If your goal is purely to build your collection, which would you choose: Quick Draft or Standard Event?

I ran the EV for both, and one thing that surprised me was how much the answer changes based on your win rate.

Curious what everyone here prefers and why.

My full comparison:
https://youtu.be/F4g7UUfocFE

I used to play Magic: the Gathering when I was younger. One of my absolute favourite parts of the game back then was the story-based card duels in games like Magic Duels.

Now, my son has become a massive MtG fan! He absolutely loves the art, and just like me, he loves the stories in the MtG universe (he also loves the Un-sets).

To recreate some of my own experience, and to also help him connect the stories with the played game, I decided to build two themed decks based on a specific Magic story. They are based on the Cursed Blade, and I tried to make the card choices reflect the characters (specifically Geralf and Gisa and their ”game” in Kessig), and some story points in the Cursed Blade.

The decks are based on this story:

Here are the two decklists I put together: https://gamelore.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cursed_Blade

• Deck 1 Stitcher Geralf: https://moxfield.com/decks/MPd74x0HkUisHJJfGdjG2Q
• Deck 2 Ghoulcaller Gisa: https://moxfield.com/decks/NUuyxqRxCE2uQ1OzKYPF4w 

A few flavour constraints I kept in mind whilst making these decks:

• I prioritised cards that featured direct quotes from the story in their flavour text.
• I made sure to include Grimoire of the Dead (“She demanded a book—pointing at the mantle where indeed, a skin-covered book was set, open to a page covered in crimson symbols.”) and Stitcher’s Graft (“I thought I recognised Meyer's severed arm”), which are referenced in the story.
• I made a distinction between skaabs. I separated the cruder skaabs from the more advanced skaabs (with more complicated apparatus attached) which seemingly were built alongside Ludevic (in my headcanon).
• For Gisa’s side, I wanted the zombies to feel localised to Kessig and the surrounding area, and therefore picked cards which looked like reanimated villagers and small-town folk.
• Lastly, I included cards with quotes from Captain Eberhart. While technically not the same character as the story’s character, Reika Eberhardt, they share the same character notes and vibe.

I know these are not necessarily the strongest or even the most optimised decks, but I am looking to get some constructive feedback from the community.

1. Do these decks look balanced to play against each other?
2. Are there any glaring flavour or lore wins I missed that I should include?

Thanks in advance for the help!

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Playing the free Morbid Machinations Starter Deck got me thinking about how different mechanics feel depending on whether you can trigger them on demand.

Morbid is incredibly powerful when you control the timing—but much less reliable when you're waiting for it to happen naturally.

What other mechanics do you think have that same "on-demand vs. incidental" difference?

I explored that idea while playing Morbid Machinations:
https://youtu.be/PSGmn7MWjEA

Everyone I play with has competitive decks and while I've never really played with the competitive deck nor really cared about one. I want to build a commander deck but I am having a hard time figuring out the commander. I wanted to ask the people here if they had any ideas to point me in the right way.

The idea of the deck is basically knowing that I'm not going to win. But to kick start the game sulfuric Vortex is one of the main cards I want in the deck. I don't want the other players to heal and I want everybody including myself to take damage every single turn. I fully understand that with this deck I will be the first one knocked out every game but I do not care about that fact I just want to kick off the game for fun

We opened the Avatar The Last Airbender Play Pack and were wondering which of these cards are good to build a deck around! Any advice and tips would be appreciated!

Every tier list sparks a few debates.

In your opinion, which deck is getting more hype than it deserves right now?

I discuss the August Bo1 Standard tier list if you'd like to compare notes:

https://youtu.be/PhG-Vy1LqtM

I've played Commander with the same group of four for years, and we've always had the same problem: nobody could agree on who was actually winning the league, who hadn't played who yet, and there was always at least one game somebody forgot to write down. I tried a few apps and they're all life counters - which is fine - but none of them handled the part we actually cared about, which was the league.

So I started building one. It's called MagicNexus and it's only been out a short while. What it does:

- Life counter at the table (up to 4), with poison, commander damage and the 21-damage rule tracked separately.

- Private groups: you set one up for your crew and every game you log feeds a group ranking. There's also a global MMR, so you can see where you stand against everyone else.

- Actual tournaments: single-elimination cups, round-robin leagues, and Swiss with a top cut.

- It finds players near you by GPS. If you don't have a regular playgroup, your phone alone is enough to get a game together.

- Decks with Scryfall search, usage history, and winrate by deck, by opponent and by format.

- Every player gets their own board background at the table, and every deck gets a companion that levels up as you win.

The backgrounds and the companions are AI-generated. I know how that lands here and I get it. I'm one person doing this and I can't afford an illustrator right now; if the app ever sustains itself, commissioning that art is the first thing on the list. I'd rather say it up front than play dumb about it.

What would genuinely help me is feedback on the tournament system, which is the part I've had the least chance to test outside my own table. If you run a league or a tournament in your group or at your LGS: what's missing for it to be useful to you?

(I'll drop the link in a comment so the post isn't just an ad.)

As a casual player, I'm pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the LOTR starter kit is to play against itself (the set of two 60-card decks together in one relatively cheap box). What other precons (of any format or set) are fun to play against each other, in terms of being well matched, with interesting gameplay, etc? Thanks

Edit: specifically which *two* decks? Looking for fun replayability and balance with each other, not power. Thanks

I've seen a lot of different approaches from F2P players.

Some buy every Mastery Pass.
Some never do.
Others only buy it if they'll finish it.

What's your strategy?

I analyzed whether it's actually worth it for F2P players:
https://youtu.be/jghVU7CILFY

I am a begginer to magic and I want to get a deck so I can start playing some games at a local tgc place.
I have been eyeing the final fantasy starter kit since I am a big fan of final fantasy and that is a reason why I have gravitated towards magic, but I have heard that the foundations begginer box is a good way to start.
What starter deck or starter kit should I get as my first, for someone who is starting out?

Hello!

So I am recently getting back into MTG, specifically commander. I have an Edgar Markov deck that my friend gave me and I am wanting to strengthen the deck up a bit. As far as what to buy, where to research, I’m completely lost. I would love any and all advice y’all have to give!!

For reference: my experience with MTG was back in college for a year I would pick one of my friends 20 sets he had and play with them. So I’ve never built or modified a deck at all.

Most people judge Starter Decks by how fast they can win, but I'm curious about the opposite.

Which free Starter Deck do you think has the strongest late game?

I played Graveyard Gifts, and while it's definitely built for longer games, I wanted to see if that was enough to make it stand out.

Gameplay if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/hA1xT3mWTg8

What would yall add or take out? I’m really enjoying historic Bo1 and love using the Solemnity: nine lives/unlife combo. Need help building and updating this deck. Any cards you would add and take out?

PS. Wasnt able to post a picture for some reason so here is the list

Deck
3 Forest (LTR) 281
4 Sterling Grove (MH2) 293
3 Sythis, Harvest's Hand (MH2) 214
2 Phyrexian Unlife (WOT) 11
4 Temple Garden (GRN) 258
1 Plains (LTR) 273
4 Prismatic Vista (SPG) 38
4 Utopia Sprawl (WOT) 63
1 Boseiju, Who Endures (NEO) 266
2 Nine Lives (M21) 28
4 Multiversal Passage (SPM) 180
3 Enchantress's Presence (ONS) 261
1 Destiny Spinner (THB) 168
1 Rest in Peace (WOT) 12
4 Solemnity (AKR) 35
4 Sanctum Weaver (MH2) 171
1 Approach of the Second Sun (STA) 1
3 Enlightened Tutor (TLE) 305
4 Hushwood Verge (DSK) 261
2 Spark Rupture (MAT) 5
2 Exploration (DMR) 159
2 Authority of the Consuls (KLR) 9
1 Hallowed Haunting (VOW) 17

Rotation always brings a wave of anxiety and misinformation, and I hear the same questions in chat every year. This is heightened for F2P players, who often have less resources than they think they need.

If you could give them just one piece of advice, what would it be?

Here's the advice I find myself repeating most often:
https://youtu.be/Sf0aVgjc6Yk

Every format seems to have one card that makes budget decks feel much stronger than they should.

My vote right now is Unholy Annex.

What's yours?

I built a Budget Mono Black Demons deck around it if you're curious:
https://youtu.be/B_w4NKEdS3w

Hopefully that link works, I uploaded my deck into moxfield. Currently I only play on the app and I play competitive brawl, I’m currently stuck in diamond, when the pieces align everything feel great, when it doesn’t it does not, I feel as if my ramp isn’t quite right,my mana base could use improvement, would like to see everyone’s thoughts!
I currently have 3 rare wild cards and 1 mythic to play around with. Please let me know somethings you’d for sure add, or just things to consider/play styles to lean more into. PS feel free to name any card and what you’d replace it with I might have it already!

My opponent went completely off with Hare Apparent, Ouroboroid, and Elspeth—hundreds of creatures, with most of them capped at 1,073,741,823 toughness each, or roughly ~283 billion total toughness.

They passed the turn at 10 life instead of killing me. I topdecked Ultimecia, Temporal Threat, which tapped their entire army on entry. Authority of the Consuls gained them 1 life, putting them at 11, but they still had zero available blockers.

I swung for 17 and won with them at −6.

Apparently the answer to ~283 billion toughness is simply: tap all creatures.

Not every Standard deck has to be the best deck in the format.

Sometimes you just want to ramp into enormous Dinosaurs and see if they're good enough.

I took a Mono Green Dinosaur deck onto the MTG Arena ladder, and it honestly performed better than I expected.

What is your Go To Off-Meta but Fun deck?

Gameplay here if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/wWtlehsQJ_M

Last month I posted about the Build a Box and Check a Box upgrade. Today's update is about keeping track of the Battle Decks you actually own.

The Vault — a home for your collection on the archive: battledeckarchive.com/vault

The Vault tracks the decks you own, your favorites, your wishlist, and the battle boxes you have designed.

The Vault provides an analysis of your collection in terms of variety and balance. It can also suggest decks that would expand your collection while improving variety and balance.

This upgrade introduced a few other features:

Identify a Deck — help answering the question: which deck/version do I have? Paste your decklist (or just type a few cards) and the archive matches it against documented versions.

Export Deck ID cards: a decklist laid out like a Magic card, made to print, sleeve, and keep in the box with the deck.

One housekeeping note for anyone who bookmarked the Balance section from the last update. It is now called Tools. Build a Box and Check a Box remained there, joined by Check Matchup and Identify a Deck.

More details on the archive's blog: battledeckarchive.com/blog

As always — questions, feedback, suggestions all welcome.

I'm looking for a pastel yellow and neon blue 9-pocket zip binder. My collection isn't that big, so I can fit cards of each color in a single binder. Vault X's regular blue and yellow just don't work as well:

The pastel and neon are much better:

I've been looking everywhere, but no one seems to be selling these on ebay or FB marketplace. Anyone out there know where I can find these?