Magic The Gathering: Deck Types

Then, once you have lots of goblins in play, you would play [c]Goblin Chieftain[/c] to make them all bigger and attack for the win. Combo decks are usually pretty hard to play (and even harder to build), so we’re going to focus on the other three deck types for now. In any competitive format, developer Wizards of the Coast works hard to find balance with different kinds of decks keeping each other in check. Combo Decks are a form of deck that takes multiple different cards that work together and create incredibly overpowered scenarios that your opponent simply won’t be able to bounce back from at all. Usually this is done by having a few different cards interact, and the rest of the deck is about getting the pieces either into your hand or onto the field, then protecting it from ever leaving the field. That same deck I play has Teferi, Master of Time which synergizes with Teferi’s Tutelage.

The Four Card Types in an MTG Deck: What You Need to Know

Aggro decks have historically performed well against Control, as they can swiftly build a small army of threats and deal direct damage. It’s hard to outlast a deck that’s designed to win in the early stages of a game. Vehicles are not a card type, but a subtype of artifacts that show up nearly every set. Cards are considered to be spells as long as they’re on the stack and nowhere else. Let’s go down each card type and look at each corresponding subtype.

Nevertheless, Combo is an excellent deck archetype for those who like to master a single skill. The weaknesses and strengths of this style are entirely based on what kind of combo it’s trying to pull off. The Saheeli card commanding this deck is Saheeli, Radiant Creator, a four-cost creature gives an energy counter any time you cast an artifact or Artificer card. By adding your own cards to Aetherdrift’s Commander decks, you’ll be able to build toward the kind of gameplay you enjoy most. See what combinations you can find when you take your Foundations cards into overdrive.

Conclusion – Building an MTG deck

Especially if you don’t have ways to search up individual pieces, you’ll likely want to play four of each piece to increase your chances of drawing it. It costs five mana, and yet it’s still usually a four-of backbone in the Esper Dragons deck. On turn five, it’s so strong that even if a few sit around in your hand early you’re in good shape precisely because you can cast it on turn five.

Yes, the tribal card type was replaced by the kindred card type due to Wizards updating its terminology. The same character might have two different cards with different names, like Teysa, Opulent Oligarch and Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts. These can each exist on the battlefield without the legend rule kicking in.

Creatures can also possess various abilities, which can include flying, trample, vigilance, and many others. For instance, a creature with flying can only be blocked by other creatures with flying or reach, providing an advantage in aerial combat. This means that you include all kinds of disruption, counterspells, and removal to respond to different kinds of threats.

However, the terms outlined in this article can build a good foundation for you to better understand the game and the players around you. A combo deck is built around a small number of cards that, when played together, secure victory. That card combination can win directly, or it can make victory imminent. If your first meaningful creature comes out on turn four, then a control deck can probably handle it easily. They can let you put down another creature or two before playing Shatter the Sky.

There’s nothing like making your opponent spend all their combat to tear down your base wall just to cycle your entire deck and put them right back into play so they have to do it every turn. Combat cards are great alternative here too, especially ones that draw, since you’ll be cycling them often. Each of these 4 categories would ideally occupy around 25% of a given metagame. In Hill’s definition, Aggro refers most specifically to the fastest creature decks built to punish slow starts, ponderous Control decks, and aggressive decks who’ve substituted out damage for disruption. Midrange decks in this definition are slower creature-based decks who trump the speed of fast aggro with better quality from their somewhat more expensive spells.

Card type

An example of a win condition for a Combo deck would be Revel in Riches. By utilizing the Pirates tribe and their various means of Treasure generation or cards such as Brass’s Bounty, victory is easily attainable. If you can’t defeat your opponent quickly enough, your army of small creatures won’t be able to stand up against the fearsome monstrosities built by Ramp decks or the various gimmicks that Combo decks employ.

Players must consider their land counts and the balance between basic and non-basic lands based on their deck’s color requirements. Statistics show that decks typically include approximately 40% mana sources, emphasizing the significance of land in overall deck composition. An important subset of Artifacts are Equipment cards, which can be attached to creatures to give them additional abilities or enhance their stats. This mechanic allows for a wide range of strategies focused on buffing key creatures, adding another layer of complexity to deck construction. Strategically, Enchantments can effectively control the board state.

Keep in mind that this is explicitly stated on the card when it happens. Once a Prison deck assembles enough of its combo pieces, it essentially prevents the opponent from either casting spells or attacking with their creatures. From there, it’s a simple matter of playing a powerful creature or planeswalker to finish off the game. Paired alongside a whole bunch of cards like [c]Pyretic Ritual[/c] and [c]Manamorphose[/c] to generate mana and draw cards, storm decks can easily cast lots of cards in a single turn.

You can therefore use Instants to catch your opponent unawares, buffing your Creatures during combat or using one of the many MTG counterspells on their turn. Sorceries (and also Instants) represent magical effects you can cast, like a fireball or a summoning spell. While most card types stay on the battlefield (these are known as permanents) sorceries go to your graveyard as soon as their effect is resolved. Colors that are synonymous with Control decks are Blue, White, and Black. Each commander deck of these colors provides the means to put a stop to any deck strategy out there– so long as you have the cards in hand and mana to spare. This means that if your average mana value is three, which is fairly typical, then you should start with 40 or 41 lands and cut one land for every three or four cheap card draw or mana ramp spells in your deck.

What Happens If Something Changes a Card’s Type?

Chart a Course will boost your Zombies by +2/+2 and can let you discard a Zombie to recur if you cast it before combat. Foundations is designed to make learning to play and love Magic as easy as possible. The Beginner Box provides a step-by-step tutorial game, along with ten themed Jumpstart decks that offer a sampling of some of Magic’s most popular themes. Magic Academy events at your local game store will also teach you how to play, helping you refine your skills with your local gaming community.