“How do you actually build a good deck from scratch?”
“How can I make this deck no one else ever thought of work?”
“How does one actually tune net decks?”
“How much does building in Commander actually differ from other formats?”
Over the years I have received messages from thousands of Magic players covering a wide range of topics. The most popular, however, has always been deckbuilding. It’s a fascinating subject that has captured the hearts and minds of many Magic players despite how much it seems the majority of other players are content to rely completely on net decks these days.
And although the majority of players are content to rely entirely on net decks, it is those players that still care about building new decks, enjoy reading about new strategies, build their own decks, or even just want to tune the perfect versions that Next Level Deckbuilding offers the most.
Next Level Deckbuilding is the culmination of years of work and research on the topic of deckbuilding and the place where I finally have the space to do the topic justice. Next Level Deckbuilding leaves no secret untold, answering every big question about deckbuilding I have received over the years, including:
- How can we identify the pillars of a format, what the format is built on?
- How can we spot holes in the metagame, weaknesses you can capitalize on?
- What are the best ways to end a game in a format and how can we best set them up?
- What are the best openings in a format and how can we capitalize not only on using them but on taking advantage of how many other people we expect to use them?
- How do you update decks when a format changes?
- How can we determine what the good cards and strategies are in a format and then use cards and strategies that are good against them?
- How do you build and use a playtest gauntlet?
- How do you use the data you get from playtesting?
- And countless other major questions about deckbuilding answered!
Today I’d like to share a segment from Next Level Deckbuilding that begins to tackle how to approach deckbuilding and then how to actually do it:
Deckbuilding is more than just deckbuilding tactics, like combinations of cards that work well together and when to cut Kird Apes for Baneslayer Angels, and Next Level Deckbuilding discusses the strategy that goes into deckbuilding at length. Next Level Deckbuilding tackles every aspect of deckbuilding, from:
- Step-by-step everything you need to know to build successful mana bases
- How to metagame, including tuning decks and building sideboards
- How to bring new concepts to life
- How to take net decks to the Next Level
- How to evaluate new cards, as well as figuring out how to use cards that others are overlooking
- How to build every kind of strategy in Magic, as well as how to tune decks to beat them
- Understanding the right ways to use proactive cards to maximize your chances of winning
- When to use reactive cards and how to pick the right tool for the job
- How to use deckbuilding to solve problems for your strategy
- Making the math behind Magic easy
- What’s important in deckbuilding for Commander
- A complete history of deckbuilding in Magic’s twenty-year history
- What we can learn from over 100 of the greatest deckbuilders in Magic
- And this is just scratching the surface!
If you build decks from scratch, Next Level Deckbuilding is for you. If you play in tournaments, Next Level Deckbuilding is for you. If you just want to win more at Magic, Next Level Deckbuilding is for you. It takes just one tournament to make the investment in yourself pay dividends, and the enjoyment of decks actually working and working well makes every gaming experience more fun and more satisfying.
Next Level Deckbuilding is the ultimate guide to mastering deckbuilding in Magic: The Gathering.
Patrick Chapin
“The Innovator”
“I just wanted to take the time to say thanks to Patrick for undertaking this project and producing a really insightful look at Magic theory. I’ve always drafted, played in Regionals, attend PTQs, etc., never finishing in the top half and never getting any better. I was stuck in this rut for nearly two years . . . I wasn’t improving, I was (inconsistently) achieving average results, I had no idea why, and I was tired of it.
Next Level Magic gave me a new, fresh, and deeply insightful way to approach the game . . . I am for the first time consistently making Top 8 and even winning events. Thanks for taking the time to put this book together, as I have found it a massive help.” -Steven Hitchcock, Hamilton, New Zealand
“Just finished reading Next Level Magic and wanted to say a huge thank you. I’ve been playing for ten years, but having checked my ego at the door, I’ve improved more in the last month than ever before and it’s mostly thanks to your insight. As seems fitting, after over a month of practice and reading, I finished the last page tonight. I then won my first 8-4 Magic Online draft, and boy did it feel good. So thank you and congrats on helping transform one more ambitious punk into a thoughtful, calculating opponent.” -Allen Snell
“I qualified for the National Championship with one of Chapin’s new decks. It was amazing; it felt like being one step ahead of the metagame, catching people completely unaware.” -Martin
“Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for all you have done and said to me . . . It’s really turned my whole outlook on Magic around. I just finished reading your book for the third time and have gained a tremendous outlook on this whole experience . . . I decided to go to a big tournament after I read the book the second time, and I got 21st at the SCG Open in Boston . . . I am thoroughly convinced had I not read the words and taken the advice I would not have done well at all . . . There were situations that I looked at and was able to read my opponents bluffs . . . seeing if they were playing hastily . . . gauging reactions by tapping mana . . . all of it!
I could not be more grateful for what you have done for me by stepping outside of your “professional persona” and helping the “little guy” . . . I owe you big time . . . I was at the point of stepping out of this game for good and now couldn’t be more driven to excel and make it to the top. Thanks again.” -Jonathan Wdowiasz
