Hey, very new to magic, 0 cards in collection new. I do have digital experiance with the game though. So for the last few days I've been crash coursing everything I can on the retail side of things before I start spending. I've figured I will buy 3 to 4 booster boxes to start with and go from there. My understanding is that each one has a loose theme related to it: fantasy, sci-fi, angels, etc...
My question is, do the booster packs within the boxes contain only the cards exclusive to that set or do some commons and uncommon or whatnot come from other blocks and sets?
Unless something truly has gone wrong, a booster box should only contain packs from the set it's from and booster packs only contain cards from the set they're from. (Yes, Masterpieces exist, but that's a supplement to the set, so...)
Thank you for the quick response! So then would you say it's wise to buy two of booster boxes from the same set to get more of a complete set or buy different sets for a more diverse library?
That's a question I can't possibly answer without context. If you're actually looking for specific cards, just buy them individually - if you want to draft, or just have fun cracking packs, then buy sealed products.
If a set appeals to you, buy more of it, that's all I can say.
Ok, no... that makes sense. I plan on very casual play and absolutely love the art/lore of the cards as much as playing. There are just so many options put there... can't wait to start.
Hey, very new to magic, 0 cards in collection new. I do have digital experiance with the game though. So for the last few days I've been crash coursing everything I can on the retail side of things before I start spending. I've figured I will buy 3 to 4 booster boxes to start with and go from there. My understanding is that each one has a loose theme related to it: fantasy, sci-fi, angels, etc...
My question is, do the booster packs within the boxes contain only the cards exclusive to that set or do some commons and uncommon or whatnot come from other blocks and sets?
Thank you for any insight...
Hello there, welcome to the forums
It might be worth a minute to introspect on whether it's a deck you seek or a collection. If building decks and playing them against others is what you like, the kinds of decks you can make via cracking packs is going to be constrained in its content to whatever packs you buy... In other words it's only going to be certain kinds of decks you can build via booster boxes and they may not be as competitive or diverse as you're hoping for as opposed to acquiring the individual cards you need for a specific deck.
If you want to plan out a deck before spending money, you'll end up knowing exactly which cards are needed to make it and it migh be a $200 endeavor..
If you want to plan on buying booster boxes before knowing what deck you want to build, you will have limitations imposed on the deck's capabilities due to the card pool used to build it and it may end up costing you the equivalent of $400 to crack open just the right cards/quantities needed for a deck.. Kind of the chicken or the egg situation here, which comes first? Decklist or collection? Playing the cards or collecting them? I hope this helps add perspective.
Very good insight there. I guess I would like to start with being able to craft semi-competitive decks. I love control playstyle and would first start designing a mono blue. Strange as it sounds though, the cards I'm most excited about obtaining and collecting tend to be white and green... go figure. Lol
I actually have my eye on theros and avacyn restored booster boxes... the latter is crazy expensive compared to most others though... not understanding that one.
Another question is "what format do you want to play?" You may want to look into that before you buy anything. If I go to a local store, I can pick up a game of Commander, Modern, or (I would imagine) Standard. If you want to play casual with no regard to format, you might be able to pick up a game at the store, or you might not. Do you have friends that play? You may also want to look into Cube, where you create and maintain a collection of cards meant to be drafted over and over.
Knowing what format will help immensely before buying cards or boosters.
As of now, family and friends. That may change when my collections gets larger, have a more competitive deck and increase in knowledge and skill... we will see. I like the idea of standard format.
As of now, family and friends. That may change when my collections gets larger, have a more competitive deck and increase in knowledge and skill... we will see. I like the idea of standard format.
Standard is certainly well supported by Wizards. Keep in mind that both of the sets you named earlier (Theros and Avacyn Restored) are no longer standard legal, so it wouldn't make sense to acquire them if you want to play standard. Anything you buy for Standard will only be legal for a limited time. Modern is a non-rotating format with similar deck construction rules to Standard. Commander is my favorite format (highly recommend it), and it is also a non-rotating format.
I actually have my eye on theros and avacyn restored booster boxes... the latter is crazy expensive compared to most others though... not understanding that one.
Those are both older sets, which tend to get more expensive as the supply in the channel runs dry. It generally doesn't make much financial sense to buy lots of sealed product as an individual unless you're going to play limited, etc with the packs or otherwise have a desire to collect all the lower-rarity cards. The vast majority of MTG cards (i.e. most commons and uncommons) are suited towards draft/sealed and aren't powerful enough for constructed play (i.e. "Draft Chaff").
Ok, this is all good advice, thank you. So should my aim be toward the current block, forgot the name... two "current sets" something and rivals of something? Forgive my noobness.
If not, where would a good starting point be? I guess, if you didn't have a collection anymore, and couldn't buy individual cards to craft your decks... taking the knowledge you have now, how would you begin your "new" collection/deck?
Well, that's an odd hypothetical. Why wouldn't I be able to buy singles? Even if I didn't know what cards I'd have to buy to build a particular deck I'd easily be able to look up that information online.
As I play a lot of Commander, the first thing I'd personally do would be buy decks from the latest Commander release.
Ok, this is all good advice, thank you. So should my aim be toward the current block, forgot the name... two "current sets" something and rivals of something? Forgive my noobness.
If not, where would a good starting point be? I guess, if you didn't have a collection anymore, and couldn't buy individual cards to craft your decks... taking the knowledge you have now, how would you begin your "new" collection/deck?
If you want to jump into standard, you should grab the Challenger decks when they release in April. These are slightly-powered down versions of the top-tier decks, but have enough of the important cards that you can start with them and upgrade with singles as needed.
The Commander precons are also great values and typically have lots of format staples and playables even if the deck commander isn't a top-tier one.
Yeah, buying a precon (for Standard or Commander) can be a good place to start. Those decks always need to be tweaked, but they give a structure to start building on. Also, depending on where you live, you can buy singles in local shops or online. I definitely prefer to spend $4 on a card I know I will use than to open a booster not knowing if I will ever want to play any of the cards in it. This becomes even more true after you have a deck or two that you are tuning up; the odds of getting just the card you want are miniscule so you will save money in the long run just buying it.
Thank you again for all the advice. I look forward to collecting and deck building.
Curious... As experienced and mid to long term players such as you guys, what do you buy? Do you still buy? Do you keep building new decks? What drives you to keep playing?
Thank you again for all the advice. I look forward to collecting and deck building.
Curious... As experienced and mid to long term players such as you guys, what do you buy? Do you still buy? Do you keep building new decks? What drives you to keep playing?
What keeps me playing is interesting card interactions, I like brewing deck ideas on my own by looking at the Gatherer database for hours. I see a particular theme that I like in a card, or if I'm lucky the theme appears on multiple cards and then I'll try to adapt that concept into something viable for a deck. Some people like to brew up their own deck ideas and some like to look at already existing deck ideas and replicate them. Casual formats like EDH/Commander allow for more casual/homebrew decks than competitive formats like Modern and Standard though. I would recommend looking at the Gatherer database's advanced search and just start plugging in keywords that interest you. Maybe you'll find that you like the grind of brewing. I like it as much as playing a deck because I feel that I own the concept inside, when the deck is made without looking at other people's decks. The only drawback is that once I build the deck and become attached to owning the deck idea, I usually never take the deck apart. So now I have something like 30 individual EDH decks (some are PDH and Star EDH too) and use a partitioned security case to haul half of them to the LGS for game night... Like I will tonight.. tonight is EDH at my LGS! Whoo! Stoked!
Maybe check out some of my EDH decks in my signature, they are all real decks that I own in person and built them around themes that I brewed up. You might also like the website I used to build them on, there are many similar websites and they help a lot in deckbuilding. GL!
Thank you again for all the advice. I look forward to collecting and deck building.
Curious... As experienced and mid to long term players such as you guys, what do you buy? Do you still buy? Do you keep building new decks? What drives you to keep playing?
Yeah, I've been playing 15 years now, and I'm constantly building new decks (that's half the fun). I play mostly Commander/EDH with some Pauper on the side, and I have two cubes for drafting. I haven't bought boosters in years, aside from an occasional draft. I do buy one or two Commander precons each year, and I trade for or buy plenty of singles. As Shea_0 said, the interactions and possibilities are what keep me going. There's always something new, and there are often new ways to explore what is old. Plus, I love group politics, and multiplayer lets you explore them. In a duel, it's just a race to see who can hit who faster or harder. In multiplayer, you can play the entire table, subtly pitting other people against each other, or you can try to smash through as many people as possible, or you can try to control them all (which gets harder with more people). There's just so many approaches you can take.
My question is, do the booster packs within the boxes contain only the cards exclusive to that set or do some commons and uncommon or whatnot come from other blocks and sets?
Thank you for any insight...
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
If a set appeals to you, buy more of it, that's all I can say.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Hello there, welcome to the forums
It might be worth a minute to introspect on whether it's a deck you seek or a collection. If building decks and playing them against others is what you like, the kinds of decks you can make via cracking packs is going to be constrained in its content to whatever packs you buy... In other words it's only going to be certain kinds of decks you can build via booster boxes and they may not be as competitive or diverse as you're hoping for as opposed to acquiring the individual cards you need for a specific deck.
If you want to plan out a deck before spending money, you'll end up knowing exactly which cards are needed to make it and it migh be a $200 endeavor..
If you want to plan on buying booster boxes before knowing what deck you want to build, you will have limitations imposed on the deck's capabilities due to the card pool used to build it and it may end up costing you the equivalent of $400 to crack open just the right cards/quantities needed for a deck.. Kind of the chicken or the egg situation here, which comes first? Decklist or collection? Playing the cards or collecting them? I hope this helps add perspective.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
Knowing what format will help immensely before buying cards or boosters.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Those are both older sets, which tend to get more expensive as the supply in the channel runs dry. It generally doesn't make much financial sense to buy lots of sealed product as an individual unless you're going to play limited, etc with the packs or otherwise have a desire to collect all the lower-rarity cards. The vast majority of MTG cards (i.e. most commons and uncommons) are suited towards draft/sealed and aren't powerful enough for constructed play (i.e. "Draft Chaff").
If not, where would a good starting point be? I guess, if you didn't have a collection anymore, and couldn't buy individual cards to craft your decks... taking the knowledge you have now, how would you begin your "new" collection/deck?
As I play a lot of Commander, the first thing I'd personally do would be buy decks from the latest Commander release.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
If you want to jump into standard, you should grab the Challenger decks when they release in April. These are slightly-powered down versions of the top-tier decks, but have enough of the important cards that you can start with them and upgrade with singles as needed.
The Commander precons are also great values and typically have lots of format staples and playables even if the deck commander isn't a top-tier one.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
MTGSalvation tags
EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Curious... As experienced and mid to long term players such as you guys, what do you buy? Do you still buy? Do you keep building new decks? What drives you to keep playing?
What keeps me playing is interesting card interactions, I like brewing deck ideas on my own by looking at the Gatherer database for hours. I see a particular theme that I like in a card, or if I'm lucky the theme appears on multiple cards and then I'll try to adapt that concept into something viable for a deck. Some people like to brew up their own deck ideas and some like to look at already existing deck ideas and replicate them. Casual formats like EDH/Commander allow for more casual/homebrew decks than competitive formats like Modern and Standard though. I would recommend looking at the Gatherer database's advanced search and just start plugging in keywords that interest you. Maybe you'll find that you like the grind of brewing. I like it as much as playing a deck because I feel that I own the concept inside, when the deck is made without looking at other people's decks. The only drawback is that once I build the deck and become attached to owning the deck idea, I usually never take the deck apart. So now I have something like 30 individual EDH decks (some are PDH and Star EDH too) and use a partitioned security case to haul half of them to the LGS for game night... Like I will tonight.. tonight is EDH at my LGS! Whoo! Stoked!
Maybe check out some of my EDH decks in my signature, they are all real decks that I own in person and built them around themes that I brewed up. You might also like the website I used to build them on, there are many similar websites and they help a lot in deckbuilding. GL!
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Advanced.aspx
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/magic-general/334931-what-is-the-most-pimp-card-deck-youve-seen-or?comment=5361
Commander
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage Grenades! EDHGR
UWSygg's Defense, EDH - Voltron & ControlWU
BUGMimeoplasm EDH ft. Ifnir Cycling-discard comboBUG
WBTeysa, Connoisseur of CullingBW
BWSelenia & Recruiter of the Guard suicice combo EDHWB
UBRWGO-Kagachi - 5 Color Enchantments - EDHUBRWG
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
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EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter