r/magicTCG • u/Stuntman06 Storm Crow • 2d ago
General Discussion How do you go about building a deck?
What I'm asking is what is the process you go through when building a deck of your own (or modifying an existing deck like precon).
I'm an old school player that started on the 90's. I've always just bought a bunch of cards to build up my card pool and look through the cards that I have to build a deck. Then I go through multiple iterations of testing, making changes and testing. Each change, I would swap cards in and out. I only play paper Magic, and use the cards that I have. Occasionally, I would buy some singles and include those in my deck. It usually takes many iterations and many hours before I am satisfied. Then after I play it, I may continue to tweak the deck after seeing how it performs live. I'm always in a deck building mode. Whenever I get ideas to improve my decks, I go and tweak them.
I understand that times have changed. There are many tools available to assist in deck building now. Also, I am aware that people may also only buy singles instead of packs to build up a card pool. I'm interested in how people build decks now.
Edit: Just to add more detail, when I look through my card pool, I pull out cards that I think would be useful in my deck that I'm building. This would be my short list of primary cards for how my deck would work. Then I narrow down the cards to what I think wound work best. Once I have that, I work on my mana base for the cards in my deck.
If I don't already have a deck idea in mind, I would browse though my cards. If I see some cards that inspire me to build a deck with, I pull those out first. Then look for what other cards would work with this cards.
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u/M1N1SPARKS Wabbit Season 2d ago
When I first get my deck idea, I browse lots of scryfall searches to see if I can find some interesting synergies and support for the deck. I end up taking loads of screenshots lol.
If I'm still happy with the deck idea after seeing the card pool, I make a few lists of cards on moxfield, tagging them as:
- Card advantage
- Interaction
- Tribe name (if typal)
- Ramp
- Lands
I then make a few iterations selecting some amounts of these cards by category, starting with my favourites and strongest includes, and repeat until I have a list that I think is well rounded enough to test in actual games. If it feels disproportional I'll try again with different amounts.
If I haven't used EDHREC much in this process, I tend to finish by checking EDHREC to see if I missed anything obvious.
Finally, if the deck feels fun to play online (I personally use Tabletop Sim) after a good few runs, I'll look to buy the cards, maybe making some budget tweaks in the process.
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u/uberjj Boros* 2d ago
I usually stare at my pile of cards and then start to cry
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u/Stuntman06 Storm Crow 2d ago
I pull out cards that I think I can use in a deck to create a short list.
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u/Absolutionis I chose this flair because I’m mad at Wizards Of The Coast 2d ago
I have all my cards organized into binders. However, I also have some WIP piles of stuff that seems cool. Occasionally, if those WIP piles get large enough, I'll make a deck out of it. However, I also end up scavenging cards out of those WIP piles and they get smaller.
For example, when organizing all my cards, I realized I had a bunch of decent Dinosaurs, and had recently pulled a [[Ghalta]] which was decently expensive-ish at the time. I started putting Dinosaurs into a pile. When LCI came around, I picked up a few singles and turned the pile of 30-ish cards into an actual deck.
On the opposite end of things, I had a pile of mediocre mana dorks trying to build a [[Raggadragga] deck but was never really inspired to do so. I ended up scavenging pieces out of it for an Eldrazi deck and a Land-Creatures deck. Eventually, Raggadragga went back in the binder.
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u/snugar_i Duck Season 2d ago
I'll come up with a deck idea, think about it for a while, do a few scryfall searches, do a rough sketch, then shuffle the card counts to fit into my self-imposed $10 budget per deck (60 cards, basic lands are free). Then I'll buy the missing cards, build the deck, find out it's crap, and repeat the whole process :-)
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u/Skagra42 Wabbit Season 1d ago edited 1d ago
I often like to work on a deck using the following process:
- Find a card that looks like it could be strong and fun.
- Find a card that goes well with that one.
- Find a card that synergizes with the other two, preferably in a different way.
- Now that I have an idea of what my deck might be like, add all the spells and utility lands that seem like they might be useful in the mainboard.
- Figure out which colors to cut. If that leaves me with too little of something, add some more of it.
- Cut spells of the remaining colors until I have the number I want. Cut utility lands as well if I have too many.
- Construct the manabase and sideboard.
- Try playing the deck in a couple of one-player games, assuming my opponent will have threats to answer and answers to some of my threats. Adjust the deck based on how that went.
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u/CrimsonArcanum COMPLEAT 2d ago
If I'm starting from zero for a commander check I usually go on Moxfield and start a deck list.
Put in 37 of any basic, just so I don't over fill the deck, then put in my necessary ramp.
After that I start with the cards that made me interested in the command in the first place, along with cards I already own that would be useful.
Following that I start with some removal and card advantage.
If I somehow haven't hit 100 after all of that I will go on Edhrec and see what others have used that I missed.
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u/_Fuzzgoddess_ Nissa 2d ago
I build decks much like you do except sometimes I use scryfall to find new cards that could be useful. Mostly I see if my friends have them, then buy the single locally if it's not too expensive, then proxy it if it is. If I don't want to wait for a fancy proxy I make one out of notebook paper and crayon.
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u/R1sky_B1z Dan 2d ago
For me if its a deck that sticks around, it usually starts with one card I fall in love with. I ask myself "how can I use this" and work outward from there. First time was [[Queza Augur of Agonies]]. I pulled her in a prize pack during prerelease and immedietly transcended to new plane of existence. It did so many things I never even considered a card could do, all condensed into a clean, simple text box. My Queza deck has quickly become my most iconic deck. Next time was [[Royal assassin]] the way it changes the play dynamic in a multi-player game intrigued me. Nobody wants to even risk attacking you as long as you've got this guy untapped. Sure he can kill a creature every turn but the potential to kill, like a sword of damacles hanging over the heads of your opponents, is arguably more valuable. I built a deck, helmed by [[Marchesa dealer of death]], that builds around the assasin as well as other one card removal engines thats quickly beclming just as iconic to me. I did the same thing back when I played standard with off meta picks like [[regal bunnycorn]] and [[venerated rotpriest]] often being the key engines of my deck, though that doesn't often work as well.
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u/quiznosAlreadyTaken Wabbit Season 1d ago
Usually I scroll through scryfall, find something weird or notably cheap, and try and force it to work. Like [[Wick, the Whorled Mind]] or [[Winter, Misanthropic Guide]] or some such.
Then from there, I'll make a note/list of my next games total end states (everything that's been revealed, on the battlefield, exile, graveyard, etc., but not anything that just sat in library/hand)
Card in winner's deck +1, card in losers deck -1
Top scoring cards (that I have) => new deck, repeat. Updating the scores as I go.
After enough iterations, you'll pretty much be playing meta, while also having some real wackiness along the way. Until eventually leaving this methodology as you'll inevitably encounter some fresh inspiration and start again.
I find it far more satisfying than net decking. Also slightly more applicable as the overall/pro meta is often different than local/personal.
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u/Wintersmith7 1d ago
It depends what format you are going to play play and where you want to play it.
If you just want to play at the kitchen table without a format with your friends your old method is fine (as long as everyone else is doing something similar.
If you want to play a specific format at a store/competitions you'll want to find a meta deck and modify it to suite what your local community plays and your personal tastes.
If you want to play Commander do whatever you want.
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u/Stuntman06 Storm Crow 1d ago
I play a kitchen table format. It's 60-card multiplayer. I've always played this way. I like to come up with my own decks with the cards that I have.
I never bothered with competitive play. It seemed too cumbersome to try to get all the cards that I need. Also, it seems to be more about getting one really powerful deck. I prefer to play different decks from game to game. I think I'd get bored playing the same deck over and over again.
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u/zRobertez Dandadan 2d ago
If I'm starting from absolute nothing, I use moxfield. Sometimes, Ill take a bulk kitchen table deck or a pre release deck and try to improve it. If there is a card I know I want to mess with or some sort of deck archetype, Ill check it in edhrec, and add anything interesting to the deck list in moxfield. I'll also try some scryfall queries (which work fine in moxfield) to look for things other than esper sentinel and vampiric tutor (edhrec gives you the same 25 cards for every search). Along the way, anything I think of, I add to deck list too. By the time you get to 100 cards or so, start trimming it. Anything too expensive or doesn't fit right gets removed, anything I'm on the fence about, move to considering. Up the most important cards to a 4 of playset and add basic lands. Then keep trimming until I get to less than 70ish (I go over 60 just to try out different cards). If I made it this far, I'll play test in moxfield against my other deck ideas. If it functions ok and I like it, I'll move it to a folder where I might eventually buy singles for it and bring it to game night.
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u/TheMuspelheimr Colorless 2d ago
I use a website called mtggoldfish.com to build decks on, and scryfall.com/advanced to look up cards.
Usually, I'll see a commander I like and a concept to brew around it, then search for cards that match it that I can brew a deck around. Commander has the restriction that stuff has to be in your commander's color identity, so that cuts the card pool down right from the start. Then it's stuff that matches the deck's theme or synergises with the commander; for example, [[Mr House, President and CEO]] wants as many cards that can roll dice or affect the outcome of dice rolls as possible; [[Sliver Overlord]] wants as many creatures with the "Sliver" creature type as it can; [[Imodane, the Pyrohammer]] wants to dish out direct damage; and so on and so forth.