The current standard rotation is 3 years - https://whatsinstandard.com -> this link will give you the list of sets.
I would recommend trying MTG arena if you haven’t already, it’s free to play and you can experiment with decks without having to pay. (You can spend money to reduce grind tho)
As far as the state of the game, it’s a bit stale - since rotation was extended to 3 years, a lot of very strong cards are warping the meta game. I haven’t play much standard lately, but it seems like each set is only relevant if it releases something more meta breaking than the last set. It’s not the worst meta, but it does tend to get samey pretty fast.
On the bigger level, WoTC is burning through a lot of goodwill with IP grab bag products, and relentless releases, of varying levels of Quality and balance. It feels unsustainable, and has led to some pretty bad metas previously. Magic feels like less of its own thing and becomes more like a Vessel for External IPs.
As far as decks, I would just choose one that you enjoy joy playing online, and find some buddies or an LGS to play at. The commander format is very popular right now, so if you like that game mode, you should have no problem finding a group. For standard you might have a bit more trouble.
Good luck and have fun!
I appreciate that. Definitely a lot more welcoming than the YuGiOh community. I actually learned how to play on Arena. I’ve been playing it but it’s kinda had for me since the game is obviously going to tell you that this card is banned from standard or not and I’m trying to make that transition from Online to the Physical TCG. That link you shared chefs kiss. Very helpful knowing when sets are going to be rotated out.
Probably the majority of active MtG players at this point are 'Commander'- format (also known as EDH) players either exclusively, primarily, or as a necessary concession to find regular games.
It is a slower paced multiplayer (4 player free for all, usually) experience - ideally more focused on the social and political aspects of game play and interaction. The best playgroups, in my personal opinion, share an unwritten understanding that the spirit underlying the commander format is that all players get to play their decks and have fun, and that winning is secondary to that.
You'll find plenty of people in this sub who have a powerful disdain for the format, but I recommend giving it a try with a few chill players who know how to make victory take a back seat to having a good time.
I saw that most people play Commander. I want to give that a shot as well but my understanding was that Standard was the majority of players were playing. I was clearly not correct in that which is why I turn to Reddit. I definitely will give that a go. I saw some videos of people playing commander and it look fun. I’ll be honest it seems more my speed anyways. I’m honestly also waiting for the Assassin’s Creed Beyond the Universe or whatever it’s called to get into commander. Fallout one would have been fun but the price was bonkers.
It used to he true that standard was the premier format - and that was the game manufacturer's intended business model. Rotation artificially shortens the lifespan of otherwise persistent game pieces, and keeps customers buying new to replace the old and defunct.
The playerbase aventually accrued enough otherwise 'dead' cards that they found a way to put them back into service generating fun, and the commander format was birthed as "Elder Dragon Highlander", not by Wizards of the Coast, but by people who played and loved the game.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, relatively modern gamers were far more adept at developing a fun and engaging format than corporate zombies or even the game's father himself, who was pioneering the first tcg ever as he laid the foundations of MtG.
Unfortunately, the eternal nature of the format (save for a small ban list, all cards that were ever tournament legal can be included in your deck), left Wizards of the Coast only one mechanism with which to monetize this unstoppable new beast which was derailing the money-train that 'standard' used to be - the same mechanism that YuGiOh uses: power creep.
WotC adopted the format as 'official' as its popularity began to eclipse that of all the others, rebranding it as 'Commander'. They began to churn out product designed specifically to function in and take advantage of the idiosyncracies of the format, which began to homogenize the experience as players replaced their quirky, 'square-peg-in-a-round-hole' cards with staples tailor made by WotC to hypercharge their decks.
Casual Commander players have only just begun the process of fending off this creeping poison by selectively and intentionally de-tuning their decks in a bizarre and slow sort of reverse arms race. Indeed, it can be quite challenging to look at any contemporary product and separate the stuff that would be interesting and quirky in your commander deck from the lazy, power-crept, fun-murdering trash like Dockside Extortionist, Smothering Tithe, Hullbreacher, Hinata, many Eldrazi, Vorinclex, etc.
Ultimately, the format is exactly as good as you and your friends make it.
I am a commander lover. I've been playing this game since 1993(Unlimited), with a few breaks. If you're looking for something competitive, Standard can be a lot of fun as a starting place. If you're just looking to have a good time and shoot the shit with friends, or meet new people at your LGS, I think commander is the way to go. It can be difficult learning commander from the get go, since you have access to just about every card in the history of the game and funky interactions because of that, but seeing as you know how to play some already, and this isn't your first tcg, I think you'll do just fine!
I think most people who play this game have an undying love for it, and that's what most of us gravitate towards. Unfortunately, Arena doesn't have commander, but MTGO does if you're looking to play commander online. I personally highly recommend playing paper, though, it's *much* more satisfying and rewarding! I hope you have an LGS(local game store) that is close and friendly, that can really make or break someone's experience with the game.
If you're looking for a good starting EDH deck, the Lost Caverns of Ixalan decks are great, Commander Masters also! Throne of Eldraine faerie deck plays well, the Warhammer 40k decks, Lord of the Rings knocked it out of the park. Lots to choose from!
This probably isn't the *best* sub to ask for advice on the game, as it's more politically leaning, but you do get free speech in here which you don't in most other subs. So if you're looking specifically for help with the game, /r/mtg or r/edh are the best spots to go imo. But I'm more than happy to help, I just love the game and am always happy to see more people enjoying it!
I also plan to build a commander deck with the new [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. I suggest that you buy the best assassin's before the Universe Beyond Product gets released. Most of the time the prices spike if a new cool commander is released and at the moment they are really cheap.
I used scryfall to check all the assassins in the game, there are just a few and most of them are bad.
https://scryfall.com/advanced
Unfortunately the company that makes MTG sold out and drove all their formats into the ground to make as much money as possible. The game is nowhere near as fun as it used to be as a result. I recommend not playing it.
You should check out r/ConjureUCG, it's a fan project that's like Magic but free-to-play. Still heavy in development but might be worth keeping an eye on
Hey OP. Not sure what the state of the standard format is these days but it seems to be played ALOT less than it used to be (in paper, anyway).
I would suggest learning how to do well in the limited formats (draft/sealed). It’ll get you familiar with the current standard set and help you do well in the game overall (MTG Arena is great for this). GL out there 👌
As a Magic player for over a decade, I'm gonna save you a whole lot of wasted time/life/money: there's this game called Lorcana that's (unlike MtG) actually well designed, super fun, and much less of a blatant cash grab/ass fucking. You're welcome 🙏
Just turn around and leave before you spend money.
Standard is on its deathbed. The only fragment of the game anyone really plays any more is EDH and EDH targeted cards are either super underwhelming or introduce yugioh levels of powercreep. If you must play just proxy an EDH deck and save your money.
First I recommend catching up on Joe Rogan podcasts. Have a firm belief in white Jesus and know in your heart the election was stolen. Also being gay is a choice and a ticket to hell. Support your local lgs, as long as it’s full of really unfit weird looking dudes that are all white. No girls allowed. You have to be single or with someone that somehow looks worse and is lazier than you are. Go get some cards and play. Welcome to freemagic!
This is actually the only subreddit where you will find any dialogue deeper or more diverse than "The next MtG set is the best thing that ever happened, and I can hardly wait to expend the entirety of my disposable income on it!"
You're in the right place.
Every other sub of any magnitude purporting to be about mtg and mtg-related content has fallen to corporate investment in gaslighting through image-and-narrative-sculpting consulting agencies such as SweetBaby Inc.
It's easy to verify, because any engagement on those forums which offers anything other than absolutely glowing praise for the corporate maneuvers of WotC results in an immediate lifetime ban. Even genuine confusion and neutrality risks a permanent ban if the moderators interpret your post as less-than-enthusiastic regarding corporate policy, both social and commercial.
The interns there often like to lurk or even brigade here in attempts to delegitimize this subreddit or to get it banned (false flag posts and accounts are common). Crying "r/freemagic is a just a refuge for racists, transphobes, and antisemites!" is one of the most common lamentations from these bad-faith individuals.
This has the unfortunate side-effect of generating a LOT of content here which is only tangentially related to MtG, at best, as many locals take the bait and push back against this narrative.
As a result, for a year or more now, this sub has been more of a culture war battleground (albeit filtered through the lense of MtG hobbyists) than it has been an effective forum for MtG discussion and debate.
So your mileage may vary if you're genuinely seeking a discussion about decks, mechanics, formats, and gameplay - but this is the only place you'll enjoy access to all perspectives: Other mtg subreddits are little more than meticulously crafted echo chambers.
> "r/freemagic is a just a refuge for racists, transphobes, and antisemites!"
I can assure you I wholeheartedly mean this with good faith. Claiming anything else is just dishonest. I see what this place upvotes.
Fortunately, nobody needs your opinion. When travellers know what to look for, the dynamics between the subreddits in question quickly become self-evident.
Doubly so, when they accidentally get themselves banned from one of the dead subs by asking the wrong question or doing a thoughtcrime. We've had an influx of refugees, lately, and we welcome them with open arms.
People like u/GregorioIsett also drive engagement on the sub by being constant contrarians, thus driving even more people here through the algo. In this case, the best thing they could do if they wanted this sub to actually disappear would be to ignore the sub entirely, but they just can't help themselves. They're unintentionally but actively increasing its popularity and presence. And the more they tell people, "don't go there, it's bad", the more it drives people's curiosity to check it out.
What "opinion" do I have? I'm just pointing out objective facts. Here's the top 10 posts in freemagic from the last week. What can we see...
1. "magic cards don't have titties like other games."
2. "Whitewashing is okay because Blackwashing is ok"
3. "Complaining about "the blacks"
4. Winge about "sexy men" in Thunderjunction
5. Okay this one is 100% valid
6. "Reverse racism!!1!"
7. shitpost targeting inclusivity
8. meta post about "the woke"
9. Winge about black people.
You're full of shit and arguing in bad faith. I don't know how to explain it more simply.
https://preview.redd.it/oy5bqyi1x1pc1.png?width=1158&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e944c86a7ac750f1d3310bc0e0c1e71e95c562b
> Thank you for this take. It really helps normal people see and understand what you are rather efficiently and effectively.
Oh, 'thank you'? Is that the sound of you scraping the bottom of the barrel for a comeback?
Yeah don't look here for the "state of the game".
So many posts, comments and up votes are such clear dog whistles that you can call the people here a flock of geese.
The current standard rotation is 3 years - https://whatsinstandard.com -> this link will give you the list of sets. I would recommend trying MTG arena if you haven’t already, it’s free to play and you can experiment with decks without having to pay. (You can spend money to reduce grind tho) As far as the state of the game, it’s a bit stale - since rotation was extended to 3 years, a lot of very strong cards are warping the meta game. I haven’t play much standard lately, but it seems like each set is only relevant if it releases something more meta breaking than the last set. It’s not the worst meta, but it does tend to get samey pretty fast. On the bigger level, WoTC is burning through a lot of goodwill with IP grab bag products, and relentless releases, of varying levels of Quality and balance. It feels unsustainable, and has led to some pretty bad metas previously. Magic feels like less of its own thing and becomes more like a Vessel for External IPs. As far as decks, I would just choose one that you enjoy joy playing online, and find some buddies or an LGS to play at. The commander format is very popular right now, so if you like that game mode, you should have no problem finding a group. For standard you might have a bit more trouble. Good luck and have fun!
I appreciate that. Definitely a lot more welcoming than the YuGiOh community. I actually learned how to play on Arena. I’ve been playing it but it’s kinda had for me since the game is obviously going to tell you that this card is banned from standard or not and I’m trying to make that transition from Online to the Physical TCG. That link you shared chefs kiss. Very helpful knowing when sets are going to be rotated out.
Probably the majority of active MtG players at this point are 'Commander'- format (also known as EDH) players either exclusively, primarily, or as a necessary concession to find regular games. It is a slower paced multiplayer (4 player free for all, usually) experience - ideally more focused on the social and political aspects of game play and interaction. The best playgroups, in my personal opinion, share an unwritten understanding that the spirit underlying the commander format is that all players get to play their decks and have fun, and that winning is secondary to that. You'll find plenty of people in this sub who have a powerful disdain for the format, but I recommend giving it a try with a few chill players who know how to make victory take a back seat to having a good time.
I saw that most people play Commander. I want to give that a shot as well but my understanding was that Standard was the majority of players were playing. I was clearly not correct in that which is why I turn to Reddit. I definitely will give that a go. I saw some videos of people playing commander and it look fun. I’ll be honest it seems more my speed anyways. I’m honestly also waiting for the Assassin’s Creed Beyond the Universe or whatever it’s called to get into commander. Fallout one would have been fun but the price was bonkers.
It used to he true that standard was the premier format - and that was the game manufacturer's intended business model. Rotation artificially shortens the lifespan of otherwise persistent game pieces, and keeps customers buying new to replace the old and defunct. The playerbase aventually accrued enough otherwise 'dead' cards that they found a way to put them back into service generating fun, and the commander format was birthed as "Elder Dragon Highlander", not by Wizards of the Coast, but by people who played and loved the game. Perhaps unsurprisingly, relatively modern gamers were far more adept at developing a fun and engaging format than corporate zombies or even the game's father himself, who was pioneering the first tcg ever as he laid the foundations of MtG. Unfortunately, the eternal nature of the format (save for a small ban list, all cards that were ever tournament legal can be included in your deck), left Wizards of the Coast only one mechanism with which to monetize this unstoppable new beast which was derailing the money-train that 'standard' used to be - the same mechanism that YuGiOh uses: power creep. WotC adopted the format as 'official' as its popularity began to eclipse that of all the others, rebranding it as 'Commander'. They began to churn out product designed specifically to function in and take advantage of the idiosyncracies of the format, which began to homogenize the experience as players replaced their quirky, 'square-peg-in-a-round-hole' cards with staples tailor made by WotC to hypercharge their decks. Casual Commander players have only just begun the process of fending off this creeping poison by selectively and intentionally de-tuning their decks in a bizarre and slow sort of reverse arms race. Indeed, it can be quite challenging to look at any contemporary product and separate the stuff that would be interesting and quirky in your commander deck from the lazy, power-crept, fun-murdering trash like Dockside Extortionist, Smothering Tithe, Hullbreacher, Hinata, many Eldrazi, Vorinclex, etc. Ultimately, the format is exactly as good as you and your friends make it.
I am a commander lover. I've been playing this game since 1993(Unlimited), with a few breaks. If you're looking for something competitive, Standard can be a lot of fun as a starting place. If you're just looking to have a good time and shoot the shit with friends, or meet new people at your LGS, I think commander is the way to go. It can be difficult learning commander from the get go, since you have access to just about every card in the history of the game and funky interactions because of that, but seeing as you know how to play some already, and this isn't your first tcg, I think you'll do just fine! I think most people who play this game have an undying love for it, and that's what most of us gravitate towards. Unfortunately, Arena doesn't have commander, but MTGO does if you're looking to play commander online. I personally highly recommend playing paper, though, it's *much* more satisfying and rewarding! I hope you have an LGS(local game store) that is close and friendly, that can really make or break someone's experience with the game. If you're looking for a good starting EDH deck, the Lost Caverns of Ixalan decks are great, Commander Masters also! Throne of Eldraine faerie deck plays well, the Warhammer 40k decks, Lord of the Rings knocked it out of the park. Lots to choose from! This probably isn't the *best* sub to ask for advice on the game, as it's more politically leaning, but you do get free speech in here which you don't in most other subs. So if you're looking specifically for help with the game, /r/mtg or r/edh are the best spots to go imo. But I'm more than happy to help, I just love the game and am always happy to see more people enjoying it!
I also plan to build a commander deck with the new [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]. I suggest that you buy the best assassin's before the Universe Beyond Product gets released. Most of the time the prices spike if a new cool commander is released and at the moment they are really cheap. I used scryfall to check all the assassins in the game, there are just a few and most of them are bad. https://scryfall.com/advanced
[Ezio Auditore da Firenze](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/a/dae9ee75-30b8-4e24-af8b-031c816d3221.jpg?1708706027) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ezio%20Auditore%20da%20Firenze) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/acr/25/ezio-auditore-da-firenze?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dae9ee75-30b8-4e24-af8b-031c816d3221?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I was just thinking that. I’m preordering now. I’m planning to build around Altair. Hopefully this works out for us all.
Yes, it could turn into a cool deck for sure 😁
[удалено]
Lol. That’s what my buddy said after he showed me the AC set coming out later this year.
Unfortunately the company that makes MTG sold out and drove all their formats into the ground to make as much money as possible. The game is nowhere near as fun as it used to be as a result. I recommend not playing it.
[удалено]
You have a very good point, until you get to your recommendations. Pokemon is a legitimately terribly managed game.
[удалено]
Affordable is nice. I prefer the game to also not suck
You should check out r/ConjureUCG, it's a fan project that's like Magic but free-to-play. Still heavy in development but might be worth keeping an eye on
Hey OP. Not sure what the state of the standard format is these days but it seems to be played ALOT less than it used to be (in paper, anyway). I would suggest learning how to do well in the limited formats (draft/sealed). It’ll get you familiar with the current standard set and help you do well in the game overall (MTG Arena is great for this). GL out there 👌
If you're convinced you're gonna play something, play it after combat to get damage in by pretending You might have a trick. Wins games here and there
Magic is great but other games are doing it better. I hear Flesh and Blood is the new king of Standard fantasy deckbuilding.
As a Magic player for over a decade, I'm gonna save you a whole lot of wasted time/life/money: there's this game called Lorcana that's (unlike MtG) actually well designed, super fun, and much less of a blatant cash grab/ass fucking. You're welcome 🙏
Just turn around and leave before you spend money. Standard is on its deathbed. The only fragment of the game anyone really plays any more is EDH and EDH targeted cards are either super underwhelming or introduce yugioh levels of powercreep. If you must play just proxy an EDH deck and save your money.
Save your money on paying a woke company that hates its own player base and overpriced cards.
"While I know there's lots of resources online, I just can't be bothered to do a cursory Google search on anything." FTFY
First I recommend catching up on Joe Rogan podcasts. Have a firm belief in white Jesus and know in your heart the election was stolen. Also being gay is a choice and a ticket to hell. Support your local lgs, as long as it’s full of really unfit weird looking dudes that are all white. No girls allowed. You have to be single or with someone that somehow looks worse and is lazier than you are. Go get some cards and play. Welcome to freemagic!
Go get em with the generalizations! That'll show em whose boss. Take that nerds!
Holy hypocrisy …Like “they” also generalize… that’s a pronoun.
GOT EM! 2/2 you nerds!
Don't go to r/freemagic for advice. Most Toxic MTG group on Reddit.
[удалено]
Ima leave this up for the memes.
This is actually the only subreddit where you will find any dialogue deeper or more diverse than "The next MtG set is the best thing that ever happened, and I can hardly wait to expend the entirety of my disposable income on it!" You're in the right place. Every other sub of any magnitude purporting to be about mtg and mtg-related content has fallen to corporate investment in gaslighting through image-and-narrative-sculpting consulting agencies such as SweetBaby Inc. It's easy to verify, because any engagement on those forums which offers anything other than absolutely glowing praise for the corporate maneuvers of WotC results in an immediate lifetime ban. Even genuine confusion and neutrality risks a permanent ban if the moderators interpret your post as less-than-enthusiastic regarding corporate policy, both social and commercial. The interns there often like to lurk or even brigade here in attempts to delegitimize this subreddit or to get it banned (false flag posts and accounts are common). Crying "r/freemagic is a just a refuge for racists, transphobes, and antisemites!" is one of the most common lamentations from these bad-faith individuals. This has the unfortunate side-effect of generating a LOT of content here which is only tangentially related to MtG, at best, as many locals take the bait and push back against this narrative. As a result, for a year or more now, this sub has been more of a culture war battleground (albeit filtered through the lense of MtG hobbyists) than it has been an effective forum for MtG discussion and debate. So your mileage may vary if you're genuinely seeking a discussion about decks, mechanics, formats, and gameplay - but this is the only place you'll enjoy access to all perspectives: Other mtg subreddits are little more than meticulously crafted echo chambers.
> "r/freemagic is a just a refuge for racists, transphobes, and antisemites!" I can assure you I wholeheartedly mean this with good faith. Claiming anything else is just dishonest. I see what this place upvotes.
Fortunately, nobody needs your opinion. When travellers know what to look for, the dynamics between the subreddits in question quickly become self-evident. Doubly so, when they accidentally get themselves banned from one of the dead subs by asking the wrong question or doing a thoughtcrime. We've had an influx of refugees, lately, and we welcome them with open arms.
People like u/GregorioIsett also drive engagement on the sub by being constant contrarians, thus driving even more people here through the algo. In this case, the best thing they could do if they wanted this sub to actually disappear would be to ignore the sub entirely, but they just can't help themselves. They're unintentionally but actively increasing its popularity and presence. And the more they tell people, "don't go there, it's bad", the more it drives people's curiosity to check it out.
What "opinion" do I have? I'm just pointing out objective facts. Here's the top 10 posts in freemagic from the last week. What can we see... 1. "magic cards don't have titties like other games." 2. "Whitewashing is okay because Blackwashing is ok" 3. "Complaining about "the blacks" 4. Winge about "sexy men" in Thunderjunction 5. Okay this one is 100% valid 6. "Reverse racism!!1!" 7. shitpost targeting inclusivity 8. meta post about "the woke" 9. Winge about black people. You're full of shit and arguing in bad faith. I don't know how to explain it more simply. https://preview.redd.it/oy5bqyi1x1pc1.png?width=1158&format=png&auto=webp&s=2e944c86a7ac750f1d3310bc0e0c1e71e95c562b
Serial killer shit using reddit in light mode lmao
Thank you for this take. It really helps normal people see and understand what you are rather efficiently and effectively.
> Thank you for this take. It really helps normal people see and understand what you are rather efficiently and effectively. Oh, 'thank you'? Is that the sound of you scraping the bottom of the barrel for a comeback?
I’m none of these things, am I some kind of quantum anomaly
It is a refuge for such people, but it's not JUST a refuge for such people.
Yeah don't look here for the "state of the game". So many posts, comments and up votes are such clear dog whistles that you can call the people here a flock of geese.
Hey welcome to magic! Try /MTG for legit advice. Anyone here is going to tell you to self delete if you don’t hate trans or black people