When it comes to playing Magic The Gathering you want to have the cards necessary to play. Whether it be in modern, standard or any other kind of rule set, you need to make sure that your library is up-to-date with the latest and greatest cards. Luckily, Wizards of the Coast have an answer to this predicament; the deck builder’s toolkit. When a new set comes along, a new toolkit is released with more up-to-date cards and recent booster packs. We managed to get a builder’s toolkit to review for you guys to show whether it is worth investing in. Get your hard hats on as we delve into the deck builder’s toolkit from the M14 core set.

First off what’s in the box? In the 2014 set toolkit you get the following:
* One hundred and twenty five semi-randomized cards
* Four booster packs from recent MTG sets (M13 Core Set, Return To Ravnica, Gatecrash, M14)
* One hundred basic land cards
* Deck builders guide
* Learn To Play guide
* A box to store your cards in

The box can fit more than the 285 cards that comes with it

The boosters you receive will give you the additional cards you may need in order to finish off your deck. These boosters, like the single ones, will still have a chance of a holding a foil or mythic rare card. This makes them very valuable, although the chances of pulling a mythic rare are low the likelihood of having a fantastic card to add to your deck is still possible. The variety of the packs as well help you maximise the sets you can use in your decks. Although the M13 booster will be out of rotation for standard play as of September 27th, the cards will still be handy if you would want to enter the modern rotation of play.

The semi-randomized cards you get in the box are what makes this toolkit worthwhile. Since they are randomized, you can get the chance to obtain staples of any kind of deck you can imagine. Whether its white control spells like Pacifism, green growth spells like Giant’s Growth, red burn spells like Shock, blue draw spells like Divination or black destruction spells like Doom Blade. The cards you get from here are the core of any deck you could see yourself building.

With all these cards you could possible create 2-4 different decks straight from the kit

The next biggest addition to the toolkit is the amount of land you are getting. One big worry when playing the game and building new decks is the worry of not having the amount of land you need to make it work. This is where the toolkit truly shines as it gives you twenty five lands of every colour. This allows players to create any deck they wish with whatever colours they wish to run, giving them free reign to create their dream deck with these cards.

The guide that comes along with the box will help any new player with deck construction and what you need to know to succeed. On one side there is a step-by-step guide to help you with constructing your deck. The steps go from sorting out your cards and finding the key ingredients to finally playing and refining your deck for the big time. On the other side of the guide there is a deck theme section. This suggests some different deck types to go into with the cards you have. It helps with laying out the basics of all these deck types from Life Gain and Counterburn to Mana Ramp and Black Control.

The guides that come with go in depth and can definitely help everyone when building new decks

The deck builder’s toolkits are always a great addition to any player’s arsenal. With the large array of cards you can have at your disposal and all the assistance you need to create the deck you’ve always wanted, this is the box any newbie to the game should definitely get. As for pro players, this box can also help you out. The ability to store your cards, pull more of what you want, have plenty of land for construction and even refresh your memory on deck types can be a valuable asset. If you are a seasoned veteran, it is a good idea to keep in mind these toolkits. Even if you don’t need the help, what you get is absolutely worthwhile.

As for the value of what you will be getting in this box, you will be looking at spending on average £16 – £18. This is a reasonable price for what you are obtaining and, if you are a fan of selling cards second hand, you could get a juicy profit if you pull anything worth the value. If you think about it your paying that much money for two hundred and eighty five cards. That is a lot of bang for your buck.

So what are your thoughts on the M14 deck builder’s toolkit? Has it helped you out with constructing decks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and share with us your construction knowledge in the VGU Forums.