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I believe that one of the hardest aspects of the game of Magic is constructing a
deck out of the thousands of available cards. For Newbies, and even some
veterans of the game, the hundreds of combos and different types of play
styles create a problem regarding "color choices." Many people
advise that you play with a deck constructed from at least two different
colors, which will greatly decrease the chances of your losing to someone playing a "color- hoser" deck. It is, however, possible to make a winning "single-
color" deck.
If you play in a small group, a winning deck often inspires everyone else to
come up with an "anti-champ" deck. The game of Magic requires that both decks and strategy slowly change. A good player, with a good deck, will be able to adjust to these changes and win against several types of decks, players and strategies. Simply put, winning consistently requires change.
It is said that, "Change is good." And the ability to adjust to what is going on in a game makes the difference between winning and loosing. Both main styles of play: action (summoning creatures, attacking, casting burn spells) and reaction (passive blue
counter spells, white healing and reverse damage) require that you constantly adjust to what is going on in a game. For example... you have 5 creatures out.... (it
doesn_t matter what they are) you're all set to attack next turn and kill
your defenseless opponent.....then BANG!.....out comes that Wrath of God and now you have no creatures.....
How you adjust to loosing all your creatures in one turn will have a big effect on the outcome of the game. Adjusting could mean saying, "Oh well. I've still got that Shivan Dragon in my hand....I'll have to settle for that now." Or it could mean
casting that Counterspell and keeping everything you have on the table. A Newbies biggest nightmare is not knowing quite where to start when putting together a deck. You have the cards so what next? I'm about to offer a little advice now. If it helps, then great! But if you think my advice is garbage, or doesn_t apply, then simply don't use it. So here goes my advice on deck construction for Newbies:
1) Anyone new to the game of Magic seems to hear this everywhere, "60 cards
are all you need, if you put in more it is just clutter." I like to
disagree with this statement, but after a lot of playing , I've come to
believe that well made decks of AROUND 60 cards will beat decks built of more cards (90 or more). This comes down to one simple thing: the probability of drawing a certain card. In a deck built with fewer cards, you have a greater chance of drawing the card
you need.
I also know how hard it is to work with a limit to your deck
size, so I'll offer a little advice on how to bring down deck size.
2) Choose cards that have several uses over cards with a single use.
(Unsummon can only be used on creatures, while a Boomerang can remove
creatures, artifacts, enchantments, and pretty much any permanent.) Cards
with more than one use will give you choices, and choices will allow your deck more opportunities to adapt. Therefore, your deck will be able to seize the advantage and win!
3) Don't worry about putting in a card that you're not sure will do
any good. You are, after all, new to the game. After playing for a while you
will be able to tell what will work and what won't (usually with less and less
difficulty).
4) Put in cards that you like to play. Magic is a game, and
games are for fun. Be happy if your deck is under 90 cards. Almost everyone who plays has, at one time or another, made a huge deck of at least a hundred cards. The
phase of building large decks will pass once you better understand how the
game works.
5) Add cards that will make your deck better, but make sure you understand
how they work! You could have the best card in the game, but if you don't
know when, or how to play it, it's worthless to you. "Know Thy Cards."
6) Try to pick out just a few colors at a time for a deck. Decks of 5
colors will usually only work if you have all the rare cards to go with
them (and that expensive base of multilands).
7) Don't make decks based on what you can trade for (oh this deck will
rock if I could just get those 4 Juzam Djinns...). A deck has to work with what
you have. It would be nice if everyone who was new could get those moxes,
a lotus, and both a Timetwister and Timewalk....but that's not the way it is.
"Use cards you have."
8) It would be a good idea not to go and buy four of every card of a color just
because you want to play that color. Play a color before you trade away
everything you own to get all those rares. Then, if you change
your mind about playing that color, you can switch without being left with
a stockpile of cards that nobody wants. The shareware computer programs,
Apprentice and Magic Suitcase, are great help in building and testing
decks (and without needing to spend a dime on cards).
9) Build your deck around what you have, and what you like to play. If a
deck doesn't fit your style or what you want it to do, then change it. The
only limits are what cards you can get your hands on.
10) Once you have all the cards you want to put in your deck, count the
number of mana. It should be about one third of the deck. This is very
important. You need mana to cast everything. It's awful to sit there and
get beat just because you're mana short and can't draw that all
important forest.
11) It's also a good idea to have a theme for your deck. This can be anything.
(creature hoards, discard, burn, permission). Having a theme will make it
easier to keep deck size down. And will also limit clutter from
unnecessary cards. A good thing to remember about Magic is that there is
always more than one way to get the result you want. Often, several cards will do very similar things (but usually with different color requirements or casting costs).
12) PLAY TEST. Play testing is the best way to get to know your deck, and
your opponents. It will also help you figure out what works in a deck and
what doesn_t. Even watching someone else can help you here. Watching
experienced players can teach you uses for a card that you haven't thought
of. Don't get discouraged if you loose. You can't win all the time, and
you can learn from your mistakes. This should make you a better player
and help you to fix flaws or weak spots in your deck.
If a deck is new to you, the best way to find out its weaknesses and strengths is to play test. (I can't say this enough) Play against every different type of deck you
can. Learn what your deck can deal with and what it can't. Then, change the
deck until it can handle a larger variety of scenarios (adaptability). For example, if your
deck looses to a burn deck every single time, then it would be a good idea
to make it stronger against direct damage.
I hope my advice helps someone. I know how hard it is to get competitive
against players who have been playing and collecting since the release of Alpha and
Beta. There's nothing worse than finding out lots of information and
strategies that involve a Chaos Orb, Juzam Djinn, and all those Time cards.
See what you can do with what you have_ not with what the card shops sell for over a hundred bucks! That's it for this, the first rantings of the NEWBIE series. Look for more in the future. Some themes for up-coming articles may be: A Newbie's Thoughts on Winning Strategies, A Newbie's Thoughts on Building Cheap Decks, A Newbie's Thoughts on Weenie Decks, A Newbie's Thoughts on Power, A Newbie's Thoughts on Trading , and A Newbie's Thoughts on Speed.
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