mortiferum wrote:So I finally got around to cracking open my Free MTG Core game pack (thanks goes to Tim for the original ‘heads up’)
mortiferum wrote:Are the rules in the tutorials the ‘complete’ set of rules or are they simply a quick start beginners set of rules – is there an advanced set of rules that I need?
did you get a Starter set or the Core game?
i got the Starter set, which included:
- 9th edition rulebook
- 2 starter decks, ready packed in a set order
- starter booklet for each deck (which when all combined takes you and your opponent through a pre-scripted game step by step)
- advanced booster to add more complex cards, with leaflet explaining how they work
- CDROM with PC tutorials (simple and more advanced) and MTG Online software
- foil card "Serra Angel", playmats and life counters
(is this what you got?)
i didnt need to download any tutorials etc, although i did get the
10th ed rulebookin
PDF format from the
Rules Resources page.
if you got that, then i suggest playing through the scripted tutorial game, then reading the rulebook, and then playing both tutorials on the CDROM.
if you need to know anything, look it up in the glossary of the rulebook (the 10th ed rulebook is more up to date, and includes more terms and definitions, but is essentially the same).
i also downloaded the
Keyword Cheat Sheet, and i use
Gathererevery day to look up cards (they include rules updates/errata/clarifications/rulings where appropriate).
there are
FAQsand a
Comprehensive Rulesdocument, but these arent intended to be read through end to end (so dont try!
) - you rarely need to refer to them at all (if ever).
mortiferum wrote:Using the cards in the beginners deck – can you play / compete / win against experienced players with custom built decks?
depends what they sent you, really.
the pack we had included a Red & Green starter deck, a Blue & White starter deck, and a booster with cards for both decks.
we got 2 starter packs to begin with (one to our address and one to my mum's house), and after playing the intro game we combined the 2 copies of each deck (so i had all the red and green and Kate had all the white and blue).
to play a standard game you need a deck of (at least) 60 cards. if you are just playing against a theme deck (like the
10th ed themedecks), 40 cards is fine, but these are meant to be the starting point of a full size deck.
the more different colours you use in a deck, the more difficult it is to get the right Lands you need in order to play your cards during a game. i wouldnt recommend using more than 2 colours in a deck (so combining the red & green with the white & blue in the starter set wouldnt be a good idea), and personally Kate and i stick to just 1 colour per deck (we now have at least 1 deck of each colour).
mortiferum wrote:Related to the previous question, is the game more bias towards the cards you own or to the experience of the player in order to be successful at the game?
its not so much the cards you
own, in my experience, but the ones in your deck for that particular game. for example, the guys at Dan's own many many (many) more cards than i do, but they could only fit so many in their decks.
some combos need particular abilities to stop, but just putting the cards in your deck to make those combos doesnt mean you will get to pull them off in a game. even combos made up of several Rare cards can be defeated by a single Common card (if you happen to have the right card for the job in your deck, of course).
luck of the draw, bluffing/guesswork, adapting to the situation, thinking on your feet, knowing what the rules allow,
and experience all help determine who wins - just like
40K. deckbuilding is obviously a very important aspect of the game, but it doesnt win games by itself (again, just like
40K) - you are still at the mercy of your deck, and its still up to you to make the most of your cards as you draw them.
if you want to play
competitively, then of course being able to have your pick of all the cards there are will allow you to build your deck exactly how you want it, but i wouldnt worry too much about it coming down to "who-ever has the most money wins".
mortiferum wrote:I guess I’m trying to explain and ask (in a not very concise way) is whether the time ‘X’ occurs (if at all?) earlier in MTG than it does in
40K? Is MTG easier to ‘master’ than
40K?
so far, the vast majority of my games have been friendly matches against Kate. we dont build lists copied from the internet, we dont buy cards from ebay, and we have only recently begun to "focus" our decks (originally we just put in all the cards we have/liked, and played with the decks as they were - as our collections got bigger this stopped being practical, so we have started to build decks along certain themes, limiting ourselves to 60-65 cards).
playing with Dan's group was a very different experience. they play multiplayer games (rather than the 1-on-1 duels i was used to), and build decks accordingly. they have more cards at their disposal (including older ones i had never seen) and more experience. that didnt mean i couldnt compete though, even with my "put all the red cards i have into a deck" deck (;)). it was a bit of a culture shock (and a few combos made my jaw drop), but it was most definately a great experience (in fact, i cant wait to go back).
something worth noting is that while some cards are very straightforward to use well, some require more thought to get the most out of them - just buying them and putting them in your deck isnt enough. for example, in a game against Kate the other night i played a certain card on one of her creatures - on the surface, this card looked straightforward and appeared to be designed to give one of
my creatures a benefit, but due to the circumstances of our game at that precise moment, i was able to get a bigger advantage by using it on one of
her creatures (to undermine certain bonuses she was using, since they would no longer apply). if i hadnt thought outside the box and used the card in a way i had never considered before, i probably would have lost - instead i won (not there and then, but i was able to press on the advantage i gained).
40K has things like this too, but they tend to be considered "cheesy"/"gamey" and get written out of the game to "improve" it (sniping, casualty removal in
CC, choosing not to use your power weapons, etc). in Magic however, being clever like this is encouraged.
mortiferum wrote:I’ve found numerous websites that offer free online play – anyone tried and able to recommend one?
i installed the MTG Online software on the starter set's CDROM. that allows you to play free trial games online (limited to a choice of the five 10th ed themedecks, for up to 2 hrs at a time, without a personalised username). i play online most days, and Dan and I have had some fun games this way against eachother. ive also got a code for a proper online account (it came in the starter set), but i havent set this up yet.
mortiferum wrote:Following on from my previous question – anyone fancy a few ‘beginner’ games online (if possible)?
the problem with playing against a beginner online is that i cant see your cards to help you, and i cant demonstrate things to you without actually doing them. playing face to face is better, because if you get stuck you can just show me your hand, and if you arent sure where something goes etc then i can just point or show you using your cards.
mortiferum wrote:Can the game be played with 'opened / non hidden' hands, the seven cards you draw at the beginning of the game are displayed face up so opponents can see each others hand.
you could do this if you wanted to, but its not possible with the MTG Online free trial games (not sure about the options available to proper accounts). there are cards that make your opponent play with their hand revealed (there is one called
Telepathy, in the starter set IIRC), and others that allow you to see your opponent's hand at the time they are played.
mortiferum wrote:I understand that there are websites (I haven’t found them yet) that list and detail ALL the MTG cards – are there sites that list individuals successful tournament deck builds and strategies?
i only use
the official sitemyself. this has regular articles about all sorts of things (there is more to read for free in a few days there than there is every month in White Dwarf
), deck lists, resources, as well as a tool called Gatherer, which you can use to look up cards (and after playing
GW games all these years the amount of free content available is astounding - the eqivalent of being able to downloading all the rulebooks, codexes and
WD issues for free!
).
there are articles there on tournament winners, showing the decks they used and sometimes giving batreps etc. there are also tactics articles, stuff on collecting, designers notes, trivia - all sorts of things.
there are also forums, but i havent really ventured into them myself (yet).
mortiferum wrote:That’s enough to get things started – I’m sure I have more questions to follow
Morty
keep the questions coming!
(just be aware that i will be away for the next few days, as long as the trains are running that is...)
shame you arent coming to
WHW - i could have given you some games in Bugmans/at the hotel.
anyways, i hope that helped
~ Tim
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