So, I'm trying to get back into MtG, but I haven't played since my teenage years. And frankly, I wasn't all that familiar with the rules at the time, especially a lot of the special abilities found on some cards.
I was wondering if starting out by buying a prebuilt deck on eBay is a good idea. I don't know if I can just grab a deck like this and start playing at my local comic book store, because the guys there might be much more invested in MtG than I am. None of the cards included in these prebuilt decks seem particularly rare or valuable.
Here's one of the decks I was thinking about buying:
>Creatures:
Terra Stomper x3
Garruk's Packleader x3
Swordwise Centaur x4
Voyaging Satyr x4
Shaman of Spring x4
Elvish Mystic x4
Charging Rhino x4
Centaur Courser x3
>Spells:
Time to Feed x4
Titanic Growth x4
>Land
Forest x23
>Sideboard:
Reclamation Sage x3
Satyr Grovedancer x3
Satyr Wayfinder x4
Guardians of Meletis x1
Market Festival x1
Does this seem like a good place to start? I guess I could always hunt down specific cards to add to the deck if that might give me more a competitive edge. I really just want to play for fun, but there's no sense in stepping up to a table without a chance in hell of ever winning a match.
>>45948040
It depends entirely on what kind of people you plan on playing against.
You could take the deck above and if you have people at a similar powerlevel to yourself and it would be a ton of fun to play with.
However, if you were to take the above list to a random FNM and ask for a game, you would probably lose 9/10 games, and the games you win would probably be because your opponent got mana screwed. It's simply too weak, there are no particularely strong synergies that give you an edge, you just play a mediocre minion each turn.
Now, the deck concept you have IS an actual good and proper decktype and is one of the cheapest viable decks in modern.
The deck is called Mono Green Stompy. Here's a list:
Creatures (26)
4 Dryad Militant $0.60
4 Experiment One $4.88
4 Avatar of the Resolute $4.96
4 Kalonian Tusker $0.92
4 Strangleroot Geist $1.48
2 Dungrove Elder $9.96
4 Leatherback Baloth $7.64
Spells (12)
4 Aspect of Hydra $0.60
4 Rancor $9.96
4 Vines of Vastwood $3.24
Lands (22)
20 Forest $0.00
2 Treetop Village $5.90
Total price $50.14 (Does not include sideboard, which can be made very cheap or very expensive depending on preferences and budget)
This deck is far far FAR stronger than the one you have posted above.
And another question, how much is the person asking for the deck you posted? Because the value of the cards listed is almost zero. If you met me in person I would probably give you every single card in that list for free.
>>45948379
I'm not sure I want to drop $50 on a deck. This may not be a suitable hobby for me after all. I mean, if it's pay-to-win, where's the fun in that?
I was kind of hoping there was a more casual scene with this game.
>And another question, how much is the person asking for the deck you posted?
$10
>>45948379
Nice guy.
>>45948040
Would help if we all knew what kind of decks your local area runs.
Is it casual/kitchen table?
Is it Standard/Modern/Legacy/Vintage?
Is it pauper? Commander? Little Leaders?
Draft/Limited?
I think you can start with what you posted, see where the strength and weaknesses are, and then slowly replace cards over time to fit your playstyle. You can also always look or buy either intro pack, duel deck, or event deck and see what the deck runs and then build off based on the theme the deck is trying to show off.
>>45948379 gives good suggestion if you ever do want to spend that much in the future.
>>45948463
Honestly, if you can't afford $50, then you should probably be prioritizing things other than starting a new hobby. This is the price of a restaurant dinner or a single AAA videogame.
Also, that deck isn't worth $10. It isn't worth anything.
I'm kinda regretting typing out a serious answer (Twice, because I accidentally closed the window once) when you simply toss out "pay to win" like this.
>>45948463
Mtg is a moneyhole. You can buy a $10 deck but it will be hard to find someone who plays casual decks outside a group of friends. That deck will get destroyed by any other constructed deck.
Look into commander preconstructed decks. Its a casual oriented format and lots of people play it in local stores (that I know of).
Also someone getting back into magic, what packs are the best to open right now value-wise?
>>45948379
I've never seen that green stompy deck win, ever.
>>45948673
Funny, last week I met it at the 3-0 table.
I was playing Lantern Control, poor guy.
>>45948612
>you should probably be prioritizing things other than starting a new hobby
Pardon me for wanting an outlet to socialize.
>I'm kinda regretting typing out a serious answer
>Being this much of a snob
Another reason I didn't want to get back into this hobby.
I did appreciate the suggestions, but there's no need to put me down when I was simply looking for a place to start.
Just forget it.
>>45948669
All packs cost about $4.20(ALL DAY ERRE DAY) plus tax and both have approximately the same chance to draw a $20+ card. Battle for zendikar has ulamog while oath of the hate watch has the legendary enchantments which synergies very well with planeswalkers.
>>45948463
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Advanced.aspx?SearchFlag=1
This is the best way to magic. There are some cards that are just out and out BETTER then other cards which naturally makes them worth more. I wouldn't call it pay to win but it will get to that point the more competitive you are
If you want to just throw around cards and have a good time any deck is good, but that relies on friends doing the same. Friday Night Magic has the people who know the meta, and you'll get stomped unless you get some synergy. Doesn't have to be dominating wombo-combos but SOME synergy.
To me $50 a deck is amazing since I came out of 40k where that got me a single tank.
You can play with your top deck, but if you're going to a competitive place don't expect to win often. As most will have 25-$50 and a few fags will have $150 of FUCK YOU which CAN lose to those 25-50 but your OP deck? Not likely
>>45948669
http://www.mtgstocks.com/sets
Khans of Tarkir for fetches.
Otherwise, pretty much always the most recent set.
>>45948730
It seemed you were more interested in talking shit about people invested in the hobby rather than getting into it.
I even explicitly said that you could play any deck as long as you have someone with a similar powerlevel to play with, but if you wanted to play with random people, it wouldn't be good enough.
The fact that you claim a one time $50 investment is snobbery and pay-to-win really makes me question you having left your teens.
Any hobby that requires personal equipment will require some form of investment to get into, and if $10 is your capital, then pretty much none fit your criteria.
You wouldn't even be able to afford running shoes from a second hand store. I'd consider recommending a book club, but the bus ticket to your local library is probably too much.
Play pauper.
Spend very little.
Destroy standard players with little effort.
>>45948904
>The fact that you claim a one time $50 investment is snobbery
No, I was referring to your attitude. You're being a complete jackass for no good reason. I'm sorry your parents beat the shit out of you as a child or whatever traumatic experiences you must have endured that deprived you of any sense of common decency, but taking it out on complete strangers over the Internet isn't going to make it any better.
I don't struggle to pay my bills or put food on the table, but I'm not comfortable dropping that kind of money on a hobby like this. At that point, it's just no longer fun. Why am I even explaining this to you? Fuck you. Asshole.
>>45949150
>>45949133
Aw shiet, it's dat popular black control deck. Was thinking of building one myself.
>>45949150
This is 4chan, I'm not expected to hold your hand and take your fee-fee's into account.
If $50 is too much for you, then this hobby is not for you. No need to disparage other peoples hobby for that reason.
>>45949150
Most hobbies have higher cost than $50 dude.
>>45949150
Ten packs will cost you $42+tax for 150 cards plus 10 tokens/hype cards. Most collections I Know of are in the 300-1,000 range. You WILL be spending money.
>>45949211
It's really really fun. Just wish I could get blackbordered Witches.
I just got back into the game in the past two months and it was the biggest mistake I've made in a while. The FNM scene at my local place is full of unfriendly, condescending, obscenely lucky tryhards, and all they ever do is draft. Basically I'm paying money to fund someone else getting free packs every week.
It's not fun, and I'm only playing or showing up in the hope that they'll host an edh night once in a while. A game that isn't predicated on who can draft the best blue deck
>>45950591
Sorry, not tryhards. That's being unfair. They're just veterans.
>>45950591
Play with friends or casually instead of an environment where prizes are on the line.
>>45950721
That's a roundabout way of telling me to stay in the kitchen
