Advice for teching a new player
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Posted on Oct. 27, 2014, 1:26 p.m. by JTetris11
Hey everyone my buddy from work wants to learn how to play magic and I think that I'll be able to hang out with him tonight. What is the best way to teach at the beginning? My first guess was that sealed is probably the best way to go and just get 6 packs each and get him going on a little collection for like 25 bucks and he said he is cool with spending that much as a starting point. Is sealed too much to take in for a new player? What are some suggestions on what to focus on? Thanks!
mowservision says... #4
They're called intro packs for a reason....Building something from scratch is a great starting point too, you just have to go a little more in-depth with teaching.
October 27, 2014 1:37 p.m.
You should definitely go with intro packs. Specifically, go with ones from the most recent core set (although it ultimately depends on how intelligent your friend is). A friend of mine got a fat pack of Return to Ravnica (not a good set for beginners), and I tried to teach him by building decks from those cards. He didn't understand a thing, and now he's turned off of Magic for life.
October 27, 2014 1:44 p.m.
Intro packs are great, but I think the duel decks would be better, give you both an even playing field. Another option is the event deck, which gives him a good starting point for his own fnm capable deck.
October 27, 2014 1:50 p.m.
What's so bad about RTR for beginners? The set was fine.
October 27, 2014 1:50 p.m.
Any expansion is probably sort of confusing for beginners because of mechanics that require a slightly more than basic understanding of how the game works, like Cipher or Evolve.
October 27, 2014 2:01 p.m.
Duel Decks are great to teach a new player. You're both on relatively equal playing fields and you can switch back and forth so your friend can play two different kinds of decks. After that, draft and sealed are good to learn deckbuilding as well as increase his collection.
October 27, 2014 2:05 p.m.
TheNinjaJesus says... #10
I say get the best of both worlds- buy an Intro Pack, and then make rebuilding it to FNM-ready a project. The Intro packs are nice, insofar as they demonstrate a concept and set of mechanics, they'll usually have some static keyword creatures, and they don't skimp on staple uncommons and commons. Besides that, you don't need to spend more than about 5 extra dollars buying some bulk rares and uncommons to make the deck give a good showing at FNM. As he plays, he'll see how cards interact and get other ideas to improve the deck (and if the people at your LGS are cool, offer suggestions to improve it), and continue refining the deck from there. As far as which deck to choose, I'd say that, even though the triggers are tricky, Jeskai is probably more accessible than most of the others. You just pull some of the chaff and put in playsets of Titan's Strength, Magma Jet, Lightning Strike, and maybe a couple Dragon-Style Twins for good measure.
October 27, 2014 2:20 p.m.
I agree with Fulcrum about the duel decks, they are fair priced too
October 27, 2014 2:21 p.m.
TheNinjaJesus says... #12
Just a little proof of concept- between the intro pack and additional cards, total cost here is 20 dollars. It might not place first, but it may be a nasty little surprise at FNM-
Daxos Seeks Enlightenment Playtest
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pookypuppy6 says... #13
Another way that's fun for you and your student is to build your own 40 or 60 card decks from scratch in your own collection. You can make them as simple as you need while maybe tying them nicely and flavourfully to a theme. If your friend like Elves or Trees, build a green deck with an elven, arborial theme. Maybe have the decks be the antithesis to the other, like white Humans versus black Zombies. This gives the game a chance to narrate and be flavourful as well as teach the basic mechanics.
October 27, 2014 2:40 p.m.
Dalektable says... #14
I suggest either the duel decks or an event deck. And when you do this, you have to be positive that the deck you are playing against them is at least evenly matched, if not in their favor.
October 27, 2014 2:51 p.m.
TheNinjaJesus says... #15
Dalektable- I don't bide with the "favor your opponent when just getting started" thing. That might put a bitter taste in their mouth when, after winning a lot against the teacher, they lose badly at their first FNM, and then they inevitably think (correctly) that the teacher let them win. It sours friendships and turns people off to MtG.
October 27, 2014 2:55 p.m.
Dalektable says... #16
TheNinjaJesus Fair points, it seems what i said came across not as i meant it. Never let new players win; It can very quickly turn them off if the game as you said. However, I feel like letting them run a deck slightly in their favor to yours allows them a bit more reach and is a bit of a handicap. Even with a deck not in favor of winning a match up, a more skilled player is much more likely to win than the inexperienced. That being said, balanced is the way to go as with the duel decks or intro packs. Though, I'm not really a fan of intro packs beyond getting new players into the crack that is cracking packs.
October 27, 2014 3:02 p.m.
TheNinjaJesus says... #17
Indeed, Dalektable, though I find retooling Intro Packs to be more competitive lots of fun, and you can keep the structure that the deck was going for but make it more competitive without breaking the bank. Different play styles when it comes to whetting appetites, I think. A much better shot for winning at FNM would be to take an Event deck and retool it. The one I'm thinking of here is the Khans event deck, which is the first one I'd consider buying since... when was New Phyrexia out? Then, whenever it was.
October 27, 2014 3:08 p.m.
I guess the reason I thought that sealed would be good as opposed to the intro decks is that he would kind of get a feel for the entire 5 colors instead of just 3 ... Thoughts?
October 27, 2014 3:11 p.m.
GreatSword says... #19
I've taught 3 people in the past year, and they still play today. Here's a few of my strategies:
Make a few very simple 1 or 2 color 40 card decks, green, white or red are often the easiest. Play these decks against one another; don't bring your B/U control deck to play against it. Use lots of vanilla creatures, or creatures with simple ETB triggered abilities. Limit the amount of activated abilities or instant spells to reduce board complexity. You might want to play with your hands revealed the first couple times. Encourage the new player to ask questions. Write down the steps in order for him to use as a cheat-sheet. Be willing to rewind the game and go back if (when) you find a mistake.
October 27, 2014 3:23 p.m.
So the reason why I don't want to suggest buying an intro pack for him right away is that if he doesn't know how magic works and how the colors all interact than he won't really have any idea of what he would want to do with it other than that one deck. Sealed seemed to be a good option that way he has a little collection of his own, has 6 chances to open a good rare instead of only 2, and then can have the experience of building his own deck to learn the way to build a deck as well as how to play it out. Also I have no reason to buy an intro pack and anything I play against him will be hopelessly unbalanced so that sets us both at an equal playing field.
October 27, 2014 4:26 p.m.
miracleHat says... #21
TolarianCommunityCollege came up with a video just for this and this
yes, the second one is cheesy, but gets the job done...
October 27, 2014 5:07 p.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #22
Just start with something that already exists and use that to teach your friend the rules of the game. You could go as simple as an intro deck, or as complicated as your friend can handle. Regardless, make sure your friend can get a grip on the rules of the game before you try to get them into making their own decks.
Start by teaching the basic gameplay, game mechanics, and combat math. Those are the building blocks for everything else that happens.
Goody says... #2
It'd be better to buy an intro pack/deck to start, sealed is way too random
October 27, 2014 1:28 p.m.