Welcome back fellow planeswalkers. Ever wanted to get into Magic: The Gathering but wondered where to start? Well, look no further. Join us as we journey into the global card game sensation from Wizards of the Coast and how you and your friends can start playing.

Intro Decks

So you have seen or heard about Magic: The Gathering and its peaked your interest. You want to gather some of your friends or even just jump in and play but don’t know where to start. So, what’s the best way to start without throwing your wallet at a new hobby? Intro Decks! Every year Wizards release a new core set and with it 5 Intro Decks for newcomers to pick up and play with straight away. The best thing about it, they are completely free and located at your local hobby store!

These half size decks come with a concise set of rules and are designed to give you a taste of the game but also the colour of mana you have chosen. There are five colours to choose from: empowering powers of White, controlling trickery of Blue, rampaging destruction of Red, reaping death of Black, and growth and nature of Green. Regardless of which one you pick, they will provide just enough for you enjoy game after game whilst learning the game.

Intro Packs

If you and you friends decide you want to delve deeper into the game from the basic Intro Decks, then the next step to take is the Intro Packs. With each newly released set comes several product for players to enjoy and collect. Some of which are Intro Packs. These pre-constructed decks give you 60 cards ready to play with, a set of rules, a booster pack to get your collection going, and a deck box to store your cards.

You can find these Intro Packs from the same place as the Intro Decks. Your local hobby and gaming store will be your haven for getting into hobbies such as Magic: The Gathering. Once you have gained a nice starting collection from your Intro Pack, you can also acquire deck sleeves to protect your deck from wear and tear, and even a folder to keep you other cards safe and well presented. From there you are set!

Deck Builder’s Toolkit

If you want to gain access to a great set of resources straight away and be able to experiment with deck building then the Deck Builder’s Toolkit is for you. This toolkit contains 100 basic lands (20 of each colour), 125 card starting collection, a deck building guide, 4 booster packs, and a storage box. This is the ultimate starter in terms of deck building, learning strategies, and much more!

By using this toolkit you can build a plethora of decks with the aid of the deck building guide. It will guide you through deck composition, constructing around an idea or a certain group of cards, and how fill in the gaps. You could even use this with your friends and build a deck each in combination with the Intro Packs/Decks you have bought previously.

Boosters

Once you have wet you feet in the wonderful world of Magic: The Gathering, you can expand your collection with booster packs. These packs are associated with the set they are released in and contain 15 additional cards. These cards will power up you already existing decks and fuel new decks you might want to build. Any cards you might not use can also be traded with your friends.

Another note with regards to boosters, the contents are partially random so it will be exciting every time you open one. You might also open one with a rare card or one that increases your decks power and strategy tremendously. Opening booster packs with friends is always a wonderful endeavor. Once you have reviewed your cards, you can adjust you decks and test them out against each other!

Friday Night Magic

Lastly, naturally Magic: The Gathering is a social game. Millions of fans play the game across countless countries around the globe. One of the best ways to enjoy the game, learn, and gain new companions is to attend a Friday Night Magic event near you. These events are designed to bring all players together, whether you are new to the game or have played for years. Whether it be for fun, casual games, tournaments with prizes for the winners, or just meeting the rest of the community and trading, there is something for you! To find local stores, you can enter your postcode on the official Magic website.

And that is all for now fledgling planeswalkers. Pick up your Intro Decks from your local game store and delve into the wonderful and rich world of Magic: The Gathering. There are endless hours of enjoyment to be had. If you haven’t done so already, you can check out our 5 Reasons to Play Magic: The Gathering. Stay tuned for more news, reviews, previews, and guides. Until next time, smile and game!