How To Be A Better Magic: The Gathering Player | Tips For Those New To The Game

I've been playing since 98, having no ego helps a lot when trying to get better at anything.

I remember the first time I played my younger step brother in MtG. He had a lot of cards and swore up and down he not only knew how to play, but was very good at it with an “unstoppable” deck.

Things were going ok until He’d played some rather big creatures. On his next turn he immediately moved into the attack phase, tapped them all and then declared “BOOM! You’re dead!”.

I told him he hadn’t given me a chance to use my Master Decoy’s (this was a long time ago, ha!) abilities before declaring attackers.

He said I couldn’t tap his creatures before he attacked with them. I realized right then and there that he had NO idea how instants worked.

Turns out, it was the last game we played as well as the first. 😇

So yeah, understanding the phases, the “stack” and timing is critical.

Do they happen to sell mtg deck sleeves with their logo, by any chance?

I would LOVE to see a deep dive video on sequencing. As a new player, this is the thing that trips me up the most. Overall, this video was incredibly helpful.

would it mean that if i play a 2/2 creature which triggers a 4/4 token to spawn that i can put the 4/4 on the stack first and us the power or toughness for an enchantment which for example danages an enemy player?

i’ve played yugioh for quite sometime and just earlier this year i quit it to play commander (best decision ever) and i compare “the stack” to yugioh’s “chain” which honestly it’s basically the same thing except different spell speeds in yugioh which i feel is quite a bit more confusing than magic

free comment

I'm starting out and the tip about holding your instants until right when you use them was massive. I just had my first game where I'd say I really strategized right and plotted properly against my opponent

I am now aware that I REALLY don’t know what I’m doing lol. Great video, time to go practice.

Cards that have fly, death touch & a big number are big threats

Dumb and dumber face*

Nedd starkkkkkk 😳😳😳

Watching this video after losing to my brother

I'm not new....I just suck at it.

I saw the best sequencing phrasing recently and I've started saying it this way. "Stacking the triggers such that X resolves first." unambiguous, indicates they could stack them in other ways, but doesn't have to go through all the exacting LIFO sequencing.

Very informative but as a new player and trying to learn I wish he could go a little bit slower. "Dumb it down" so to speak.

I appreciate you man! Great vid

I shared this with my friend who has been playing for 20+ years but still doesn't understand threat assessment or exactly how the stack works. Arena has actually made him a worse player on paper.

"knowledge is power"
me, a f*ckin idiot: aw man

Hey! Really enjoying your vids. I'm al.ost 60 and just learning.

This game needs more general talk on how to improve

Great video and great reminder too. Currently relearning MTG after a loooong break. So much has changed (the second main phase was not a thing when I started playing 20 years ago - at least I don’t remember it 🤣). Have to remind myself all the time to attack first and then cast my stuff.

As a new player. I think my brain might be too smooth for Magic.

I always enjoy these videos - even if some facets don't apply. My friend and I play "House Rules":
1. Wild - All cards from any series are legal; all other rules apply. The game is too expensive to only play the new Core set and expansions every year, and our collections are too big to just sit there. Plus, the creativity and meta of the game is a lot better without "set" limitations.

2. No stack, no Priority - Instants are instant. If I cast a lightning bolt, only a Counter or Regeneration (other exceptions, of course) will save your creature. You'd have to cast Giant Growth before I cast the Lightning Bolt. The same goes for Combat - if you attack me with a 1/1 and I block with a 2/2, you can't cast Giant Growth after I've already blocked it; you'd have to cast it while declaring attackers. If I attack with my 2/2, however, you can cast Giant Growth on your 1/1 and then block with your now 4/4. It just makes more sense.

3. Defense Decides - The attacking player declares attackers; he can cast buff spells (Giant Growth) at this point, or spells to prevent the defending player from blocking. Then, he's done. The defending player declares blockers, AND who blocks whom. In the case of multiple creatures blocking a single source, however, if the combined total defense is higher than the attacker's power then the attacker decides how the damage is spread among them.

4. Be Happy With Your Hand - If you don't like your hand, shuffle it back into your library and draw a new one; no loss of cards. With how long games can go, there's no point penalizing a player for drawing a bad hand, as even the most balanced and synergized deck will inevitably draw a poor or even unplayable hand and that's not the player's fault. That said, don't just sit and mulligan until you get a "perfect" hand; if your hand is playable (enough land and spells for the first three turns), then play it.

I know a lot or even most of y'all will probably laugh at all this, but it makes the game better.

I ask the question how do I play without freinds

I'm trying to get into the game seriously after having only casually played a few games and not collected any cards since around 2015-2016, so these videos are pretty helpful. Thank you.

I think the thing the other players in my group always need to be reminded of is how it's a great idea to save creature tap abilities for the end step of the player right before them, so they can block with them and see the layout and doing it at instant speed if they need to

I’m not sure to get the exemple with tezzeret at 6min.
If the turn player chats Tezzeret and immediately uses it’s ablity, it will resolves after the red spell (which is cast in second) since the stack is first in and first out 🤔
So, Tezzeret should die since its loyalty will goes up after the 3 damage, isnt it ?

Prof comin’ in clutch as always. I appreciate all your tutorials and I’ve searched for something like this for awhile; once I find people to play with it’s over for them theoretical hoes.

One of the best ways to be a better Magic player is to make sure that you think objectively and never give in to the dogma that sadly is present in the culture of Magic. Remember that it's not "Magic or bust". There are plenty of other games out there, including in this very genre, so don't support negative things in the game out of habit, addiction, or both. Take a close look at what you're spending in this game and what exactly you're getting.

These things won't make you a better Magic player in terms of skill, but they will make you a better Magic player in various other ways.

Professor, this was awesome. I’ve been playing for 10 years now, and not only was this helpful to me, but I just played this for my 16-year-old son (who has been playing for at least 4 years) and it blew his mind! Thank you! And please keep these coming!

I’m 56 and brand new player I love the art . The game play is deep thnx to my son for the new addiction. Appreciate your videos very helpful

I find the hardest thing to explain to a new player is the concept of holding priority. It almost never comes up but when it does, it is the lynchpin of a combo.

Thanks for the video professor, even after 25 years of MTG, I'm far from a veteran of the game. This should prove to be invaluable.

Tbh there is more need for a video on how to be a better player for experienced players. Stuff like no anime talk, take proper care of your physical appearance and hygiene, try to have normal conversations with people and stop being a continuous source of cringe, don't get salty over a fucking game.

more interesting question would be how to find people to play magic with. my decks are outdated by a few years and collecting dust.

Prof doin the Magic Lord's work out here! Under appreciated content.

Cool video!

I kinda have a followup question, I don't know if this is a subjective question but I feel like everyone has been through this enough times.

I've always wanted to get into Magic since I was a kid but would get absolutely trounced by better players in occasion of me being able to do the bare minimum and my opponent being able to pull off every strategy under the sun.

I've started to play Commander which I do "enjoy" more than standard but I've been doing many 1v1 games and have once again been annihilated by my opponents with them having every piece they need and me being able to do nothing but play like 2 creatures all game.

I know the answer, build a better deck, learn your deck more. But how the hell am I supposed to have fun in Magic when I can't even put up a fight? I have no problem losing, but it's losing when I can't even offer a challenge is what gets to me.

I guess you could say it's a psychological issue I have with the game that disheartens me from pursuing the hobby further. I know this issue seems easy to decipher but I wanted to throw it here so any players that have had this issue can offer my advice.

I still sometimes struggle when is the best time to sacrifice a creature.
I tottaly get why I should play my stuff in the 2nd Mainphase but if you play with anthem effects on creatures wouldn't it be better to play before the attack?

Back to school kids

I'm not a new player, but this is an excellent video explaining many nuances new players miss. Great work!

Wait….what’s mana?

As a Mardu commander player “Life is a resource” is my mantra. It’s the only way to get on par with Green or Blue in terms of cards in hand and mana to use them. In fact, I have a whole deck centered around life swings that I need counters to keep track of life gained, lost, and how much was damage.