MTG Arena Starter Kits: Are They Worth It?

Last updated on September 23, 2024

Cleaving Reaper | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Looking to give the gift of Magic to a beginner? Not sure where to start with the discontinuation of planeswalker decks and the move to EDH precons with each set? Then you might want to consider buying this special person an MTG Arena starter kit!

MTG Arena starter kits are designed for newer Magic players. They come with two ready-to-play decks (for you and a friend) plus two promo codes so you can get the decks on Arena as well. They’re designed so that you and the person you’re teaching can immediately battle both on Arena and IRL with pre-made decks.

Ready to dive into this product? Let’s go!

What is an MTG Arena Starter Kit?

Start from Scratch | Illustration by Bayard Wu

An MTG Arena starter kit is a take on the classic starter deck model with the major twist being that it comes with two decks instead of one. There have been a few Arena starter kits so far: the first was released on July 3, 2020.

The first release was mostly made up of cards from Core Set 2021 and Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths and after that, the Arena starter kits continue to pull from the recent Standard rotation‘s card pool.

One interesting bit of trivia about this product is that it was originally not intended as a for-sale product. WotC does have a new Arena player experience, and the kits ended up being sold on Amazon instead of local game stores.

What Comes in an MTG Arena Starter Kit?

The Arena starter kits contain at least:

• 2 ready-to-play 60 card decks of Standard-legal cards (1 foil each and some rares)
• 2 walkthrough/reference guides
• 2 deck boxes
• 1 MTG Arena deck code (2-use, unlocks both decks for two players)

A couple of minor differences show up between the versions (other than the cards in the decks, of course) are that the oldest version included two life-counter spindown dice, and except the 2023 kit, each one contains a booklet.

MTG Arena Bloomburrow Starter Kit Decklists

Blue-Red Otter Limits

The blue-red () deck loves to angle attackers in behind would-be blockers and pump lots of damage through playing spells. Pull together key attacks with prowess as a payoff for playing instants or sorceries and stay nimble.

Play Alania's Pathmaker when you essentially need to draw a card, even if just for one turn. The Stormcatch Mentor is incredible early since it makes your non-creature spells cost less, encouraging a flurry of prowess pumps.

The Coruscation Mage shows off the offspring mechanic and gives you access to a powerful ability that adds direct damage just for playing your non-creature spells, definitely powerful in multiples, and a sound way to finish opponents if attacks aren't enough.

This deck wants to get ahead on damage and keep its options fresh. It's at its best when you attack in the same turn you cast spells, so even if you wait to use your instants after they've declared blockers, prowess can help an attacker that is unblocked get in for more damage. Keep up your card advantage and you stand a good chance to come out ahead.

Green-White Hare Raising

The green-white deck wants you to put creatures into play and the more the better. You want a target or two you can boost since your cards help one another.

One of your best ways to increase your creature count is Hop to It and as Treeguard Duo shows, you only need a few for the power and toughness to make for a single big attacker. Speaking of huge individual attackers, [cardBurrowguard Mentor[/card] gets big in a hurry and uses trample to ensure no little 1/1s stand in your way of dealing tons of damage. The power of permanently pumping up your creatures with +1/+1 counters, means you can go all in with one creature, and pivot your attack to be from everyone as supported by Rabbit Response and Warren Elder‘s activated ability.

This half of the Bloomburrow Starter decks does best when its cards can support each other, and the best-case scenario is that you have too many huge threats for your opponent to deal with.

Magic: The Gathering - Bloomburrow Starter Kit | Learn to Play Magic with 2 Bloomburrow-Themed Decks | 2 Player Collectible Card Game for Ages 13+ casual

• LOOKING TO HOP INTO MAGIC—Everything you need to play your first game of Magic: The Gathering is right here. Shrink down to critter size and battle for the Valley with two pre-built 60-card decks.
• TINY TAILS, BIG ADVENTURE—Put your best paw forward and enter the world of Bloomburrow; fight beside adorable critters and prove that bravery comes in all sizes
• LEARN TO PLAY MAGIC WITH A FRIEND—Perfect for your first Magic game, teaching friends and family, or just a fun game night, learn how to play with the included Play Guide or the interactive online tutorial in Magic: The Gathering Arena
• TWO READY-TO-PLAY 60-CARD DECKS—Buff up an army of woodland creatures to overpower your opponents with the Hare Raising deck or send your Otter friends surfing past your foe’s defenses with the Otter Limits deck
• COLLECT RARE CARDS—Kick off your collection with 2 Mythic Rare cards that gleam with a shining Traditional Foil treatment, plus 8 Rare cards (1 Mythic Rare and 4 Rares in each deck)

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Is the MTG Arena Starter Kit Worth It?

Ambition's Cost | Illustration by Zezhou Chen

No, the MTG Arena starters aren’t really worth it at all. An Arena starter kit currently costs around $15-$30, but virtually all of the rares cost less than $1 as singles and none of them are Constructed staples on MTG Arena. The commons and uncommons are 100% bulk prices, and you sometimes get clunky cards like Cleaving Reaper which are cool for feature art, but seem really out of place in its 2021 starter kit. You can’t make any money “flipping” Arena starter kits.

You might want to buy this product as long as you’re buying it to battle with a new player who’s interested in the game. Having a lead-in to Arena is a major draw to this product over past editions since Arena has made Magic much more accessible for new players. Being able to battle in person and then take that experience online should make easing into both experiences more comfortable. Once your aspiring student gets their first taste of Magic, they can learn much more about the game through MTG Arena and even battle from their phones!

If you don’t need a paper aide to teach your friends Magic, there isn’t a lot to recommend about this product. I recommend buying the Commander precons for all but the newest players since they have much more in the way of value, exciting cards, and long-term playability.

MTG Arena starter kits plus a Discord session or two running through some Arena games can be a great start to a true beginner’s Magical journey!

MTG Arena Starter Kit vs. Other Precons

As someone who’s played Magic for more than 10 years, I’ve noted quite a few changes to beginner-aimed products over the years. Before I really played Magic I got a beginner-labeled product with Thorn Elemental and a bunch of terrible cards like Eager Cadet and Sacred Nectar. That product also came with a comic rulebook that showed an example game of Magic playing out in cartoon form with a slick-suited man narrating a game between two newer players. You can watch someone open it here if your nostalgia has been piqued.

Structure Decks and Intro Packs

Expert-labeled starter decks were unofficially referred to as “structure decks” and came with pre-built 75s usually themed around one core mechanic/archetype from a recent set. This eventually gave way to more beginner-focused “intro packs” which were also ready to play outside the box but generally less powerful and complicated than previous pre-built products.

These lasted until Kaladesh when “planeswalker decks” were introduced.

Magic: the Gathering MTG Dragon's Maze Intro Pack: Azorius Authority (Includes 2 Booster Packs) Theme Deck

• Includes a 60-card deck and one 15-card booster pack

$29.79

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Planeswalker Decks

The first two No products found. featured Nissa, Nature's Artisan and Chandra, Pyrogenius as well as a few other Standard-legal cards you couldn’t get anywhere else. To balance this out WotC intentionally made all of these unique cards rather underpowered so that there would never be a bottleneck for tournament play from needing planeswalker deck-exclusive cards.

This product lasted until Zendikar Rising was released when they were replaced with ready-to-play EDH decks that come out with each new set.

No products found.

Spellslinger Starter Kits

Another starter product that I haven’t mentioned yet is the “spellslinger starter kit” which is actually the spiritual predecessor to the MTG Arena starter kits. The primary difference between spellslinger and planeswalker decks is that the former came with two decks rather than just one.

This product debuted in October 2018 and had one other release in July 2019 before changing slightly into today’s offering. The main difference between spellslinger and Arena starter kits is the promo codes that let you download your starter decks on MTGA.

Magic: The Gathering Spellslinger Starter Kit Core Set 2020 (M20) | 2 Starter Decks | 2 Dice | 2 Learn to Play Guides

• JUMP INTO MAGIC: THE GATHERING instantly with this two-player starter set.
• WELCOME THE CHALLENGE. Magic: The Gathering is the deepest strategy card game there is, with endless challenges for new players and veterans alike.
• PLAY FACE-TO-FACE OR DIGITAL with codes to unlock both decks on MTG ARENA.
• JUST OPEN AND PLAY. Everything you need is in the box. Follow the quick start guide to learn as you play.
• CHOOSE YOUR DECK. Pick the red deck to command ferocious dragons, or go with black/green and lead righteous angels into battle.

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Does an MTG Arena Starter Kit Help When I'm New on Arena?

Yes, if you just started on MTG Arena, the starter kits give you two fresh decks worth of cards to complement the starter decks that you already earned on Arena.

So your question now is probably ”where does the latest Arena starter kit fit into this big beginner picture?”

It falls to this product to teach new players Standard-friendly Magic. While Commander is a great format for players who aren’t particularly skilled yet, it’s still an awkward place to start Magic since it has a lot of quirks and differences from a 60 or 40-card experience.

Whether WotC sticks with Arena starter kits or introduces yet another line of starter products to address new incoming players is anyone’s guess!

Do Codes in the Older MTG Arena Starter Kits Still Work?

Yes, the codes in older Arena starter kits should still work as long as they haven’t been used yet. If the code has a set expiration date you can read it on the code itself. Keep in mind that the raw wildcard value of these codes is fairly low for the box price so you’re better off just buying more gems if you’re trying to get some rares.

Wrap Up

Wrap in Flames | Illustration by Käri Christensen

Hopefully, you enjoyed this brief writeup on Arena starter kits. What are your thoughts on these products? Have you bought one before, or are you thinking of buying it for a new player you know? Let me know in the comments!

And if you’re trying to introduce a friend to wide world of digital Magic, make sure they’ve got Arena Tutor at the ready! It’ll help track their decks, offer advice and tips, plus some other powerful and useful tools to help them get the hang of everything.

Until next time, may the players you try to hook on Magic stay with it for years to come!

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