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How to Build a Good MTG Deck

Next to experience, a solid deck is the biggest key to a player's success in "Magic: The Gathering," a popular collectible card game. Typically, MTG decks have 60 cards. Keep in mind that the smaller your deck the greater the likelihood that you will draw a powerful card. Also, you cannot have more than four of one card in your deck. Once players start getting wrapped up in the gameplay and begin looking to modify their decks, it is not inconceivable for the more competitive types to spend hundreds of dollars to enhance their decks.

Instructions

- 1
  Familiarize yourself with the rules of the game, first and foremost, then current theory. Read articles on the game, and pay attention to the comments section, as a lot of valuable information and strategy can be mined from users' comments. Look through decks that have won recent tournaments, and note the strategies employed by experienced players on their way to victory.
- 2
  Settle on your deck's theme and color(s): there is a strong correlation between the two. For example, you can deploy a creature- or control-based deck. If you decide to stack your deck with only one color then do not forget to add artifacts as well, for encounters with opponents who are geared to defeat decks with that color.
- 3
  Decide on your attack strategy, beforehand, whether it is: ensure that your opponent gets10 Poison Counters, is unable to draw during the draw phase or is brought down to 0 life.
- 4
  Load your deck with mana, with enough for each color in your deck. If your deck is geared towards a particular color, you will obviously need more of the land that produces that color. The versatility of lands of multiple colors cannot be overlooked, so you should find a place for them in your deck. If most of your creatures have low casting costs, you will need less land. Conversely, if you are planning on casting creatures with higher costs, you should have more mana in your deck. Most of the time, you will have between 20 and 26 lands, which will allow you to cast up to 40 spells, including your creatures.
- 5
  Select creatures that fit your deck's theme and attack strategy. The general rule is that you should go with the most efficient creatures, or those who pack the most power for the lowest cost. You should not have more than eight big creatures. Any more than that, and you could risk being decimated if you run into a weenie deck. Most of your deck should be stacked with one mana card.
- 6
  Build your deck and put it to the test against an equally-experienced opponent. Visit a local card shop, though you may only be able to purchase uncommon and rare cards from on-line vendors. You also can first try playing on-line, through an on-line simulation, such as Apprentice Program and MTGO, using a virtual deck. Modify your deck after each game exposes its strengths and weaknesses.

Role Playing Games