I played MTG about 25 years ago, but fell out of touch with it. I'd like to get back in and want to know the best way to build a couple good decks.
Having played Pokemon Card Game – and bought pre-built theme decks there – I feel like my strategy "if I could do it over" would be to buy a booster box first, then buy a starter kit/core deck based on the strengths of the cards I get (instead of getting a starter kit/core deck first, then hoping I am lucky enough that the rare cards I pull fit those decks).
1) Does this seem logical for MTG?
2) If not, what's a better approach?
3) If so, what booster box/packs would you recommend? Just get the latest edition or no?
EDIT: I'd like to play pickup games with friends but also play in local tournaments one day -- I'm blessed to now live in a city with a great gaming community.
It is simply unrealistic to build a deck from a single booster box. And theme decks are so weak it's usually not worth upgrading them. Sp I would recommend you pick a deck within your budget and buy it as singles.
As for casual play I can only recommend commander as the commander decks so well against eachother out of the box and provide plenty of replay value and wide avenues for upgrading. Of course you will need your friends to stay at the same level because commander supports ultra casual all the way up to super cutthroat.
While buying a box gets you a bunch of cards, it's really bad value for your money. Most of the cards you get aren't going to be very good, so if you want to build a strong deck (and especially if you want to have a shot in a tournament) it's going to be more expensive than you need.
If you design (or copy) a deck and then buy cards (the route normally used when participating in tournaments, and even by some casual players), you can buy just the cards you need from the secondary market, and it will be much cheaper overall.
When you're just getting back into the game, though, you probably don't know exactly the deck you want to play. In that case, it's often wise to buy preconstructed decks because you know the cards in the deck are all going to go together already.
Thank you both for your insights. If I were to buy preconstructed decks and/or single cards online, where are some reliable places to go for that? I'd like to avoid scams/fake cards.
Having played Pokemon Card Game – and bought pre-built theme decks there – I feel like my strategy "if I could do it over" would be to buy a booster box first, then buy a starter kit/core deck based on the strengths of the cards I get (instead of getting a starter kit/core deck first, then hoping I am lucky enough that the rare cards I pull fit those decks).
1) Does this seem logical for MTG?
2) If not, what's a better approach?
3) If so, what booster box/packs would you recommend? Just get the latest edition or no?
EDIT: I'd like to play pickup games with friends but also play in local tournaments one day -- I'm blessed to now live in a city with a great gaming community.
Thank you!
As for casual play I can only recommend commander as the commander decks so well against eachother out of the box and provide plenty of replay value and wide avenues for upgrading. Of course you will need your friends to stay at the same level because commander supports ultra casual all the way up to super cutthroat.
If you design (or copy) a deck and then buy cards (the route normally used when participating in tournaments, and even by some casual players), you can buy just the cards you need from the secondary market, and it will be much cheaper overall.
When you're just getting back into the game, though, you probably don't know exactly the deck you want to play. In that case, it's often wise to buy preconstructed decks because you know the cards in the deck are all going to go together already.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
ABUGames
Star City Games
Trollandtoad
These are reputable, safe places to purchase cards.