Best way to get started in mtg?

Install Gentoo

Buy two of those starter decks from the card shop. I say two because you'll want to try different shit and having two decks means you can harass people into playing with you even if they don't have any cards.

If you don't know how to play, play one of those duels of the plainswalkers games, I think they are free on steam or whatever. Don't spend any money on them though, save your money for cards.

Play xmage or untap instead of spending IRL money for pixels like a chump

I just started a month ago, so I know where you are at. There is some good advice ITT, and some not so good advice.

First download Duels for your phone to get a basic grasp of the rules.

2nd find out if there is an active community that is accessible to you. if not I guess ur gonna have to play online with untap or xmage. Don't invest in cards if there is no one to play with.

Third, Buy a precon commander deck. Sleeves, and a box that will fit 100 sleeved cards.

when you start to figure things out. Buy singles online

DONT:
Buy packs
buy a toolkit
netdeck until u really have a grasp of what you wanna play

These are a few of the mistakes I made, now I have a ton of useless bulk, Modern decks that are unplayable, and deck boxes too small for my shit.

This is the dumbest post I've ever read on Veeky Forums. 10/10 laughed out loud

DO NOT BUY FUCKING BOOSTER PACKS.
Then play commander and modern/legacy. Gj: you started the right way.

luckily, my friends all played pretty casual kitchen table stuff when I got into it

I just made a deck from single commons and played them with that until I started to get a grasp on the rules

blue + 1 other color is the easiest to build using shitty cards and not get completely steamrolled

>best way to get started in mtg?
knowing what format your group is playing.

This is terrible advise. I'm shocked and surprised how awful it is and disappointed that someone told you all this nonsense. Magic is about having fun and the rules are super intuitive if you play with a couple of people at a flgs.

Drafts are a good cheap way to play some magic and have fun. $15 gets you like 3 packs worth of cards and you get to keep your money card so everything works out. It's a good way to learn to play because decks are of relatively equal power level.

Commander is fun, super duper fun and my format of choice, but don't go balls deep unless you have friends to play with. Some people play much stronger decks than others and a precon is usually a good start, but you'll quickly want to upgrade. Packs are also fun to open, but they aren't the most cost effective option, particularly for commander. That being said, $150 for a box of a new set isn't THAT much in the scheme of things, considering some format staples are more expensive. Depending on your playgroup, you should either buy packs and have fun with some beers, or start researching singles and planning your deck out. Don't netdeck a full deck, you won't get it, some will crush playgroups, while others will be expensive and terrible, but you'll have no idea.

Don't get into standard or modern unless you have a TON of money, let alone legacy. Pick a colour or two that you like and build a deck that you think fits the bill. /edh/ is a nice place if you ignore the shitposters.

What is terrible advice, you literally just repeated most of the things I suggested, except to play Draft, which IS bad advice.

OP dont play draft yet. You wont know what you are doing and will draft something shitty and lose and have bulk to take home. Wait till you have an understanding of the game before you try to create your own deck impromptu from boosters.

1) hand wallet to WoTC
2) grab ankles and bite lip

Come play games with me, I'll show you how. Oregon represent.

>Buy a starter deck.

Just wait for the new block to start and get a free welcome deck.

I think draft is good for new players, but not booster draft. Look for a LGS that has a cube draft or a pauper draft going on so they can learn the basics of deckbuilding, get some cheap commons to start using in the decks and not pay 15 bucks for it.

user, I didn't recommend an app to learn to play Magic and "bulk" is my favorite deck building resource. The best find of my life were two giant boxes of commons/uncommons from MM through Tenth edition, particularly since I play commander. Pauper is a thing, and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with buying packs, unless you're broke and need to manage your allowance.

Draft is fine because it's explicitly casual. Just tell someone you're brand new, and as long as you can shuffle your deck and understand the extreme basics, most people are nice and will explain everything. The best way to learn is through practical application combined with trial and error. What's the worst that would happen? Some snarky Fuck would call a judge and the judge would be delighted to explain things.

And while $15 is a lot in terms of a single, for the price of a mediocre lunch you get to meet new people and potentially find a playgroup while learning to play.

>mediocre lunch
>15 bucks

Sorry bro, not everybody here is a Rockfeller and has to spend over 15 dollars for a good meal. Where are you living, LA?

Download "Magic Duels" on Steam, it's free to play and will teach you the basics.

>Good meal
>$15
Where do you live and what the hell do you eat? I live in Toronto, so in US bucks you're looking at $12ish, which is still like fastfood hell. Chain sit-down restaurants and local burger stands are in the $15 range, and a real meal is going to cost you $20 basically everywhere, let alone if you get a beer. Even if I cook I'm spending more than that.

Brazil, a good plate of food goes from anything around 5-10 american dollars, many times even less, because I'm including drink price.

So, you're saying you get sunshine, cute girls, cheap food AND liquor? Well, I have... a river that sometimes has Canadian Geese. They're real assholes but in the winter basically everything dies so they fuck off, which isn't so bad.

>Starting MtG with a commander deck

What? how does that even work? Start from the fucking start, with a 60 card deck, preferrably a welcome deck, then go from there.

Commander is for when you are already tired/used to the usual MTG match and you want to expand to a different game approach.

Ok, this dude is trying to be a bro but this is terrible advice for new players. Net decking IS a fantastic way to learn how to play magic and to grasp basic synergy.

Draft is not that great of a suggestion because newbs literally have no idea how to build a deck. Most people don't like being thrusted into a situation that will likely leave them confused and frustrated.

It would be the equivalent of trying to DM before ever playing a campaign. It's doable but probably not very fun for most people.

Original persons advice is best. Boosters are a waste of money for new players who want to just get down to business. Nothing can scare a new player away more than dumping $100 on a booster box and then realizing they can't even make a working deck out of pulls.

Your points are good but misguided.

>Netdecking
>Before even knowing the basics

Draft solves that easily, just don't start with booster draft.

Also, don't LGSs make started decks for new players anymore? Or even demo decks with some of the more commons mechanics to showcase the game?

$15 is a pretty good lunch in Santa barbara where shit ain't exactly cheap.

You are either retarded or trolling

>don't play a game that will teach you the mechanics of the game you want to play

>buy shitloads of worthless cards

>buy packs of shitloads of RANDOM useless cards

>play a format where u spend even more money to lose with a deck of useless cards you have to construct in a game you have no idea how to play because you didnt even play duels first.

OP if you do anything from this thead DO NOT listen to this guy.

Ofc someone who thinks $15 is a mediocre lunch is going to suggest throwing all your money down the toilet for stacks of literally penny cards

kys

>don't get into standard unless you have money
I'm relatively new to the game, been playing since KLD came out. my standard deck is worth maybe $25 and I've recently been going 3/1 at my LGS at FNM.

wat no. Modern you are gonna get demolished if you don't spend $300 on some bullshit archtype that is this month's necessity.

Commander is casual and a lot more forgiving to decks that are half assed put together.

Yeah bud. Restaurant industry where we live has gone the way of the new yorker. If I wasn't basically enslaved to the safety of Canada's healthcare system, and a patriot, I'd have moved away from our winter and frumpy slatterns a long time again.

That said, you should absolutely be able to cook a wonderful meal on $20. Hell, I can do a solid one on $5.

Who the fuck said modern?

Kitchen sink deck with cheapo, but useful cards for starters. Mono-green, burn, etc.

You don't expect to just throw someone in the game straight into competitive, do you?

Let the guy play the game first before getting destroyed by the whole politicking and format shenanigans.

Also, yes Commander is casual, but it doesn't explain how the core game is actually played. It's like trying to say you should learn about how to play warhammer through bloodbowl. Yes, they are technically played the same pieces, but they are very different gameplaywise.

That's just straight up wrong. I've been playing for 15 years and modern is probably the second best format wizards has made in that time. Is it expensive? It can be, you can easily be competitive for less than $100 bucks. Burn and white weenie is a mainstay for a reason.

Bad troll or retarded poster.

>you can easily be competitive for less than $100 bucks
Not if you're new

Really? Neat. I stratify things into cheap (mcdicks) mediocre (burritos and local stuff) good (the best burger places, craft restaurants) and great (fancy places I can't afford) so I may be biased.

You seem upset and very young. If you're playing with friends, don't spike your playgroup or you're not going to have friends. Buying packs is fun, particularly if your friends are doing the same thing and you're all about the same level. That magical time is fleeting, don't waste it because the internet said you should buy Leovold.

Drafts aren't "throwing your money down the toilet", you're opening packs in a controlled environment and, as a new player, people will literally give you stuff for free that they don't want. That isn't even including the access you get to the community and the learning opportunity, particularly since there's very little at risk or investment required. I don't understand why you're some broke ass penny pinching miser , but cards can become better over time, and buying an autistic list of singles for a deck is a recipe for disappointment if you don't have a playgroup, and barely understand how it works.

Like I've been saying $15 is not a lot of money for a night out with people who are interested in your hobby, and the recent sets have been very good at common/uncommon dating back to SOI. I'm sorry you're a gatewatch/biz baby with a pile of garbage but that sucks, get over it and use some of your "bulk" cards. They aren't all winners, but some things aren't all bad.

That would be decent advice if OP already had a play group that would forgiving to a kitchen sink deck. Otherwise he is going to show up to the LGS and hate magic after a couple of hours of playing against some constructed shit that isnt kitchen sink.

I just started and went straight to commander. Much more fun and offers a lot more freedom for beginner deck building. Commander is not that complicated.

If he absoletely had to start with 60 cards, I would maybe suggest getting the duel decks and having whoever plays you use the other one, so you both have equal footing and a fun match.

>because burn is expensive AND complicated

Confirmed troll who has no idea what he's talking about.

>it's another crossboard poster gets mad and calls everyone a troll episode
Nothing to see here folks, move on.

>If you win against your friends you lose

ofc this fucking fag is Canadian.

>buying the cards you actually need instead of random shots in the dark is autistic

kys

>shit he's onto me, I need to shit post harder.

Ya I thought so.

Dude the guy is completely new to the game. You cannot throw them into the deep end of the modern format, even with a playable competitive deck without the basics down.

How is this helpful to a new player? At least articulate yourself if you must post, acting like a teenager just makes you look like a teenager trying to be cool.

You are still missing the point. Probably because you have been playing for 15 years and forgot what it feels like to be new. OP isnt gonna want to invest $100 right of the bat for a decent burn deck just to figure out if he likes the game or not.

Play casual

How is saying it is autistic to buy good cards helpful to anyone?

srsly kys

Modern is great for new players, shit I wish I had modern when I started all I had was 1.5. Playing burn is a fantastic way to learn how to play magic. It's as simple as draw and hurl spells to the face. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make, but I know it's a bad one.

It's autistic to buy the hundreds of dollars of good cards necessary to play with them, when you don't even know of you like magic, particularly when you first can have fun and meet new people for $15 a pop.

Wow, user. It's seems like you live in a shit place where people only play hardcore comp decks.

Some LGS have decks specifically for newbies to learn the game and play againist other people.

Duel Decks are fine, but It's a big commitment if you are just testing the waters for the game. I'd never spend 15-20 bucks on a game I have no reason to believe will be my thing. I'd get stuck with 60 playing cards I'll never use or I'll have to sell out to somebody.

Starting on commander is fucking dumb. It has a completely different pacing, tactics and gameflow than any other 60 cards format.

You deckbuild in a different way, you play in a different curve, cards that work well in commander would be massively OP in 60 cards or completely useless, depending on how it works.

Optimally, his first MTG "purchase" should be the free welcome decks. Get one of those, play a few games on your local LGS and then you decide if you want to spend/invest any more time or money in the game.

What? Commander is shit.
At least let them play normal magic and then if they actually hate magic they can play the made up wankfest format.

THIS. People here either forget or are too deep into the game to remember that formats are pointless for people that don't care about anything competitive.

Kitchen Sink should always be the starting "format"

>the best way to learn magic is to completely ignore parts of it

There's a reason one of the first things taught in the magic games is how to attack and how to block with creatures.

Being competitive is not the only reason to play a format. Playing a format is the best way to meet new players and learn how the game is played. Shit picking a judge's brain is the best thing a new player can do and I've never met a judge that doesn't love introducing new players.

This is why I suggested playing the app first to see if its something you are interested it. After that $15 for a precon or $30 for EDH precon is reasonable.

Far more reasonable atleast, than people trying to thrust him into draft where he will be clueless, or investing in bulk where he will also be clueless about deck building. At least with a precon u can get an idea of how things interact.

Sure what you said about EDH is true, but I don't think it makes it any more complicated. It just all depends on your local groups, and where Im from EDH is a lot more forgiving to newer players. I dont even think LGS's even have casual modern, pretty much any time its being played is for keeps.

>If you're gonna play a constructed format, stick to whatever one appeals to you the most, as you're fun is your own, with a group of friends.

Fixed that for you.

That still seems like a better second step, after getting the very most basic things down with friends.
For some people that's not an option, sure, but playing casual with buddies works for learning and is plenty of fun. Heck, it's how most people (who don't post online about it) play the game.

>implying burn runs no creatures. I didn't literally mean throw every spell to the face. Hsve you never piloted a burn deck? I feel like you have never once played an actual format.

> I dont even think LGS's even have casual modern

They have here, seems like you live in a shit place.

Also, playing online is completely different from playing the app. In terms of game pace, in terms of library, card selection, etc.

No, EDH is a alternative format. It's not more "complicated" but it's a terrible way to learn base magic.

If you are going for a precon, get the precon that's already free. The Welcome Decks.

>Playing a format is the best way to meet new players

No, playing MAGIC is the best way to meet players. The guy is fresh new, he doesn't even know what a format is and why he needs to get into one.

Also not every store has a judge on hand to help people.

play draft for the complete experience of mtg.
you get to :
crack packs
make a deck
play the deck

Every game will be different than the last game you play, both your deck and your opponent's deck.

Nice fix.

What the fuck are you guys doing?

I can get a solid meal for about 5-7 Dingo Dollars (australian currency)

I think a lot of people ITT are assuming OP has friends that play magic.

If he did he wouldn't be posting here asking hot to get into it.

You don't get into magic without friends to play with or a LGS to play with randos.

Only way to get into magic solo is through the app, through places like here or the MTGO, but that's a MASSIVE jump for noobs.

I wouldn't recommend getting into Magic alone ever.

Get into Magic to play Magic with your friends you already have; do NOT try to find friends in Magic. I can only imagine some people are near shit stores or shit communities and just come away from Magic feeling like they wasted their time and money and lost a bit of faith in humanity when they see how this game is managed.

Terrible advice. Magic is fun with or without friend support. It's actually a great way to meet new friends.

Did you miss "LGS to play with randos"?

You know, if you talk to randos, they may end up turning into friends. You need a place to play the game and it's usually someones house or the LGS.

Where else someone with no friends that play MTG would start to play MTG in the real world?

This

I got into it alone and met some nice people because of it. Im just lucky that I knew IRL friends that played it before I got into it, but they live far away now, even tho now I have access to a ton of great advice.

But still, when Im physically playing, its with randos.

He's not saying is OP (you can't tell that unless there is only one poster in the thread). He's saying it's bad form for you to give a statement, and then say /thread about it.

You give the statement, and someone else will /thread if applicable.

They should know what a good deck looks like before they start trying to make them by scratch. Draft is good once you know more about curve stuff and how to evaluate cards.

Here guys, let me spell it out for you:

Another leaf here.

Food is way cheaper stateside, think like half price. You might pay $15 for GST food here. In the States that $15 will get you like sit down, Kelsey's quality food.

Normies really, really like Commander for some reason. I think it's the slower gameplay style and lack of thought needed for deck construction that attracts them. The casual players at my work absolutely refuse to ever bring or even build a 60 card deck. This especially sucks considering I don't have a purse to hold all this shit like they do, my coat pockets are always retardedly full if I want to play Magic. Even the relatively new players who just started with SOI and Kaladesh have no interest in playing what should be the normal fucking game.

Start with commander is good advice.
It's more social, and way more fun that the repetitive drudgery that is 60 card constructed.

I'd advise never playing 1v1 constructed, ever.

Played from 4th - mirrodin. Got back into it around lorwyn. Had way more fun when I started only playing draft and EDH with friends.

Modern can be casual too, literally any format can be casual. It's just a ban list, it doesn't define how strong your deck needs to be to exist.

Yeah user, your opinion as a jaded old player really fits with the idea of a new guy getting into the game.

Of course Commander appeals to you, you've been playing the damn game for decades now. Commaders was built for people like YOU.

Maybe you are just burned out or asshurt because you can't bear to lose a 1v1 match. It's fine user, losing is part of the game.

Commander is so clustered and expansive that even when you lose, you don't really feel you lost because of your deck, you lost because of the draw or something else.

The casualness takes off the edge of the loss and it's more comfortable. Which is fine. But it's a terrible idea to START from commander.

Commander is for people like magic judges that are tired of the 60 card format and want to try all the cards that are sub-optimal in constructed. Which is FINE.

Still a shitty way to get INTO magic.

I listed the ones that are fun.

There is nothing more social about Commander, you're still using the same damn trading cards. You can be social in 60 deck formats, there is nothing stopping you.

Canadian food is pricey.

8 bucks gets you a fast food burger and fries and regular drink.

A decent lunch at a dinner is like $15.

I currently live in the middle of nowhere, and only play MTG by myself these days, through Forge.

It can be done.

You could buy duel decks and play them with your roommate.

60 card constructed is not fun.

I wish I knew about commander and cube back in 2004.

60 card constructed is what Magic: The Gathering is all about, you're essentially saying that Magic is not fun.

Cool user. Do you recommend it to a completely new guy to start MTG solitaire style?

Do roommates don't count as friends? And you'd still be play at someone's house. Your house, I assume, which you would share with said roommate.

Well, commander wasn't really a thing in 2004. also:

>Not fun

I hate to take a page from /v/, but:

>Fun is a buzzword.

He sure is.

When I do play 1v1, I play duel commander, if I don't have time to play limited. (My local playgroup uses both banlists so the decks have to be valid in either EDH format) - the difference is mostly fast mana, but there are a couple commanders not allowed, too.

On occasion, when we want to mix things up, planechase decks and vanguard cards come out.

And it's not because I can't take losing, it's because 60 card constructed is so consistent I find it boring as shit.

The social comes from the fact that you almost never see someone play commander with less than 4 people.

>Magic
>fun

Well, I think a new player will be interested in how constructed decks works for a little while.

IF then he decides constructed is too boring for him, THEN he jumps to commander.

You do in matches where people don't want to play for over 1 hour per round.

Also, you know you can play constructed 2v2, right?

Not everyone can go to a big city LGS all the time. Whenever I play Commander it's usually either 1v1 or in groups of three or four.

>1v1 60 card constructed is what magic is all about.
>You're essentially saying magic is not fun.
Based on your premise, yes.

I'd more phrase it as:
>"the most common way to play magic is the least fun way to play magic."

I disagree with your assertion that commander and limited are "not magic".

They're the fun ways to play magic.

>Do you recommend playing MTG Vidya for newbies?
Yeah, so long as they don't have to jump through the hoops to make forge work. One of the other videogames would be a good way to learn the basics. The classic videogame in shandalar was a hell of a lot of fun.

I was suggesting duel decks for you and a friend/roommate to learn the game together. For if you don't know anyone who already plays.

Jesus, have I stumbled into /v/?

Can you guys use another word to explain why anybody should get into magic through commander without just saying "fun"?

The only real argument in the thread for commander in this thread besides fun is the fact that constructed decks are more consistent than commander decks. Which, I think, most people would consider a good point for constructed when you deck works as it's supposed to.

It's literally not Magic though, it's just an alternative version of it most people play on the side. This is like saying you love Mario Party when you never play the actual game and just mess around on the mini game selection screen.

damn dude, that sucks.
Granted, I was talking about just a pizza for one and a frozen coke or something, so nothing fancy, but still.

Feels for you, brah.

To be fair though, theres heaps of shit over here thats unjustifiably expensive.
Look at video game prices or Gee-Dubs stuff or even mtg to a degree. It's all bullshit