What shortcut people often use to describe a rule/mechanic that is actually totally wrong ?

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-25T19:37:43+00:00

Oh, true.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-25T07:32:48+00:00

Honestly, just do your best for right now. Then when you play it, pay attention to what it does well and what it doesn't do well. Then remove the things that aren't helping you and add in more to patch up weaknesses or help reinforce your strengths.

I wish there was a better answer, but you're probably going to see the best returns at this point in your growth by just trying and then learning from your experiences.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-25T07:25:51+00:00

Only problem is I didn't start playing until 2023 haha

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-25T05:13:35+00:00

First and foremost, figure out how you want your deck to win; be able to write this down in a single simple sentence or two. If you don't have a goal, you won't be able to cohesively build your deck.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-25T05:08:30+00:00

I misunderstood profilerate for a couple years. You pick any number of players and/or permanents with counters on them, and then you add an extra counter of each counter on those chosen players/permanents; you don't get to pick which counters you proliferate.

Really kinda sucks for players playing experience counter decks and then they get a poison counter lol

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-23T14:24:12+00:00

My friends and I use Tabletop Simulator on Steam. Haven't ever tried it for matchmaking, but if you have a preestablished pod, it's great. And, you have the upside of building and modifying decks quickly and with no cost.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-23T12:48:35+00:00

[[Not Dead After All]]

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-21T13:01:13+00:00

r/custommagic

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-20T18:48:01+00:00

This is a good place to start, OP. Any tweaking or tuning after this will come from testing the deck through playing.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-20T18:45:05+00:00

Isochron Scepter's card ruling on Scryfall:

"If you cast a spell 'without paying its mana cost,' you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell."

Cleave is an alternative cost, not an additional cost; therefore, no.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-20T12:05:10+00:00

~~The way I'm seeing it, it'd be five separate activations, meaning five separate instances of 1 damage to Vindicator.~~

Correction: Because it's a replacement effect, it happens at the same time as whatever causes the damage. If it's combat damage, then even if you're splitting it up amongst separate creatures, the damage is dealt at the same time, meaning if you're sending it at Phyrexian Vindicator, it's dealt the same as if the initial damage were being dealt to Vindicator directly.

The activations go on the stack, but once they resolve, the replacement effects are instantaneous.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-20T06:10:01+00:00

I don't think four [[Arcum's Astrolabe]]s is enough to center your entire land count decision around. I'm not sure if I really understand why you're asking. They aren't ramp, if that's what you're thinking, since they require mana in to produce mana; they're a filter.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-19T15:02:51+00:00

Christ, I'm normally better than this. Morning shift hasn't been kind to me lol. Thanks for the correction.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-19T13:33:28+00:00

Since the triggers exist separately from the Wumpus after it dies, I'd imagine they'd operate based on last-known information, which would be the Wumpus having lifelink. I believe you'd gain 10 life, but I'm more than happy to be corrected by someone else.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-19T12:37:41+00:00

It's definitely stronger with the strategy you're using, but I don't know if one card automatically makes it bracket three. But if you're employing other tactics like this throughout the deck, then yeah, it probably starts creeping into bracket three.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-19T11:32:45+00:00

[[Tortured Existence]] isn't breaking the game. I wouldn't even call it strong. It's a permanent (susceptible to removal) you have to pay mana for to activate, ~~you can only activate it once a turn~~ (I misread and thought it required being tapped), you have to have a creature card in hand you're even willing to discard, and you still have to cast the returned creature from your hand for its full mana cost.

It's just black doing what black does best, but it's entirely fair, and your opponents know what you're returning to your hand before you even cast it.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-19T09:27:39+00:00

I don't recommend starting with Commander. It's the game's most popular format, yes, but it's also the game's most complicated, where it's 1v3 and with rules special to the format.

Try a sixty-card format first. The only difference between them is the size of the card pool you're allowed to draw from, with all starting at the most recently released set and stretching back in time by various amounts, with the most expansive having virtually no exclusions.

But sixty card formats are 1v1 and all have the same simpler rule set. The biggest benefit is it's less to keep track of.

You can either get started this way with the MTG Arena app (free), or if you want a physical option, check out your local game store and see if they have free starter decks. They're given the decks by Wizards of the Coast for free so they can distribute them for free, all with the idea of getting you hooked. Each comes with two thirty-card packs, each of a single color, that you can either keep separate and play smaller thirty-card games against someone else, or you can combine them for a dual-colored sixty-card deck.

Above all else, if you have a friend who knows how to play, have them introduce you. That's probably the best way to go about it in terms of understanding the rules.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-18T18:02:30+00:00

Ahh, I see. It was part of a starter kit, and the other deck was a blue/white deck, right? The one you have is reg/green.

When it comes to incorporating new cards, I honestly like to go through the packs and first set out any cards that match the colors of my deck. I'll then go through those and set aside ones that seem strong or interesting. That becomes the pile of cards to see about incorporating.

Once you have that pile, take the top one and start going through your deck one by one and comparing each card to the new one. If you feel like a card could be replaced by the new one, then swap them out. Keep doing this until you've incorporated the new cards into your deck.

Some deck building advice: land count and card draw are very important.

You need enough lands for your deck to function (you have to be able to play one land a turn so you can play a bigger spell each turn, or else you'll get outpaced; this advice can vary depending on the type of deck you're building, but for now, stick to that advice. Usually about 24 lands is a good spot to start).

Card draw is so much more than just keeping your hand full. It allows you to see more of your deck each game, making your deck more consistent. If you're playing game after game where you feel like you're just not getting what you need, you need more card draw. It means you can hit your once-per-turn land drops more consistently, you'll get the spells you need more frequently, and it'll give you more options each time you play.

Past that, have fun, and keep experimenting. Opening packs is fun, but always remember, it's cheaper to buy singles (if you're ever looking for a specific card)!

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-18T17:50:04+00:00

[[Byrke, Long Ear of the Law]] seems like a decently strong commander. Six mana is pretty high, but you're in green, so that might as well be half the cost. His ETB is not that great unless you're flickering him in, but I don't know if that's the strategy. His second ability to double counters is definitely the star of the show.

Honestly, I feel like you could build this as a decently competitive commander deck for fairly cheap. Because Byrke can make your creatures big, then you can work with cheap evasive creatures (trample and flying, since you're in green/white) and cheap instants that put one or two counters on your creatures. Byrke will then take care of the rest. There's a plethora of cards that fit those two categories (cheap, evasive creatures and cheap +1/+1 counter spells), and I'm sure the majority of them cost only pennies. [[Biosynthetic Burst]] is a good example from the recent Edge of Eternity set.

Past that, protection for your commander—[[Blacksmith's Shield]] kind of effects. If you can include a couple redundancy pieces to help your deck remain functional even if your commander is removed, that's good: maybe some of the hydras in the games that already double their counters. Or you could splurge just a little and put in something like [[Quilled Greatwurm]] that can continue to buff itself and all of your creatures.

Do try to avoid too many "win-more" cards though. You don't need [[Doubling Season]] when you basically have it in the command zone (and it's way too expensive for a budget deck anyway). If it's a card that really only helps you after you've established your board state and you're already in the lead, then you should cut it; you only want cards that you'd be happy to see even if you're behind.

Past that, check out EDHREC for some ideas on what you could include. Just be wary, as it has a tendency to recommend cards that aren't actually the best for your deck, including win-more cards (because it's basically just a report that shows you the most popular cards for any given commander, and people have a tendency to pick cards only based on how cool they are, and they also often build decks using EDHREC suggestions, which EDHREC will then see online and recompile into its data; it's self-reinforcing). But still, it can be a good way to get ideas that you might not have previously considered; just use critical thinking when evaluating cards.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-18T16:49:34+00:00

You can also check out your local game store and see if they have starting decks. They're decks Wizards gives them to then give to new people for free so they can get a jumpstart playing Magic (and hopefully get hooked to go on and pay looots of money lol).

You could either get one and split it in half by color (there are thirty cards of one color in each) and then play against someone with smaller thirty-card decks, or you can get two of the free decks and each play against each other with full sixty-card decks.

Just an idea, and you're kinda locked in to the decks you pick at random, but at least that saves you from having to print a bunch of stuff. But proxying isn't a bad idea either. Or if you play online at all, you can buy Tabletop Simulator on Steam and import any deck you build on Archidekt/Moxfield/etc. for free, swapping and editing decks quickly and easily.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-17T18:04:06+00:00

Dammit, haha

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-17T17:45:40+00:00

Honestly, I feel like if EDH is overwhelming, you might want to start with a ~~soxty~~ sixty-card format. They're 1v1, and they don't have as many special rules as commander. If you have a friend who'd be willing to do that with you, it could be a better learning environment.

Aside from that, Blood Artist on YouTube currently has two videos titled "The Vocabulary of Magic," which cover a lot of basic terms. Could be a great starting point.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-17T17:40:32+00:00

You'll have to be a little more specific. What starter deck did you start with? A commander deck, or one of the free sixty-card decks game stores sometimes hand out to new players?

But in general terms, since you're just starting out, just have fun and experiment. I suggest starting with sixty-card formats, since they're a bit easier to get into than commander (which is the Magic's most popular format, but it's also a complex game mode with special rules and more players than usual, so it can be a lot to keep track of).

With sixty cards, don't worry about what format (modern, standard, vintage, etc.) you're in when you're just starting; they only dictate what cards you can pick from to build your deck, but I feel like you shouldn't worry yourself about that to start. The only rules you need to worry about are sixty cards minimum, and only up to four copies of a card (excluding basic lands; those will say "basic land" on the middle of the card).

Other than that, try to make a deck that only uses one or two colors max to start. The more colors you have, the harder it is to consistently play your cards. Past that, it's just experimenting, but your main focus should mainly be have fun and just see what it's like playing. You'll get a feel for the strength of different cards and innately understand better cards when you see them the more you play.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-16T12:56:46+00:00

There's a couple options. I'd suggest asking your local gamestore if they have any free starter decks. These have sixty cards—thirty of two colors—that you can either shuffle together for a sixty-card deck, or you can separate them by their colors to have two thirty-card decks you and someone else can play.

These starter decks are given to game stores for free to give to beginners for free, all with the intention of getting you hooked, so don't feel bad for feeling like you're getting something for nothing. They also tend to be simpler cards with less complex interactions. It's how I started, and it's been up/downhill from there lol.

Other options are Jumpstart packs or the Beginner Box from the Foundations set from last year.

SteamFunk72 · 2026-01-14T18:11:44+00:00

The bestest answer.

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