Magic Origins Deck Builder's Toolkit Review

Tweet by mtggoldfish // Aug 08, 2015

magic origins review

With every Core Set, Wizards releases a Deck Builder's Toolkit and Magic Origins is no different. The Deck Builder's Toolkit is designed for new players to kick start their collection and give them some tips. Today I'm going to open up a Deckbuilder's Toolkit and show you what's inside.

So first, the basics. The Deck Builder's Toolkit retails for $19.99 and includes:

125 semi-randomized cards

Four 15-card booster packs from recent Magic: The Gathering sets (One each from Journey into Nyx, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, and Magic Origins)

100 basic land cards (Magic Origins art)

Deck builder's guide to creating the best Magic decks

Magic rules reference card

Full-art reusable card storage box

So let's talk about the 125 semi-randomized cards. You will always get the following cards in your Deck Builder's Toolkit:

The five are iconic Magic cards from their respective colors and are exclusive to the Deck Builder's Toolkit. No matter how many booster packs of Magic Origins you open, you will never open one of these — these can only be obtained from this kit! In addition to the five rares, you'll also get 10 more exclusive commons/uncommons:

For the rest of the fixed cards, you get eleven cards of each color plus some lands including 20 of each basic color:

For the semi-random cards, you will get all 10 cards from 4 of the 11 archetypes below (chosen at random). The cards are separated by an Evolving Wilds in the pack. All the fixed and semi-random cards are from expansions Magic Origins, Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged and Dragons of Tarkir. For my pack, I received the cards from BG Toughness, Prowess, RG Beatdown, and BW Auras.

Speaking of 11 archetypes, there is a handy pamphlet outlining the 11 archetypes and how they work. In addition, there's also a small foldout card with a brief summary of the rules.

You also get 4 booster packs, one each from Journey into Nyx, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, and Magic Origins. The unfortunate part here is Journey into Nyx rotates in October, so if you're interested in Standard, the longevity of the cards in that particular pack is questionable. The booster packs are just like any other booster pack you could buy in a store; there could be a $50 card lurking inside! I managed to open Ojutai's Command and Shivan Reef, each worth a couple bucks.

Last but not least, the box itself can be used for card storage. All of the cards included take up about half of the box, so it can hold about 600 cards in total. A black placeholder is included so that your cards don't shift around if the box is not full.

Conclusion

So is this product worth it for you? It depends. If you already play Magic with a large collection, then no (unless you really want those five exclusive cards). This product is also not for a completely new Magic player. There is no ready-made deck to play with so new players will be overwhelmed learning the rules while building a deck. This product is best for people with a basic understanding of Magic and want to expand their collection. Perhaps you bought an Intro Pack or a Clash Pack, know the basics, and now want to explore deckbuilding. This is the product for you. Magic booster packs usually sell for $3-4 each, so you're basically paying $4-8 extra for a deck box, some basic lands, some commons and uncommons to start a few basic decks, and some tips on deck building — a good deal for a relative newcomer to Magic wanting to take the next step.

You can purchase the Magic Origins Deck Builder's Toolkit on Amazon.com for about $17.