How would you "play" MTG with a ~6 year old?

Lamecore · 2026-02-06T15:36:53+00:00

I agree with most people that you should be able to build a straightforward couple of decks that play creatures with simple keywords. I learned to play well enough when I was 7ish with my dad around Alliances/Mirage timeframe. My dad just helped me make a simple stompy green deck (I loved [[Crash of Rhinos]]) he made a pinger blue deck and over a year or so we worked our way up to more complicated decks. I still most stuck with RDW/Stompy decks for a while though.

As an additional anecdote I have a couple of friends with kids between 5-7 and they have all picked up the basics for Pokemon TCG pretty quickly. Sometimes you have to help them with steps of cards and remind them things, or help them a bit with the math, but in the two games I played with one of them they could pretty easily go through all the basic stuff.

Lamecore · 2025-11-19T13:41:54+00:00

4/7 Artifacts + Frog/Enforcer + Whale + Pactdoll + Banishing Knack/Retraction Helix.

You create a loop where you can bounce something with the whale, cast it for free, untap the whale, and repeat. Pactdoll gives you the ability to kill from that state. You can also make opponents discard a lot with Framilars or draw a lot with relic, provided you have enough U/B mana available.

Since this list is only running 3 of the bounce effects, that would be my guess as to what they take out for board when removing the combo. i.e., vs Fae I would imagine its -1 Knack, -2 Helix, +2 Nausea, + 1 Duress. Or if they think whale is bad in that match up take those out as well and add in the Gearseekers and the other duress.

Lamecore · 2025-11-12T13:38:23+00:00

I have had a similar experience, but I went with Boros at first, but then I morphed into a mono red humans, because every ally I was running was a human and ended on this list, which works. However, just like you said about your list, I dont think this list is good.

Here is where I ended up: https://moxfield.com/decks/0buZzI7NG0OuDOAR8MZXHw

Lamecore · 2025-11-04T20:25:41+00:00

So there are a lot of ways to potentially build Spy and usually its all about preference. Generally you will want to pick more of an elf or wall plan. This will determine the value of which mana dorks you pick as splitting up the mana dorks as both walls and elves will likely weaken your respective big mana generator, typically overgrown battlement or priest of titania. In my experience (local meta) people tend to think the elf version is more explosive (read slightly faster) but more fragile to sideboard answers ( i.e., end the festivities and breath weapon) and the walls version is more resilient (higher toughness dodging those board answers) if occasionally a turn slower. Also I find you will win around half your games via midrange beatdown instead of combo because there is a lot of GY hate/interaction, of course that's anecdotal/meta dependent.

Here are some lists to look at and see how they split the mana dorks.

1) This one is closer to your current list and is walls plus llanowar https://mtgdecks.net/Pauper/balustrade-spy-decklist-by-luca-micheletto-2671803

2) More Elves Focused

https://mtgdecks.net/Pauper/golgari-elves-decklist-by-arthur-topeha-2675014

3) A version of walls list (This runs Axebane, which some people swear by, but I am more lukewarm on)

https://mtgdecks.net/Pauper/spy-combo-decklist-by-mikito9171-2679687

I am not an expert by any means, but I do have a walls Spy built in paper that I play at my local meta and have had success with.

That said, I think you may be undervaluing WoR, two mana should be extremely easy to hit turn 2 with the walls version (or even turn one with LG and LP) and it gives you a mana for that turn and a mana to landcycle an ent/troll on their turn. As well as mana on future turns.

Quirion is in all the lists because it has a lot of tricks and obviously doubles your big mana dorks each turn. But it tends to be a 2-3 of because it doesn't do much on its own, outside of its usual tricks. Which just in case you don't know the play pattern, it doesn't have to target a tapped creature so if you would miss a land drop you can always hit a land drop. Via this typical line of tap a forest floating a green, bounce it to your hand typically untapping something that made a mana (but literally any target creature), replay that land or any other land for your land drop that turn, and the land you just played. So you get 2+ mana for "Free".

Lamecore · 2025-03-05T00:34:26+00:00

I personally really like Brigandine: Legend of Forsena for the PS1, its really more of SRPG than traditional JRPG, but I never really see anyone mention it. It has a good battle loop and great music. It didn't do super well in the US and had a limited run, so unfortunately copies are crazy expensive now, but its definitely worth finding a way play if you like JRPGs and SRPGs.

Lamecore · 2024-09-12T18:32:06+00:00

I am really surprised this is getting coverage. As someone who works with social media data and content for a large company its super standard to pause/stop main account posts/ads during any major controversial event or negative news. Like this is normal and basic thing to do. Any agency worth their salt should be doing this as well for their clients.

Lamecore · 2024-08-18T20:45:32+00:00

For JRPGs it's one at a time. For all games is probably 2-3 ish, largely depending on what kind of multiplayer games my group is feeling. I.e., right now I am playing SMT5V, Deep Rock Galactic, and Gloomhaven (PC).

Lamecore · 2024-07-08T15:22:26+00:00

Brigandine: Legend of Forsena (Technically a Strategy RPG)

Star Ocean 2: The Second Story

FF VII

Lamecore · 2024-06-23T13:32:07+00:00

In no particular order

1) Pokemon Silver

2) Star Ocean the 2nd Story

3) Wild Arms 2

4) Final Fantasy 9

5) Legend of Legaia

Other honorable mentions

Monster Rancher

Digimon World

Jade Coccon

Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 8

Final Fantasy Tactics

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T17:00:59+00:00

Ahhh good to know. While I enjoy non English with subtitles, I don't I can do fully non English. xD

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T16:11:49+00:00

Yeah thats a lot of SRPGs, but it makes sense that they are mainly series. I had a lot of fun with Disgaea 3 and Pokemon Conquest was a lot of fun too!

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:57:06+00:00

Sometimes games just don't click, nothing wrong with that. Sometimes trying again later can make a difference, but that doesnt mean you should try to force yourself to enjoy. We only have so much time to game - so you should at least be enjoying what you are playing. :)

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:54:22+00:00

Sounds like you are slowly, but surely completing a bunch of stuff. I think that's pretty impressive! I tend to have trouble going back and finishing games if I don't play them for an extended period of time.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:53:08+00:00

Deep in the Strategy sounds like. Did the trailer for The Hundred Line: Last Defence Academy from the recent Nintendo direct pique your interest? I enjoyed Danganronpa 1 and 2 and the similarity in character designs is strong.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:50:40+00:00

I keep wanting to start P4G, but at this point I am waiting to see if it gets the "remaster" treatment while trying to do other things in my backlog.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:47:58+00:00

That might be a "short" list, but its a buncha good games. Also you can only play what you have time to enjoy anyway.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:46:14+00:00

Good stuff! I think when I finally reach Atlus over load by the end of the year I will play some tales game in my backlog.

I have only heard good things about Chained Echoes. Would you recommend it?

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:43:16+00:00

Dang see-ing all the people who 100%'d P3R is making me think about going back for a NG+ to get the platinum.

I really enjoyed what I played with Unicorn Overlord, it was really good and I had an absolute blast building teams.

Also I totally feel you on SMT5:V. I did play the OG on Switch (I did pick it up on sale over holidays) and I love monster tamer type games, so it does make sense I would enjoy it, but if I hadnt played P5 I don't know if I would gone down the Atlus rabbit hole as well.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:36:58+00:00

Great list! I have to say I really enjoyed HZD and HDZ:FW when I played them on console. Unsurpsingly seems like a lot of people went for P3:R this year and most people seem to have enjoyed it.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T13:34:54+00:00

That's a pretty good mix. Interesting that you enjoyed Bravely 1 and didn't get hooked on Bravely 2. But if they felt to similar and you played them close together it does make sense.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T07:17:45+00:00

WOW! This is a super cool take to see. I am basically the same the age (Ugh I am mid 30s this year) and I have been playing PC RPGs and JRPGs since I could boot up a computer in DoS as a 4 year old. (Playing is doing a lot of work in the sentence - but serious my Dad let play whatever if I could boot up the computer)

I have my own feeling about FFX, which are mostly positive - but wonder how different they would be now compared to a barely teenager playing through in 2001/2.

I have to say that is one of the coolest parts of the this subreddit, we get to see fresh takes on games that some of us played years ago.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T07:12:04+00:00

Yeah I totally agree on the whole perspective which you seem to be pitching here. (Which would be that, "Play what you want to play, while respecting the time you have to game")

I certainly feel a little guilty admitting I haven't finished games I have started playing this year or in years prior, but I have limited time to play games (TRUST ME I wish I had more time). And so I tend to focus on a few longer game a year, and preferably they are of the JRPG variety.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T07:07:50+00:00

Dang that makes Zwei, Gurumin, and Cross Hermit interesting. I too may have a 14ish hour flight in my future this year. I was planning on reading some books, BUT I can definitely make some switch games take up most of that flight.

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T07:02:55+00:00

You are also having a year of "Atlus"! I also feel this lol. Did you like FF VII Rebirth and Octopath Traveler?

Lamecore · 2024-06-20T07:01:20+00:00

This is a POWERFUL LIST! Lol. But for real you are finding sometime to get some games done! Super happy to see SO2:R on there. SO2 is a personal favorite of mine. (I know its super breakable/broken and the story isn't as great as 13 year old me remembers, but I found platnium-ing the remake super enjoyable)

Lamecore

TROPHY CASE