7 Steps to Get into Magic: The Gathering the Fastest

Last updated on February 15, 2024

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow | Illustration by Yunnan Tao

Are you looking for a new hobby? Trading card games are fun for children and adults of all ages. Magic: The Gathering started the trend so why not see what the first trading card game of all time has to offer you?

First, let’s learn more about what Magic: The Gathering is so we can discuss the best steps for getting into the game more. Ready, set, let’s play Magic!

What Is Magic: The Gathering?

Steppe Glider | Illustration by John Severin Brassel

Magic: The Gathering debuted in 1993 and became known as the first trading card game available worldwide. The Magic universe contains a wide array of storylines that bring along creatures with unique abilities that help you win the game in thousands of ways. Players also cast supporting spells to strengthen creatures and deal damage to an opponent to expedite the game like artifacts, instants, sorceries, enchantments, and battles.

There are about 20 formats in Magic: The Gathering. They each have their own unique deck build rules and the type of cards that you can use when building the corresponding deck of that format.

For example, the Standard format utilizes cards from the last 9 to 12 sets. You build a 60-card deck using cards from these sets. You can have up to four copies per card that you run in the deck. When autumn arrives each year, the four sets that are oldest on the list rotate out of Standard.

Commander is the most popular Magic play format. It’s a singleton format where you can only have one copy of each card in your 100-card deck. You designate a commander as the leader while the other 99 cards are curated around that commander’s abilities for the best synergy.

A local game store, often called LGS, is the central community hub where people come to purchase cards to enjoy their favorite TCGs. They also have events available for Magic: The Gathering players and other TCGs for local players to enjoy playing together.

Magic: The Gathering was the first trading card game that debuted in 1993, which inspired other popular card games like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Flesh and Blood. Trading card games are intensely fun because even though you must follow specific guidelines when deckbuilding, it’s such a creative outlet for strategically crafting a card deck that can overtake your opponents.

While we’re focused on getting into Magic today, you may be ready for a primer on how to play Magic: the Gathering!

Purchase Magic Cards

The best way to get into Magic is to purchase physical cards to start building a deck for your favorite format. One option is to research the most recent Magic sets and purchase a bundle box or a set box, enough to have options for crafting decks.

Jumpstart boosters are designed to open as pairs and shuffle up into ready-to-play 40-card decks, and are a great way to start slinging spells without spending too much money or having to store cards you aren’t playing. Starter kits are another ready-to-play product, this time giving you two preconstructed 60-card decks.

If Commander is your format of choice, Magic releases preconstructed Commander decks along with every set. Some are easier for beginners to pilot than others, so be sure to check out some reviews to make sure you find a precon that’s right for you!

Research various Magic decks on Draftsim to find out which card singles you would need to physically build one yourself. Instead of buying card packs, there’s also the option of just purchasing the singles you need for deck building.

You can get the feel for the game and learn step-by-step how to cast spells and the order in which to cast them during specific phases. Plus, playing with like-minded Magic helps you to better understand why it’s such a beloved game in the tabletop gaming space. You’ll feel the allure of the game as well the more you play it and enjoy it with other Magic lovers.

Join Events At Your Local LGS

Especially if you don’t have close friends that are already into Magic: The Gathering, joining events at your local game store is an important step of learning and getting into this tabletop game.

Get your feet wet by attending prerelease events when a new Magic set comes out. There, you can learn how to draft your own deck by strategizing the cards you are given in your prerelease kit.

Alternatively, you can participate in Commander, Standard, Modern, or other special format nights at your LGS to get some playing in. Bring your own custom deck to play against local players. If you have friends or family members already playing Magic: The Gathering, you can set up a game night at someone’s house instead for a more casual play setting. Products like Game Night: Free-for-All are helpful, but not necessary by any means.

Find Players

While it can be enjoyable to play with new people at LGS events, it’s even better to regularly play with a group of people at recurring times of the month. Some people at LGS events may continually frequent them so that you can get to know them better and build a friendship.

Once you find players that enjoy Magic: The Gathering as well as each other’s company, set up a time to regularly play with them. Everyone can meet up maybe once a week or a couple of times per month, depending on everyone’s schedules.

Find Your Favorite Format

Speaking of formats, once you purchase cards and try out various formats at your LGS or with your personal play group, now it’s time to find your favorite format. Doing so will get you even more excited about Magic: The Gathering.

The most popular format in the play space is Commander because of its over 2,000 legendary creatures available to make your commander and the multitudes of possibilities there are to build a deck around each commander.

Another format that is gaining popularity that is a little bit like Commander is Oathbreaker. Instead of a legendary creature, you designate a planeswalker as your Oathbreaker and an instant or sorcery spell as your signature spell. The Oathbreaker and signature spell have a command tax much like your commander in its sister format.

Other popular formats are Standard, Modern, Legacy, Pioneer, and many more.

Sign Up for MTG Arena

Speaking of MTG Arena, download this popular online game to play Magic outside of the time you meet up with your pod. It includes popular formats like Standard and Alchemy, which is a MTG Arena exclusive format. The closest format to Commander is brawl, where you can play Standard or Historic.

You can have up to 100 different decks stored for gameplay. There are even Draft events for some of the most recent Magic sets available to play as long as you have the entry fee in gems to join.

Download Draftsim’s Arena Tutor to get deck building recommendations, calculate in-game odds based on what cards you have played, see how well your decks perform, and see which Magic format is your best one.

Keep Practicing and Learning More About MTG

Even when you aren’t playing with your pod, you can continue to practice on MTG Arena by engaging in the fun with other Magic players from all over the world. Here are other ways you can learn about MTG to get even better at playing it:

• Watch your favorite MTG content creators play Magic games.
• Review online deck lists to see how different cards synergize with each other so you can create better decks.
• Seek out tutoring to get better at playing Magic: The Gathering on Spike’s Academy.
• Read Draftsim blog posts to learn about popular cards and best commanders to be the most competitive.

How Much Does It Cost to Get into Magic: The Gathering?

Getting into Magic: The Gathering has a varying cost base depending on how you want to start your journey. If you want to physically feel the cards and participate in the tabletop gaming experience, then it might be about $70 to $150 to get your first bundle box or set box to get enough cards to build a deck.

You can play MTG Arena completely for free. To earn coins to buy more virtual packs, simply construct your best decks and repeatedly play to accumulate them. Then, you can build your collection by purchasing more virtual cards with those coins.

There’s also the option of purchasing coins and/or gems so that you can purchase more virtual packs quicker. To get the cards you specifically want without waiting on earning rares and mythic rares, you could also get a few of them by making a $20 purchase.

Of course, getting into Magic: The Gathering would depend on your personal preference and overall budget. If you have a more limited budget, stick with purchasing singles for tabletop gaming and grind on MTG Arena. If you have a more expanded budget, you can grab a set box or two from your favorite MTG sets to get started.

You can save more money by purchasing singles for your decks instead of bundle or set boxes. Plus, you won’t have all those extra bulk cards laying around from cracking packs.

Jumpstart Your MTG Experience!

Oreskos Sun Guide | Illustration by Mathias Kollros

Get more into Magic: The Gathering by learning the game, purchasing Magic cards, joining events at your LGS, finding players, and finding your favorite format. Also sign up for MTG Arena and keep practicing when you aren’t playing with your pod.

Magic: The Gathering is about making your own magic building decks you love to play and, most importantly, gathering with like-minded players to share the experience. Join the Draftsim Discord to connect with other players nationwide and worldwide to learn more about the game and discuss various topics related to it.

Until next time, jumpstart your MTG experience! You’ll be glad you did!