Specific Advice for a Few Hobbies

My last post talked about starting a hobby in general. Here are a few more specific tips for collectible card games:

Magic: The Gathering 

Magic: The Gathering, or MTG or just "Magic", is the first and foremost collectible card game in the world. Players play the game using pre-built decks, and they collect the cards they need by purchasing random packs, by trading with friends, or by purchasing selected cards at game stores. Players take the part of a sorcerer engaged in a magical duel, where playing a card is equivalent to casting a spell. 

To get started with Magic:  

• Pick up an introductory deck. The current decks for Return to Ravnica are a great deal, with well constructed 60 card decks and two free packs for $15. These decks illustrate how a Magic deck works, and come complete with the rules of the game..
• Play some games with friends. This is especially good if you play intro decks versus each other.
• Pick up a few booster packs ($4 each) and reinforce your deck with new cards.
• Maybe pick up an event deck, approximately $25. These are coherent decks intended to give you a fighting chance in a Friday Night Magic event.
• Start attending local Magic events! The Whiz Store has Friday Night Magic starting at 6PM, Saturday Commander starting at 8:30PM, Sunday leagues from noon to 4pm, and Modern format tournaments on Sunday afternoons from 4PM until done.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

This is another collectible card game which generally appeals to a slightly younger group than Magic: The Gathering. Yugioh is a Japanese word that means "King of Games". Two players duel with magical creatures and spells, with an emphasis on transforming your creatures into more powerful forms, in keeping with much of Japanese mythology.

Getting started with Yu-gi-oh! is very similar to starting out with Magic: The Gathering. Buy an introductory deck, buy a few packs to build better decks, and attend our Yu-Gi-Oh! games on Saturday evenings from 6PM to 8:15PM.