New to magic

[Timboslice78]

I play magic on xbox and I just recently bought a 2015 toolkit deck builder and I'm curious about which would a good and powerful starter deck for someone just getting into it. I also don't know much about building decks so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Gorzo]

Welcome to magic!

The deck builder's toolkit is definitely a great place to start - it has a lot of essentials for you to play around with and get the sense of what you need in your decks.

Here are my tips to a newcomer when it comes to deckbuilding!

1: keep your deck as close to the minimum number of cards allowed. This is usually 60. Even though it can get hard to decide which cards you want to keep in your deck, using the minimum gives you the best odds of getting your absolute best/favorite cards each game.

2: about 40% of your deck should be land! (23-24 cards of 60) Building a solid land base is super important to deck building, and it might take some time to get the perfect ratio for you. Keep in mind that decks with multiple colors or more high-mana-cost cards will want more land in the deck, and a single-color deck full of things that cost only one or two mana will need much less.

3: sort your cards by mana cost, and review your "curve." If you stack your cards by how much mana they cost, a well-rounded deck should look somewhat like a bell - smaller on each end and bulging up in the middle (ideally your bell should curve the largest at 2 and 3 mana). It's a good way to visualize your deck's speed and consistency.

4: experiment! Toy with different color combinations, play styles, themes, and archetypes. You may find that you really have a knack for agro (lots of small attackers that overwhelm your foe) or burn (using lots of removal to keep your opponent down) or control (a combination of tricks and removal to deny your opponent from doing anything). Finding your niche can really help you deck build - it's a lot easier to build with a plan!

[Chuchu812]

Keep in mind that you can also have a 15 card sideboard to go along with the deck. This way if you have to change your game in the strategy that you're using  your opponent, the odds will be better for you.

[Kaworu, the Fifth Child]

What colour do you want to build around? Since you're pretty new, I'd recommend going with a simple deck based around getting lots of creatures and attacking a lot.

[LinkCelestrial]

What colour do you want to build around? Since you're pretty new, I'd recommend going with a simple deck based around getting lots of creatures and attacking a lot.

Red Deck Wins, aka RDW is a great deck to start with.

[Kaworu, the Fifth Child]

What colour do you want to build around? Since you're pretty new, I'd recommend going with a simple deck based around getting lots of creatures and attacking a lot.

Red Deck Wins, aka RDW is a great deck to start with.

I'd agree, but Green stomp (lots of big creatures) is better to learn on.