Last updated on February 29, 2024
Start from Scratch | Illustration by Bayard Wu
There’s usually no better way to start playing MTG than buying a new MTG pre-constructed deck, or precon. All the cards are there for a reason, and you’ll have many new discoveries relative to the cards, how they play together, and how they fare against other precons. You’ll naturally jump to conclusions as to which cards are better, reach a page like this online and boom – you're hooked into the game.
So let’s dive into those starter decks. There’s a bunch of them, and each month there are new and better starter decks, with shiny new cards. Which one should I get, and are they worth it? Let’s find out.
What Is a Starter Deck?
Start Your Engines | Illustration by Darek Zabrocki
Starter decks are usually the first decks you get in a Local Game Store (LGS). People usually start playing Magic: The Gathering via starter decks, either taking them out of the box and taking them to a friends’ house or buying a couple starter decks to fight each other. WotC knows that most people start getting into MTG by playing with starter decks, and they keep doing an excellent job at designing these decks both for beginner players and for advanced players looking for specific cards.
Many things have changed in MTG design and philosophy in recent years, including new player acquisition and reacquisition. Commander, or EDH, is the most played format, not only in casual environments but also in competitive ones. As such, each year WotC releases a ton of new Commander precon decks, usually 2 or 4 per main set. The very nature of the Commander format makes it so that starter decks are really playable out of the box without the need for many upgrades, and they are easily upgradable.
Other interesting products are the Starter kits, where you have two decks designed to battle against each other, and the challenger decks, which are meant to be playable at the FNM (Friday Night Magic) level.
# 14. Blue-Red Deck from 2023 Starter Kit
Shivan Devastator | Illustration by Brent Hollowell
Creature (26)
Tyrant of Kher Ridges
Sarkhan, Soul Aflame
Shivan Devastator
Ragefire Hellkite
Aether Channeler
Ingenious Prodigy
Dragonwing Glider
Goddric, Cloaked Reveler
Kolaghan Warmonger x3
Archive Dragon x2
Dragon Whelp x3
Witchstalker Frenzy x3
Shivan Branch-Burner
Stormkeld Prowler x4
Roc Hunter x2
Enchantment (3)
Stasis Field x3
Instant (5)
Quick Study x2
Lightning Strike x3
Land (26)
Swiftwater Cliffs x4
Island x11
Mountain x11
First, I want to cover the two last decks WotC released on the 2023 Starter kit. This deck is a Izzet () Standard-legal deck based on what blue-red does best. You’ll play a bunch of instants and sorceries to keep the board under control and then win with a splashy rare like Hullbreaker Horror or Tyrant of Kher Ridges. It's also got a dragon-matters theme going with Sarkhan, Soul Aflame. Great deck for new players to learn and get in touch with the game, unfortunately not very competitive out of the box to play Standard, so let’s keep that in mind.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This is a deck aimed at teaching MTG, so it’s not a very strong and competitive deck. It has a few synergies going on, like having Sarkhan, Soul Aflame in play and playing a big dragon for cheap, making Sarkhan be a copy of said dragon. That said, it has a lot of bad cards in it. I’ll try to replace the bad cards with better and more playable cards to make this deck look more like an Izzet () aggressive/tempo deck with the suggested upgrades.
Let’s Take Out Bad Cards
I’ll start by taking out 3 Stasis Fields, 4 Stormkeld Prowler, and 2 Roc Hunter. That’s 9 cards. Let’s add 2 Shivan Devastator, 2 Aether Channeler, 3 Monastery Swiftspear, and 2 Electrostatic Infantry.
Let’s Take Out Expensive Spells
Archive Dragon and Ragefire Hellkite don’t do much, so let’s remove them. Also, Witchstalker Frenzy is very situational, so I’d cut two. To fill these five slots, I’d go with three Play with Fire, one more Goddric, Cloaked Reveler, and one more Dragonwing Glider.
#13. Green-White Deck from 2023 Starter Kit
Mesa Cavalier | Illustration by David Palumbo
Creature (24)
Boon-Bringer Valkyrie
Silverback Elder
Dusk Legion Duelist
Siege Veteran
Ancient Imperiosaur
Quirion Beastcaller
Simian Simulacrum
Recruitment Officer x2
Samite Herbalist x2
Sigiled Sentinel x2
Mesa Cavalier x3
Iridescent Blademaster x2
Chomping Kavu x2
Magnigoth Sentry x2
Fairgrounds Trumpeter x2
Enchantment (4)
Instant (4)
Giant Growth
Titanic Growth
Broken Wings x2
Sorcery (2)
Land (26)
Blossoming Sands x4
Forest x12
Plains x10
Like the other deck from this collection, this one is a creature-centric deck based on +1/+1 counters and strength in numbers. It’s excellent to teach MTG, but it lacks in the competitive department.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This deck has 24 creatures, and most of them deal with +1/+1 counters. That’s very nice to teach that you can augment your creatures, and there are even more benefits from doing that. The backup mechanic fits this deck perfectly, because not only are players triggering the +1/+1 counter synergies but also adding abilities to existing creatures. That said, we’re going to change some stuff here and there.
Improve the Low End
To start improving the quality of your cards, I’d add 2 more Recruitment Officer, 1 Dusk Legion Duelist and 1 Siege Veteran. Let’s take out 2 Samite Herbalist and 2 Mesa Cavalier.
Improve the Top End
Next, I want to add two Steel Seraph, 1 Combat Thresher, and one more Boon-Bringer Valkyrie. Let’s take out bad cards like 2 Magnigoth Sentry and 2 Fairgrounds Trumpeter. This way you’re improving on the quality of your creatures overall.
#12. Reap the Tides EDH Precon
Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait | Illustration by Viktor Titov
Commander (1)
Creature (30)
Acidic Slime
Avenger of Zendikar
Coiling Oracle
Elder Deep-Fiend
Eternal Witness
Fathom Mage
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Meteor Golem
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer
Mulldrifter
Murkfiend Liege
Nezahal, Primal Tide
Rampaging Baloths
Ramunap Excavator
Reclamation Sage
Scourge of Fleets
Sharktocrab
Shipbreaker Kraken
Simic Sky Swallower
Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep
Sphinx of Uthuun
Sporemound
Stormtide Leviathan
Stumpsquall Hydra
Terastodon
Trench Behemoth
Tromokratis
Verdant Sun's Avatar
Wickerbough Elder
Yavimaya Elder
Enchantment (3)
Ior Ruin Expedition
Khalni Heart Expedition
Retreat to Kazandu
Artifact (4)
Seer's Sundial
Simic Signet
Sol Ring
Swiftfoot Boots
Instant (8)
Arcane Denial
Beast Within
Counterspell
Fact or Fiction
Growth Spiral
Into the Roil
Peel from Reality
Simic Charm
Sorcery (10)
Compulsive Research
Cultivate
Explore
Harmonize
Kodama's Reach
Rampant Growth
Search for Tomorrow
Spitting Image
Urban Evolution
Whelming Wave
Land (44)
Blighted Woodland
Command Tower
Coral Atoll
Evolving Wilds
Forest x15
Island x15
Jungle Basin
Memorial to Genius
Reliquary Tower
Simic Growth Chamber
Simic Guildgate
Terramorphic Expanse
Thornwood Falls
Vivid Creek
Vivid Grove
Woodland Stream
One of the few Simic () precons in this list, Reap the Tides favors going big, and that’s a near-and-dear theme for Commander players – especially new ones. Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait does what you expect from blue and green. You’ll play more lands than your opponents and draw cards while at it. Then, proceed to take over the game with expensive and impactful spells. While your commander is alive, you’ll draw cards needed to win the game later, and since you’re playing that much land, if your commander is removed, you’ll easily cast it the next turn to keep the train going.
Add More Late Game Power
Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle, and Cultivator Colossus are big beefy creatures that can close out a game. Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty is a creature that gives other big spells you cast cascade, including your commander. Finally, The Goose Mother is a nice X spell that gives you a big creature and Food.
To make room for these changes, remove Peel from Reality, Sharktocrab, and Meteor Golem. They’re in the Limited power territory, and you’re not in need of artifact or ETB effects. Verdant Sun's Avatar and Simic Sky Swallower aren’t the beefy cards you’re looking for.
Add More Benefits for Playing Lands
Tatyova, Benthic Druid is a Selesnya () classic. It does add redundancy to the deck. Lotus Cobra and Scute Swarm are ways to benefit from playing so much land. Finally, Azusa, Lost but Seeking turbos out those synergies. To make room, cut Fathom Mage, which is very slow in a deck like this where you’ll usually want proliferate or more +1/+1 counter synergy. I’m also cutting Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer and Stormtide Leviathan.
Changes to the Mana Base
Usually a 2-color mana base in an EDH precon doesn’t need that much work. Here, it’s important to play fetch lands because you’ll draw extra cards with your commander. That’s why I’m adding Brokers Hideout, Fabled Passage, and Myriad Landscape.
You can also upgrade your blue-green lands with Restless Vinestalk, Tangled Islet, and Temple of Mystery because they add some extra utility on top of the mana fixing. The worst lands to cut for these upgrades are Vivid Grove, Vivid Creek, Simic Guildgate, and Thornwood Falls. You can also shave one of each basic Forest and Island.
#11. Undead Unleashed EDH Precon
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver | Illustration by Chris Rallis
Commander (1)
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (31)
Butcher of Malakir
Cemetery Reaper
Cleaver Skaab
Corpse Augur
Death Baron
Diregraf Captain
Diregraf Colossus
Eater of Hope
Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth
Eternal Skylord
Fleshbag Marauder
Forgotten Creation
Gisa and Geralf
Gleaming Overseer
Gorex, the Tombshell
Gravespawn Sovereign
Havengul Runebinder
Hordewing Skaab
Liliana's Devotee
Lord of the Accursed
Midnight Reaper
Overseer of the Damned
Prowling Geistcatcher
Ravenous Rotbelly
Ruthless Deathfang
Shadow Kin
Spark Reaper
Stitcher Geralf
Tomb Tyrant
Undead Alchemist
Undead Augur
Enchantment (7)
Curse of the Restless Dead
Curse of Unbinding
Dreadhorde Invasion
Endless Ranks of the Dead
Liliana's Mastery
Open the Graves
Rooftop Storm
Artifact (7)
Arcane Signet
Charcoal Diamond
Commander's Sphere
Crowded Crypt
Sky Diamond
Sol Ring
Talisman of Dominance
Instant (3)
Aetherspouts
Drown in Dreams
Go for the Throat
Sorcery (10)
Army of the Damned
Dark Salvation
Distant Melody
Dread Summons
Empty the Laboratory
Feed the Swarm
Ghouls' Night Out
Hour of Eternity
Syphon Flesh
Zombie Apocalypse
Land (40)
Bojuka Bog
Choked Estuary
Command Tower
Darkwater Catacombs
Dimir Aqueduct
Exotic Orchard
Island x12
Mortuary Mire
Myriad Landscape
Path of Ancestry
Sunken Hollow
Swamp x15
Tainted Isle
Temple of Deceit
Unclaimed Territory
Here’s a Dimir () typal zombies EDH deck, with Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver as its commander. Wilhelt is a very popular commander. When your zombies die, you’ll make a 2/2 zombie with decayed, and you can sacrifice them to draw cards. Like the Elven Empire deck, you’ll want as many good zombies and zombie lords as you can.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The main strength of the deck is that it’s very focused around doing its stuff. You’ll be attacking with a huge force of zombies, possibly receiving bonus from the zombie lords, and if they die, you’ll profit. The main weakness of the deck is that it’s slow, and if your lords are targeted with spot removal, it loses some of the power.
Add Some Zombie Lords
Bladestitched Skaab, Geralf, Visionary Stitcher, and Lord of the Undead give your zombie horde nice benefits. If you have the money, go for an Undead Warchief too. These cuts are cards I don’t like in this deck specifically: Forgotten Creation, Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth, and Shadow Kin.
Add Key Zombies
Gravecrawler and Champion of the Perished can establish a quick presence. Gravecrawler in this deck is an awesome sacrifice outlet, able to be cast from your graveyard easily. Archghoul of Thraben gives you many cards along the way, provided that your zombies are dying, and they will. Let’s take out some expensive cards like Hour of Devastation, Eater of Hope, and Curse of Unbinding.
Add Some Key Cards
Invasion of Amonkhet gives you card advantage, and you can reanimate a creature, turning it into a 4/4 zombie. That fits this deck. Mirkwood Bats drains your opponents for a lot of life since you’ll be creating many Zombie tokens. Carrion Feeder is a zombie that allows you to sacrifice the decayed zombies that were already going to die and profit from it. Leaving the deck are Butcher of Malakir, Overseer of the Damned, and Liliana's Devotee.
#10. Party Time EDH Precon
Nalia de'Arnise | Illustration by John Stanko
Commander (1)
Creature (44)
Archpriest of Iona
Aven Mindcensor
Bloodsoaked Champion
Burakos, Party Leader
Butcher of Malakir
Bygone Bishop
Calculating Lich
Changeling Outcast
Corpse Augur
Deep Gnome Terramancer
Dire Fleet Ravager
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Felisa, Fang of Silverquill
Frontline Medic
Galepowder Mage
Glorious Protector
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Grim Haruspex
Grim Hireling
Harper Recruiter
High Priest of Penance
Irregular Cohort
Jazal Goldmane
Mage's Attendant
Magus of the Balance
Malakir Blood-Priest
Mardu Strike Leader
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Mindblade Render
Mirror Entity
Mother of Runes
Nighthawk Scavenger
Order of Whiteclay
Pontiff of Blight
Priest of Ancient Lore
Puppeteer Clique
Rumor Gatherer
Seasoned Dungeoneer
Selfless Spirit
Solemn Doomguide
Solemn Recruit
Squad Commander
Valiant Changeling
Zulaport Cutthroat
Enchantment (3)
Black Market Connections
Firja's Retribution
Folk Hero
Artifact (7)
Arcane Signet
Maskwood Nexus
Multiclass Baldric
Orzhov Signet
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Talisman of Hierarchy
Instant (3)
Crib Swap
Despark
Unbreakable Formation
Sorcery (5)
Austere Command
Dusk
Sevinne's Reclamation
Stick Together
Thwart the Grave
Land (37)
Ash Barrens
Bojuka Bog
Castle Locthwain
Command Tower
Mortuary Mire
Mutavault
Myriad Landscape
Orzhov Basilica
Path of Ancestry
Plains x10
Shambling Vent
Snowfield Sinkhole
Starlit Sanctum
Swamp x10
Tainted Field
Temple of Silence
Vault of the Archangel
War Room
Windbrisk Heights
Party Time is an EDH Precon deck built around the party mechanic. A party is a group of creatures that are clerics, wizards, warriors, or rogues, and the more of these you have in play, the closer to a full party you’ll get. Your commander, Nalia de'Arnise is a rogue that lets you play creatures from the top of your deck – a very powerful ability – if they’re eligible party members. On top of that, you’ll get a huge benefit if you have a full party. You’ll want to have a wizard, a cleric, a rogue, and a warrior on the battlefield at all times to maximize your commander’s second ability, while casting party members from the top of your deck.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This deck is already a very serviceable Orzhov () EDH deck, with a strong commander. You’ll frequently be able to cast spells from the top of your deck and attack with a full party. The upgrades I propose focus on trimming rogues and expensive cards and adding more creatures of the needed types so that you can get something like 20-22 wizards, warriors, and clerics, and thus reliably get a full party. You don’t want that many rogues in this deck, since your commander is already a rogue.
Reduce the Non-Creature Spells
Interesting additions for removal are Fiend Hunter, Banisher Priest, and Shrouded Shepherd. To make room, take out non-creatures like Despark, Crib Swap, and Dusk.
Change Some Warriors and Wizards
Vexilus Praetor and Oketra's Monument are nice options for warriors, replacing Butcher of Malakir and Mardu Strike Leader. To replace wizards, you can put in Gandalf, White Rider and Dreamstealer, while taking out Corpse Augur and Calculating Lich.
Cut Some Rogues
Shaile, Dean of Radiance and Tenacious Underdog are nice additions to this deck, while removing rogues like Zulaport Cutthroat and Gonti, Lord of Luxury to make room for them.
Changes to the Mana Base
The deck's already got nice mana fixing. Caves of Koilos and Fetid Heath can replace worse options like a basic Plains and a basic Swamp. If you have excess budget laying around, you can invest in better lands like Godless Shrine, Shattered Sanctum, and Vault of Champions. Take out Snowfield Sinkhole, Mortuary Mire, and Myriad Landscape.
#9. Elven Empire EDH Precon
Lathril, Blade of the Elves | Illustration by Caroline Gariba
Commander (1)
Creature (40)
Abomination of Llanowar
Beast Whisperer
Canopy Tactician
Cultivator of Blades
Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
Elderfang Ritualist
Elvish Archdruid
Elvish Mystic
Elvish Rejuvenator
End-Raze Forerunners
Eyeblight Cullers
Farhaven Elf
Golgari Findbroker
Harald, King of Skemfar
Imperious Perfect
Jagged-Scar Archers
Jaspera Sentinel
Llanowar Tribe
Lys Alana Huntmaster
Lys Alana Scarblade
Marwyn, the Nurturer
Masked Admirers
Miara, Thorn of the Glade
Nullmage Shepherd
Numa, Joraga Chieftain
Poison-Tip Archer
Reclamation Sage
Rhys the Exiled
Ruthless Winnower
Shaman of the Pack
Skemfar Shadowsage
Springbloom Druid
Sylvan Messenger
Timberwatch Elf
Twinblade Assassins
Voice of Many
Voice of the Woods
Wirewood Channeler
Wolverine Riders
Wood Elves
Enchantment (6)
Binding the Old Gods
Crown of Skemfar
Elderfang Venom
Moldervine Reclamation
Pride of the Perfect
Prowess of the Fair
Artifact (3)
Arcane Signet
Serpent's Soul-Jar
Sol Ring
Instant (4)
Elven Ambush
Poison the Cup
Putrefy
Tergrid's Shadow
Sorcery (9)
Ambition's Cost
Bounty of Skemfar
Casualties of War
Elvish Promenade
Eyeblight Massacre
Harvest Season
Pact of the Serpent
Return Upon the Tide
Roots of Wisdom
Land (37)
Command Tower
Forest x16
Foul Orchard
Golgari Guildgate
Golgari Rot Farm
Jungle Hollow
Myriad Landscape
Path of Ancestry
Skemfar Elderhall
Swamp x13
Elven Empire is a typal elf deck which relies on elf numbers to do strong stuff. That's very reminiscent of when I was playing the game in the ‘90's with Llanowar Elves and Quirion Elves. Lathril, Blade of the Elves is the commander, and it makes an Elf token for each point of combat damage it deals. That means you'll want to buff Lathril and your elves, typically with anthem effects. Also, it's got the tap ability to make each player lose 10 life, and in most cases activating this ability grants you a win.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This deck’s strength is the sheer elvish numbers you can make. Unfortunately, these decks are weak to sweepers, so the best way to improve this is by adding cards like Heroic Intervention to protect your guys. You’ll instead rely on speed to take out opponents before that happens, and cards that protect your board are usually on the expensive side. The cheapest and quickest way to improve this deck is to upgrade the quality of the cards. This deck has a built-in sacrifice component, but it doesn’t need it. You want sheer elf numbers to strike hard.
Add Some Staple Elves
Llanowar Elves, Elvish Warmaster, and Elvish Visionary are staple, cheap elves that see play in various formats. Let’s take out Jaspera Sentinel, Elvish Rejuvenator, and Voice of the Woods.
Good Elvish Cards
To strengthen the typal component of your deck, add Priest of Titania, Leaf-Crowned Visionary, Galadhrim Ambush, and Realmwalker. Galadhrim Ambush is awesome because it makes elves and protects you at the same time. These elves are on the weak side and are cuttable: Springbloom Druid, Lys Alana Scarblade, Farhaven Elf, and Elderfang Ritualist.
Add Some Power and Card Advantage
Tyvar Kell and Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury are planeswalkers that slowly add more elves to the board. Shamanic Revelation can be a big card advantage spell in this deck as well. To make room, let’s release Ambition's Cost, Twinblade Assassins, and Eyeblight Cullers from duty.
Round It Up with Some Staples
Beast Within and Skullclamp are very nice in these kinds of decks. Skullclamp turns your elves into cards, while Beast Within solves problems. Tergrid's Shadow and Eyeblight Massacre are the next ones to go.
Changes to the Mana Base
Here are a few black and green lands to improve the mana base. Restless Cottage, Llanowar Wastes, Temple of Malady, and Woodland Cemetery, all add something to your deck. Rogue's Passage is interesting to give evasion to Lathril. Take off the worst lands in your deck, and those are roughly Golgari Guildgate, Myriad Landscape, Foul Orchard, Jungle Hollow, and a basic Forest.
#8. Azorius Spirits 2021 Challenger Deck
Spell Queller | Illustration by Adam Paquette
Creature (31)
Mausoleum Wanderer x2
Spectral Sailor x4
Rattlechains x4
Remorseful Cleric x2
Selfless Spirit
Shacklegeist x3
Supreme Phantom x4
Watcher of the Spheres x4
Brazen Borrower
Empyrean Eagle x4
Spell Queller x2
Instant (6)
Spell Pierce x2
Lofty Denial x4
Lands (23)
Glacial Fortress x2
Island x10
Plains x7
Temple of Enlightenment x4
Sideboard (15)
Isolate x3
Light of Hope x2
Spell Pierce x2
Aether Gust x3
Devout Decree
Seal Away x2
Silkwrap x2
This deck is very similar to an already top-tier deck in Pioneer, and that’s mono-blue or Azorius () spirits. This deck attacks with fliers to win, and it has a typal spirit theme going. This is a Pioneer Challenger deck from 2021, so there are better card options, but overall the deck plays fine.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The core of the deck is here, mostly good and cheap spirits, and interaction in the form of counterspells. This deck also has flying matters themes in cards like Watcher of the Spheres. You’ll want as many spirits and spirits-matter cards you can get, so I’m going to replace some of the flying matters cards. The mana base could be more reliable, as this isn’t a mono-blue deck.
Changes to the Mana Base
Add two Hallowed Fountain, two Glacial Fortress and four Seachrome Coast, while taking out 5 Plains and two Temple of Enlightenment. This helps to solidify the mana base. If you can, get some Hengegate Pathway / Mistgate Pathway or Deserted Beach as well.
Interaction
2 March of Swirling Mist and 1 Invasion of Gobakhan are two nice cards to disrupt your opponents and protect your spirits. I’d take out 3 Empyrean Eagle. Let’s also add a Dovin's Veto and 2 Geistlight Snare to the sideboard, taking out 2 Isolate and 1 Silkwrap.
Add Curious Obsession
If one thing makes you win with this deck, it’s Curious Obsession. Let’s add four and take out Spectral Sailor, a Brazen Borrower, and two Watcher of the Spheres.
Core Spirits
Let’s take out the 2 Remorseful Cleric and the last 2 Watcher of the Spheres, then replace them with 2 Mausoleum Wanderer and 2 Spell Queller.
#7. Warhammer 40K EDH The Ruinous Powers Precon
Abaddon the Despoiler | Illustration by Johan Grenier
Commander (1)
Creature (28)
Aspiring Champion
Be'lakor, the Dark Master
Bloodcrusher of Khorne
Bloodthirster
Chaos Defiler
Chaos Terminator Lord
Dark Apostle
Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch
Great Unclean One
Helbrute
Herald of Slaanesh
Heralds of Tzeentch
Keeper of Secrets
Knight Rampager
Lord of Change
Lucius the Eternal
Magnus the Red
Mortarion, Daemon Primarch
Mutalith Vortex Beast
Noise Marine
Pink Horror
Plague Drone
Poxwalkers
Seeker of Slaanesh
Sloppity Bilepiper
Tallyman of Nurgle
Tzaangor Shaman
Venomcrawler
Enchantment (5)
Nurgle's Rot
The Horus Heresy
The Lost and the Damned
The Ruinous Powers
Warstorm Surge
Artifact (10)
Assault Suit
Chromatic Lantern
Commander's Sphere
Drach'Nyen
Sol Ring
Talisman of Creativity
Talisman of Dominance
Talisman of Indulgence
Wayfarer's Bauble
Worn Powerstone
Instant (8)
Bile Blight
Bituminous Blast
Brainstorm
Chaos Mutation
Chaos Warp
Dark Ritual
Nurgle's Conscription
Reverberate
Sorcery (7)
Blasphemous Act
Blight Grenade
Decree of Pain
Deny Reality
Let the Galaxy Burn
Mandate of Abaddon
Past in Flames
Land (38)
Barren Moor
Command Tower
Crumbling Necropolis
Dismal Backwater
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Foreboding Ruins
Forgotten Cave
Island x8
Molten Slagheap
Mountain x8
Path of Ancestry
Sunken Hollow
Swamp x8
Swiftwater Cliffs
Temple of the False God
Terramorphic Expanse
Warhammer 40K’s precons are super strong right out of the box, and people were surprised at how pushed some of these decks and designs are. The Ruinous Powers is a Grixis () precon led by Abaddon the Despoiler. Basically, it gives cascade to spells that cost less than the amount of life your opponents lost this turn, so that’s the message. Make them lose life and cast spells with good cascade value – the more the merrier. Of course, Abaddon needs a supporting cast to make sure they lose life consistently, so there’s an opportunity for improvement.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Warhammer 40k decks have very powerful designs and are a blast to play with. As with many precons, the lack of focus is the main problem. There are demons, spellslinging cards, and cascade-matters cards. I’ll try to trim the spellslinging theme, highlighting the life loss and cascade aspect instead.
Add Incentives for Players Losing Life
Davros, Dalek Creator is a commander that wants opponents to lose life, and so does Abaddon. It’s a nice fit. Solphim, Mayhem Dominus is excellent, doubling all the noncombat damage, although a little bit expensive. I’ll take out Reverberate and Let the Galaxy Burn.
Changes to the Mana Base
Tri-color decks usually require some tinkering in the mana base. I want to cut at least one basic land from each type, so let’s put temples. I’m adding Temple of Malice, Temple of Deceit and Temple of Epiphany. They fix mana, they scry, and they’re cheap to buy.
Life Loss Synergies
Loyal Subordinate is a card that makes people lose life naturally, and so is Court of Ambition. Spawn of Mayhem is another interesting card in this regard. I want to add High Fae Negotiator, a card that can dome everyone for 3 when bargained. Let’s take out cards that don’t make much sense like Magnus the Red, Be'lakor, the Dark Master, Bile Blight, and Dark Ritual.
#6. Izzet Phoenix 2022 Challenger Deck
Arclight Phoenix | Illustration by Slawomir Maniak
Creature (8)
Arclight Phoenix x2
Thing in the Ice x2
Crackling Drake x4
Instant (18)
Flame-Blessed Bolt x2
Consider x4
Opt x4
Izzet Charm x3
Lightning Axe x3
Fiery Impulse x2
Sorcery (13)
Expressive Iteration x2
Chart a Course x4
Treasure Cruise x4
Pieces of the Puzzle x3
Land (21)
Sulfur Falls x2
Temple of Epiphany x4
Shivan Reef x4
Steam Vents
Island x6
Mountain x4
Sideboard (15)
Sweltering Suns x2
Abrade x3
Lava Coil x2
Mystical Dispute x4
Invasive Surgery
Narset, Parter of Veils x3
This is also a deck that’s pretty competitive in Pioneer. The core of this deck is Arclight Phoenix, a 3/2 haste flier that you can take out of your graveyard just by casting three instants or sorceries. Naturally, you’ll want a lot of draw and discard, as well as good instants and sorceries in blue and red. Especially interesting is all the ways you can put your phoenix in the graveyard, with cards like Chart a Course, Consider, Izzet Charm, and Lightning Axe.
Strengths and Weaknesses
It’s a deck that’s going in the right direction, having cards that benefit from spells like Arclight Phoenix, Thing in the Ice, and Crackling Drake, and it’s got a nice mana base and spells. It usually folds to graveyard hate and exile-based removal.
Cut Expressive Iterations for Abrade
You can’t play Expressive Iteration since it’s banned. Abrade is a nice removal spell that gets artifacts and creatures.
Add Two Arclight Phoenixes
Arclight Phoenix is the main card in this deck, so you’ll want all four. You can take out a Pieces of the Puzzle and an Izzet Charm for them.
Some Spell Changes
Add a main deck Beacon Bolt, Brotherhood's End and two Fiery Impulse, taking out two Flame-Blessed Bolt, a Chart a Course and an Opt.
Changes to the Mana Base
I’d add a Steam Vents and two more Sulfur Falls, taking off one Island and two Mountains. If possible, get two Spirebluff Canals. This deck has a functional mana base already with so many drawing and discarding.
Add Two Ledger Shredders
These two are perfect in a deck like this, and I’d swap two Crackling Drake for Ledger Shredder. They are very expensive, though.
#5. Vampiric Bloodlust EDH Precon
Edgar Markov | Illustration by Volkan Baga
Commander (1)
Creature (26)
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Blood Artist
Blood Baron of Vizkopa
Bloodhusk Ritualist
Bloodline Necromancer
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth
Bloodsworn Steward
Butcher of Malakir
Captivating Vampire
Crimson Honor Guard
Dark Impostor
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Falkenrath Noble
Kheru Mind-Eater
Licia, Sanguine Tribune
Malakir Bloodwitch
Mathas, Fiend Seeker
Patron of the Vein
Pawn of Ulamog
Rakish Heir
Sangromancer
Skeletal Vampire
Stromkirk Captain
Tithe Drinker
Vampire Nighthawk
Vein Drinker
Enchantment (8)
Black Market
Blind Obedience
Curse of Disturbance
Curse of Vitality
Kindred Boon
Outpost Siege
Sanguine Bond
Underworld Connections
Artifact (10)
Blade of the Bloodchief
Boros Signet
Door of Destinies
Heirloom Blade
Orzhov Signet
Rakdos Signet
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Well of Lost Dreams
Worn Powerstone
Instant (7)
Crackling Doom
Go for the Throat
Mortify
Return to Dust
Skeletal Scrying
Swords to Plowshares
Teferi's Protection
Sorcery (11)
Ambition's Cost
Blood Tribute
Consuming Vapors
Damnable Pact
Disrupt Decorum
Fell the Mighty
Kindred Charge
Merciless Eviction
New Blood
Read the Bones
Syphon Mind
Land (37)
Akoum Refuge
Bloodfell Caves
Bojuka Bog
Boros Garrison
Boros Guildgate
Cinder Barrens
Command Tower
Evolving Wilds
Forsaken Sanctuary
Kabira Crossroads
Mountain x4
Nomad Outpost
Opal Palace
Orzhov Basilica
Orzhov Guildgate
Path of Ancestry
Plains x3
Rakdos Carnarium
Rakdos Guildgate
Scoured Barrens
Stone Quarry
Swamp x8
Terramorphic Expanse
Urborg Volcano
Wind-Scarred Crag
This 2017 EDH precon has Edgar Markov in the lead. Edgar Markov is a Mardu () commander that has the eminence ability. This always triggers when you cast a vampire, no matter if your commander is in the command zone or on the battlefield, and many people consider it a design mistake since it’s all upside. Either way, having so many Vampire tokens can lead to a vampire go-wide strategy, sacrificing vampires for profit, or both. Cards that buff your vampires or your tokens are extra good here, and you won’t have a shortage of creatures. Edgar is quite competitive at the high levels of Commander play, but here I’m aiming to leave the power level lower on the spectrum, as a slightly upgraded precon deck.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This deck’s strength lies in the fact that you’ll always have some vampires laying around, and you don’t need to keep your commander around or recasting it from the command zone that much. It’s very straight-forward in how it plays: You cast vampires, buff them, attack, and build a small army. When Edgar Markov comes into play, it can attack right away and pump your whole team. As for weaknesses, you have some do-nothing cards that cost a lot of mana and don’t contribute directly to the theme of playing vampires to the board, so you’ll usually take out those when upgrading the deck.
Change Some Vampires Around
I’m add Cordial Vampire, Welcoming Vampire and Legion Lieutenant. These are all cheap vampires that work very well with more vampires. Legion Lieutenant buffs them, while Welcoming Vampire gives you a bunch of cards here and there. These are also cheap vampires, and this deck can have a curve problem sometimes. Let’s take out Skeletal Vampire, Licia, Sanguine Tribune, and Bloodsworn Steward.
Sacrifice Theme
Mirkwood Bats is nuts in a deck that creates or loses so many tokens. Cruel Celebrant is also a nice card to keep draining your opponents. Why not add both? Cut Consuming Vapors and Underworld Connections to make space.
Strength in Numbers
Drana, Liberator of Malakir, Sanctum Seeker, and Champion of Dusk are vampires that benefit from having lots of vampires around. Be sure to include those three staples, replacing Vein Drinker, Crimson Honor Guard, and Bloodhusk Ritualist.
Add Some Artifact Support
Obelisk of Urd and Vanquisher's Banner are strong artifacts to have around, since you’ll buff your vampires and draw some cards. For adding these two, cut Curse of Disturbance and Curse of Vitality.
Changes to the Mana Base
Add these lands: Voldaren Estate, Secluded Courtyard, Dragonskull Summit, Unclaimed Territory, and Isolated Chapel. These are nice lands that provide you with mana fixing and come into play untapped most of the time. In decks with lots of vampires, three of these can generate the color of mana you’ll need anyway. Take out bad lands like Rakdos Guildgate, Boros Guildgate, Orzhov Guildgate, Stone Quarry, and Forsaken Sanctuary.
#4. Exit From Exile EDH Precon
Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald | Illustration by Jason A. Engle
Commander (1)
Planeswalker (2)
Vivien, Champion of the Wilds
Xenagos, the Reveler
Creature (27)
Arasta of the Endless Web
Aurora Phoenix
Battle Mammoth
Beanstalk Giant
Bloodbraid Elf
Bonecrusher Giant
Dire Fleet Daredevil
Dream Pillager
Durnan of the Yawning Portal
Embereth Shieldbreaker
End-Raze Forerunners
Etali, Primal Storm
Greater Gargadon
Green Slime
Grumgully, the Generous
Hornet Queen
Izzet Chemister
Laelia, the Blade Reforged
Lovestruck Beast
Managorger Hydra
Nalfeshnee
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Sweet-Gum Recluse
Tectonic Giant
Tlincalli Hunter
Urabrask the Hidden
Wild-Magic Sorcerer
Enchantment (7)
Journey to the Lost City
Outpost Siege
Passionate Archaeologist
Primeval Bounty
Sandwurm Convergence
Stolen Strategy
Warstorm Surge
Artifact (4)
Arcane Signet
Chaos Wand
Sarevok's Tome
Sol Ring
Instant (5)
Beast Within
Delayed Blast Fireball
Demon Bolt
Natural Reclamation
Return of the Wildspeaker
Sorcery (15)
Cultivate
Escape to the Wilds
Explore
Ezuri's Predation
Ignite the Future
Jeska's Will
Kodama's Reach
Light Up the Stage
Mizzium Mortars
Nature's Lore
Search for Tomorrow
Terramorph
Three Visits
Venture Forth
Volcanic Torrent
Land (39)
Ash Barrens
Blighted Woodland
Castle Embereth
Cinder Glade
Command Tower
Forest x12
Game Trail
Gruul Turf
Highland Forest
Kessig Wolf Run
Mossfire Valley
Mosswort Bridge
Mountain x11
Myriad Landscape
Raging Ravine
Spinerock Knoll
Temple of Abandon
Temple of the False God
Exit from Exile is a very straightforward EDH precon. It wants you to cast spells from exile, and by doing that you’ll make a 2/2 Wolf token. Gather enough Wolf tokens and swing for the win. But how exactly do you cast spells from exile? Well, red’s been getting a lot of the famous impulse draw ability, so cards like Wrenn's Resolve do it, as does Escape from the Wilds. It’s a very powerful deck straight from the box, and it’s fun and synergistic.
Strengths and Weakness
This deck is a little tricky to run, especially for newer players. It’s a competitive deck right out of the box though. There’s so much card advantage and resource advantage to be obtained once the exile train gets running. This deck can be weak to fliers though, so reach creatures are very interesting. Outside of something like Hornet Queen, the deck lacks in this department.
Cards That Care About Wolves
I wouldn’t say that this deck is a typal wolf deck, but adding these two cards makes a difference. Tovolar, Dire Overlord and Nightpack Ambusher are nice additions, and I’d shave off a Forest and Izzet Chemister for them.
Adding Good Cards
Chaos Warp is a staple in red removal in EDH. Goblin Anarchomancer is at home in a red and green deck that wants to cast many spells. I’m cutting cards like Managorger Hydra and Terramorph to make room for them.
Good Cards That Care About Exile
Questing Druid, Valakut Exploration, Visions of Phyrexia, and Invasion of Kaldheim are all strong cards that exile cards from your library for you to be able to cast. I’m taking off creatures that have exile-related mechanics, notably mechanics like suspend or adventure, but that are better in 60-card Constructed decks than in Commander. These are Bonecrusher Giant, Sweet-Gum Recluse, Greater Gargadon, and Primeval Bounty.
Changes to the Mana Base
Hidden Volcano and Hidden Nursery are very nice additions, and they replace a Mountain and a Forest. You can also add cards like Rockfall Vale and Rootbound Crag, replacing worse land cards like Highland Forest and Myriad Landscape.
#3. Planar Portal EDH Precon
Prosper, Tome-Bound | Illustration by Yongjae Choi
Commander (0)
Prosper, Tome-Bound (0)
Creature (20)
Chaos Channeler
Chittering Witch
Dark-Dweller Oracle
Death Tyrant
Dire Fleet Daredevil
Dream Pillager
Etali, Primal Storm
Fiend of the Shadows
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Grim Hireling
Izzet Chemister
Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant
Lorcan, Warlock Collector
Loyal Apprentice
Marionette Master
Ogre Slumlord
Piper of the Swarm
Pontiff of Blight
Tectonic Giant
Wild-Magic Sorcerer
Enchantment (5)
Dead Man's Chest
Share the Spoils
Shiny Impetus
Theater of Horrors
Warlock Class
Artifact (14)
Arcane Signet
Bag of Devouring
Bucknard's Everfull Purse
Chaos Wand
Commander's Sphere
Ebony Fly
Fellwar Stone
Fiendlash
Mind Stone
Orazca Relic
Rakdos Signet
Sol Ring
Talisman of Indulgence
Unstable Obelisk
Instant (9)
Bedevil
Bituminous Blast
Chaos Warp
Commune with Lava
Hellish Rebuke
Hurl Through Hell
Rakdos Charm
Terminate
You Find Some Prisoners
Sorcery (12)
Apex of Power
Consuming Vapors
Danse Macabre
Disrupt Decorum
Fevered Suspicion
Hex
Ignite the Future
Light Up the Stage
Phthisis
Reckless Endeavor
Throes of Chaos
Vandalblast
Land (39)
Bojuka Bog
Command Tower
Exotic Orchard
Foreboding Ruins
Mortuary Mire
Mountain x13
Rakdos Carnarium
Shadowblood Ridge
Smoldering Marsh
Spinerock Knoll
Swamp x14
Tainted Peak
Underdark Rift
Zhalfirin Void
This precon is very famous because of its commander. Prosper, Tome-Bound is one Commander deck frequently played at the highest levels of competitive EDH. Each time you play a spell from exile, you’ll get a Treasure to play your next spells, and on your end step you’ll exile a card for free. These abilities feed into themselves wonderfully, and Prosper becomes really good when you have access to more impulse draw like Wrenn's Resolve and cards like Outpost Siege. Furthermore, you’ll make and sacrifice a lot of Treasure, which has its own synergies in this deck.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Prosper, Tome-Bound is a strong commander, and if your opponents let it live, you’re having a good time. Just getting card advantage and mana advantage every turn is strong, and if Prosper dies you’ll probably have enough mana to cast it again thanks to all the Treasure. This deck has a lot of themes going on, so I opted to solidify the exile card / Treasure production dynamic. There are some cards that make Rats and benefit from it that look very out of place.
Add More Impulse Draw
Wrenn's Resolve, Reckless Impulse, Outpost Siege, Decadent Dragon, and Laelia, the Blade Reforged are all nice cards that help you to exile more cards, which turbo out Prosper’s abilities. Besides, you’ll get a lot of card advantage this way. Let’s take out cards that don’t do much in this deck, like Ogre Slumlord, Piper of the Swarm, Chittering Witch, and Dark-Dweller Oracle.
Add Treasure Synergy
Mayhem Devil, Disciple of the Vault, Deadly Dispute, and Revel in Riches all shine when you’re producing and sacrificing a lot of Treasure. If you have a higher budget, I’d add Goldspan Dragon too. To make room for these, let’s take out Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant, Shiny Impetus, Loyal Apprentice, and Death Tyrant.
Changes to the Mana Base.
Hidden Volcano is a no-brainer here, as it casts a spell directly from exile. Other nice investments are Temple of Malice, Haunted Ridge, and Treasure Vault. Let’s take out Zhalfirin Void, Spinerock Knoll, Mortuary Mire, and a basic Swamp.
#2. Warhammer 40K EDH Necron Dynasties Precon Deck
Szarekh, the Silent King | Illustration by Anton Solovianchyk
Commander (1)
Creature (29)
Anrakyr the Traveller
Canoptek Scarab Swarm
Canoptek Spyder
Canoptek Tomb Sentinel
Canoptek Wraith
Chronomancer
Cryptek
Cryptothrall
Flayed One
Hexmark Destroyer
Illuminor Szeras
Imotekh the Stormlord
Lokhust Heavy Destroyer
Lychguard
Necron Deathmark
Necron Overlord
Plasmancer
Psychomancer
Royal Warden
Sautekh Immortal
Shard of the Nightbringer
Shard of the Void Dragon
Skorpekh Destroyer
Skorpekh Lord
Technomancer
Tomb Blade
Trazyn the Infinite
Triarch Praetorian
Triarch Stalker
Enchantment (3)
Biotransference
Out of the Tombs
The War in Heaven
Artifact (21)
Arcane Signet
Caged Sun
Commander's Sphere
Convergence of Dominion
Cranial Plating
Endless Atlas
Ghost Ark
Gilded Lotus
Hedron Archive
Mask of Memory
Mind Stone
Mystic Forge
Necron Monolith
Night Scythe
Resurrection Orb
Sceptre of Eternal Glory
Sculpting Steel
Sol Ring
Thought Vessel
Unstable Obelisk
Wayfarer's Bauble
Instant (3)
Darkness
Defile
Go for the Throat
Sorcery (6)
Beacon of Unrest
Dread Return
Living Death
Mutilate
Their Name Is Death
Their Number Is Legion
Land (37)
Barren Moor
Desert of the Glorified
Myriad Landscape
Polluted Mire
Reliquary Tower
Swamp x30
Tomb Fortress
Vault of Whispers
Usually considered one of the best Warhammer 40K EDH precon decks, Necron Dynasties doesn’t disappoint. The cards especially designed for this collection are strong, mechanics like unearth are excellent, and this deck is very focused. You’ll basically need artifacts, self-mill, and artifact recursion. Szarekh, the Silent King is the commander, and it’s basically a decent-sized flier that lets you mill yourself and recover something from your hand when it attacks most of the time.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Although limited in what black can do, getting a mono color EDH deck to play is very easy and intuitive. You’ll get to kill and sweep the board in true-black fashion, and your graveyard will be a huge source of resources as the game goes on. The mana base is obviously solid, and the card quality is above average for a precon. To suggest upgrades, you’ll keep the original commander and improve a little bit on the deck. Some will argue that other commanders are better, and as a precon, it’s nice to have so many viable commander options. Let’s make the deck start quicker and have more value overall. I’ll also focus the deck around the commander because usually precons overshoot for all the possible legends around.
Fast Start
Foundry Inspector, Leaden Myr, and Millikin are artifacts that make your other artifacts cheaper. Millikin even mills cards for you. I’m taking out other mana rocks that are more focused in the late game like Commander's Sphere, Hedron Archive and Gilded Lotus
Consistency
Myr Retriever and Unseal the Necropolis gives you more cards. Deadly Dispute, besides giving you cards, also gives you Treasure and allow you to sacrifice other creatures. Out goes Triarch Stalker, Sautekh Immortal, and Tomb Blade.
Value Cards
Here I’m borrowing some Doctor Who cards. Cyberman Patrol, Cybermen Squadron, and Dalek Drone fit into this aggressive/recursive artifact black deck. Cybership can be retrieved with your commander, and an 8/8 flying vehicle is nothing to scoff at. The final cuts are Unstable Obelisk, Night Scythe, Convergence of Dominion, and a basic Swamp.
#1. Food and Fellowship EDH Precon
Commander (2)
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit
Sam, Loyal Attendant
Creature (31)
Banquet Guests
Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant
Birds of Paradise
Butterbur, Bree Innkeeper
Eagles of the North
Essence Warden
Farmer Cotton
Feasting Hobbit
Generous Ent
Gilded Goose
Gollum, Obsessed Stalker
Great Oak Guardian
Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles
Landroval, Horizon Witness
Lobelia, Defender of Bag End
Mentor of the Meek
Merry, Warden of Isengard
Mirkwood Bats
Motivated Pony
Orchard Strider
Pippin, Warden of Isengard
Prize Pig
Prosperous Innkeeper
Rapacious Guest
Rosie Cotton of South Lane
Savvy Hunter
Shire Shirriff
The Gaffer
Tireless Provisioner
Treebeard, Gracious Host
Woodfall Primus
Enchantment (5)
Assemble the Entmoot
Call for Unity
Dawn of Hope
Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Sanguine Bond
Artifact (9)
Arcane Signet
Chromatic Lantern
Commander's Sphere
Field-Tested Frying Pan
Hithlain Rope
Pristine Talisman
Sol Ring
Trading Post
Well of Lost Dreams
Instant (5)
Anguished Unmaking
Crypt Incursion
Go for the Throat
Mortify
Swords to Plowshares
Sorcery (10)
Cultivate
Dusk
Farseek
Fell the Mighty
Fumigate
Harmonize
Night's Whisper
Revive the Shire
Sylvan Offering
Toxic Deluge
Land (38)
Access Tunnel
Ash Barrens
Brushland
Canopy Vista
Command Tower
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Forest x8
Fortified Village
Ghost Quarter
Graypelt Refuge
Isolated Chapel
Murmuring Bosk
Necroblossom Snarl
Path of Ancestry
Plains x4
Rogue's Passage
Sandsteppe Citadel
Scattered Groves
Scoured Barrens
Shineshadow Snarl
Shire Terrace
Sunpetal Grove
Swamp x4
Woodland Cemetery
Food and Fellowship is an Abzan () deck centered about two partners: Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit and Sam, Loyal Attendant. This is a token-themed deck with lots of lifegain components, and in the middle of these two concepts there are Food tokens, which are very related to the hobbits theme in Lord of the Rings. This is one of the strongest precons available.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The theme of the deck is very linear. You’ll make lots of Food tokens, sacrifice them to gain life, and reap the rewards of gaining life, whether through the EDH staple Sanguine Bond or with cards like Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles. There’s also lots of cards that care about Food, both creating and sacrificing it. There’s no shortage of Food whatsoever. There’s no real weaknesses to this deck, but you can make it better by changing some cards that don’t really belong here.
Wilds of Eldraine Food Additions
Cards like Greta, Sweettooth Scourge, Night of the Sweets' Revenge, and Tough Cookie are ways to get the most out of your Food tokens. Academy Manufactor isn’t a card from Eldraine, but it fits the same role here. Let’s take cards that are slow or not at their best in this deck like Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant, Call for Unity, Trading Post, and Harmonize.
Cards That Care About Lifegain
Add Mortality Spear, Gumdrop Poisoner, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. Those are very efficient cards if you’re gaining life constantly. Crypt Incursion, Pristine Talisman, and Orchard Strider are easy cuts.
Expensive Upgrades
Mondrak, Glory Dominus and The One Ring are excellent in this deck. These are very, very expensive cards though, since they’re staples in EDH. Fell the Mighty and Mentor of the Meek are easy swaps in this case.
Upgrades to the Mana Base
Restless Cottage, Caves of Koilos, and Llanowar Wastes are easy inclusions. Let’s take out Shineshadow Snarl, Necroblossom Snarl, and Fortified Village.
Are MTG Starter Decks Worth It?
They are. Not only in the quality of the cards, but most of them are very well designed and ready to battle. Most starter decks give you a higher value than if you buy singles, unless you need only a specific card or two. And if you’re starting a MTG collection, it’s all upside.
Wrap Up
Sam, Loyal Attendant | Illustration by Campbell White
I’d say the strategy WotC is employing these days to acquire new players goes through mainly the Commander precon decks, MTG Arena Starter decks and these starter kits that not only come with decks, but you can get the cards to start your MTG Arena journey as well. These starter decks are all tabletop, paper decks, and for digital battles on MTG Arena we also have an article covering MTGA starter decks that you may be interested in, so please check that out.
What are your favorite precons that didn’t make the list? Have you had the chance to play with one of them? Let me know in the comments section below or leave a tweet at Draftsim Twitter.
I hope I’ve helped you in your initial steps to become an MTG player, and thanks for reading.
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30 Comments
Just wanted to say thank you so much for this article. I’m a new player and probably would have floundered around with the sub par decks instead of winning with Gruul Clans (don’t have orzhov or boros yet). This gave me the confidence to modify and strengthen Gruul Clans and even build my first deck from scratch.
Awesome, so glad it helped you!
Very happy to hear the article helped you get the confidence you needed! MTG is definitely one of those games where the more time you invest in understanding the game and its intricacies, the more you’ll be able to take away from it. Above all, enjoy playing and have fun with it!
The idiot in me edited the initial 5 decks as soon as I got packs not honking of how to put them back. But now I can’t. Some require crafting and I just cant redo out for blood as meteor golem is not on my list. Any tips?
Hi there! could you adjust the starting decks and improvement tips? m20 is out now and i just started :/ Awesome guide anyway! 🙂 thx
Paper decks have been updated!
What about the mono black starter deck Cold Blooded Killers. This is my personal favorite. I’ve kind of tweaked it to my liking. I’m new to Arena…about 2 weeks or so.
My Stomp, Stomp doesn’t have Escape to the Wilds card in it.
Looks like it has Radha, Heart of Keld instead.
Totally makes sense since that card was banned. They’ll replace it with another rare. I’ll update the article, thanks.
I must be missing something , i keep ending up with 61 cards for the Stomp, Stomp
He took out 4 cards and put in 5.. Hopefully he catches that and makes a tweak. 😉
Not exactly sure what you guys are talking about. 26 + 8 + 1 + 1 +24 = 60.
Yeah, but 4 cards were taken out in and 5 added resulting in 61/60. I’m having the same issue haha
I see. Feel free to include one less card of your choice 🙂
Any suggestions which card to include one less of? What would you do?
Probably not 1 copy of Barge In since there are enough situational combat tricks already.
RE: Orzhov: Life Skills it looks like you’ve removed 6 and added 5, or am I missing something?
Looks like it. I’d probably just leave a Boot Nipper (for mana curve reasons) or the mythic (for power level) in the deck.
Wasn’t able to find any of the cards to add for starry-eyed except pacifism for some reason :/
Please Help! I don’t know if these decks were removed in an update or something, but there are 5 new starter decks and now I can’t get these 10 anymore T-T somebody please help, am I never going to able to get these? Or do I have to ‘make’ them myself
With rotation coming soon, I think they just did an update. We’ll get this revised shortly.
I followed this guide, but now with recent changes five of this decks cant be played in standard only in historic, these decks are: treasure hunt fireworks, sky patrol, savage lands and dungeon delving, it says invalid cards are zero, but a yellow warning signs came up over the decks, what does that mean ?
This guide has been updated with new decks instead!
I really like your site. I found it because someone told me about your Arena Tutor. It sounds wonderful but I have a Mac! Any chance of a port?
Thanks! Sorry, but as long as Overwolf is Windows-only, Arena Tutor will likely be the same.
Will you be updated the article with suggested starter deck upgrades like last year?
As a beginner, I found your sugggestions really helpful and I had way more fun with the game.
Yes, we did a few days ago. It’s in the middle of the article. If you’re not seeing it, try clearing your browser cache for this article.
There are 61 cards in the gravematters. What should we cut?
I love this post! I’m a new player and I’m trying to figure out what decks to build. This post has helped me a lot.
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