Any card has an inherent -1 card advantage, since you lose the card to get the effect. Find cards that can destroy more than one permanent at a time, to make your opponent lose more cards than you did. Another rule is to see if your current hand lets you be proactive early on, or works well against your opponent. Also, if you cannot easily cast more than one spell in your opening hand with the lands you see, a mulligan may be in order. Finally, you may take a mulligan if your opening hand does not represent your overall strategy.
This works best if you’re using reactive decks such as control, or Jund (black/red/green) in the Modern format. As for aggressive decks, hang onto a dead card, and then make a bold attack while your lands are untapped. Your opponent may get the impression that you’re preparing to cast a devastating combat trick. Others are geared for a specific strategy, or even a particular deck.
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Set Review for Eternal Arena Formats Pt.2 + 3 New Decks
Learn which decks and strategies are the most popular in your chosen format and game store, and use that as a reference. But your opponent will side in cards too, and you may try to side in cards for that. Don’t be afraid to use your sideboard for your opponent’s sideboard, as well as their main deck.
New players will soon learn that a deck is not 60 cards, but 75. A sideboard may have up to 15 cards, and they can be swapped with the main deck to adjust to your opponent’s strategy. Some sideboard cards are broad and generic and are great inclusions, such as Pithing Needle, Ghost Quarter, Spellskite, and Wasteland.
Our Games
If your opponent runs out of cards, they will run out of steam, too. Mana is not the only resource in this game; life points and cards are the other two, and all three must be managed well. Life points can be spent to pay for effects or spells, and black mana, in particular, is savvy with that.
Return to one of Magic’s most iconic planes for an epic battle between dragons and clans. Tarkir is now bigger and bolder than ever, filled with cinematic action, dynamic clan gameplay, and powerful new dragons that add lasting firepower to your collection. In this episode of Fun & Jank, we’re looking at five sleeper cards that haven’t broken through—yet. From transformation tricks to discard engines and explosive ramp setups, these are the future all-stars that just need the right shell, support, or format shift to shine. Inspired by Enduring Renewal, but with a Historic twist, Plum delves into a graveyard combo deck using Chitinous Crawler. In this guide, we go over the 10 archetypes in Final Fantasy (FIN) Limited, including example decks (archetype skeletons) for you to refer to.
MTG Arena Pauper – Midweek Magic Event Guide
Granted, there are decks where changing the mainboard to accomplish pauper decks this becomes more difficult, but most decks are capable of being changed in such a way. Teching (preparing) for the metagame is one thing, but actually getting to know it is another entirely. A good Magic player knows what other popular decks are in the format they are playing. A great Magic player has played those decks, knows how they work, and understands their weaknesses. Chances are you’re going to draw a card that’s not useful in most games of Magic you play. However, that card can become useful if you hold it up like you’re waiting to play it — MTG will reward players who bluff and mislead their opponents.
Your opponent will lose a lot of combat blockers or removal spells in dealing with such threats. There are some decisions to make even before you take your first turn. Sometimes, it’s totally clear when you should mulligan, such as when you have no lands in your hand or your hand is almost entirely land cards. If you’re considering a mulligan, a good rule of thumb is to go ahead and take one. Signal includes information on cards, Booster Fun treatments, and Commander decks. Prepare to engage with Edge of Eternities, releasing worldwide August 1, 2025.
If you draw an unneeded land, feel free to hang onto it, and play as though it were a juicy removal spell or counterspell. Back this up with some untapped lands or other mana sources, and your opponent may get the totally wrong idea about what you’re doing. For example, imagine you’re playing in a super heavy control meta.
It’s time to get behind the wheel in Aetherdrift, a multiversal race filled with adrenaline-fueled Magic gameplay across three worlds. This week, Plum shows off 7-Land Belcher, a deck that manipulates lands for a Charbelcher kill, with Assault Formation as a surprise backup. Plum revives Enchantress Twiddle Storm with new upgrades, using enchantments for ramp and card draw, leading the deck all the way to Mythic this season.
Strickles breaks down the top decks from Regional Championship – Hartford, checking-in on Standard before the release of Final Fantasy. This week, Plum explores a mono-black sacrifice deck built around The Sibsig Ceremony, using death triggers, recursion, and value loops to turn a downside into an engine. Sign up for the latest product information, flash sale reminders, and upcoming event announcements. The battle between acolytes of the great faiths plays out aboard the mighty Dawnsire.
The best Magic players are able to see three, four, or even five turns ahead. Before they cast a card, they have already considered the ramifications of playing that card now for many turns in advance. This is a rather general tip, but it’s an important one nonetheless. For example, in an aggro versus control matchup, the aggressor is obviously the aggressive deck and the defender is the control deck. The goal of the aggressor’s deck is to win the game before the defender’s deck can stabilize.
Once a player has learned the rules and practiced a few games, they may wonder how they can push their game to the next level. There are many tips and strategies to pursue, and the pro players may know them all. A comprehensive list would be pretty long, but the following strategy suggestions may be a fine place to start. They are general enough that any player, using any sort of deck, can follow them. Experience makes this easier to do, and this might even help you see through bluffs or know when to mulligan a hand that is weak against a particular deck.