New to Magic, Need a Ideas for a Deck to Play

[MudDog1986]

Hello, I just started Magic and I need ideas of an easy deck to play. Any suggestions on what kinda deck I should play would be appreciated. I'm looking for a cheap one that is a good deck that can stand up against others, and possibly take down the best. If u can please also suggest certain cards to use as well. Like I said, I'm new to Magic, so please go easy on me.

Chris

[a-slice-of-cake]

Hey Chris, welcome to the Magic boards!

I need to know a few things about you first. Magic isn't quite like YGO -- you can't just spend X amount of money on a meta deck and expect to be competitive. You have to be patient and learn how to play the game well, too.

Also, this is kind of an awkward time, as we're between formats. Many of the meta's decks rely on the power from the Shadowmoor/Lorwyn block, which will no longer be Standard-legal in October.

So, what kind of tournament style do you want to play in -- Standard, Extended, or Legacy (I assume not Vintage, as that is not something to just jump into)? And what kind of decks do you like -- fast, headlong aggro, deliberate, manipulative control, or blowout-inducing combo?

Magic's pretty deep, and netdecking something like a Jund or Kithkin deck will only get you the cards; without the experience, it won't do too much. With its wide variety of meta and anti-meta decks to choose from and the color scheme for each of them, I suggest you really think about what kind of deck you like to play and that you familiarize yourself with a lot of the tricks of the trade.

[MudDog1986]

Hey Chris, welcome to the Magic boards!

I need to know a few things about you first. Magic isn't quite like YGO -- you can't just spend X amount of money on a meta deck and expect to be competitive. You have to be patient and learn how to play the game well, too.

Also, this is kind of an awkward time, as we're between formats. Many of the meta's decks rely on the power from the Shadowmoor/Lorwyn block, which will no longer be Standard-legal in October.

So, what kind of tournament style do you want to play in -- Standard, Extended, or Legacy (I assume not Vintage, as that is not something to just jump into)? And what kind of decks do you like -- fast, headlong aggro, deliberate, manipulative control, or blowout-inducing combo?

Magic's pretty deep, and netdecking something like a Jund or Kithkin deck will only get you the cards; without the experience, it won't do too much. With its wide variety of meta and anti-meta decks to choose from and the color scheme for each of them, I suggest you really think about what kind of deck you like to play and that you familiarize yourself with a lot of the tricks of the trade.

Well, I my friend who also plays magic helped me out with making a red, white, and black deck that seems to do alright. My kind of deck that I like to play is the headlong aggro along with the fast. I want to hit them hard and fast and I also like a little manipulative control in there as well. I was planing on making a tournament deck at the moment because I don't plan on playing in them anytime soon. Plus, I don't know what you mean by Standard, Extended, or Legacy.


Chris

[TaintedLight]

There are some very easy archetypes to choose from if you're making a deck for the first time. Also, the good news is that you can create a relatively effective deck on the cheap if you want. I have a white/black pauper (all common cards) deck that kills my friend's 90% rare deck more often than not when we play.

Since you're new to the game, you most likely don't want to try for a deck that is centered around any super-complicated rules lawyering. A fast weenie deck may be a good choice then. If you can put pressure on an opponent at the beginning and keep it up, you'll have the upper hand more often than not. In that case, I recommend a white deck since there are so many good white cards that are cheap and effective. Soldier decks fall into this category much of the time.

Another type of deck you could shoot for is a burn deck. Essentially, you would load up your library with spells like Lightning Bolt or Flame Burst that can keep your opponent's creatures down (or if they have no creatures, toast them). Of course, it's a good idea to have creatures in your deck anyways for a basic burn deck since there are some good ones like Keldon Marauders and Sparkmage Apprentice.

As for your question regarding Standard, Extended, Legacy, and Vintage, they are the major formats that tournaments are played in. The majority of tournaments are Standard tournaments (including all the big ones like Worlds) but many places run other formats too. For your convenience:

Standard: Standard (formerly known as Type 2) is a rotating constructed format that allows for all cards in the newest two story-based blocks and the newest Core Set to be played, save for cards on the Standard Banned List.

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land cards, a player's combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent.

Extended: Extended is a rotating format that includes all editions from Onslaught forward.

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land (and Relentless Rats) cards, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent.

It was previously also known as Type 1.X. (Extended will eventually rotate Onslaught out I believe)

Legacy: Legacy, formerly known as Type 1.5, is an eternal format with a more limited card pool than Vintage. Whereas Vintage only bans "dexterity cards", cards related to ante or subgame cards, Legacy has a considerable number of cards banned solely due to their power. Fast mana is more difficult to generate thereby causing slightly slower games.

Legacy was created from the little-used format known as Classic-Restricted, which was simply a format where all the cards restricted in Type 1 format were banned instead. In the fall of 2004, the decision was made to seperate the two formats, including Legacy having a Banned List separate from Vintage. An online poll was held on Aaron Forsythe's Latest Developments column, with Legacy winning the 25.5% of the vote.[1]

The DCI has more recently begun organizing larger tournaments in the format, which has caused a noticeable increase in the number of players trying Legacy.

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land cards, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic. (The five Ice Age snow-covered lands — Snow-Covered Plains, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Swamp, Snow-Covered Mountain, and Snow-Covered Forest — are also basic lands. Note that snow-covered lands are permitted only in formats that allow the Ice Age set to be used.)

Vintage: Vintage, also known as Type 1, is an eternal format that allows for the use of all cards from all sets, save Un-sets and certain cards banned for causing problems in sanctioned tournaments. Additionally, a number of cards are restricted to a maximum of one copy between a player's deck and sideboard due to their power.

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land cards, a player's combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic, as are their snow-covered counterparts — Snow-Covered Plains, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Swamp, Snow-Covered Mountain, and Snow-Covered Forest.

[a-slice-of-cake]

Well, I my friend who also plays magic helped me out with making a red, white, and black deck that seems to do alright. My kind of deck that I like to play is the headlong aggro along with the fast. I want to hit them hard and fast and I also like a little manipulative control in there as well. I was planing on making a tournament deck at the moment because I don't plan on playing in them anytime soon. Plus, I don't know what you mean by Standard, Extended, or Legacy.


Chris

Hmmm...

If you want to jump right into Tournaments, I suggest you play in Limited first. Limited events are extremely fun -- instead of bringing your own cards and deck, you have to make one on the spot, either from a few boosters (Sealed) or from selecting cards from passed-around boosters (Draft). You can find more info about Limited events on the Wizards website. They're how I got started, and they are both great skill testers and excellent fun.

And don't think Limited is "Magic Jr.". Every Pro Tour has a Limited portion, and you have to do really well in order to make Top 8.

For Constructed formats, TaintedLight's post above is really, really informative.

[Mage Master]

Limited might be a bit tricky for a newer player. I mean being able to tell which cards to pick and being able to read signals in a draft isn't the easiest thing ever even for experienced players and building a deck from a sealed pool while easier is an art in and of itself.

[a-slice-of-cake]

Limited is tricky, and a new player shouldn't expect to do well the first couple times. But if one does his research, whether looking at opinions on MTGSal or, after a bit of experience, watching LSV's draft videos on ChannelFireball, it teaches him how to use each card effectively and how to build a deck, emphasizing the importance of consistent mana and mana curve, as well as the main archetypes.

[Firl21]

build a green deck as most green staples are in core sets.
ie natrulize,lanowar elves,rampant groth,birds,giant growth

[MudDog1986]

after looking over various decks and looking through my cards, i have decided to use either a red, white, and blue deck; or a green, white, and blue deck.

[a-slice-of-cake]

Feel free to post a build.