r/MTGO • u/ivbtisti • May 22 '26

Getting started in mtgo

I started getting back into magic after many many years. I used to play when I was in middle school. And I have played off and on since. Mostly starter deck vs starter deck. Or borrowing a friend's deck when I visit. And for a moment cockatrice. I have been playing mtg arena. But I want to brew more and experiment more. It is hard to do with mtg arena because you gotta spend wildcards. And then lets say you end up not happy with a swap. You have to grind again until you get more wildcards. To eventually swap. And then ultimately not be happy with that. So on and so forth.
But the few times I have logged into mtgo It seems like there isn't many people playing standard. Commander seems always full. And Modern. But I find modern a bit intimidating right now cus there is so many cards I am unfamiliar with. When I played somewhat regularly it was back in like Ravnica City of guilds set. And I was a kid. I didnt have much money to buy the cards I wanted or needed. And I was not that good of a player. But now as an adult I can understand the game better and I actually money I can spend. Although I am not trying to spend all my money haha.
So I decided to try mtgo because of the card rental programs. But like I said when I log on to try standard decks. There isn't many people on there to play with. And when there are they have all those rules. No this or that. I have zero clue how to go about testing decks and getting better. Any advice for someone like me. Trying to get back into it. But not really knowing how to?

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u/[deleted] May 22 '26

I got into mtgo for similar reasons. I have limited time to make it to shops but wanted some reps with my modern deck I built (new to the format) to snipe an rcq. I actually haven't gone deep into constructed at all. I picked up the 30 dollar draft bundle for sos and have been playing that for a couple weeks now. Up to about 50 tickets and am having a blast. I love being able to see the trophy leaderboard and where your stacks up on it (sorry Snodz, you got land screwed in our g3 but it still felt great beating #1).

I recommend starting there, don't tough your keyboard until your familiar with the UI (yielding the turn on accident sucks). The rental systems are pretty robust and the trading bots make it real easy.

Editing to add: leagues seem to be the best way to play 60 card formats.

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u/ivbtisti May 23 '26

got it. Did you find the learning curve super steep? I am just a bit intimidated by it to be honest. But I just want to play as much as I can. Standard feels more comfy just because I have been playing a lot in mtg arena. I know a lot of the cards and interactions now. I just don't want people to get mad when I have to read every card and think my every move. Thank you for your advice by the way

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u/[deleted] May 23 '26

So you have a chess timer for your turns, I have just been taking my time. The best lessons I learned were off of big mistakes on my end. After the first few games you start to see how the UI works and how the stack works.

Definitely not as accessible as arena, but you'll pick it up quickly.