In this lesson we will be covering magic theory and how it effects deck-building, and deck evaluation when your on the other side of it.
To properly evaluate your own deck, you need to understand what stage the deck is expected to reach, what stage your deck is supposed to be at, and what stage your deck is weak at.
Stage 1: The beginning stage. Typically when the game starts most players are simply playing lands, maybe playing a weak creature or minor spell, and not doing alot that impacts the overall game. Some example of stage 1 cards are:
Stage 2: The mid-range stage. This is when spells start becoming powerful and have major impact on a board. At this stage its not unexpected to have someone wipe the board clean, drop a powerful creature, or attempt to get a combo online. Examples:
Stage 3: The end-game stage. At this point you want to play cards that directly effect the winner of the game. Exceptionally strong spells, creatures, and other win conditions come online to end the game at this point. Examples:
There are typically three main styles of play that all decks follow: Aggro, Combo, Control.
Aggro:
Aggressive decks (aggro) are typically fast, creature heavy lists that are specifically designed to beat your opponent as quickly as possible, so they dont have a chance to get the game to the stage they would like it. Aggro decks absolutely do not want the game to progress to Stage 3, because this is when they are weakest. Ideally they want the game to end in Stage 1 if possible.
Some staple aggressive cards are:
Combo:
A tougher deck style to play, but potentially the most powerful. Combo decks typically require two or more cards to come together to create an exceptionally powerful effect. Some decks are built around combos, some simply include basic combos in their deck to gain an advantage.
For example, an entire deck can be built around this card:
This is a perfect example of combo. Once this card is online, all of your spells are cast twice, meaning a single lightning bolt will hit for 6 damage, which is substantial.
Another example of combo is the following two cards:
If the Basilisk Collar is equipped onto the Sparkmage, he will be able to tap and kill any creature he points at. Truely a powerful combination that some decks simply cannot overcome.
Control: Why bother trying to deal with threats if you can simply stop them from ever existing? Control's entire mentality is that if you aren't being threatened you wont lose. Counter spells, kill creatures, stop combos before they occur, etc... is the name of the game with control. Some example of control cards:
Knowing how your deck is supposed to play is absolutely vital. For example, mixing aggressive and control typically doesn't work. If you are running a deck full of cheap creatures, it doesn't make much sense to also have some random big monsters in it, because your goal is to win fast and early.
When Theory and Strategy merge:
Knowing how to use your cards can directly impact a game. So you have your hand full of cards and you think you know what the best play is with said cards, but what do you consider when using them? When is the proper time to use that lightning bolt? Do you tap out to play a creature or keep up a counter spell? I will attempt to explain in this section some things to consider during the course of play.
Card Advantage and The 2 for 1:
One of the most important things to understand in magic is called "Card Advantage." What this is, is essentially how many cards you are using to accomplish a task. For example, your opponent has 4 creatures on the table, and if you dont kill them you will die. Would you rather play 4 Doom Blades or a single Day of Judgment? The answer to that is fairly obvious. One card vs four should be a no-brainer.
Playing cards that provide more value than you invest can be a really efficient way of gaining an advantage over your opponent. Some cards do this inherently, some cards do it in a more subtle way. The Day of Judgment example above is one of the best card advantage cards in magic. You play one card and destroy potentially infinite amounts of creatures. But what about things more subtle then that?
Take this card for example:
This card here is interesting. On first glance its a Draw 2 for 1U, which seems incredibly powerful. However, the fact that you have to shuffle back a card, and you are also using a card to turn on the effect, means you are actually gaining nothing in terms of card advantage by using this card. You are doing a 1 for 1.
Now lets evaluate a different card:
This card is a direct example of a 2 for 1. You are using 1 card to gain 2 effects. By playing this card with its kicker, you are generating a 2/2 creature, and killing an opponents creature, all for 1 card investment.
In a strong deck its not uncommon to see multiple cards that generate more than one effect or do more than their face value suggests.
So in relation to what i said at the introduction to this section, its typically a good idea to hold onto a card until you vitally need it. Just because you have 2 doom blades in your hand doesnt mean its a good idea to use one right away on something insignificant. Evaluate your hand, think about whats in your deck, remember what your deck is designed to do, and act after that.
In the next section we will be discussing card evaluation, why some cards are better than they look, and why some are worse. See you next time!
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