Magic: The gathering- how to start out?

[VulgarDisplay]

I would buy him a hooker. Maybe if he loses his virginity he won't have any desire to play this game.

 

[DAGTA]

If you just want to play without putting much time into it, buy some pre-made duel decks.

http://www.miniaturemarket.com/wocmtgsvt.html

Cards mostly hold their value after they cycle out of Standard. The rules have changed and many new mechanics have been developed since the '90s. Many of the new cards are much more complex. The core sets (M14, for example) have more simple cards and are great for beginners.

The game can be very addicting and you can easily spend quite a bit of money on it. If you are patient and order online, such as from Miniature Market, you can save quite a bit of money. If you save your cards and take care of them, the collection can be worth as much as you spent on it, or more over time.

I host tournaments regularly. I am not a qualified judge, and don't think I'm at that level, yet, but I can help with questions.

Have fun!

 

[Spydermag68]

Duel Decks are an easy way to get playing fast. You get 2 ready to play decks for $20. once you get a few of these decks you can learn to play with out having to figure out how to make a playable deck. Then get the a few Deck Builder's Toolkit boxes. You get a few good cards and learn how to make your own cards from there. Once you know how to play and make a few basic decks then boxes of boosters is the way to go. There is one basic set released in the summer, one expansion in the fall, one expansion in February and then one in May.

 

[Craig234]

I would buy him a hooker. Maybe if he loses his virginity he won't have any desire to play this game.

Not really.

There are 23 hours and 58 minutes left in the day.

 

[apac]

Hey thanks guys, I think I'll try a set of the duel decks and see how much he likes it. I decided the deck-building part would probably be a little over his head until he gets the hang of the game.

I also just discovered that the free xbox gold game this month is the magic arcade game. Played a coupe games tonight and I'd forgotten how freakin complex the rules can be. Time to learn so at least one of us knows how to play.

 

[apac]

I would buy him a hooker. Maybe if he loses his virginity he won't have any desire to play this game.

Given that he's 9 and already waaay too interested in girls, I'm pretty okay with him keeping his virginity for a while.

 

[mugs]

They sell pre-made decks for like $15, two of those will get you started without having to understand the game. If you enjoy that you can add the fat pack or the deck building toolkit (basically a bunch of not really random cards and a few boosters).

 

[apac]

Find a game / card shop that runs games near where you live also as it can get boring just playing with 2 people.

The online version is ok but you need to pay as much for the online cards as real life ones and unless there are no card shops it's not as much fun but can be ok to play at home once you get used to the game layout.

Just make sure you hide the fact you are a player if your current GF dumps you as nothing will drive them away faster then this game.

If it gets boring then I'll happily let them collect dust until the next mini-me is old enough. I don't think I can go full gamer. Never go full gamer..

 

[Danwar]

have you consider another card game that is not MtG ?

If so , then i'd recommend the cooperative Living Card Game Lord of the Rings , by Fantasy Flight Games

If have a great deal of fun playing it with my nephews (aged 8 through 12).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMyPOFf7Vy4

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Given that he's 9 and already waaay too interested in girls, I'm pretty okay with him keeping his virginity for a while.

Getting him into Magic: The gathering should guarantee that quite well.

How do you feel about him living in your basement until he's 38?

 

[Newbian]

If it gets boring then I'll happily let them collect dust until the next mini-me is old enough. I don't think I can go full gamer. Never go full gamer..

There are some versions where you can play with more then two people at the same time so you can always play with your GF but just don't piss her off too much or you might not get any again.

 

[JoetheLion]

that's not bad. i would definitely stick to the core game and avoid the money-down-the-toilet expansions, tho.

On the contrary, expansions have more interesting cards, because they have less vanilla cards (cards with no abilities) and mechanics specific to that set, which makes the game more diverse. + buying coreset boosters is money down the toilet, because there is nothing valuable in them. M2014 is even worse because for the first time in a long run it's a coreset without any dual lands.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

On the contrary, expansions have more interesting cards, because they have less vanilla cards (cards with no abilities) and mechanics specific to that set, which makes the game more diverse. + buying coreset boosters is money down the toilet, because there is nothing valuable in them. M2014 is even worse because for the first time in a long run it's a coreset without any dual lands.

people playing a casual game shouldn't start with a specialized subset of the game. if they want to play other people, why should they put all their money into cards that are scheduled for oblivion in a year? if potential resale value is a concern, then you're barking up the wrong tree - he's looking for game to play with his kid. some of these cards will not survive.

 

[mugs]

have you consider another card game that is not MtG ?

If so , then i'd recommend the cooperative Living Card Game Lord of the Rings , by Fantasy Flight Games

If have a great deal of fun playing it with my nephews (aged 8 through 12).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMyPOFf7Vy4

Living Card Games are a great alternative for people who like the customizability of CCGs but don't like that you have to spend a ton of money to build a competitive deck. To buy a full playset of every card they ever make as they release them is only about $150/year.

On the other hand if you want to find local opponents at a game store or whatever, you can't beat Magic.

The Lord of the Rings game is cooperative, and it's fun. Android: Netrunner is probably the best competitive LCG. Or if the kid is into Star Wars they just started a Star Wars LCG that's pretty good. Game of Thrones is another good one.

 

[Murloc]

card games are a waste of money imho.

Why don't you play chess or table football or something?

 

[NutBucket]

i have a ton of card from when i was in HS (graduated in 98). No idea what to do with them. Some are heavily played so not in the best condition.

From what I understand most of those cards are now banned. My "prime" was probably '94 or '95. Didn't play much after that.

 

[JoetheLion]

people playing a casual game shouldn't start with a specialized subset of the game. if they want to play other people, why should they put all their money into cards that are scheduled for oblivion in a year? if potential resale value is a concern, then you're barking up the wrong tree - he's looking for game to play with his kid. some of these cards will not survive.

Erm, what? You're contradicting yourself...
If they are playing casual, they aren't or shouldn't be concerned with the standard rotation, thus these cards are "hardly scheduled for oblivion". By the way, same thing happens to core set with that difference that expansion block lasts 2 years in the standard while core set just one year.
I am not barking up the wrong tree, you said that expansions are wasted money, why would they be wasted money if they are not going to play tournaments or don't want to sell cards on a secondary market?
Expansion mechanics are not that hard to understand these days (each mechanic specific for the set is explained on the card) compared to core set, in fact wizards are lately reprinting older mechanics and putting them into core set (exalted, scry). Plus each fatpack has a manual for the mechanics which are also easily googlable on the net. Problem would be if they'd start with many different editions - way too many mechanics to learn, but every block or set has a small specific number of recurring mechanics, so it's far from overwhelming.

 

[JoetheLion]

From what I understand most of those cards are now banned. My "prime" was probably '94 or '95. Didn't play much after that.

Nah, they are not. There are several different formats, each with specific sets legal. Cards from 94-95 are legal in formats like legacy, vintage, commander or highlander.

You can check legality and ban lists for the formats here.

 

[apac]

card games are a waste of money imho.

Why don't you play chess or table football or something?

We do play chess . He has just expressed some interest in collectable card games, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

No room in the house for a foosball table though. I wish...

 

[Midwayman]

If he's interested in MTG, you might pick him up a box of dominion. Its a deck building card game that has a lot of the feel of a CCG, but without the over the top recurring expense. (There are a ton of deck building games depending on what theme you like)

 

[EMPshockwave82]

When I started buying my own cards about 3 years ago I started with a DECK BUILDERS TOOL KIT, 2 prebuilt decks and a FAT PACK. All total I think it was around 80 bucks and I was able to build 3 or 4 shitty decks that didn't hold a candle to my friends who had been playing for 10-15 years but got me into it enough.

Now I have about 15 decks that hold their own and destroy their decks in their own right. I'm in probably 700-800 bucks after everything I've bought though. I just buy boosters by the box now.

 

[mugs]

Weykick is a pretty cool tabletop alternative to foosball, and you can buy a hockey player set to make it a tabletop alternative to air hockey.

http://maydaygames.com/weykick

Crokinole is my favorite tabletop dexterity game though.

 

[Pray To Jesus]

Computer:

MTG: Duels game is $20 for all deck unlocks and will get you a lot more fun.

 

[Craig234]

If he's interested in MTG, you might pick him up a box of dominion. Its a deck building card game that has a lot of the feel of a CCG, but without the over the top recurring expense. (There are a ton of deck building games depending on what theme you like)

Amazon has some sort of complete version for about $100.

 

[Midwayman]

Amazon has some sort of complete version for about $100.

That's a great deal if its really $100. The base game is about $30. Unless you're thinking of the big box, which is an okay deal, but not my favorite expansions.