Magic: The Gathering

[REmaster]

So...anyone else play MTG? I'm just now getting in to it, though I've always been fascinated by the concept since it first came out which seems like centuries ago. I'll be honest I don't even know how to play, glanced at the manual and got a headache lol. I hear it's not too hard to pick up once you sit down and give it a chance.

The reason why I've always been interested in the cards(and why I finally started collecting them)is for the artwork, which is of course, fucking amazing. I picked up a booster pack last week and an intro pack/2013 core set tonight, so I was just wondering if anyone else on here dabbles with Magic so I could get a few pointers, discuss some things, etc.


I feel like gaming/general is for vidya games, if mods feel differently then by all means relocate.

[Darkmoon]

I actually have a load of magic cards, and the artwork is delicious. I can't play and probably never will - I hate the idea of cards have an expiration date. But the art is nice.

[REmaster]

I actually have a load of magic cards, and the artwork is delicious. I can't play and probably never will - I hate the idea of cards have an expiration date. But the art is nice.

Yea I was hearing about that, do they expire every year?

Edit: Ah, so they rotate out of the standard games every year or two. Apparently you can use a deck comprised of just about any card you've ever collected if you're playing a vintage/legacy game, but most sanctioned games are standard :/ Not that i'll be in one anyways lol.

[TheSelfishGene]

http://magiccardswithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/

Relevant.

I used to play the pokemon TCG. I really enjoyed it but couldn't find many people to play with competitvely. I don't really like the idea of buying cards and getting them randomly to build a deck. And the best cards are some of the rarest. It's kind of the same reason I didn't get into table-top battles. As an outsider it kind of seems like who has the most money wins?

[REmaster]

http://magiccardswithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/
Relevant.

I used to play the pokemon TCG. I really enjoyed it but couldn't find many people to play with competitvely. I don't really like the idea of buying cards and getting them randomly to build a deck. And the best cards are some of the rarest. It's kind of the same reason I didn't get into table-top battles. As an outsider it kind of seems like who has the most money wins?

LMAO that's awesome and I agree that it sucks about the deck situation. It's like in order to have an elite deck you basically have to buy a shit load of cards or be extremely lucky, just to have all those cards you bought get rotated out of standard competition a year later lol.

[Darkmoon]

Table tops a little different, at least something like Warhammer - they're all equally expensive. Elite troops tend to be les models for the same cash, though.

Warmachine's a bit different. There is definite power creep in that - you need the latest units to stay competitive, but if you already own them it's just a matter of getting the updated rules.

[Code_R]

I still have some of the cards around because I like the artwork, but I haven't played this game for at least 10 years, maybe more.

[J0shuaKane]

they have no expiration date. i never played type 2, just type 1. i used to have mox's when they were like ten bucks. the game has changed alot and makes me feel old. newer cards are insane. Elder Dragon Highlander/Commander is the best format to me, especially since they don't make honesty decks anymore.

have as many cards that draw more cards as you can, or cards like brainstorm and frantic search. card advantage is the single most important thing in the game, not the only important thing though. discard and counter/bounce decks essentially are the best, though any deck can beat any deck. this one guy came into a card shop with a fancy case and a $5,000 deck and almost cried when some little kid beat him with a 150 card pile of garbage. needless to say he never came around again.

but yeah, those are easy. other decks are a lot more complicated, but can win as often, like elves or merefolk. goblins are another deck that can rip through almost anything if done right.

there are many tips i can offer, i have been playing for 15+years. what kind of deck are you going for?

[Carnivol]

Used to play in the 90s, but quit after Invasion came out in the early 00s.

Wasn't really too fond of most of the newer stuff, just too many effects, tokens, and oddities in terms of what should take priority when effects collide.
+Having to spend a tiny forever double-checking a billion cards/effects before and after each turn just became such a royal pain in the ass if you weren't playing one of the newer digital versions (which, finally, got manual mana tapping in its latest release. Man... NOTHING was more infuriating than losing 'cause of a combo going wonky thanks to the computer tapping the wrong mana when you were gonna set the wheels in motion)


Heard they stripped out some of the dumber stuff again in the newer card sets, but I haven't really checked any of it out. Sell a lot of 2013 and Gate Crash at the shop, though, since the local community is more active and larger than ever

[C0deM0nkey]

I recently got back into Magic after taking an interest in it back in 2002/3 and buying a few cheap decks from the teacher who ran the club but I never actually learned the rules. I recently bought a deck builders set which gave me about 285 cards for £16. This has allowed me to play around with a load of different play styles since you get enough cards to build a deck of any colour or a mix of colours. I have built a deck which went from being a black/blue deck which was all about drawing cards and destroying the opponents cards to a black/red which gave me the ability to resurrect creatures and directly attack life points. I'd be really interested in discussing Magic on this thread

[Beanovsky Durst]

I love playing legacy with my zombie deck... But modern decks and cards are insane lol.

[REmaster]

they have no expiration date. i never played type 2, just type 1. i used to have mox's when they were like ten bucks. the game has changed alot and makes me feel old. newer cards are insane. Elder Dragon Highlander/Commander is the best format to me, especially since they don't make honesty decks anymore.

have as many cards that draw more cards as you can, or cards like brainstorm and frantic search. card advantage is the single most important thing in the game, not the only important thing though. discard and counter/bounce decks essentially are the best, though any deck can beat any deck. this one guy came into a card shop with a fancy case and a $5,000 deck and almost cried when some little kid beat him with a 150 card pile of garbage. needless to say he never came around again.

but yeah, those are easy. other decks are a lot more complicated, but can win as often, like elves or merefolk. goblins are another deck that can rip through almost anything if done right.

there are many tips i can offer, i have been playing for 15+years. what kind of deck are you going for?

Very interesting. Well I would like to build a black/red deck, though I don't know enough to get any more specific lol. So far I have three rare cards (all white), but I had some questions about the mythic rare cards.

How important are rare/mythic rare cards to your deck?

Exactly how "rare" are they? Are they really powerful cards or is it a collector's thing, or both?

I don't know much about building a deck but from what I hear it's usually 60 cards made up of land/spell cards, so where do the creature/artifact cards come in to play?

[J0shuaKane]

when it comes to play value, rare doesn't mean anything. it more has to do with how many they print. often they make great cards uncommon just to keep the price from sky-rocketing. skullclamp and hymn to tourach are examples of 2 of the best cards in the game and they are uncommon and common.

anything that is not a land is a spell. the idea is you are a wizards casting spells, some summon creatures or create artifacts. enchantments, equipment, sorcery and instant cards, they are all spells.

the minimum to a deck is 60 cards. you want to keep it as close to that number as possible, so you have a better chance of drawing what you need. its pretty universal to use a base of 20 land and 40 spells, and balance out the deck from there depending on what you need.

black/red can be extremely effective against anything. you can do a few things with it that are fun and will be sure to piss off anyone you play against.

your only real challenge would be against white. white creatures often have protection from red and/or black. meaning you can't target them or block them. but alot of black creatures are pro-white.

cards like earthquake and mutilate are essential to getting around those since they do not target. you can also have fun with land destruction. there are alot of red/black cards the destroy land for 3 mana, and combined with discard spells make it virtually impossible for your opponent to play anything. and if they do slip something in, small burn spells like lightning bolt will take care of it. all low mana cost and $ cost, except sink hole, and can put a stop to almost any deck.

when building any deck, it will go through alot of changes while you play with it more. cards that are amazing may be horrible in actual gameplay, and cards that seem horrible may fit into the deck perfectly. alot of people get decks off the net, and it is like playing a robot. i don't recommend going that route because decks like that follow a certain order that must be followed, or they lose.

and remember, if a card sits in your hand alot without being played, get rid of it. it has proven itself not as useful as it could be. you should be able to play any card in the deck at almost any time. consistency is key, or you will not have a high win percentage.

[REmaster]

when it comes to play value, rare doesn't mean anything. it more has to do with how many they print. often they make great cards uncommon just to keep the price from sky-rocketing. skullclamp and hymn to tourach are examples of 2 of the best cards in the game and they are uncommon and common.

anything that is not a land is a spell. the idea is you are a wizards casting spells, some summon creatures or create artifacts. enchantments, equipment, sorcery and instant cards, they are all spells.

the minimum to a deck is 60 cards. you want to keep it as close to that number as possible, so you have a better chance of drawing what you need. its pretty universal to use a base of 20 land and 40 spells, and balance out the deck from there depending on what you need.

black/red can be extremely effective against anything. you can do a few things with it that are fun and will be sure to piss off anyone you play against.

your only real challenge would be against white. white creatures often have protection from red and/or black. meaning you can't target them or block them. but alot of black creatures are pro-white.

cards like earthquake and mutilate are essential to getting around those since they do not target. you can also have fun with land destruction. there are alot of red/black cards the destroy land for 3 mana, and combined with discard spells make it virtually impossible for your opponent to play anything. and if they do slip something in, small burn spells like lightning bolt will take care of it. all low mana cost and $ cost, except sink hole, and can put a stop to almost any deck.

when building any deck, it will go through alot of changes while you play with it more. cards that are amazing may be horrible in actual gameplay, and cards that seem horrible may fit into the deck perfectly. alot of people get decks off the net, and it is like playing a robot. i don't recommend going that route because decks like that follow a certain order that must be followed, or they lose.

and remember, if a card sits in your hand alot without being played, get rid of it. it has proven itself not as useful as it could be. you should be able to play any card in the deck at almost any time. consistency is key, or you will not have a high win percentage.

It's all making sense now, haha. Thank you for the explanations, you've been extremely helpful Now I just need to pick up some more booster packs lol

[Code_R]

Used to play in the 90s, but quit after Invasion came out in the early 00s.

Basically this.