Topic: First Serious Standard Deck HALP

So i've played MTG before but never very seriously, I always ended up using friends cards and playing at parties with like 8 people free for alls with no rules or card bans, and that was all a few years ago. Fast forward to now and one of my friends ended up getting be readdicted to this wonderful game. Without doing a whole ton of research, I purchased an M15 Deck Builders Toolkit. I really do like having a large collection and being able to construct decks out of said large collection. I experimented with a few things trying to find what type and color deck I would enjoy playing. During M12 and M13 I really loved playing Black decks that had a lot of life steal, but later ended up turning to the Blue control side. I built my current deck as a Blue/White (mostly because I cracked an Ajani Steadfast out of an M15 booster and was mega excited). To say the least it has been partially successful so far but I know it is incredibly flawed when it comes to things like FNM play. With that in mind, where do I go from here? I'm not sure where to look when it comes to building new decks based on cards that I can buy as singled. I don't want to copy someone else's deck from the internet too a tee because I feel that it takes a lot of the fun out of the game itself! Help a noob out here, I'm not sure what my next course of action should be.

Re: First Serious Standard Deck HALP

My suggestion for you, as a newer player, would be to try to participate in and learn how to do drafts before you go jumping too hard on the constructed FNM bandwagon.  Most LGS will have regular drafts so it shouldn't be too hard to find ones to play in.

Why draft?  Well, there are a bunch of reasons why I think it is useful for newer players to start in the draft pods before going into the grinder parade of constructed FNMs:

1) Draft is still limited play.  By this I mean that drafts fall into the limited format, where players will only be allowed to use cards from the cards that they pull.  This can lead to some pretty bonkers, overpowered decks that steamroll the competition if someone pulls really well, but the more likely outcome is that everyone has a similar pool and will have comparable decks.  This is key for a newer player who doesn't have $700 to drop into your mana base.

2) Draft FORCES you to learn about cards, card interactions, strategies, and deckbuilding.  So, if you're unfamiliar, in a draft what happens is each player in the pod opens a pack, picks one card for their pool, and then passes the pack to the player on their left (or right if it's the second pack).  After three packs worth of doing this, everyone builds the best 40 card deck they can using the cards they pulled in this fashion (supplemented with basic lands provided by the LGS of course).  This can devolve into people just taking the money rares, but often that strategy leads to REALLY bad decks and poor performance.  More importantly this can teach you how to really think about the cards, what they do, how they fit into your play style, what their abilities are good for, what sorts of cards they interact with, etc. - essentially, by choosing cards one-at-a-time, you are doing everything that you should do during constructed deckbuilding, but on a card-by-card basis.  Sure, if there is a card that doesn't fit your deck that you've been dying to get your hands on, go for it, and, similarly, if there is a card that pays for the entire draft, again, take it.  But, on average, you should focus on building the best deck you can.

3) Draft builds your collection, all while having fun.  So if you recall just a minute ago, I said draft is limited play and you don't need $700 worth of cards for your mana base... but here's the clincher - you keep the draft cards (and any winnings), allowing you to accumulate more cards all while learning about the things I detailed in part 2.  Before you know it, you have the cards necessary to build something that will tread at least a little bit of water in a constructed FNM.

4) Drafts are (normally) much less stressful, less competitive, and just more enjoyable.  Note that, as with any aspect of Magic, there are those Spikes out there (and the game wouldn't be the same without them) who are total cutthroat players that would push their mother out into traffic if it means winning one more game.  So again, there will be variation across stores and even draft pods in terms of how competitive or stressful the gameplay will be, but, on average, I would argue that players who are drafting will be more laid back and probably more willing to help you learn than in a constructed FNM where just about everyone has net-decked anyway.

5) Keep in mind that, as a newer player, even in draft it is likely that you will lose quite a bit to start out.  The key here is to use those opportunities to learn more about what you've done correctly and what you've done incorrectly.  As I said previously, part of the fun (and frustration) of limited play is that the power-level of a deck can come down to what you pull out of the packs.  But this is great because it means you can see situations where your play was perfect and yet you still lose, or where your cards were clearly superior and it was your line of play that cost you the game.  The biggest challenge will be to differentiate from the two - and don't be afraid to ASK your opponent (win or lose) if there was something else you could have done, or if there were cards they were playing around, or if you did something right.  You're learning, so soak it all in.

So, I've typed this lengthy diatribe about how draft is where you should be.  I hope that at least some of the information contained is helpful or can at least point you in a path toward having fun playing this game that we are all addicted to.  Another thing to keep in mind, the new set Khans of Tarkir has its pre-release this coming weekend (19-21) which could be a LOT of fun for a newer player and then I'm sure tons of people will want to draft the new set.  So get out there, draft some cards, try to learn from your mistakes, build your collection, and, most importantly, have fun with it!

Good luck.  If I can be of any other assistance, just let me know.

Re: First Serious Standard Deck HALP

In an unusual circumstance, I actually disagree with TyWoo on this one.  I think draft is its own animal and limited play, while good for developing fundamentals, is a poor way to learn constructed card evaluation.  For example, Agent of the Fates is a top 10 Theros card in draft, but terrible in constructed.

In my experience, and that of my friends in similar situations you yours, we've found the best way to learn to swim is to jump into the deep end.  Build a deck, take it to FNM and get your teeth kicked in.  The only way that you'll learn that your durdley High Priest of Penance deck strategy is bad, or that Stab Wound and Trepanation Blade are bad cards, is by playing them and getting blown out.

You also learn why Thoughtseize and Stormbreath Dragon are such strong cards and thus worth $15+.  Once you play against a few different "net" decks, you'll start to figure out the strategy that you like and can then purchase the cards to build a similar deck.

Re: First Serious Standard Deck HALP

I agree with you that the evaluation of cards for constructed is a different animal than draft; but for someone whose collection is lacking, who has little-to-no experience in developing strategy or identifying win-cons, and of that like, I still think that drafting is the more enjoyable way to learn.

That being said, even if you're a draft superstar, constructed is a very different place and it can be quite frustrating to see ideas that look absolutely stunning on paper fail to materialize in an actual play environment.

I mean it's open for you to decide Charlemagne, I'd just like for newer players to have fun while still learning some of the fundamentals of how to play better... either way.