Need help for buying Magic the gathering decks

[ramza]

Please, disregard/delete my post on the P&P forum, I am starting a new thread in the Way of topic forum:

 

I have been playing MtG with my friends' cards but I do not own any of my own. I have decided to start buying some of the preconstructed decks ONLY (I won't be buying any boosters) but I am pretty much lost as to what to choose. Magic 2010 and post-Alara sets do not interest me. Moreover, I do not wish to participate in championships. I just play with my friends for fun. I may also want to introduce the game to the rest of the family.

 

I have found a bargain bin in a local shop where they sell packages of all 4 theme decks for each of the Urza block expansions for 25 euros each set (meaning 75 euros for all 3 Urza sets). Is it worth buying them? I heard the Urza sets are the strongest out there. If yes, do I need anything else or will I be fine with these?

 

Since the shop has preconstructed decks from all the old sets, I was wondering if I should also get theme/intro decks from sets other than those from the Urza block. The shop has all the decks mentioned in the wiki page I link at the end of my post.

 

I have heard the 3 sets from the Tempest block are also good. Is it worth spending more money for other sets or are the Urza ones enough for a lifetime? I was also considering buying the 40 cards theme decks from the core 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th editions. There may be some other expansion sets worth buying but I don't know that much about them. I just want to avoid anything weak.

 

Just note that I am a casual player and that I am not playing more than once or twice per week. I just want my decks to give some challenge to my opponents. When playing with my family, we will be using exclusively the decks I will have bought and I would like to have some alternatives (to be able to choose from different decks at each session). So, I just need around 10-15 decks, and strong ones at that.

 

Here's the list of preconstructed decks:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Ga...ecks#Shadowmoor

[213374U]

It will all depend on how hardcore your friends are. If they play Standard (the most expensive, fun and time-consuming way to play), they can build a deck that will steamroll any of yours in about 5 minutes. That's no fun. If they are casual like yourself, it's probably a good way to start. I quit MtG a long time ago, so I cant' give you specifics on the decks, though. Pre-constructed builds don't usually feature the top players in the sets, so don't expect much from them at any rate.

 

In your copy-paste frenzy, you also broke the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Ga...ecks#Shadowmoor

[Oerwinde]

The Ivory Doom onslaught theme deck was the last one I bought. Was a great base for a cleric deck. I added about 10 cards or so that made it very powerful. I haven't played in like 5 years though so I don't know anything about current cards.

[ramza]

Thanks for the replies. I am mostly interested in the older decks since those are available at my local shop. Any suggestions are welcome.

[Gorgon]

I don't know much about the game, but I was rather amazed at the prices for some of these 'unique' cards. The turnover must be better than cocaine, and all you need is a laser printer and a laminator.

[Shryke]

i stopped buying cards around about when Tempest and Weatherlight came out

 

looking at some of the new cards and stuff, some of the new rules are really ****ing stupid so i'm kinda glad i stopped

[Walsingham]

Is this as in 'Tragic the Garnering'?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I have very old cards, no idea what set or era...

[Enoch]

Is this as in 'Tragic the Garnering'?

Yes.

 

All the series names mentioned in this thread are new to me, so they must've come out since I lost interest, ca. 1997.

[Shryke]

yeah the last edition i actively bought was Chronicles which was around at the same time as Homelands and just after Ice Age i think

[RPGmasterBoo]

Do not play Tragic the Bothering.

 

i did and its a huge waste of money - to get to a deck that can kick ass you'll squander your college fees, three paychecks in advance and a piggy bank. And then they'll release the next edition.

 

Get the new Tragic pc game, and get your fix there.

[ramza]

Actually, I will be skipping the collectible aspect of the game. I will just be buying some preconstructed decks and keep playing with those with my family mainly just as if it was a board game. The thing is that I do not know which decks to choose as there are more than 100! I just need strong ones and about 12-20 of them just to have some variety. We will be using different decks each time.

[Atreides]

The Urza set sounds interesting, should have a lot of variety to keep things interesting. I wouldn't go Tempest though. Urza sets were supposed to be powerful but some of the new cards/decks I see are really powerful in their own right. However there's been more balancing to prevent quick "I win" scenarios. They need to work towards them now.

 

Actually I think I have a better idea for you - try the Duel Decks. They're a set of 60 card precons, very balanced against each other, have cards ranging across sets and are quite competitive. I keep up but don't buy, except for the duel decks which are really fun. Great for quick games. Plus they're not that expensive relative to mtg prices (plus they're quite competitive/tricky which isn't always the case for precons)

 

1. Elves vs Goblins - superb

2. Jace vs Chandra - much more calculating plus you can try out the planewalkers (burn vs counterspell type decks)

3. Demonic vs Divine - not as polished as the first two. Gameplay can be quite lopsided rather than the back and forth of the previous 2 and it can be quite clunky.

Edited September 4, 2009 by Atreides

[ramza]

Mmm, I am quite lost here. I don't know if I should go with single colored 40 card decks or go with the more complex mixed-colored 60 card decks.

I have thought about getting the duel decks but there is something bothering me: they are sold for 25 euros each. At the same price, I get 4 or 5 decks from any of the expansion sets. Moreover, I don't know if it is possible to mix up the duel decks among them (for example: goblins vs demons).

 

Have you check the card lists from the Urza theme decks (see the wikipedia link listed above)? Are they strong enough or are they simply average?

Generally speaking, do theme decks only play well against decks from the same expansion set or can they compete with decks from other sets as well.

 

It's really tough deciding what to buy... The shop even has the famous championship decks (those used by the finalists in the tournaments)... I don't want to get crappy decks and want them to have some decent rares. I want my sessions to be challenging and interesting. The more decks I will be having, the more variety it will add to my games.

 

http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/World...mpionship_Decks

http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Duel_Decks

http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Theme...econstructed%29

 

Thanks for the advice anyway!

[213374U]

As I said, it will depend on who you are playing with, man. "Strength" of a deck in MtG is relative. All decks are vulnerable to a certain strategy or another - hence the existance of a "reserve" for most competitive decks. Also, if you don't plan on updating with new cards, your decks will be rendered obsolete by cards and strategies from new editions. This isn't a problem if you only play with a closed set of decks, but that's it. MtG is designed to be a time and money sink, and there is no easy way around that. Another problem is that pre-constructed decks are often one-trick poneys and once you master the core combos the deck is based on, there is very little else to do, making for very boring games.

 

To answer your question, yes. You can mix and match the duel decks.

[Atreides]

The switch to 40 card precon + booster is going to take a while for me to get used too. I still like the 60 card precon which is rough but gives a lot of variety. A lot of the cards aren't focused but that's what gives it variety in play. Precons in general aren't known for their quality but the devs do pack in some synergistic tricks for intermediate players to pick up. I remember trying the Azorius Ascendant deck and it went pretty crazy fast with a card drawing and tapping engine with flyers. Def one of the better precons I've played with, or at least ones that I cracked.

 

Haven't tried mixing the duel decks. For a lot of tight back and forth gameplay I'd prob go for the duel decks over the precons. They've got some decent rares and famous cards in them too.

[Walsingham]

The switch to 40 card precon + booster is going to take a while for me to get used too. I still like the 60 card precon which is rough but gives a lot of variety. A lot of the cards aren't focused but that's what gives it variety in play. Precons in general aren't known for their quality but the devs do pack in some synergistic tricks for intermediate players to pick up. I remember trying the Azorius Ascendant deck and it went pretty crazy fast with a card drawing and tapping engine with flyers. Def one of the better precons I've played with, or at least ones that I cracked.

 

Haven't tried mixing the duel decks. For a lot of tight back and forth gameplay I'd prob go for the duel decks over the precons. They've got some decent rares and famous cards in them too.

 

I'm pretty sure you made every word of that up.

[ramza]

So, the best family value investment would be to get the Duel decks instead of the precon theme/intro decks. The Duel decks seem to have more rare cards compared to any individual theme deck, so it may be worth buying them. The thing is that they are pretty expensive. I noticed that my local shop doesn't have the older sets. I found on ebay Elves vs Goblins for 40 dollars (shipping included). Is it worth the money? It should cost me around 28 euros. Same goes for the other 2 Duel decks...

 

Mmmm, tough choices... Maybe I should go for the 40 card single color theme decks from the core sets (7th to 10th editions)...

Replayability is a must for me. For example, in my first game, I will use deck A vs deck B. In a second session, I will try deck A vs deck C and so on. My decks need to be quite solid so as to offer some challenge for both parties and I want to have a decent number of decks so as to add variety.

 

Many people tell me that the precon theme decks are weak though...

Edited September 4, 2009 by ramza

[Shryke]

i prefer making my own decks

 

threw together a blue one in about 5 mins one day like 3 years ago and to this day i've never lost a match with it

[Atreides]

I challenge myself to make decks without rares or as cheap as possible, but with good play. Maybe you could save that way?

 

I didn't know the Duel Decks are so expensive. Over here they're slightly less than twice the price of the latest precons.

[Oerwinde]

I only bought pre-con decks to use as a base to build my own. For instance, the Ivory Doom deck I mentioned earlier I added a couple of cards that gave all of your creatures of one type +1/+1, a couple that gave all your creatures of one type fear, and some that gave all creatures of one type protection from black. So my army of 6/6 clerics who could only be blocked by black creatures but couldn't be hurt by them were pretty devastating. Could still be fireballed, but that was avoided by the clerics that prevent X damage, where X is the number of clerics in play.

[ramza]

I really want to skip the deck-building aspect of the game. I have no time for this. I just need solid decks for casual play during the weekends.

 

I might go exclusively for the Duel decks, the Planechase decks (they just got released), the Beatdown and Deckmasters box sets. They seem to be strong enough and able to provide some challenge.

 

Moreover, there is something that I didn't mention: I might want to occasionally play with some of my friends who are deckbuilders. I don't know how strong their decks are compared to those I want to buy, but I am sure I won't be an easy target with those decks. On the other hand, the other precon decks seem rather weak (with only 2 rares each). I was thinking of buying the championship decks but these are recommended for medium level players like me.

 

What do you think of my plans?

[Atreides]

Depends on what decks your friends are playing. Are they casual/tournament decks, Standard, Extended etc? I keep in touch to what's happening through the internet and occasionally test things by Apprentice.

 

They'll probably steamroll the precon decks which are deliberately designed to be rough and a starting point for improvements. If you go precon vs preocon that'll be fair but if you use your precons against constructed decks (again, your Urza extended vs their standard?) it could be tough even if you're a good player.

 

I'd recommend you play with their decks (also to see how current cards are - they're def fun) to be on the same level or vice versa. I love precon vs precon because it's fun and unpredictable, but vs constructed it's different.

 

Btw what are the championship decks you're talking about? Current tournament decks?

 

Haven't tried the Planechase decks, read a bit but haven't understood everything yet. It sounds interesting though...

 

Prob a good idea to set a budget beforehand and keep to it. Or you could ask your friends to share construct a cheapo deck for you.

[ramza]

World Championship Decks are specially packaged versions of the top 4 decks used at the Magic World Championships. The cards are gold-bordered versions of the cards in each competitor's deck and stamped with that player's autograph.

 

http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/World...mpionship_Decks

 

My friends do play occasionally in tournaments but I wouldn't call them hardcore gamers either. Precon vs precon sounds nice but there are more than 150 theme decks out there. I have decided to ignore the 40 card decks. The 60 card decks that belong to expansion sets seem rather weak compared to the Duel sets. I will make a one-time purchase and never bother with new sets of Mtg. I simply view this as a board game. If I am not competitive enough for my friends, I will just tell them to play with the decks I have.

[Oerwinde]

Half the fun of Magic is building your deck.