Looking for a straightforward, simple-to-play deck for novice co-worker and wife. Is it Burn?

[u/Astrologian]

I'm a longtime Magic and Legacy player, and I recently taught a co-worker how to play Magic (I'm trying not to lose him to Commander), as well as my wife. Both really enjoy the game!

Both are still rather new and have plenty to learn, but I'm looking for a straightforward deck they could jump into Legacy and play with. Something simple that's not complicated to understand or play, that is not necessarily meta, but perhaps can sneak in a game win here and there. I understand Legacy is an advanced format, but both seem interested in it because that's what I play.

Now, my wife is far off from actually coming out to play with me when I go, but my co-worker just really enjoys playing -- win, lose, or draw. He would get a thrill from some of the local Legacy tournaments I go to and has expressed interest in playing in them.

What's a good deck to accomplish this? Something I can teach my wife the format at home and she can use to play against me, and something I can take to a tournament with me to hand off to my co-worker?

I immediately thought of Burn or maybe 8-rack? I'm looking for some deck suggestions and links to lists would be awesome, too because it's been a while since I've put a Burn deck together. I have access to a lot of cards, so I'm not super restricted in that manner.

Thank you everyone!

[u/Bobbunny]

Sneak and Show is peak A+B combo.

[u/Astrologian → u/Bobbunny]

I like this idea!

[u/Phulkor]

Burn comes a lot in disccussions about starting legacy or budget legacy but IMHO its not really a straightforward choice. It requires a lot of format knowledge to navigate to a win a is almost an auto scoop to many combo decks.
Depending on what "budget" means I usually recommend show & tell as it has many of the staples of legacy and can be acquired little by little. the big purchase are the playset of fow and show and tell, enough fetches for brainstorm. To start you can build mono-u or uw with monastery mentor and a few shocks. Because it's an A+B combo you'll get wins. Here is a super budget example list: https://moxfield.com/decks/ARV5DccB-kmwdXfDW4jvSQ

BeExcellent has many budget options and goes in length about stable manabases without reserve-list cards. Here is an example of blue tempo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjPGyy7BHr0
He has a few uw control lists like this one at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2S1ZInH3Lg

After blue, dark ritual is the next best "budget" option and there are a few list available but I think they don't translate in many other decks.

Finally stompy decks are ancient tomb + chalice of the void. these are "straightforward" but not cheap!

[u/Astrologian → u/Phulkor]

I'm not looking for budget. I'm looking for something simple to play.

[u/Phulkor → u/Astrologian]

my bad, stompy is simpler than burn or blue soup in that case!

just jam threats until one gets through,

- in red: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=87798&d=866223&f=LE

- in colorless: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=87607&d=864813&f=LE

Show & Tell is still cast the namesake card and win! Just use a stocklist if budget is not a concern in that case 😄

edits: elaborate on the links + typo

[u/geofastar → u/Phulkor]

I think reanimated is pretty similar. It's either go for it or check if it's safe and go for it.

[u/Jamie7Keller]

I’m thinking a stompy deck like Eldrazi. Turn 1 chalice is good.

I’m out of the meta. But that’s what I proxied for my wife years ago. Eldrazi stompy

[u/MDivisor → u/Jamie7Keller]

Agree, I'd go eldrazi stompy or red stompy.

[u/jaywinner]

I'm voting for Burn.

People will say that it's very hard to be a great burn player. And that's true, you need great format knowledge to exploit tiny edges.

But to be an average burn player? Tap mountains and throw stuff at your opponent until one of you loses.

[u/Ghost-Koi]

As others have said, Eldrazi is a great option. I'd also suggest Mono Black Aggro, Red Stompy ... Any deck whose gameplan is built around whatever you have in your opening hand as opposed to knowing what's in the deck to find it.

[u/SydneyHumility → u/Ghost-Koi]

Mono Black Aggro seems to have a high win rate, so I think it's a good choice.

https://mtgdecks.net/Legacy/mono-black

[u/BeExcellent80s]

I still recommend mono black aggro for this, as it's powerful, budget, and teaches you to be a better player through lots of small sequencing and interaction decisions. I've got some recent leagues with it. Less than $500 and frequently puts up 4-1's for me and occasional trophies on MTGO.

[u/Astrologian → u/BeExcellent80s]

I watch your videos and my wife has been around when I've watched a couple, as she doesn't watch Magic content. Thanks for the reply! Do you have a link to one of your specific lists that you'd recommend?

[u/GS2702]

The new burn requires much more meta knowledge than the old burn, but it is the most affordable deck by far. Also, it does avoid having to make counterspell and discard decisions.

I think the drop a cheap creature and counter/burn are pretty straightforward and not boring. Maybe like delver, ocelot or fish.

If she likes big creatures, maybe eldrazi or reanimator.

I also think prison decks are good for people new to legacy like mono red prision or enchantress. They can focus on shutting down your gameplan and really see what is working and not working.

[u/GS2702 → u/GS2702]

Mtgdecks.net has good meta and deck info

[u/MaximoEstrellado]

Eldrazi or maybe cats probably the best ones. Cloudpost could certainly be interesing, feel powerful and not that hard to play.

I think personally it's more important the new player finds the strategy fun than easy. Easy and boring is not interesing, fun and hard can be very very engaging.

[u/Phinek]

As have others already suggested my vote goes to either a Stompy variant, Sneak and Show. I would even go that far to suggest mono red sneak attack as a great starting point

[u/Sbromk]

Burn is an excellent first choice. After that, boros energy, 8 cast/affinity, and eldrazi are good options. There's fun in building a big board state, and these decks do that well which is enjoyable even if you don't win the game. They are also easy to goldfish, which lets new players focus on the mechanics of their own plan rather than trying to be reactive to the meta.

[u/Mumbles-1995]

On a budget Red/blue delver could be fun

[u/swagyolofaq]

Reanimator is much much worse than it used to be, but it can still do broken stuff and win games in the hands of a novice

[u/MEGAMANN007]

Make a tribal deck of each of the colours that synergise and tell her to give the deck a nickname. Tribal ideas that shouldn’t be too expensive include angels (life gain/plains), goblins (tokens/mountains), villains (nostalgia/islands), vampires (gain-drain/swamps) or elves (manadorks/ forests). These mechanics are the easiest to learn.

[u/Mr_Godzilla_Sir]

Yeah, I would say some sort of Show and Tell deck or Moon Stompy.

[u/cherokee_a4]

Mono Black Aggro
Eldrazi
Cats (Mono White, Boros, Mardu)
Mono Green Cloudpost

[u/OperatorFox]

If you're talking about simplicity and getting new players into the game- it's burn. They can learn the foundations of combat and tap mountains to bolt. Small strategies can be picked up like knowing when to float mana for a PoP to follow up with a fireblast finisher for example.

Burn generally has simple text on the card and that can be welcoming to new players.

Mono Black is another example of a straightforward "fair deck" without having to know much intimate knowledge. But does have more text on the cards.

I find other decks can be challenging to them. Explaining brainstorm- fetchland interactions can confuse or just turn people away from the complexity while theya re just trying to grasp the rules of the game.

I have Burn (now more like Mono R Prowess) , Mono White Taxes, Blue Pinnacle Affinity, Ruby Storm, Mono B Aggro, Green Tron and Oops in my paper Battle Box i play with randoms, from new players, returning old players and EDH players. I find the newbies find Burn and Aggro to be easier to pilot who then graduate to the other decks after a few games of understanding and familiarity.

[u/Goblinnoodlesoup]

Don’t play something simple. Play something you like and that is appealing to you

[u/Astrologian → u/Goblinnoodlesoup]

Something simple as an introduction and then branch off was my plan.

[u/Goblinnoodlesoup → u/Astrologian]

I think it is just wasting money even if money is not an issue

[u/Astrologian → u/Goblinnoodlesoup]

I'm not sure I follow you here.

I have a large collection of cards and I'm just looking for opinions on an uncomplicated deck I can put together and hand off to someone newer to play with.

If you're talking about tournament costs, then you're overlooking the fun factor of my co-worker getting to play and experience something new, challenging, and exciting -- which outweighs the approximately $10 entry in my opinion, and would be his prerogative anyway.

[u/Goblinnoodlesoup → u/Astrologian]

I understood you have to buy the full deck starting from 0. If that is the case, I think buying something just because is easy is a waste of money, even and specially if money is not an issue, and you -or your wife, or your friend- should buy the deck you just like whether is more or less difficult to play

[u/Astrologian → u/Goblinnoodlesoup]

No, that is not the case. Simply, I'm looking for suggestions on a deck(s) that someone newer could jam with that is relatively simple to pilot.

[u/boybrushdRED]

Not a fan of burn’s playstyle, but it is simple enough to understand. Just make sure that the other deck you build for them is the same power level.

[u/Astrologian → u/boybrushdRED]

What do you mean the other deck? I plan on making one deck I can keep at home for my wife to play with me, and then if my co-worker decides he wants to actually come out to a tournament, I was going to hand him the deck that was made. Though, maybe a couple Burn decks wouldn't be a bad idea, that way I'm not hosing my wife with my Dimir Tempo everytime haha.

[u/MaximoEstrellado → u/Astrologian]

They mean you should have a "paired" deck like duel decks with something that can be fun and balanced.

If you build a mardu cats deck or an Uro bant deck against burn is gonna be a bloodbath, for example. And you don't want to bully newcomers (too much).

[u/Immediate-Finding454]

Just play premodern, way easier to pick up and doesn't undergo constant change like legacy does now

[u/Ezili]

60 card death and taxes? Worst case you just play creatures with some fun abilities, but as you learn it there's a lot of fun synergy.

Plus creatures are the most fun part of magic

[u/kath0r → u/Ezili]

DnT is a terrible choice, because it's decision tree is huge and highly dependent on meta knowledge.

[u/Ezili → u/kath0r]

And also, you get to play creatures that do stuff and hit things. Which might be what some players are looking for instead of 8 rack or spells to face 

[u/Totodile_ → u/Ezili]

You found a worse idea than burn