Looking at getting back into Magic....a few questions

[Mad Dok Rob]

Recently I found that I have a few friends that play magic (and my wife used to) so I am looking to get back into the game.  I used to play a long time ago (started playing around the release of fallen empires and stopped soon after the release of Ice Age) and I really do not have many cards left (most were lost in a fire, but I have 2 old decks left).

Now I have seen that the rules have changed a bit since I played and right now I am just trying to figure out were to start.  There seems to be a couple of different Magic set available right now.  What should I be looking at getting to start playing again?

[Benjamin]

Most of the game should be familiar, but for the sake of argument, let's say you're starting from scratch. The Deck Builder's Toolkit is the best value going in that case.

Pre-made decks are available, such as Intro Packs, Dual Decks and Event Decks. Intro Packs get you into a new core mechanic or two of a new set. Dual Decks are two evenly matched decks, designed to provide two people with a balanced game, may the best player win! Event Decks vary in quality, and they are designed to be competitive immediately upon opening the set.

Hopefully someone else can point you in a good direction in terms of online resources, because I'm still learning where to go myself.

There are now a variety of formats as well, many more beyond Standard (the current competitive format that includes the Innistrad block, M13 and Return to Ravnica).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering_formats

[Chase]

Robert, this may sound ridiculous but the answer depends on what "start playing again" means to you.

If you're interested in just playing the game with your wife or friends your old cards are perfectly fine and you don't really need anything.

If you're interested in playing with some of the newer stuff, there's a bunch of options for you.  Ben mentioned a few. 

If you're interested in building your own, newbie, casual deck a Deck Builder's Toolkit is a decent option.  It'll give you enough stuff to build a couple decks.

If you're interested in pre-constructed "kitchen table" (casual, newbie friendly) Magic, the Intro Packs aren't bad.  They also come with a pair of Booster Packs from the corresponding set.  Player's returning to the game tend to pick these up to mess around with if their intent is just to "see what's going on now."


If you're looking into playing a bit more competitively (Friday Night Magic, etc.), shoot me an email.