Perhaps this is just my out of touch perception (I'm still a recently returning player from long, long ago, so be patient with me ), but it seems to me that it isn't very popular to play Magic using cards from whatever sets you own.
I understand that the official tournaments require decks built to be of the current core set and the most recent three expansion sets, and that tournament play is obviously a lot of fun and thus a heavy influence will be on building decks with the "current" cards.
But surely you folks must have folders upon folders of cards from yesteryear! Surely many of those cards must be favorites of yours, cards with emotional attachments even!
I would think that the more popular way to play Magic would be to build a deck using cards from whatever sets you own, but it doesn't seem to be. Why?
I have read a few posts indicating that there is even a style of official play that allows for this (Legacy? Vintage? Still can't quite tell the difference. Still learning, feel free to instruct ) but I don't see much chatter about it. I see A LOT of excited chatter about keeping your cards within the most current sets.
Thoughts? Am I swimming upstream by being interested in cards from older sets? For example: I was not playing Magic when the Urza sets came out, and I always loved the Urza storyline and flavor text and built artifact decks waaaay back in the day, so I figured I might splurge on a box on eBay, or buy a set of every common and uncommon because I'd likely love those cards. Other folks say no one will play with me with those cards except very casual friends.
Would be very curious to hear from people who do insist on laying with cards from anywhere in their library. Would also love to hear from people who don't, and why.
I am seeing a lot of "Every common and uncommon from set X" on ebay for very low prices.
To me, this seems like a good buy for collector and player alike. I can get an amazing chunk of a set for 10-20 bucks, and also have 4 of each of those cards for building decks. I especially like the idea of this for adding past sets (such as time spiral) to my collection that are now selling for way to much in booster pack form.
Question: Do people feel safe buying cards off ebay? I'm not worried about someone taking the money and running. I'm worried about someone sending me fakes and my not being able to notice.
Returning to the game after loooong absence, loving it, etc.
In my pouring through various threads I have noticed that most discussions center on the best and most economical way to get great decks going. Many ask whether they should buy boosters or not, and a variety of answers depending upon a player's goals are offered.
But what about players whose goals involve collecting as well as deck building? Do those of you who fit this bill (collection oriented as well as deck building oriented) have strategies and advice?
Do collectors think booster box buying is worth it?
Do you ever just buy a complete series?
How far back do you like to go?
And what do people really think of foils?
I'd love to hear any and all advice and table talk about those with more obsessive personalities and how they approach obtaining cards for their collection.
I am returning to the world of magic after about a fifteen year absence. While I am very pleased to learn that my old cards are still playable, I am interested in buying and collecting current stuff as well. I'd like to ease my way back into the addictive cycle of buying magic cards...but my goodness! Things have certainly gotten diverse!
In my day there were booster packs, and there were starter packs. Now I am seeing all these things called theme decks and duel decks and premium decks and all kinds of stuff!
This is my understanding (please, please correct me if I am wrong): These decks are pre-made and playable right out of the box. They appear to be largely for tournament play (I will not be playing in any tournaments anytime soon) or for young kids and old fools returning to the game (I am one of the latter).
So far so good? Questions:
*If these decks have the same cards in them, then how can any of them be "rare"? I mean, if we all go out and buy a box of er...(consults Wikipedia) "Elves vs. Goblins" then don't we each have the exact same cards? Am I wrong in understanding that these decks are identical out of the box?
*Are the cards in these decks considered as part of any particular series? I believe I read some contain reprints of older cards. Is the theme of the deck in a sense the series? How exactly would these be integrated into a collection?
*Are there cards unique to these decks?
*Are these cards considered "normal" magic cards? Are they a different beast entirely?
*Can these cards be removed from their original deck and placed in my own custom made deck for normal play? Is that even a worthwhile idea?
Most important: As a returning player still wiping the sleep from his eyes, should I buy these theme/duel/whatever decks, or should I just stick with what I know and buy booster packs like the old days?
Thanks, as always, for all your great feedback and advice!
i think from this guy's original post, it's wise to assume that he isn't interested in playing Tournament Magic, but rather just kicking back with his mates and slinging some cardboard, and was interested to know if his older cards were up to the job.
This. Also, I wanted to meet new people friends too, and I didn't want to be laughed out of the room with my dusty old cards. "Ha! Grandpa here thinks his Force Of Nature is quite the tough creature. Ha!"
Thank you, everyone! This has been very helpful. I was worried someone was going to say, "You're not allowed to use those anymore! And why would you? They suck."
Final Question: What's the first current thing I should buy?
*Is there a FAQ about how old cards like mine (4th edition era) now work (or don't) with all the rules changes? Lord Google is not my friend tonight.
*Do you think a person with an entirely 4th Edition era deck can play just as well on average as someone with 2012 cards? Keyword there is on average. Is it going to be a noticeable handicap for me, or something where I have to really engineer a stellar deck with rare cards and play like a pro in order to have a shot?
*Are people generally pleased with the 2012 era cards? Is it worth getting into or should I stay rooted in the past?
I used to play Magic like a fiend. I collected and played during the 4th edition, and have cards from 4th Edition, Ice Age, Fallen Empires (yuck, I know!), as well as a small smattering of Revised, Dark, Legends and Chronicles.
Some friends and I have got the itch for MTG again, and I'm wondering if I can still use my old cards against players with new decks.
Is it reasonable for me to construct decks out of my now out dated collection? I have heard the rules have changed quite a lot but have not yet familiarized myself with the decade of changes since my high school days.
Is it even allowed to use such old cards? If so, should I bother, or just resign the old cards to the library and focus on 2012 stuff?
Thanks, in advance for all thoughts/ideas on the subject of the viability of an old player with old cards. Apologies if this is a question asked frequently (probably is, but I couldn't find other threads on it).
I understand that the official tournaments require decks built to be of the current core set and the most recent three expansion sets, and that tournament play is obviously a lot of fun and thus a heavy influence will be on building decks with the "current" cards.
But surely you folks must have folders upon folders of cards from yesteryear! Surely many of those cards must be favorites of yours, cards with emotional attachments even!
I would think that the more popular way to play Magic would be to build a deck using cards from whatever sets you own, but it doesn't seem to be. Why?
I have read a few posts indicating that there is even a style of official play that allows for this (Legacy? Vintage? Still can't quite tell the difference. Still learning, feel free to instruct
Thoughts? Am I swimming upstream by being interested in cards from older sets? For example: I was not playing Magic when the Urza sets came out, and I always loved the Urza storyline and flavor text and built artifact decks waaaay back in the day, so I figured I might splurge on a box on eBay, or buy a set of every common and uncommon because I'd likely love those cards. Other folks say no one will play with me with those cards except very casual friends.
Would be very curious to hear from people who do insist on laying with cards from anywhere in their library. Would also love to hear from people who don't, and why.
Cheers!
To me, this seems like a good buy for collector and player alike. I can get an amazing chunk of a set for 10-20 bucks, and also have 4 of each of those cards for building decks. I especially like the idea of this for adding past sets (such as time spiral) to my collection that are now selling for way to much in booster pack form.
Question: Do people feel safe buying cards off ebay? I'm not worried about someone taking the money and running. I'm worried about someone sending me fakes and my not being able to notice.
Returning to the game after loooong absence, loving it, etc.
In my pouring through various threads I have noticed that most discussions center on the best and most economical way to get great decks going. Many ask whether they should buy boosters or not, and a variety of answers depending upon a player's goals are offered.
But what about players whose goals involve collecting as well as deck building? Do those of you who fit this bill (collection oriented as well as deck building oriented) have strategies and advice?
Do collectors think booster box buying is worth it?
Do you ever just buy a complete series?
How far back do you like to go?
And what do people really think of foils?
I'd love to hear any and all advice and table talk about those with more obsessive personalities and how they approach obtaining cards for their collection.
I am returning to the world of magic after about a fifteen year absence. While I am very pleased to learn that my old cards are still playable, I am interested in buying and collecting current stuff as well. I'd like to ease my way back into the addictive cycle of buying magic cards...but my goodness! Things have certainly gotten diverse!
In my day there were booster packs, and there were starter packs. Now I am seeing all these things called theme decks and duel decks and premium decks and all kinds of stuff!
This is my understanding (please, please correct me if I am wrong): These decks are pre-made and playable right out of the box. They appear to be largely for tournament play (I will not be playing in any tournaments anytime soon) or for young kids and old fools returning to the game (I am one of the latter).
So far so good? Questions:
*If these decks have the same cards in them, then how can any of them be "rare"? I mean, if we all go out and buy a box of er...(consults Wikipedia) "Elves vs. Goblins" then don't we each have the exact same cards? Am I wrong in understanding that these decks are identical out of the box?
*Are the cards in these decks considered as part of any particular series? I believe I read some contain reprints of older cards. Is the theme of the deck in a sense the series? How exactly would these be integrated into a collection?
*Are there cards unique to these decks?
*Are these cards considered "normal" magic cards? Are they a different beast entirely?
*Can these cards be removed from their original deck and placed in my own custom made deck for normal play? Is that even a worthwhile idea?
Most important: As a returning player still wiping the sleep from his eyes, should I buy these theme/duel/whatever decks, or should I just stick with what I know and buy booster packs like the old days?
Thanks, as always, for all your great feedback and advice!
Wow, thank you for that! The Returning Players Primer is insanely helpful!
No apologies needed, it was a really helpful post and exactly what I was looking for in terms of info. Kudos!
This.
Thank you, everyone! This has been very helpful. I was worried someone was going to say, "You're not allowed to use those anymore! And why would you? They suck."
Final Question: What's the first current thing I should buy?
Good to be back. Cheers.
*Is there a FAQ about how old cards like mine (4th edition era) now work (or don't) with all the rules changes? Lord Google is not my friend tonight.
*Do you think a person with an entirely 4th Edition era deck can play just as well on average as someone with 2012 cards? Keyword there is on average. Is it going to be a noticeable handicap for me, or something where I have to really engineer a stellar deck with rare cards and play like a pro in order to have a shot?
*Are people generally pleased with the 2012 era cards? Is it worth getting into or should I stay rooted in the past?
Thanks again for all the help!
I used to play Magic like a fiend. I collected and played during the 4th edition, and have cards from 4th Edition, Ice Age, Fallen Empires (yuck, I know!), as well as a small smattering of Revised, Dark, Legends and Chronicles.
Some friends and I have got the itch for MTG again, and I'm wondering if I can still use my old cards against players with new decks.
Is it reasonable for me to construct decks out of my now out dated collection? I have heard the rules have changed quite a lot but have not yet familiarized myself with the decade of changes since my high school days.
Is it even allowed to use such old cards? If so, should I bother, or just resign the old cards to the library and focus on 2012 stuff?
Thanks, in advance for all thoughts/ideas on the subject of the viability of an old player with old cards. Apologies if this is a question asked frequently (probably is, but I couldn't find other threads on it).
Cheers!