Getting Started: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is a competitive trading card game, where players each build a deck of cards representing the gear, allies, and summoned monsters of their Planeswalker (essentially, a dimension hopping sorcerer). You will duel against another opponent’s deck until one player loses all of their health points and the other player proclaims victory. MTG cards are divided into colors, with each color representing a different type of theme and a different type of playstyle. Black cards take on a theme of undead, Blue cards tend to be very focused on spells, and Green focus on powerful monsters to summon, as a few examples. MTG also offers many different formats of play. Standard play, modern play, and commander decks represent some of the format flavors available. MTG is a game that has existed for decades and shows no sign of slowing down.

Getting into a game like MTG can feel overwhelming, so if you are new and interested in playing, read ahead for a beginner’s purchasing guide to get started.

Standard play format is where we recommend starting, as it plays with a limited card pool and so does not require you to collect a ton of old cards to be competitive. If that is your flavor, we recommend a challenger deck so you can start experimenting with play right away. You may even supplement your deck with a few booster packs! If you want to custom build your deck, you can also starter buy investing in a Core Set of cards and build your deck from its contents. Finally, if you want to invest a little more, there are Jumpstart boxes that will give you a ton of cards to look through and play with, while also presenting them to you in a helpful and accessible way.

Another popular playstyle is called Commander, which plays with a different formatting of deck and deck building rules. To start your journey here, check out one of the preconstructed Commander decks.

The only other thing an aspiring Planeswalker would need, is one or two twenty-sided die, to track your health throughout the game. Finally, you can also download Magic Arena, which is a digital version of the game that can easily teach you the ropes of how to play, and to get a feeling for the game. Be sure to message us or come in for a visit at the Outpost, if you would like to ask any questions or inquire about a game demo.