Whether you’re building your first deck or tuning your hundredth, these guides cover everything a casual Magic: The Gathering player needs to know. From basic deckbuilding rules to advanced stack interactions, each guide is written for kitchen-table players who want to get better without going full tournament grinder.
Getting Started
New to Magic or building your first deck? Start here.
- MTG Basics: Essential Deckbuilding Rules for New Players — The fundamental rules every new player needs: budget, deck size, focus, and metagame awareness.
- What Kind of MTG Player Are You? Timmy, Johnny & Spike Explained — Discover your player psychographic and how it shapes your deckbuilding choices.
- MTG Glossary — Quick reference for every Magic term you’ll encounter.
Deckbuilding Fundamentals
Master the core principles of building a good deck — mana bases, curves, consistency, and the pre-game checklist.
- The Complete Guide to Casual MTG Deckbuilding — The definitive guide: deck size, mana bases, budget building, playtesting, and everything in between.
- MTG Deck Checklist: Everything to Review Before You Play — A printable pre-game checklist covering mana base, curve, interaction, win conditions, and more.
Archetype Deep Dives
Learn how to build the three core MTG archetypes — aggro, control, and combo — with card recommendations and sample skeletons.
- How to Build an Aggro Deck in MTG — Mana curves, creature selection, burn spells, equipment, and sample aggro skeletons.
- How to Build a Control Deck: A Casual Player’s Guide — Counterspells, board wipes, win conditions, and draw engines for the long game.
- Combo Decks 101: How to Build and Play Combos in MTG — Classic combos, tutors, synergy, and how to protect your win condition.
Quick Tips & Tricks
Bite-sized advice you can apply to your next game night.
- 10 Quick Deckbuilding Tricks Every Casual MTG Player Should Know — Fast, actionable tips to tighten up your builds and win more games.
- 10 More Quick Tricks for Better MTG Decks — Intermediate tricks for mana curves, mulligans, and deck consistency.
Game Mechanics
Understand the rules that separate good players from great ones.
- How the MTG Stack Works: A Beginner’s Guide — Master LIFO, priority, and stack interactions to win more games.
Explore More
- Deck Database — Browse 47+ real deck lists across Standard, Modern, Commander, and more.
- Visual Spoiler Directory — Browse every card from 50 Magic sets in visual grid format.
- MTG Glossary — Look up any Magic term.