Whether you’re new to Magic the Gathering, or you’re trying to introduce someone to your favorite game – Game Goblins has you covered! We are OBSESSED with MTG and we have the weekly tournaments to prove it. And the Facebook groups. And the summer camps.

But before we start trying to prove how much we love the game, we want to help you find what you need to build a beginner deck and gain a foundational understanding of the game! So here are our recommendations for the best Magic the Gathering decks for beginners.

THE WELCOME BOOSTER

This is not a full deck, but it is an excellent – and free! – place to start. Every booster contains the same ten cards*:

Archetype of Imagination

• Chandra’s Magmutt – foil
• Commander’s Sphere
• Demon of Loathing
• Faerie Guidemother – showcase art
• Garruk’s Gorehorn – foil
• Garruk, Primal Hunter
• Niv-Mizzet, Parun
• Plains – foil
• Underworld Dreams

Some of these are pretty strong cards and they’re a less overwhelming introduction to the game if you want to go over the basics on your own. (And did we mention the FREE part??) Wizards of the Coast doesn’t ship these out directly or offer them online, but they do send them to game stores all over the country to act as promotional items for their retailers.

To get your Welcome Booster pack of MTG cards, just walk into your local game store (hi!) and as if they have any. Now, depending on when you read this article, we cannot promise that we will have packs left. But even if we don’t, we’re more than happy to sit down and talk MTG with you all afternoon. And we always have some packs on our demo shelves you can look at and play with before committing!

*Note that you cannot play with these cards by themselves because there are only ten. And that’s not so much as deck as it is a… plank (whatever, you get it).

PLANESWALKER INTRO DECKS

The Planeswalker Intro Decks are 60-card decks designed specifically with new players in mind. Every deck is centered around one Planeswalker card. Planeswalkers are some of our favorite Magic the Gathering cards because they represent the most powerful characters from Magic Lore and each one gives you a lot of options for powerful gameplay. The Planeswalker cards in these decks are a little simpler and less heavily stylized than the cards you buy on their own, but their powers remain the same and – in our humble opinions – can be just as cool.

All of the cards in these decks will be from the same edition so it can really help you as a beginner – you’ll already know some of the cards when they’re played in a tournament! You’ll also get a 15-card booster pack that can enhance the deck and change up your playing strategy.

Another cool feature is the code you get with purchase that allows you to sign in to MTG Arena – an online Magic the Gathering game! There will be an exact copy of your deck available here ad you can play with a huge online following. It’s a great way to practice and craft new decks before you play in real-life tournaments.

This is the simplest deck available and we highly recommend it for true beginners.

GUILD KITS

Guild Kits are a relatively new creation from Wizards of the Coast. They’re 60-card decks that contain some very valuable and super-cool looking cards. The cards in these decks are more complex and powerful that the Planeswalker decks – which can be awesome, but it does make them a little more difficult to master. Especially if you’re new to game theory in general.

We recommend these to beginners who aren’t necessarily planning on playing Standard.

BRAWL DECKS

Brawl Decks are a combo of cards meant to combine the two most popular ways of playing Magic: Commander and Standard. If you’re still learning Standard but love the idea of Commander, didn’t even know there were other ways to play MTG, or Commander intimidates you (no shame!), this is the perfect pack to ease you into playing Commander style.

You should understand the basics of Magic the Gathering to play with this deck, but it’s great for those new to Brawling and the Commander play style.

BUILDING YOUR OWN DECK

There are hundreds of decks and kits you can buy to get started. But more than half the fun of Magic the Gathering is building your own deck based on your preferences and playstyle! So once you have the rules down, sometimes the best way to learn is to just start buying bulk cards and booster packs and run wild!

After you understand the logic and the basics, Experience is the only true teacher in Magic the Gathering. So buy some cards and go have FUN.

If you have any questions about the best Magic the Gathering decks for beginners or MTG in general, contact us at Game Goblins! We’re always here to help guide you through the basics.