Alright so the wifes cousin is coming over on the weekend, and the husband has become a Magic fan. He thinks he is going to teach me the game and being the competitive bastard that I am, I want to kick his behind.
Teach me fellow Thainites, let us prove our magic is better. (he's an admitted WoW addict, so need to score some points for good 'ole NWN) I bought some cards, store didn't have a "starter pack" so going from scratch.
What is this game?
What do I need to play? (have cards, but what ones should i look for)
Cool looking cards, uh....what do the symbols & numbers mean?
Whats the best way to make up your "deck" of cards?
💅 Registered Member #463
Joined: 1:37:12 am GMT 03/10/05
Posts: 7900
Oh so complicated... Magic, in my opinion, is one of the best balanced card games designed.
Most importantly you'll need Mana (your lands) that correspond to the color of your deck (I would stick with a one or two color deck; three makes it a little more difficult). Geh... haven't played for a long time so that's all I can really offer for now.
ALL THE MANAS Registered Member #1022
Joined: 6:08:50 am GMT 04/10/07
Posts: 1265
The concept, in reality, is simple.
There are 5 different types of lands, each corresponding to its own color. Each basic land produces one mana of that color.
Plains = White Mana Islands = Blue Mana Forests = Green Mana Mountains = Red Mana Swamps = Black Mana
Using the mana from the lands, that allows the player to cast spells of the appropriate color.
Normally, a good deck has 60 cards, a third of which are lands, and between 1-3 of any combination of colors. That means 40 spells to whoop ass with.
It's a fun game, but WAYYY too expensive, and thus why I stopped playing. If you're interested after this initial visit Payne, you can always buy my collection.
However, start here. That way, you'll have a concept of the core game and mechanics, and things will fall into place after you have physical cards in your hand.
Registered Member #578
Joined: 6:16:29 am GMT 07/21/05
Posts: 1454
Isn't red weenie + direct damage easiest for a beginner? (solid red with lotsa cheap creatures and blast spells) (put in some land destruction to frustrate your opponent's mana buildup) *hasn't played in... a while* I love blue, but it takes a lot of experience to play the control game.
too bad you're not nearby, i could give you my insane kird ape deck.
untap, upkeep, draw, main phase, combat (declare attackers, then blockers, deal damage, resolve damage) more main phase, end. season with interrupts/fast effects/whatever they call them now.
Registered Member #1075
Joined: 10:48:57 pm GMT 06/19/07
Posts: 792
Get the hang of the turn phases first. One of the hardest things to learn about the game is how to get everything done that you wanted to in your turn!
Registered Member #759
Joined: 4:24:33 am GMT 05/06/06
Posts: 266
The best place to start to learn about the game is here
I will agree with Ivy and Inq Damocles. Weenie beat down is the easiest thing to start with. Green does it best with elves, but red goblins do a good job too, with a bit of direct damage tossed in.
A typical deck has 60 cards, but it's not a strict rule unless you want to play your deck in a tournament. 30-40% lands (or other mana sources) is a good rule of thumb. Stick to one or two colours to keep the colour balance simple. For now anyways.
That said, effective deck building is extremely difficult until you actually understand the mechanics and can easily churn combos over in your head. Until then, pre-constructed decks or decks somebody else has built are the way to go.
[ The Island of Thain ]
Magic - The Gathering
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