MTG Arena Starter Kits: Are They Worth It?

Last updated on February 21, 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

Like I said, the 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 until the 2023 kit, each one contained a booklet.

2023 MTG Arena Starter Kit Decklists

Blue-Red

The blue-red () deck wants to last until you can drop big dragons into play and dominate. There are a few ways to speed things along, and, you'll want to disrupt early attacks from your opponent. Once you land a big flying threat, you're a few attacks away from securing victory.

Early cards like Stasis Field are perfect since they nullify the biggest early threats, and your dragons won't care about defenders without reach or flying. Sarkhan, Soul Aflame provides cost reduction and is a form of ramp while also being a solid blocker. The Dragon Whelp can be played earlier and is at its best when it goes unblocked, then you pump it up with its activated ability for lots of damage.

This deck is decent at controlling the pace of the game and can apply pressure early, and excels in the late game. Don't be afraid to trade in combat as you may have enough card advantage to come out ahead.

Green-White

Sadly there's no early green ramp in this deck, and almost no way to draw cards, but in typical white fashion, the deck compensates with efficiency, getting the best use out of each permanent it can play. The instants also provide some good flexibility and combat tricks.

One of your biggest tests is when to play Storm the Seedcore because sometimes you'll only have two or three creatures to target, but doing so would swing the game heavily in your favor, and other times, you'll want to maximize it after you have four creatures ready to attack since it is one of your best ways to put +1/+1 counters on your creatures. The Mesa Cavalier is a relatively aggressive flyer, especially when given some backup. Be mindful of when you cast Cooped Up since it is your main removal outside of combat.

This really tastes like a sample of several things that green and white do well in cards that support each other, have answers to almost anything, and can beat down with overwhelming attacks. However, it'll be tricky to find synergy consistently. Two of the best-case scenarios are to have the soldiers in play at the same time or to untap with either 5-mana value and play creature cards before/after them.

Sale

Magic The Gathering 2023 Starter Kit - Learn to Play with 2 Ready-to-Play Decks + 2 Codes to Play Online (2-Player Fantasy Card Game)

• LEARN TO PLAY MAGIC WITH A FRIEND—This 2-player kit is a fun, easy way to start playing Magic: The Gathering, with everything you need to play in one box, a How-to-Play Guide, plus an interactive online tutorial in Magic: The Gathering Arena
• A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy, gorgeous art, fantastical stories, and a thriving fan community all together into a card game experience like no other
• 2 READY-TO-PLAY DECKS—Get 2 decks that are ready-to-play right out of the box, each with its own play style—unleash fire-breathing dragons to do massive damage with the Day of the Dragon deck or build up an ever-more-powerful army to crush your opponent with the Backup Beatdown deck
• PLAY IN PERSON & ONLINE—In addition to physical decks, this kit includes codes for 2 people to unlock both decks to play online in MTG Arena, a digital way to play Magic; play on desktop or in the Arena mobile app
• RARE CARDS & SHINING FOILS—Each deck contains 2 Mythic Rare and 6 Rare cards to power up your decks and kick off your collection, including 1 Rare card in each deck that gleams with a gorgeous foil treatment

$17.66

Buy on Amazon

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 $20, 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 seemed 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’d 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.

But MTG Arena starter kits plus a Discord session or two running through some Arena games would 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 about 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

$34.98

Buy on Amazon

Planeswalker Decks

The first two planeswalker decks 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.

Sale

MTG Magic the Gathering Core Set 2021 M21 - All 5 Planeswalker Decks!

$79.95

Buy on Amazon

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.

$39.88

Buy on Amazon

MTG Arena Starter Kits

So your question now is probably ”where do Arena starter kits fit into this big beginner picture?”

It falls to this product to teach new players Standard-friendly Magic with planeswalker decks gone. 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 normal 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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