How to Build a MTG Deck
Magic: The Gathering (MTG) players assemble decks of cards based on the various realms, or planes, of the fictional universe from the game's storyline. Each deck is used to accomplish various goals in order to defeat an opponent and win an MTG match. Players create these decks from personal collections of cards that are purchased in randomized packs, traded from other players, or bought individually. Care must be taken when creating a MTG deck to ensure it can both defend a player and overcome the opponent with a carefully selected win condition.
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Instructions
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Determine your desired win condition. Common win conditions include lowering an opponent's life total to zero, forcing them to run out of cards or contracting ten poison counters.
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Select creatures with abilities that support the win condition. Life loss decks may focus on heavy hitting creatures with high attack power. Players who wish to win by "decking" an opponent and forcing them to run out of cards should select creatures, spells, and artifacts with discard abilities. Poisonous creatures comprise the backbone of poison-based decks.
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Add spells to protect your creatures or eliminate threats. Lightning Bolt, Lava Burst and Fireball can all be used to burn away an enemy's life total or remove his creatures. Spells such as Sanctuary can protect slower decks while you slowly poison an opponent or force her to run out of cards.
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Choose lands to power your spells. The type of land should reflect the color of spells used in your deck. Black mana comes from swamps, blue from islands, green is the mana of forests, plains create white mana and red relies on mountains. Land cards should comprise approximately one-third of your deck.
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Pick artifacts to round out your deck. Artifacts may be used for additional mana production, direct damage or to further support your win condition. This card type offers both artifact creatures and simple artifacts which possess spell-like abilities. The Millstone and Grindstone often prove invaluable to decks using the "decking" win condition. Artifacts commonly comprise another third of a deck's total cards.
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Tips & Warnings
Some cards may be restricted or banned from tournament use. Always check the rules of any official tournaments before entering to avoid automatic forfeiture.
