“People are going to wish they got Jace, the Mind Sculptor at $25.”
One of the most powerful ways to get an advantage in Magic is playing with a better deck. One of the most effective ways to build or tune a better deck is through card evaluation.
New tournament-legal Magic sets come out every three months, so the game of figuring out which new cards are the best and how to use them never ends. Even when a set has already been out for a couple months, being able to evaluate the cards that people aren’t playing can help us find creative solutions to problems our decks may be encountering.
Next Level Deckbuilding reveals the secrets of how to evaluate the power level and uses of new cards, including:
- What are the best cards in a new set?
- How do we figure out the best uses for each card?
- What is a card’s rate and how do we determine it?
- How do we find cards that fill particular needs?
- What are going to be the popular decks after a new set is legal?
- How to think like Wizards of the Coast R&D.
- Understanding contextual strengths, novel effects, and remakes.
- Using multilevel thinking to get one step ahead of the metagame.
- And so much more!
Today we have a segment from the card evaluation section of Next Level Deckbuilding.
In addition to a lot more material on card evaluation, Next Level Deckbuilding covers:
- The Art of the Mana Base
- How Many Land to Play in Each Kind of Deck (Exactly)
- Playing Enough of Each Color
- The Types of Lands and How Best to Use Them
- Examples of Successful Mana Bases
- The Opportunity Cost of Expensive Spells
- Ways to Deal with Eventual Flooding
- Templating – How to Build Off of Successful Mana Bases
The ability to evaluate the strength and utility of cards is an invaluable skillset for deckbuilding, but it’s also just a major asset to anyone that buys or collects Magic cards. Big tournament cards often skyrocket in price after a new set comes out (or after a major tournament) once everyone knows how good they are. Being ahead of the curve can save us a lot of money by buying cards before they go up. In fact, you can even make a few dollars picking up extra copies of the best cards before they go up.
Next Level Deckbuilding also provides tools to figure out when cards are overhyped. Saving $5 a card can add up quickly and even if we don’t do a ton of trading can make affording to go to more tournaments a lot easier.
Besides, at the end of the day, figuring out how to use cards before the crowd is one of the most fun experiences the game has to offer. Even if we’re just trying to make our pet deck work, knowing how best to use all of the new cards will level up our deckbuilding immediately.
Join me here tomorrow for another sneak preview from Next Level Deckbuilding, the ultimate guide to mastering deckbuilding in Magic: The Gathering!
Patrick Chapin
“The Innovator”
“I just wanted you to know that you have inspired me to become a better Magic player. Your book Next Level Magic triggered my hard work and dedication to become what I am today. I owe my Top 8 of the first PTQ of Innistrad season, my 45-pack win in an Innistrad Release Event on Magic Online, and my Top 8 at Grand Prix San Diego to you and your book. I could never have done it without you. Thank you and I wish you the best in your endeavors.” –Aaron Cheng
“Before I read Next Level Magic, I was at best an average player (3-3 at a PTQ was a good day, going 2-1 in a draft was fantastic). I won’t go into detail, but I will say that my game has improved beyond recognition since reading your book. I finished third at a $1K event in a field of 120, finished 16th at a PTQ of 128, and won our State Championship last month. I know I’ve got a long way to go, but I’ve also been winning/splitting enough 8-4 Magic Online draft queues that I’ve only ever had to pay for about four out of 20-30.” – Steve, New Zealand
“Hey, I just wanted to thank you for all the great advice you gave in your book. Last Friday I won my local FNM! I was undefeated, and 75 percent of the people I played were high ranked and far more experienced. I was able to say with confidence to my friend before we played that I would win the tournament . . . and I was right! Thank you for everything, and I will see you in a couple years on the Pro Tour (hopefully). That’s my goal!” -Nick Sutphin
