard" format decks but don't buy the ones that are getting phased our soon (like core 2012, scars, mirroden,etc). Look into the "guilds" I believe there is one that has red and something else (it's much easier to play duel color decks now with readily available duel color lands).
Actually, I think you missed the point. I was clearly kidding.Zen Toombs said:
Is where I am. Me and all the people I play with play these sorts of decks when we're just messing around.
I've been playing for a little under a year now with a main focus of playing standard.
I am currently running and red/blue control token deck.
For when i'm not playing standard my favorite decks to run are ALLy's, my favorite deck in particular being my green/blue ally deck which produces the safest mill deck ever.
I am currently running and red/blue control token deck.
For when i'm not playing standard my favorite decks to run are ALLy's, my favorite deck in particular being my green/blue ally deck which produces the safest mill deck ever.
I had a mono-black control deck pre-rotation that ate Goblin decks for breakfast. My opponent would empty their hand, and then I would hit them with a [mtg_card=Mutilate] or a [mtg_card=Black Sun's Zenith]. Coupled with [mtg_card=Duress], I made sure they didn't have spawn spells, and with [mtg_card=Pristine Talisman], I had [mtg_card=Gilded Lotus] turn four, and with that, depending on what was called for, [mtg_card=Griselbrand], [mtg_card=Sorin Markov], or [mtg_card=Sorin's Vengeance] turn six due to a [mtg_card=Diabolic Revelation] on turn five.kyosai7 said:
People hated me a lot.
That really depends on who you plan on playing with. I started about a year ago and had a group of friends who played, and since they're all casual I could compete with $12 R/W Metalcraft intro deck. If you wanna play with randoms at your hobby shop you'll probably have to spend a bit more to stand a chance.ohnoitsabear said:
Currently my fav deck is my mono-White Humans and Angels deck that starts out with [mtg_card=Champion of the Parish] and [mtg_card=Gather the Townsfolk], and ends with [mtg_card=Entreat the Angels] and [mtg_card=Avacyn, Angel of Hope]. I also have a B/U Zombie deck centered around [mtg_card=Grimgrin, Corpse-Born] and [mtg_card=Army Of The Damned] and a recently built mono-Green Beasties deck that relies on ramping into a fairly early, 5 +1/+1 counter [mtg_card=Primordial Hydra].
Haha, fantastic joke buddy. [footnote]Sarcasm[/footnote]Because people are joking every time people use your exact words and examples to complain about how others find the price of standard cards to be higher than they'd like. [footnote]Sarcastically.[/footnote]Thanks for putting me in my place![footnote]Blatant lies[/footnote]SL33TBL1ND said:
In all seriousness though, I found your response to be pretty funny.
Izzet+[mtg_card=Talrand, Sky Summoner], I presume?Marcus Kehoe said:
Also, I bloody LOVE allies. They were so fun in Zendicar...
Why Vindicate, if I may ask? Sure, it destroys a permanent, but only once. No way to quickly recur sorceries in W/ B.NameIsRobertPaulson said:
Well, yes, if taken on his own Solemn Simulacrum is not terribly good in a Teysa deck. But if you manage to blink him (preferably repeatedly)he can become an engine of advantage. Considering you have plenty of creatures with ETB triggers, have you considered using Conjurer's Closet?
Btw, for your Merieke deck (why not Sharuum?), have you considered Deadeye Navigator? Very useful with Solemn, very devious with Magister Sphinx (prepare for the ensuing hate). Although, technically, the sphinx is not banned, it is a rather douchey card. Especially if you cheat it into play early via Master Transmuter. Well, at least you aren't additionally playing Sorin Markov
. Is infinite mana (and other infinite combo's) allowed in your playgroup?
I was thinking of starting to play Magic the Gathering, I want to run a black/red deck. First step is to find some people who play the game though. I'm thinking of buying the Slaughterhouse and Rakdos Raid intro decks and some Return to Ravnica booster packs does anyone have any opinions on this? Will I be able to merge the Slaughterhouse and Rakdos Raid decks to make a strong deck using cards from each or will I be better off keeping them separate?
Yeah my R/U izzet runs summoner and Krenko, Mob Boss along with delvers and Krenko's command.
If i had vexing devils id rum them instead of delver.
If i had vexing devils id rum them instead of delver.
I got back into Magic last year after a long hiatus (began playing in 2003, stopped in 2007). I just recently stopped playing again. I'd LOVE to play it, but the cost of competitive play is just astronomical these days. $30+ each for some of the standard staples is absolutely ludicrous. I could buy a used car for the cost of some of the top tier decks. Unfortunately I don't have $800 to sink into a good deck each year, and if I can't play a good deck then I'd rather just not play.
Yeah, enchantments can be dangerous. That's why you are playing Return to Dust (exiling two is nice), Aura of Silence, Seal of Cleansing, Austere Command and best of all, Necrotic Sliver, recurrable through both Sun Titan and Reveillark. What I'm saying...there's kill and there's overkill. You've got your recurrable Vindicate already. Sacrificing a slot for a one-off extra seems unnecessary.NameIsRobertPaulson said:Let's go down the list:Manji187 said:Why Vindicate, if I may ask? Sure, it destroys a permanent, but only once. No way to quickly recur sorceries in W/ B.NameIsRobertPaulson said:
Well, yes, if taken on his own Solemn Simulacrum is not terribly good in a Teysa deck. But if you manage to blink him (preferably repeatedly)he can become an engine of advantage. Considering you have plenty of creatures with ETB triggers, have you considered using Conjurer's Closet?
Btw, for your Merieke deck (why not Sharuum?), have you considered Deadeye Navigator? Very useful with Solemn, very devious with Magister Sphinx (prepare for the ensuing hate). Although, technically, the sphinx is not banned, it is a rather douchey card. Especially if you cheat it into play early via Master Transmuter. Well, at least you aren't additionally playing Sorin Markov
Is infinite mana (and other infinite combo's) allowed in your playgroup?
1) Vindicate is amazing because it is ANY permanent. Enchantments are some of the most dangerous card in EDH, from Necropotence to Solitary Confinement, Privileged Position, Debtor's Knell... etc. The fact that it can nuke anything makes it a great tool to keep yourself alive.
2) My deck lacks blinks abilities because of how vulnerable they are in EDH, and how they rely too much on each other. Most of my tokens come from my sorceries.
3)Don't have Sharuum. He's out of the stock at my local shop. Meireke isn't bad mind you, but I would rather run Sharuum.
4) I use Magister (2 others in my group use Sorin Markov), but I don't use Deadeye because...
5) Infinite combos are banned in my group. Use one, that deck is banned. My Teysa has the capability if I sub in Ashnod's Altar and Darkest Hour, but I don't want the deck banned.
As I see it, the problem with instants and sorceries in W/ B is that once they're gone, they're often gone for good (i.e. they're all one-off, IF you manage to cast them succesfully). Have you ever faced a mill or discard deck?
Sharuum is a she, by the way.
Yeah, my playgroup bans em as well. Doesn't stop certain people from being douchey with cards like Quietus Spike though.
I actually started playing back in March, and I am really into it now. I am running currently a Selysnia & Azorious (Ravnica decks) but my two main is a mono white angel and mono-blue mill. So excited for GateCrash it's scary. I just want the new Gideon
So excited for GateCrash it's scary. I just want the new Gideon 
When I first got into Magic Online, I became so addicted my bank thought my identity had been stolen.
"We see a lot of small transactions going a single seller at odd times of the week..."
I had to quit cold turkey for a while. But before and after I reined it in, I leaned towards Black/Blue control. Love me some mill decks.
"We see a lot of small transactions going a single seller at odd times of the week..."
I had to quit cold turkey for a while. But before and after I reined it in, I leaned towards Black/Blue control. Love me some mill decks.
I started playing just over a year ago, thanks to Loading Ready Run and some of the guys who work for me playing it. got into it, now I have some nice decks of varying lethality.
I play for fun, not just to win. I love the mind games and springing something on my opponent and watching them try to deal with it. I'm actually happy if they do. Don't get me wrong, I like winning, but I like a fair fight too....
One thing I've noticed of Magic players, they do tend to be bright and overall, nice people.
oh, and no-one likes land destruction decks.. which is bad for me, 'cos one of my decks is an everything destruction deck.. Liquimetal Coating + Smelt makes for a very nice 1 mana pop anything... and Mycosynth Lattice and Creeping Corrosion ruins everyone's day.. especially in multiplayer. It won't get you many Christmas cards though.
I play for fun, not just to win. I love the mind games and springing something on my opponent and watching them try to deal with it. I'm actually happy if they do. Don't get me wrong, I like winning, but I like a fair fight too....
One thing I've noticed of Magic players, they do tend to be bright and overall, nice people.
oh, and no-one likes land destruction decks.. which is bad for me, 'cos one of my decks is an everything destruction deck.. Liquimetal Coating + Smelt makes for a very nice 1 mana pop anything... and Mycosynth Lattice and Creeping Corrosion ruins everyone's day.. especially in multiplayer. It won't get you many Christmas cards though.