One thing I have always taken pride in is being able to teach new players the game of Magic: The Gathering. I’ve been playing for almost 20 years and have seen the game take shape into what it is today.

People just starting to get into the game have a large uphill climb ahead of them. The learning curve is steep and involves learning about all the cards at the opponent’s arsenal. They also have a plethora of rules to learn about game phases, timings and card rulings. There is also the challenge of building their decks and this is where I come in.

The first step in thinking about your first deck is to figure out what colors would suit you best. I always recommend a two color deck for starters. Playing a two color deck provides more balance while learning and also teaches the owner about deck building and strategy. I won’t get into the characteristics of the Magic colors here. There are many resources available for that subject.

Secondly, you must research a way to get a deck of these color combinations. Decks can be built differently and beginner budget decks are no exception.

Preconstructed Theme Decks – This is my favorite way to make a beginner’s deck. These decks can be purchased for under $15 and have an easy to learn strategy. usually, only 1 or 2 copies of a card can be found in these decks and the quickest and cheapest ways to strengthen the deck is to play it, remove what cards are poor or weak, buy a second copy of the the deck and combine the two. From there, singles can be purchased to focus the deck later.

Event Decks – Event Decks contain a fully playable deck for a low cost of $20. These decks contain more rares then a Theme Deck and have a good strategy beginners can learn to play with. Improving the deck comes in the form of purchasing singles.

Deckbuilder Tool Kits – These usually float in the $20 range. Inside you get a few packs of random cards and some common staples. A deck can be made from the cards inside but they will vary in strength based on the randomness of the packs. Only go this route if you want to make a deck from bare bones and plan on building slowly while you learn.

Singles – This is the most difficult route to build as a beginner. Research is needed as well as chasing down singles. You will get virtually no play time till your whole deck is purchased.I do not recommend this as your beginner deck plan.

My early recommendation to you is do not buy packs. They are exciting to open bu the only good they do for you is build the amount of cards you have. Rarely will you be able to luck up and get a card you need for a deck and even more rarely will you get your hands on something worth trading off. Spend your money on singles that you know you need, both in commons or specific rares to make your deck better.

Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheAiokii and talk more about budget decks on Reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/budgetdecks/ See you all again next week where I’ll discuss Thanksgiving Day Magic.