• @denast@lemm.ee
    15•9 months ago

    Recently started to get into MTG. Biggest problem I encountered is that you want to spend money sensibly, but you can’t really grasp the idea of deck power before you play hundreds of games with different decks.

    Because of it I can’t build my own decks since I have no idea how to make them viable, and can’t choose a strong deck online for the same reason. Precons are nice but even in casual setting they only get you so far

    • @dirtySourdough@lemmy.world
      11•9 months ago

      This is why so many people play drafts at local game shops. It achieves two things: 1) you get experience playing the game with a limited number of unique cards and everyone has similar chances of getting the cards they want and need and 2) you build your collection by keeping the cards you drafted and winning additional packs if you won any games. There are plenty of people at these shops that would be willing to help you with deck building too.

      • @denast@lemm.ee
        6•9 months ago

        I’ve been avoiding drafts right because it’s not just building a deck but doing it in seconds on the go seems like much more stressful idea haha.

        I’m afraid I’m gonna pick something completely unplayable, with screwed manabase and will sit through the entire game with nothing to cast D:

      • @GoodEye8@lemm.eeEnglish
        4•9 months ago

        IMO drafts are by far one of the hardest formats, especially when it’s standard draft. Not only do you need to have a good understanding of deck building (let’s face it most players really don’t) but you also need to understand the set you’re about to play (or you won’t know what to pick or what archetypes there are). And that’s not even talking about actual drafting experience, because that also requires skill.

        I’ve played for years and I never got into draft because of those reasons. It was just too different to rest of MTG.

        • @dirtySourdough@lemmy.world
          1•9 months ago

          That’s fair. I find drafting difficult too and only win a game here or there if I play someone inexperienced or I get an incredibly lucky pull. But I feel like I learn quite a bit by drafting, even if I don’t know the set.

          Maybe a better way to learn deck building is to check out the meta game and figure out how each deck works based on its contents? Though that only takes you so far, you do have to play the deck and interact with others to really learn it.

      • @Ilflish@lemm.ee
        1•9 months ago

        I spent about 3 years trying to get into various tcg and drafts was easily the best. There are still try hards but they height is reading the release list so it’s basically “dude, we got a Dinoraxis of the Tyberior” “Hell yeah, there’s a rosaro here as well”. And then they play similarly leveled decks. Thankfully MTG is way better at intermediate levels then Pokémon or YuGiOh. People who play those games actively don’t want fresh blood the way they play.

    • @BillyTheSkidMark@lemm.ee
      2•9 months ago

      When I played, back when I was a late teen, I didn’t generally care about winning so much as pulling off cool combos or winning in a stupid way. I just found cards that worked together.

      Depends what your goal is. Like most games, if it’s to win you have to get sweaty.

      I liked how mtg let you get real creative to pull off a semi viable deck with insane mechanics, even if it was strictly worse than “the correct” way to play

    • citrusfaceEnglish
      1•9 months ago

      Draft or budget edh/commander - you can build a solid edh deck for $30-$50