So You Want to Play in a Tournament?
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zandl
23 April 2014
4404 views
So You Want to Play in a Tournament?
23 April 2014
4404 views
So You Want to Play in a Tournament?
You’ve been playing Magic for some time now (or, perhaps, a long time) but you’ve really only ever played around the proverbial kitchen table, at the local shop with some buddies after class, or maybe even online through free-to-play programs. You think you’ve got a shot and want to try the competitive scene, either to simply play more Magic or truly test your mettle. Where do you even begin to look, though? Which format is right for me? What type of deck should I bring? What should I expect from other players? What X should I Y?
Fear ye not, dear neophytes!
I’ve come to your aid with a step-by-step guide to get you into that card shop on a sun-baked, Friday afternoon and let you show everyone who the noob boss is! As a personal disclaimer, however, I’m not posting this like I’m some sort of authority on competitive Magic. I’ve been around the block the last few years with competitive tournaments, though (and I humbly retain TappedOut Article privs), so I’m just happy to put this out there for any and all who will listen.
Step 1: Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
Let’s get this out of the way first. As negative and contradictory as it may sound to your innocent, virgin ears, this is likely the best bit of advice I can bestow upon you. Even if you’ve been playing Magic for years with your buddies, you probably aren’t strictly up to date with one specific constructed format, let alone competitive Magic. You may have a decent idea of what playing competitively entails, but let’s start slow to ensure everyone is on the same page. On the competitive scene, there is a metagame (’meta’, the types of decks and strategies used in a given community) for each constructed format (Standard, Extended, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Block; 60 cards, no more than 4 of each). Unless you know exactly what kinds of decks and strategies people will be using (assuming you know how to play well under pressure, anyways), you’re going to have to ride the learning curve for a some time. Now, you may have a good feeling about your first tournament and this is good; confidence begets success. After all, if you consistently beat your buddies every time you get together and know your deck, how could you possibly lose that badly? I’m just giving you a heads-up that you’ll probably lose more games than you’ll win for a little while, and this is also good; mistakes beget persistence. When you lose as a player, you’ll eventually understand why it’s happening. I’m mostly telling you this so you don’t become discouraged. A player who shuns competitive Magic most likely set his or her expectations far too high for him/herself or for the tournament environment. The inner pessimist/procrastinator in me would like to point out the infallible logic of “Set your hopes low and you won’t be disappointed,” and its little brother, “Set your hopes at rock bottom and you’ll be pleased just to not catch on fire.”
Step 2: Choose a Format
The first real decision you need to make is which constructed format you’re going to play in for your first tournament. This is a big decision; each format has its own traits with flaws and advantages. It’s not a decision that can be casually dismissed over two paragraphs, either. Luckily, I’ve already chosen for you!
It’s Standard.
Awww, zandl! Why Standard? Everyone says it sucks and is boring and stuff! No format is without its flaws. If you don’t already know how expensive a tournament-winning deck is for either Legacy or Modern, then you aren’t going to like what you find. Secondly, formats including older cards are going to attract long-time players simply due to the fact that those players were probably around when the legal cards were in their Standard heyday. Because of the more experienced nature of the average Legacy/Modern player, you’re going to see advanced strategies that span several turns, vicious card combos (many of which will end the game on the spot), and a higher expected level of professionalism. If I were going to play in a Legacy tournament, I wouldn’t want my opponent’s Whataburger grease all over my $320 Underground Sea. tl;dr - In a Legacy or Modern tournament, on a scale from One to Winning, you’d likely rank at a generous No. No matter the format, you’ll undoubtedly find players who deeply know the game and know exactly what both they and you are doing at the same time. If you keep at it, you’ll be there at some point. But let’s focus on getting you into that first tournament before looking that far ahead.
Step 3: Let’s Build a Competitive Deck
Now that you have correctly chosen Standard as your introductory format into competitive Magic, it’s time to see what you can build with the cards available to you. Again, let’s break this down for a nice refresher:
Standard is what’s called a Constructed Format, meaning you bring a constructed deck to the tournament. There are three simple, fundamental rules for deck construction:
- Your deck may have no more than 4 of any given card (aside from Basic Lands, obvs).
- Your deck must be a minimum of 60 cards. (See below)
- Your deck must adhere to the format’s legal cards and may not include any banned cards (of which Standard has none - and, in a perfect world, will not).
The rest of your deck’s structure comes from you. You are in charge of all card choices, which colors you play, which colors you don’t play, how your sideboard is constructed, the strategy you use, etc. You might be able to see now why building a deck that’s designed to take down everyone else (who are all trying to take down you) is a tough task. For simplicity’s sake, let’s build a Standard deck together.
Technically, Magic decks do not have a maximum size. It is very important to note, however, that less is more with deck-building. If you have 60 cards, you are statistically more likely to draw the one card you need when you absolutely need it. If your entire deck is made up of playsets (fours) of cards, you have a 1-in-15 chance to correctly guess which card is on top of your library of 60 (that’s a 6.667% chance). If you play 64 cards (by adding a playset of, say, Lightning Bolt), you then have a 1-in-16 chance (a 6.25% chance). Your odds, then, of drawing what you need fell. It certainly may not seem like a dramatic decrease, but look at it this way:Consider the card Battle of Wits. For a scant 5-mana, you literally win the game. The reason it’s horrible and nobody can consistently make it work in any format? Your deck needs to be at or above 200 cards for it to work, meaning you need to play closer to 240 or 250 to allow for the natural removal of cards from your library during the game. If you played all playsets in 240 cards, you’d have a 1-in-60 chance of guessing the top card of your deck (for fun, that’s a 1.667% chance; now you’re getting closer to state-lottery rates). This is obviously an extreme example, but the proof is in the math. If you want the most consistency with the cards you draw, play 60. Don’t let anyone fool you into using more. If you need more convincing, read this article. (Patrick Chapin is admittedly a tool and the article is nearly 10 years old, but his logic remains sound.)
Now that we know the correct number of cards for your new competitive deck is 81 60, let’s make it happen.
What archetype of deck should I choose to build?
Any given Magic deck can generally be squished into one of four categories:
- Aggro:
An aggro (aggressive) deck’s strategy is to hit the ground running and attempt to overwhelming your opponent with small, fast, volatile creatures (e.g. Ash Zealot, Rakdos Cackler, Chandra's Phoenix). Aggro decks will more often than not incorporate Red, not because archetypes follow colors, but because Red’s attributes are speed, damage, and chaos - all three of which are the essence of an aggro deck. Hit fast, hit hard, and pray you win before turn-6 before running out of steam.
- Control:
As the title suggests, a control deck’s strategy is to slow the game down to its speed and, well, control your opponent and his/her spells. Control decks typically include counterspells (e.g. Cancel, Negate, Essence Scatter), spot removal (e.g. Doom Blade, Swords to Plowshares, Terminate), and mass-removal (e.g. Supreme Verdict, Fated Retribution, Gaze of Granite). The control deck, with the opponent crippled and out of options, will then unleash a win-condition (e.g. AEtherling, Jace, Memory Adept, Elspeth, Sun's Champion) that is highly unlikely to be stopped at that point.
- Midrange:
A midrange deck (whose name derives from its greatest strength coming in the mid-game turns, like 4-7) may have one of a few different sub-strategies. First, it may use ramp spells (e.g. Rampant Growth, Elvish Mystic) to generate more mana than your opponent and then play bigger things than your opponent can deal with. Another way to play midrange is to simply kill all your opponents’ stuff whenever it becomes necessary to do so. You can play efficient mid-cost creatures (e.g. Desecration Demon, Thragtusk, Blood Baron of Vizkopa) and just win on the back of a few of those while spot-removing anything that gets in your way.
- Combo:
A combo deck’s goal (in the true spirit of combo) is to abuse an interaction between two cards that allows for a semi-infinite or infinite loop of effects. For example, a popular combo that began in Standard and later found a nice niche in Modern involves enchanting Deceiver Exarch with Splinter Twin. You would tap the Exarch to make a token copy of it which would enter the battlefield and trigger. You’d untap the enchanted Exarch and then tap it again to make another copy, it enters, you untapped the enchanted Exarch, etc. etc. For no added mana and all at one time, you can generate an infinite number of copies of Deceiver Exarch which all have haste, then you attack and win in one shot. While a combo deck may not be entirely devoted to just a two- or three-card interaction, it’s what they’re about. In Standard, we currently don’t have any competitively viable infinite combos. They do not come around often, either.
There are clearly different ways to play a midrange strategy and control can be done a million ways, but aggro decks always have the same goal: Kill your opponent quickly and hold nothing back. For this reason, aggro decks are arguably the easiest decks to construct, play, and understand. So let’s build an aggro deck! Using cards from Standard-legal sets (Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, Dragon’s Maze, Core Set 2014, Theros, and Born of the Gods), our job is to construct a fast, damaging, and punishing deck. First, we need to find some low-cost creatures that give us the most bang for our buck (mana-wise, that is). We’ll largely focus on adding playsets (fours) of cards to give us the highest possible consistency when we draw cards. Consistency is the most important aspect you must consider when building an aggro deck. When your game only lasts 5 or 6 turns on average, you want it to play the same way every time. Once we choose our cards, we’ll tally up the price of purchasing all of it outright. Starting at the bottom of our mana-curve (how the mana costs of your cards are balanced), let’s start with one-drop creatures and go up from there.
- 4 Rakdos Cackler
It is essentially a 2/2 for 1 mana that can’t block. Normally, this would be a downside, but our goal in aggro isn’t to play defensively. A 2/2 for 1 with virtually no drawback is perfect.
- 4 Firedrinker Satyr
It’s a 2/1 for 1 that we can make stronger if we have nothing better to do with our mana. It’s important to know that your life total is a resource and not a jealously guarded treasure. In aggro, there won’t be many times when your life is falling past your opponent’s, so this is a fine card to include. It is a rare which makes it harder to find and more expensive than your average uncommon, but you should be able to find these for less than $1 each (and even $1 per Satyr isn’t bad).
- 4 Ash Zealot
A 2-mana 2/2 with haste (fast) and first-strike (efficient). Its added ability was relevant with older Standard cards and not so much with the current ones, but we only care about the keywords here. It’s good, it’s quick, it’s damage. It’s a slightly more pricey rare at around $3 each, but this card is a powerhouse. It, along with a 1-drop, can drop your opponent down to 16 before they even have 2 lands.
- 4 Burning-Tree Emissary
It may not be an obvious choice. You may be raising an eyebrow right about now and questioning why you’d want a 2/2 for 2 with no keywords. Let’s work with what it does do and try to look for some things we would be able to cast with its ability. After all, the whole idea behind BTE is that you cast it and then another two-drop, essentially giving you a zero-drop 2/2. Since this card is so good, it’s used as a playset in every deck that runs it (because you can chain them off one another), and it’s used in Modern frequently, you may have trouble finding these. They’re roughly $1.50 each, but it’s a decent investment.
- 4 Gore-House Chainwalker
It’s essentially a 2-mana Rakdos Cackler with +1/+0. Normally, while it wouldn’t necessarily be bad, it wouldn’t be fantastic. BTE makes it better, though, as there are few turn-2 plays where you can dump 5 power onto the board.
- 4 Firefist Striker
Another creature we can cast off of BTE and gives us a bit of utility to boot. Your opponent will likely try to just stuff his or her board full of creatures to block yours. It’s a sound strategy; if I block your creatures, I’m not taking damage. Firefist Striker is neat because, with a 1-drop and BTE, you can evade a blocker as soon as turn-3 and not have to worry about creatures that’ll wreck your face, like Boros Reckoner and Blood Baron of Vizkopa. If that seems good, it’s because it is.
- 4 Chandra's Phoenix
This is card you’re going to love. In the spirit of Firefist Striker, it has evasion (flying), allowing it to char your opponent’s face more often than not. It has haste, making it fast and efficient. Finally, its added ability is one that’ll keep you going against slower decks. With the burn spells we’ll eventually be adding in, you’ll rarely find times when the Phoenix is a dead card. Did you draw a burn spell? Cool! Cast it at your opponent’s head, grab the Phoenix, cast it, swing for 2 more damage, and your opponent has to worry about it all over again. Being a decent (but narrow) card, you shouldn’t have to spend more than $3 on one copy.
- 4 Fanatic of Mogis
This card works fantastically as our most expensive spell. He’ll come down, count up the number of Red mana symbols in the costs of the permanents you control (including himself… and BTE counts as 2, mind you), and burn the hell out of your opponent. Then you still get to attack with all your other creatures! Fanatic is the most consistently damaging 4-drop in Standard for a Red deck, so it’ll work. Also, he’s a 4/2.
We have 32 creatures listed now. That’s a fair amount, but now we need something more. We need cards that can simply destroy any problem creatures in our way. It would also be great if those cards could somehow kill your opponent instead if that’s what you need at the time. … Oh, hey! They have those!
- 4 Lightning Strike
3 damage kills the hell out of a lot of things in Standard right now. It can also deal the finishing blow to your opponent or rescue your Phoenix from the graveyard while hitting your opponent. It’s an instant (reliable) and a common, meaning you could probably pick up a playset for $1 total if not scour a 10-cent bin for them.
- 2 Shock
A lot of people dismiss good ’ole Shock because they don’t believe 2 damage is enough. However, it only costs 1 mana to cast and will still take away one-tenth of your opponent’s life total while saving your Phoenix. 2 damage will also kill everything we’ve mentioned thus far, making it a 1-mana hard removal spell in a mirror-match. That’s certainly not bad and, at a certain point, adding more creatures will just bog down the deck. You need burn, and this is that. However, it won’t be great in every match-up, so we will keep it down to 2 copies.
Now that we have 38 spells, it’s time to add lands.
This should do the trick. There’s no need to get all fancy with non-basics when a Mountain lets us play everything as soon as we can. Why 19, though?
Mutavault is a non-basic land you actually should consider. It’s a man-land, meaning it animates into a creature for a small mana investment. The biggest reason why Mutavault is so good right now is that it’s essentially a 2/2 creature that doesn’t take up the space in your deck that an actual creature would. It’s mana when you need it or a creature when you have some mana to spare. A deck like the one we’re building only needs two or three Mountains to give us Red mana before the rest of the mana color (or lack thereof) becomes irrelevant. If you open with two Mountains and follow up with a Mutavault, then your land-base is working like a charm. I feel a sense of duty in saying that, unless you already have them laying around, a single copy of Mutavault will set you back roughly $35. The reason? It can be realistically be used in every single Standard deck with a varying degree of success - and, for the most part, it is. If you can afford them, great! They’ll only add to your deck’s power. Playing with three copies will allow it to show up about every other game, but it’s not a land you want to find two of in your opening hand. Imagine having four copies of Burning-Tree Emissary, a Mountain, and two Mutavault. If dropping $100 on three cards isn’t your style currently, it certainly won’t be a deal-breaker. Your deck’s power lies in its battlefield-flooding power, anyways, and three lonely copies of Mutavault aren’t likely to propel you to the Top 8 on their own.There we have it: 60 cards, a very straightforward strategy, and relatively inexpensive to purchase. By my math, I’m estimating that buying the above cards (sans Mutavault) will set you back just $45 or less (not counting your sideboard, which we’ll address in a bit). All things considered, that’s about as cheap as you can get in a constructed format while still giving yourself a pretty solid chance to get into the prize range (usually the top 8 players). Your mainboard (your main 60-card deck) won’t work on its own, though. As matches between players are conducted in a best-two-of-three format, you’ll need to adjust your deck between games to give yourself a stronger position against a specific deck. For that, you have a sideboard: 15 cards you keep off to the side that you may use to replace cards in your mainboard after the first game of a match. A sideboard is essential to winning a tournament and should contain more situational cards that wouldn’t work against certain decks but would obliterate others. Let’s build one for cheap.
- 3 Searing Blood - Searing Blood is a card that’s better in certain match-ups than others, more so than your other cards. You’d want to bring in all 3 copies against aggro decks. You can save yourself from a beating and keep the pressure on your opponent.
- 3 Skullcrack - Life-gain is the bane of an aggro deck. Aggro decks try to win quickly at the expense of sacrificing more mid- and late-game power. If your opponent casts Supreme Verdict and then casts Sphinx's Revelation for 3, you’re probably in a rough spot. With Skullcrack, you can at least prevent that life-gain (essentially making them lose 6 life in this scenario) for just two mana.
- 2 Hammer of Purphoros - This card is a bomb against control decks (in Magic, a bomb is a game-breakingly good card). It lets all of your creatures enter the battlefield and go straight to town, which control hates as it almost sets them back a turn in an already-slow deck. Beyond that, you can start sacrificing your lands once your hand grows thin and bash your opponent over the head with 3/3 haste tokens. Your lands don’t matter if you’re winning the game.
- 1 Act of Treason - Does your opponent have big-fat creatures that get in your way? Take ’em and kill your opponent with ’em! Great against cards like Desecration Demon, Polukranos, World Eater, Stormbreath Dragon, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, etc.
- 2 Mizzium Mortars - For when 3 damage just isn’t enough. Not necessarily intended to be Overloaded, Mortars is very handy at dismantling Blood Baron of Vizkopa and anything else that’s a pain the butt, like Loxodon Smiter.
- 3 Peak Eruption - Is your opponent playing Mountains or shock-lands like Sacred Foundry
? Destroy them and burn your opponent! This is better used against slower Red decks that depend on hitting their land-drops to beat you. Get some creatures on the board and drop this on your third-turn to really set your opponent back. Peak Eruption is also pretty handy against Chained to the Rocks.
- 1 Burning Earth - Punish those greedy, slow three-color decks with a card that makes just playing the game a death sentence. If you notice your opponent is playing a slow deck and he/she has a ludicrously expensive-looking land-base, this is probably the card for you.
Not too shabby. I’d be willing to pilot this at my very next FNM, honestly.Creatures: 32
4 Firedrinker Satyr 4 Rakdos Cackler 4 Ash Zealot 4 Burning-Tree Emissary 4 Firefist Striker 4 Gore-House Chainwalker 4 Chandra's Phoenix 4 Fanatic of Mogis
Other spells: 6
2 Shock 4 Lightning Strike
Lands: 22
Sideboard
1 Act of Treason 1 Burning Earth 2 Hammer of Purphoros 2 Mizzium Mortars 3 Peak Eruption 3 Searing Blood 3 Skullcrack
Step 4: How to Prepare for Your Tournament
Try some goldfishing.
Now that you’ve sleeved your freshly brewed deck (please do), shuffle it up and draw several sample hands. Get used to the cards you see, understand the order in which to play them, and get a good sense of when your deck is capable of winning the game. Generally speaking, if your deck is capable of a turn-4 kill, that actually means you’ll only ever pull it off against a completely screwed opponent or a simpleton. Goldfishing, or playing out your deck solo to get a feel for it, is beneficial for all reasons listed above but obviously won’t simulate having to react to your opponent’s plays.Again, don’t get sad.
Going back a bit, don’t get your hopes up prior to the tournament. Even the strongest build out there will only take you halfway. Until you fully grasp Standard’s metagame and are able to accurately predict the cards in someone’s deck just by their first few turns, you’re probably going to get trounced a few times. You’ll have victories, too, and they’ll be sweet. Just know that everyone loses and it takes a lot of losing to finally understand what you need to do to win.Know the rules.
Magic, as I’m sure you know, is a game of rules. While you don’t have to be a rules-ninja (that’s what every tournament has a judge for), you are expected as a player to know the basics, including (but not limited to):- shuffling your deck sufficiently and presenting it to your opponent for more randomization, either through more shuffling or a simple cut. Some opponents won’t do anything but hand it back to you, but you must present your deck to your opponent for the option every time you shuffle.
- knowing the turn structure (phases and steps). Before anything happens ever on your turn, you untap your permanents. THEN you get your upkeep, your draw phase, and your first main-phase. It’s not mandatory, but it is helpful and respectful to announce when you’re changing a phase - not every single phase, but if your opponent (for example) plans on doing something before you attack, it’s nice to announce that you plan to go to your Attack Phase so the game doesn’t have to be backed up to that point. And, yes. That’s what would happen.
- keeping your own life total with a pen and some paper. Using dice is cool and all for the kitchen table, but your FNM table might get bumped, you may accidentally swipe your D-20 off the edge, etc. With a pen and pad of paper, you can mark each player’s life totals so you never have to ask and to have written proof of changes in case there’s ever a discrepancy. If a judge gets called over, he/she is far more likely to side with the person writing down every single change versus the kid with a D-20.
- understanding the differences between triggered, activated, and static abilities, and how they all work.
- knowing that effects resolve independent of their sources. In layman’s terms, you can’t stop Omenspeaker from scrying if you shoot it with Lightning Strike in response to it entering the battlefield. You’ll burn the bejesus out of it, but the ability went onto the stack and still resolves.
Keep an eye out for d-bags.
Should you ever find yourself in a scenario where someone appears to be taking advantage of your competitive inexperience or something they’re doing just seems weird or not right, call the judge. You don’t want to insinuate that your opponent is doing something shady; he/she may actually not be and it could just be your lack of tournament experience. Just ask the judge for clarification with what’s going on in the game and, if anything is actually wrong, it will probably be revealed. Judges are a resource and are there to help new players and ensure a fair tournament.Don’t be the d-bag.
No one, least of all your opponent, will care that you’ve been playing the game for 15 years and this whole serious-Magic thing “is stupid and it’s just a game” and that people should get over themselves and have fun. For the same reasons that no one likes the hyper-competitive Rules-Nazi, you’d just be leaving a sour taste in the mouth of everyone you come across. That, and it’s not a good way to make friends. Now I’m certainly not saying I think you’d act like this, nor am I insinuating that you should. Just think about everybody around you before complaining about anything. Magic players love their opinions and will tear someone’s aorta out before admitting defeat over someone else’s opinion. Also, Magic is a different game to each person. Some people will never leave the kitchen table while others have made their careers out of winning huge tournaments - and you’ve got to respect both ends of the spectrum.Keep an eye out for nice people.
Oh, they are out there. They’ll remind you of things that happen in your favor, give you tips on what you could do better, and maybe even ask to look through your deck at the end of a match (benevolently, of course) to break it down with you. Try to befriend these people and you just may wind up having a new circle of Magic buddies within a few weeks.Don’t be too nice.
If you find yourself playing against an opponent who is land-screwed, don’t feel bad for him or her. You can surely sympathize with your opponent, but getting land-screwed is just another part of the game and it happens to everyone. Sometimes, it’s simply unavoidable. It’s important to mention that you shouldn’t go easy on your opponents and your goal is to get through a crappy game quickly. Play your stuff, show you have the win, and your adversary will likely concede to you. You never know if your opponent needs one more land to blow you away and is trying to tilt you with mind-games. Also, rounds are timed and you should always play slow enough to not miss anything but fast enough to finish two or three games.Shop around for shops.
If you have the luxury of living in a big city or metropolitan area, chances are good there are more than a few places to play Magic on Friday nights. In Phoenix (where I live), there are the casual shops that hold an FNM but most people are friends and just hang out. There are the competitive stores that pull in upwards of 30-40 players each Friday night where you can expect a good deal of experienced players. There are the hardcore stores for all the wannabe pro-players who are Rules-Nazis and don’t particularly care (a) if you’re new or (b) how they treat you or make you feel while playing them. To them, Magic is a test of mind and some occasionally forget that it’s a game and you’re allowed to have fun with it. If you really want to get deep into highly competitive Magic, look for the hardcore stores. If you want a more relaxed atmosphere where you’ll learn competitive Magic at a more manageable pace (and have fun), pick the casual store. Of course, you aren’t likely to know which is which unless you play in a given store’s FNM. It’ll take some searching, but you’ll know where you fit in within a few weeks.Step 5: Play in the Tournament
Logically, you’d have to pick a constructed tournament to play in first. Once you find a shop, I’d suggest dropping in on a Friday night and signing up for Friday Night Magic. If you somehow aren’t aware by now, a Standard FNM tournament is held by any self-respecting, independent, Magic card retailer. You can see which shops around you hold tournaments by following this link and choose from there. Why FNM? There are a number of reasons, silly. First, FNM is Standard (or should be, unless a shop is weird and does Modern instead). Second, that’s when most people come out of their caves to play Magic. It’s the best time to get out there, socialize, and meet new people.Sweet. Anything else I should know?
Here are a few last tips off the top of my head:- The entry fee for every Standard tournament I’ve even seen (in the States, at least) has been $5. For $5, you get several rounds of competitive Magic and a shot at getting some prizes (either packs or store credit for singles; I’ve seen cash rarely).
- Bring some snacks or bring money to purchase them. If you play in a 5-round FNM (which occurs from 17 players up to 32 players total), you’ll be there for a minimum of 5 hours (unless you leave early, at which point I’d raise an eyebrow), or more if you are in the top 8 players at the end of the fifth round. The top 8 players will then duke it out in single-elimination rounds until everybody decides to draw and split the prizes evenly with whoever’s left or until a winner emerges.
- Keep your stuff in a backpack and never leave your cards unattended. I hold Magic players above players of other games to a higher standard of professionalism (or, in the very least, to be cooler dudes), but there’s a rotten apple in every bunch. Don’t take the risk and you needn’t worry.
- When making trades, keep in mind that Magic cards have monetary value. If you prefer to trade just for cards and not really care, you may be taken advantage of. If it seems like someone is trying to rip you off, they may be. If you have a smartphone, use magic.tcgplayer.com to look up a card in question and most players will agree that the “mid” price is a fair value for the vast majority of cards.
Immerse yourself in Magic.
It’s the best way to learn more and grow your skill as a player. TappedOut is a fantastic website (with one of the most polite communities I’ve seen, honestly) that has definitely improved my game and made it easy to keep track of my cards and deck ideas. Give your constructive criticism to other players, participate in forum discussions, and don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. If you do these things, the community will give you the support you need to better yourself.Ohthenoises says... #2
I really dig the article. Just want to point out one tiny detail though. There ARE winning modern decks that have pricetags lower than most good standard decks.
The formats don't HAVE to be expensive if you know what you are doing.
April 23, 2014 10:34 p.m.
Not a bad guide for new players to read and learn by. I am not sure if I necessarily agree with all the choices in the suggested deck, but it will suffice for a new player. Well written and thought out...thumbs up from me.
April 23, 2014 10:42 p.m.
@you guys: Thanks for the kudos.
It's true there are cheaper decks, but you don't see many that win big tournaments in Modern or Legacy for under $300, unless it's Burn or RDW.
There are arguably better choices for RDW in Standard, but I wanted to keep the deck simple and under $50.
I'm surprised how well the end result came together. I largely just sat down, typed for several total hours over the last few days, and spent an hour playing with the HTML before posting it earlier tonight.
April 23, 2014 11:41 p.m.
I know that the step by step guide is to funnel them into standard by why was Combo not considered an archetype? Combo is a huge deal and not all Combo decks fit into the three listed (Control, Mid-range, Aggro). Plus, some may argue that B/G dredge in standard is a combo deck (and rightfully so!).
April 23, 2014 11:57 p.m.
Don't forget to have fun. You'll get your butt kicked a lot at first, but pay attention to the other decks. But the most important thing is to have fun, laugh, and don't get discouraged. And don't be nervous - seriously, it's Magic card nerds.
This deck, RDW is a totally good place to start. Listen to feedback you get from other players.
Use the Medium price listed at http://magic.tcgplayer.com to look up the prices of cards before making any trades.
April 24, 2014 12:04 a.m.
@BlueSlime: I suppose you're right. I changed it just now to reflect combo as an archetype.
@mikemega: I added the card-pricing tip to the end of the article.
April 24, 2014 12:23 a.m.
Nigeltastic says... #8
Well written article, though I agree with BlueSlime, as combo is a huge part of older formats, and my beloved B/G dredge would probably be considered standard combo.
April 24, 2014 12:23 a.m.
Takeachansey says... #9
How does one go about giving this a +1,
because this article is amazing.
April 24, 2014 12:36 a.m.
RussischerZar says... #11
Good article, A+ would read again.
The store locator link is broken, though.
April 24, 2014 5:39 a.m.
Amazingly great article! Your writing style is hilarious and informative and you comprised a superbly structured piece! I have to commend you for the excellency!
Where is the like button? i need to thumbs this up! Is there a possibility for a +1?
April 24, 2014 6:57 a.m.
Link fixed.
Great article! I like how you just gave it all to us: built a deck and told it what to do with it.
April 24, 2014 7:10 a.m.
One thing I'd like to add:
Never feel bad for your opponent
If your opponent is getting mana screwed, don't feel bad for them until after you have squashed their face into the mud because they never saw that 3rd land. Same goes for them getting mana flooded, or not drawing anything relevant.
If you feel bad, you risk loosening your grip and/or making a mistake. I've done this many times before, and I've regretted it each time.
April 24, 2014 9:28 a.m.
This article was great! It really spoke to me because a couple weeks ago I played at FNM (not my first) and just got my arse whooped. It was terribly bad. And this particular shop, while every one is nice, is full of super serious players with some super serious decks and while they aren't total d-bags they are just on a much different level than I am. So I left super upset and raging hard core about how bad I was sucking at magic and then spent a week reflecting on EVERYTHING I do in Magic and coming up with an entire new concept for playing. it has done better, as the next FNM I played at I won some! I also ended up at a different shop that time as well, and it really is true that the atmosphere of the shop has a lot to do with your game. I wasn't nearly as nervous and everyone was super nice and giving me pointers and suggesting cards and wanting to see my deck. I also (for once) didn't get any of the "looks" I usually get for being the girl showing up to FNM. I know that sounds contrite, because there are a lot of girl players (I don't know any, but I know they are out there!) but its true. Some of the dudes I've run in to are super nice and think its cool, some have no opinion at all for I am just an opponent to be crushed, and some give me weird looks and/or become SO AWKWARD they can't even announce their phases or are d-bags with the attitude that I am automatically on a lower level. Unfortunately the two latter have a negative impact on my mindset and game. Basically what I am saying is that atmosphere is key!
April 24, 2014 9:54 a.m.
Dalektable says... #18
Pretty sweet article. All things said in this were true to an extent, and I especially agreed with the "Don't get your hopes up" clause. At my first FNM I was used to winning most games I played, so I expected to do well...and then lost four rounds 0-2 each. I didn't play in another for over half a year, It really turned me off of the tournament scene. So I would definitely keep that in mind, no matter how mind blowingly great you are in your playgroup doesn't mean the same will be the case in competitive magic.
Sidenote, I am currently building a series of decks (so far one has been posted) meant to introduce players to competitive play while not destroying their wallets. If you want, check it out :) I'll be doing this for both the Standard and Modern format and attempt to hit upon multiple archetypes. My budget for standard is 50 dollars, and modern will most likely be 100-150...so stay tuned, haha.
April 24, 2014 6:38 p.m.
At the end you mention about trading. A good advice I would give is: "If you don't know the value of the cards you are trading away, don't trade." It's a little unlikely, but you might accidentally give away a 10 dollar or more expensive card.
April 25, 2014 6:33 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #20
This is a very good article. I like how you led off with what I also think is the most important part: get mentally prepared for what's probably going to happen. Being aware of and realistic about what's going on is the single largest factor in how much of a good time you'll be able to have there. It encourages me to see the mostly casual players who still show up regularly at our local shop's FNM because they're having fun playing the game (technically, I'm one of them).
I swear I didn't post here just to plug this, but before GP Richmond the mostly casual-centric podcast I help host did a 2-episode feature on the transition to tournament play. Our advice is mostly the same as what ended up in this great article, but we got pretty far in depth on several things (each episode is about 2 hours long, so be prepared). Part 1, Part 2.
April 25, 2014 12:21 p.m.
Great article! I'm interested in attending my first GP ever and was looking around for some tips. This has definitely cleared things up for me and hopefully you will be writing more. (If anyone is curious, because I do not have the luxury of watching the meta and buying the "right" deck the week of the GP, I'm planning on running this deck:
W/B Humans Aggro Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 2 | 11 COMMENTS | 408 VIEWS) Yes, shameless plug, but I really appreciate this article and any advice more experienced players might have for a first time GP attender
April 25, 2014 10:22 p.m.
If you have a problem, think something went wrong, or don't understand how something works, call a judge.
Judges are your friend, and we're there to help you. Please don't be afraid.
Sincerely, your friendly L2 judge
April 25, 2014 11:10 p.m.
"Keep your stuff in a backpack and never leave your cards unattended. I hold Magic players above players of other games to a higher standard of professionalism (or, in the very least, to be cooler dudes), but theres a rotten apple in every bunch. Dont take the risk and you neednt worry."
I'd agree with this, and you should make an extra effort at pre-releases, where you have lots of cards lying around. My friend's Temple of Epiphany
and Omenspeaker
foil were almost stolen this way, and it was only because i saw the person slide the foil Omenspeaker
(which looks quite nice) into his folder was I able to get them back.
April 26, 2014 4:05 a.m.
It's a great article, but i just have to say, you said there are no competitive standard combo decks? My current build:
Silence in the Library Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 52 | 50 COMMENTS | 6843 VIEWSis actually very competitive, AND it's a combo deck! :D Just throwing it out there, letting you know that there is at least ONE competitive combo in standard.
April 26, 2014 1:36 p.m.
Ehhh. While I like the deck and enjoy seeing Horizon Chimera used, it's a very fragile 3-creature combo in a format where removal is king. I wouldn't really count it as "game-breaking".
Though it is neat.
April 26, 2014 1:40 p.m.
True it isn't the status of other modern or legacy combos, but it's still very fun to play and has taken me far. But anyways, you should continue making articles! Your writing is actually great quality.
April 26, 2014 1:46 p.m.
I'm in the process of writing a guide for sideboarding in Standard, but I think I may hold off until I see some constructed play with Journey to keep it relevant.
April 26, 2014 1:48 p.m.
Good idea, and I'll be looking out for it! Out of all the things relevant to playing magic, sideboarding is the one thing that I think I need to learn. That, and how to play aggro properly (i'm too reactive, since i've only been very good at control and when i try aggro it always fails)
April 26, 2014 2:32 p.m.
I feel like it's a much-needed article. People can get pretty good at decknuilding but have no clue what they're doing when it comes to side boarding.
April 27, 2014 1:25 p.m.
Well it was really usefull for me, since I am a new player and I never played outside of a kitchen table.. But Do you have any advices on wich card to replace the cards from your main during sideboarding? I am always afraid of making the bad choices.
And I feel you, I myself have litteraly no clue on how to build a side board properly hahaha
April 27, 2014 1:31 p.m.
The article on sideboarding will likely pick up where this one left off and go with the deck I added to this article.
April 27, 2014 1:40 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #35
meecht Over 50% of the people I know show mercy and sometimes that is the downfall of them. ): Personally I have never show mercy, not even once inside of magic >:3 as I have seen too many fallen that way (but I do switch decks if the power level is too great in casual anyway but even then I never give them a chance XP).
Great Article! Too bad Standard can't satisfy me anymore so I only make one deck per standard rotation and legacy is none existent were I live (and its too expensive anyway). So I am sticking with modern from now on. :3
April 28, 2014 3:04 a.m.
WhiteEyesCloudedbyH8 says... #36
I agree that it's imperative to Not feel bad for your opponent when they 'appear' to be losing. Until you deal lethal damage, don't hesitate to cast Desecration Plague destroying one of their few lands, or Doom Blade their only creature that poses virtually no threat aside from a chump block. If you can induce a 'scoop' from your opponent, you've cut the time needed to get the game win, gaining you a distinct advantage in the overall match, as well as establish a mental position which could carry you to the match win by tilting your opponent, while it's not a way to earn a new friend, you should be there to win against your current opponent.
Great read zandl.
April 28, 2014 4:25 a.m.
zandl Great article. Well written, insightful and humorous. Thank you for sharing.
April 30, 2014 10:53 a.m.
Nice article, man. It should help newer players get into the competitive scene.
To any newer players reading, zandl is correct when he says that you should expect to lose at first... a lot.
Despite the fact that I am one of the aforementioned "nice people" I am also considered a spike (a highly competitive and competent magic player). I can't keep track of all the times I have sat across from at new player (someone playing for a few weeks to a year) for the first round of FNM that has decided that they are a magic-playing God because they can beat all of their friends at the kitchen table. Unless mana-screw happens, or the opponent gets stupid lucky (as in a perfect draw from the opponent against a bad matchup in the first place) I will usually crush them, and it will usually be because of a blowout that happens because of one small mistake that they make that I perceived coming a mile away, or that I had forced them into because of their lack of experience in terms of realizing that I am baiting them/them not realizing a rules interaction. At the end, I offer a GG, and I explain to them what their mistake was, why I expected it to happen, and how I took advantage of it. Generally, they are thankful, and come to me for advice from there on out.
Many people have told me, at many different times that they both love, and hate to be paired against me because they usually lose, but they also learn a lot in the process. They also tell me that I am so nice and fun to play against that they do not mind losing to me like they do to others.
Newer players with cocky attitudes get their overactive confidence/arrogance smacked down quite quickly by players like me. Spikes are everywhere, and not all of them are as nice about the way that they smack you down as I am.
I do not allow friendly mulligans, nor will I take one if offered.
If the player does something without announcing a change of phases or passing priority, I will make them reverse it, and use the knowledge of what they have in order to make decisions (I feel that if you are impatient enough to not give me my opportunity to respond to what you are doing, and you end up revealing information that I otherwise would not have known about, that it is your fault, and that you need to learn better.) Conversely, if I do anything, typically, I announce it to the other player because it is both polite/professional, and it does not give them any information that they wouldnt have already had in the first place.
In the Swiss rounds, I will point out to the player that despite my Omenspeaker burning to a crisp, the ability will still go on the stack and resolve, and Ill ask them if they still want to make that play, and allow them to take it back (the information I get from knowing that they have the spell in hand will allow me to play around it later, and the leniency builds the newer players respect towards me as a knowledgeable, but nice player). In the top 8 however, I expect you to know the rules, and play correctly. At that point, prizes, and bragging rights are on the line, and I will do everything within my power, short of cheating, to win. I will play mind games with you, I will talk to distract you, I will bluff using both my words, and my body language. (It is something than any truly good magic player does to get a legal edge in the game that we love. Its not rude, its not disrespectful; its simply playing the game.)
I am always respectful of the other player, and always offer good game at the end, no matter how frustrated I am that my deck refused to give me any removal that game or not.
I am always willing to help a newer, or even an experienced player out, in terms of deck construction/advice for dealing with scenarios/decks in the meta-game.
Good guys are out there. I would guess that at 85% of the card shops, there are at least 1 or 2 experienced, nice players that love to help others and wouldn't hesitate to give you advice/take you under their wing and show you the ropes.
Look for them; they are out there.
April 30, 2014 1:26 p.m.
Mpz5 I was honestly smiling the whole time i read that, lol. Everything you said made sense, and I actually do similar things when i play, attempting to play mind games, you know? I also consider myself one of those nice, competitive players, but I do play more wonky decks and combos in order to have a laugh with my opponent. I'm always smiling, whether I'm winning or losing, or whether I have a plan or not. And I still enjoy helping others improve too. Do you play standard Mpz5? I only do standard currently, but I can still improve! :D
May 1, 2014 10:49 p.m.
Yes SpaderAce, honestly, standard is pretty much all that I play/brew for anymore.
My favorite thing to do in the game is build decks that make people say to themselves (or sometimes out loud) why are you running Yoked Ox (that card was a limited bomb for me), or Spark Jolt . Then, they see the reason why and just sit there wondering how they just lost the game that they felt they had in the bag. If you do not believe me, just ask Warmonger (the player, not the card), Euphonatron, TheThanatosian, jvy216, or DarksteelUlamog. (If I left any of the other players that know me IRL and are active on tappedout, I apologize)
Brewing decks is one of my favorite things, and I come up with some pretty wacky/off the wall stuff. With that said, I am still very much a spike, and I will not build something that will not be competitive on at least a FNM level playing field. I'm not likely to throw a random wacky deck together and head to a 5k, but fun decks are what FNM is all about, IMO. I LOVE building metagame sniper decks as well. If a deck has done well for a few weeks in a row, I usually show up intending to squash it.
May 2, 2014 1:20 a.m.
I for one, can attest to everything Mpz5 has stated is 100% true. He is our local guru for toolbox decks. He is also the only player I know that is capable, much less willing, of taking any derpy card you can think of (Cloaked Siren
, Beckon Apparition
, Barrage of Expendables
, the aforementioned Yoked Ox
, etc.) and proceed to beat you down with it. You can never assume what he plays from week to week. He is the only person I have seen play a 4-color "Mono"-Blue deck. He will splash 2 white/blue cards, 3 green/blue card, and a blue/red planeswalker, and then proceeds to hit every color he needs within five turns. Sometimes I think he plays off color lands just to, as he mentioned, mess with an opponent's head.
As for his play style, he refuses to scoop before you prove you have won. Last night, we heard frustration building at his table as he refused to let his opponent deal the last one damage needed to win. For several turns, everything she played, he countered, killed, exiled, or bounced. He stabilized at 1 life and came back to beat her. (Yes, he believes in equal-opportunity wins)
I can also attest to Mpz5 being one of the nicest people I know, and I am proud to call him a friend. We have about a dozen regulars at FNM that are frequently found in the top 8 each night, and he is probably the most frequent. It's kind of a running joke that if you are playing Mpz5, it's a safe bet for the opponent should go ahead and put a 2 next to his name and play for the 1 or 0 next to the opponent's. Seriously, he is one of the most helpful people in our shop. In fact, the players at our shop make a special effort to be the antithesis of other shops. When we see a new player, one of us will introduce ourselves and welcome them, regardless of playing experience. For those we know are new, we often help them build decks, trade for cards (sometimes giving them cards outright), and explain rules. We really do have a great group.
Finally, Mpz5 is also one of the top 4 people from our shop I believe could play at a competitive level. He truly is a sniper when it comes to taking down winning decks.
May 3, 2014 8:34 p.m.
GoldenAgeBatman says... #44
I feel there should be an addendum to the "don't be the d-bag" section in the form of "don't be a poor winner" or "win with grace."
Case in point: I was playing a booster draft FNM tournament at my local shop and after losing the first round of a match I was this close to winning the second. Seemingly out of nowhere my opponent turns the tables by taking control of all of my lifelink creatures and manages to defeat me with my own cards. While it royally sucked that I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory it wasn't the loss that frustrated me the most.
It was the fact that my opponent still kept on dealing damage to me long after he had clearly won -- and he admitted this as well. Keep in mind I had no cards in my hand and nothing of use on the table via artifacts, enchantments, etc. so there was no question I was going to be able to rebound from such a devastating blow.
After the loss I still managed to look my opponent in the eyes while smiling and shake his hand; he wouldn't do the former and the latter left much to be desired.
May 3, 2014 9:19 p.m.
GoldenAgeBatman, I'm confused by what you said. "It was the fact that my opponent still kept on dealing damage to me long after he had clearly won" Did you mean that he wouldn't finish you off even though he clearly could have? Like you were topdecking and had no cards in hand, and he wouldn't finish you despite having lethal on board?
If so, it's hilarious when jerks like that lose to a ridiculous topdeck from the opponent. However, I will say that if there is ever any doubt that the opponent could do something to blow me out, like having a card in hand and mana open, or likely having something with haste/burn in the deck, I will usually play it safe unless I can clearly read that the opponent is trying to bluff me.
Case in point, the game that Warmonger was talking about with the frustration building from my opponent, She had me down to 1 life by casting a ghost council, She thought that she had the win in the bag and was grinning ear to ear. Before the end of the turn, I turn/burn it. At that point, I was at 1, and she was at 25 or so. The rest of the game, I play liquid control as safely as possible. I likely could have won 2 or 3 turns earlier than I did by attacking with mutavault a few turns, but I was worried about a blowout. Because I was playing safe, I held my mutavault back when I could have attacked with it the turn before. I was holding 2 counters in my hand, so I felt quite safe, I still held back though. She topped a card, smiled and gave me a preemptive GG, I told her that I wasn't going to lose that turn and that I was holding 2 counters. She windmill slammed a mistcutter hydra, told me that it didn't matter because it couldn't be countered and forgot about my mutavault. She held her hand out to me to shake it, I looked at the mistcutter, looked at my mutavault, and asked her if she was planning on attacking or not. She said; "Of course I am; Good game." I said "Good game, it was fun as it always is, playing you. I was worried for a most of that game." I then animated the mutavault and chumped it to the hydra. I proceeded to finish her off the next turn with a rakdos return.
She is always fun to play against because while she might trash talk a bit, and get irritated from time to time, she will usually laugh about the game later. We really do have a great shop to play at with a good atmosphere. If you are not ribbing each other here and there, then you are not really friends. That's how I feel anyway.
Moral of the story: if there is any possibility that you could beat the other player with ANY card in the format that you are playing, be very hesitant to accuse them of being a jerk. It's just as likely that they are simply playing good analytical Magic. They feel like it is safer to hold back for some reason, and that you would have scooped if you could do nothing to win at that point.
You can always scoop, the opponent can not stop you and oftentimes, if you know that there is no way that you can win and you still have another game in the round to finish up, the correct play is to scoop, shuffle up, and present your deck so that you can have as much time to play the last game as possible.
May 4, 2014 4:22 a.m.
GoldenAgeBatman says... #46
Mpz5 "Did you mean that he wouldn't finish you off even though he clearly could have? Like you were topdecking and had no cards in hand, and he wouldn't finish you despite having lethal on board?"
No; he did finish me off, dropping my life total from 16 to 0 before proceeding to deal more damage after the original damage -- and subsequent life gain -- resolved. This meant my life total was in the negatives. There did not appear to be any strategy or thinking behind the additional damage following my defeat; it felt purely out of spite.
Also, I didn't scoop because I had turned the tables on him mid-game with a Fated Retribution and started gaining life back. Since this was the second round, I knew if I won I could at least have a fighting chance at a tie and if not, at least they would be well fought games.
May 4, 2014 2:42 p.m.
Okay, yea, he was just being a jerk at that point. It is funny when people like that lose though.
May 4, 2014 4:59 p.m.
GoldenAgeBatman says... #48
Mpz5 Ok :) Thank you for validating my feelings on that.
It is funny when people like that lose though.
Absolutely; I play for the strategy of the game. Winning and losing? Both provide valuable lessons. My goal is to see what works and if my objectives were met for particular decks (e.g. Was my "Blitzkrieg" deck fast enough? Did my zombie mill deck survive against "y" deck's strategy?). To quote General Dwight D. Eisenhower, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."
May 5, 2014 12:29 a.m.
Pretty good read.....closest shop where I live is an hour away (Small town rural :/ ) and I am a kitchen player as you suggested some of us are....I'd like to get into competitive play though so this was a great read.
May 19, 2014 4:21 p.m.
SandyDufresne says... #50
Mmmmm...Whataburger! I'm going to miss you.
Nice article by the way. I'm looking forward to having time to get back into competitive play again. I will definitely use these tips.
Cableguy says... #1
Great article and does go over the basics of entry level tournaments well. FNM is five dollars and is a great place to start but most entry fee's go up from there when you begin to do intermediate to advanced level tournaments. Most expensive I have seen is twenty five dollars but the payout is much greater.
DEFINITELY KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR STUFF! You mentioned it and I will mention it again. I once went to a big tournament at the Baltimore Convention Center back during Zendikar. A gentleman there was running the deck Mythic Conscription, which contained some of the best cards in magic today. Between fetch lands like Misty Rainforest , Baneslayer Angel , Jace, the Mind Sculptor and other VERY expensive cards the deck came out to well over 1,000 dollars at this time. A gentleman had this entire deck FOILED out and it was taken. He than purchased an exact copy FOILED from the vendors to which it was stolen again a few hours later. This guy didn't learn his lesson and is the reason why at every BIG tournament they tell you to keep track of your things.
April 23, 2014 10:31 p.m.