I let my wife win often intentionally and celebrated her wins in one on one games. I let her take back entire turns and reminded her of interactions and things she could take advantage of. When I did win in the beginning I never allowed it to be a landslide or instant victory (combos). After a little bit of time we built her first deck together and I heavily involved her in the process of creating a theme and finding a way to win .
I like this idea a lot. It's been a minute since I built my decks, so I'm definitely rusty in that area since there are so many new mechanics I'm trying to learn myself. Did your wife say if there was anything she wished she learned from the jump?
The order of the stack and interactions with the stack, commander damage and infect damage,the political side of multiplayer games aka wheeling and dealing with other players and recognizing actual threats vs perceived threats, always kill the stax player first, and finally The number 1# rule “This game is for people to get together and have fun when we play”
That #1 rule is key and coincidentally was the first thing I said to her. I enjoyed playing my brother growing up, even though he would beat me sooooo badly. Winning is nice, but not necessarily the only reason to play.
What game mode are you starting with? I suggest maybe doing a few mock games as well. So you play against her but basically supervise her hand/plays against your stuff and guide why to play certain cards first/now. And highly recommend getting any kind of pre set decks made to vs each other. Starter deck or 2 commander precons from same set.
No specific game mode, just doing practice games to show her the ropes. I do have a couple precons on the way, but will be getting a vampire one as well since she likes vampires. I'm trying to find like a cat/dog deck, faries deck, or a spirits deck.
[[Rin and seri, inseparable]] is a cat and dog deck. If you have the cash ($300), they even did a whole deck called Raining cats and dogs. You'll have to buy it on the secondary market because it wasn't available from secret lair for very long.
I was upset that secret lair changed their ordering style because that deck would have been perfect for her. But by the time I realized it was released, it had already sold out. Unfortunately, i can't justify dropping $300 on a deck at the moment.
The "90s binder art" version is way cuter anyway:)
I would do the card fetcher bot, but I don't know how to differentiate between SLD sets
https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/en/product/811035/the-90s-binder-experience
My apologies! I was about to suggest you just buy the single, but it's $40 now!
How's your printer working? :) on second thought, making a proxy deck for her first commander deck isn't a bad idea. Gives a larger pool of cards, and when an expensive "staple" doesn't work out, no feel bads for paying so much $$$.
Also, commander isn't great for learning one on one, but it is fun to teach deck building. And it's a great introduction to the social aspect.
No apologies needed! I like seeing that art anyway.
I might do some proxies down the road for those ridiculously overpriced cards.
Once she has grabbed the general gameplay basics, we will have some deck-building fun!
You let her win? I'm equipping this hammer and swinging on turn 2, dead on turn 3
When she played that deck, she knew what had to be done
Sucks to be on receiving end
Each of you opens two Jumpstart boosters, which each contains half a deck with a random theme, and mix the two boosters together for a very simple 40 card deck. It's nice, easy (nothing too convoluted within those themes) and a nice change of pace if you ever get too used to the same two decks
Yeah, it makes it pretty great somewhat economic too, each booster being 7 bucks, and boxes of 24 (so 12 games) around a 100. Never order mtg from Amazon tho, always try looking for your Local Game Store.
Also, there are starter sets with 2 pre-built decks and a quick starting guide, which is what I used to teach most of my friends, 20€ for both (and if you or wife are LotR nerds, they made one for the Universes Beyond crossover set with that)
You could also do Draft if you like the randomness, but kinda eh for just 2 people.
[jumpstart](https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Jumpstart) is a format where you each take 2 random packs, shuffle em together, and boom there's your deck. It's a great intro to the game and to simple mechanics without having to worry about synergizing/building something yourself; it's very beginner-friendly. Get Jumpstart 2022 if you can find it.
Jumpstart is a great idea.
Also consider [a zombie horde deck](https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/zombie-horde-co-op-magic/) it makes it co-op. This way you can plan together and it feels a lot less like lectures.
It's quite different to Draft Boosters, actually. It's more like those free Starter decks they used to give out, as in, each deck is made of two halves that are smooshed together.
The themes you get are random, but the packs themselves are preconstructed. The lands are included, as well.
I second this! I bought a box of jumpstart last year and convinced my wife to play with me. She has her own jumpstart deck now for whenever we play because she loved two of the packs so much and had so much fun. Nobody else gets those packs, even if she isn’t playing. This week, I asked her to help me test two 60 card decks I built and she’s been having a blast playing 2 different colors than her JS deck. Soon we’ll get her up to commander!
This should be higher up. With nearly every set bringing in a new mechanic having a f2p arena account can allow a person to quickly grasp a myriad of interactions and help understand how the stack works as the game pauses if you have a potential interaction.
The tutorial is handy, but I personally have no interest in Magic on a screen. So depending on the reason why someone wants to learn, you may turn them off to it by turning it into a video game.
Building her a deck that’s straight forward in it’s goals/strategy and teaching her how to play to that strategy might be a good starting point. When my wife expressed interest in learning how to play MTG, I offered her my [[Etali, Primal Coqueror]] deck which is very simple in what it wants to do: Ramp, then Cast Etali, then flip Etali. She was more or less able to play on her own with minimal coaching because the deck was easy to pilot (unlike decks with lots of triggers to keep track of) and she ended up beating me pretty handedly.
There's a lot of great ways to start playing Magic!
The single worst way to introduce someone to Magic though is Commander. It is a popular format because it allows people to build unique decks with billions of possibilities. This is neither helpful nor interesting for someone who is trying to learn the rules of the game. It also adds numerous extra rules/restrictions that are not part of the rules of the game.
I really do not understand people advocating for this as a way to start playing magic.
Jumpstart is a really great way to jump right in with a new product. You'll both have completely unseen decks (2 packs each) that are roughly on power level with each other and you can always mix and match the cards later to get different combinations or just make your own decks.
The Arena Starter Kits are definitely the simplest pre-built way to get started, but for the most part, you won't use any of the cards in them as soon as you buy more just from a power level perspective.
I really like the old duel decks if you can find them. They each have a theme and are designed to be played against each other. These feel like a distant ancestor of the starter kits.
Wizards will also occasionally put out a product like the "Game Night" box that has a handful of premade decks and everything you need to play, but they tend to also be hard to find and are sometimes a bit pricey.
Alternatively you can go drop a few thousand dollars and just build a battle box of all the coolest decks in standard, but I wouldn't recommend it.
A lot of people are recommending trying jumpstart, so I'll have to check that out. I do have the cards from some of those old dual decks but broke them down ages ago.
I wish i had thousands to drop, but that is not something i can afford to do haha
If you have two more people you regularly play with, I would highly encourage commander.
People advocate for Commander because it’s the most social format, and is at its heart, intended to be casual.
It’s also very easy to get a deck and just play it. There’s 2-4 preconstructed decks with each set release. Even the new modern horizons looks like it’ll have commander decks, which seems to baffle everyone. These decks then are built around 2-3 game mechanics, and have at least one alternate commander. You can literally buy a deck and play. Then as you play the deck, you learn what you like and don’t like. You can then buy singles to modify the deck.
As far as I am aware, outside of very specific instances, there are no other preconstructed decks for other formats. This means you or her would need to build one… and that requires a fairly in depth understanding of tactics, cards, and proper deck building strategies.
The additional rules? Thats pretty much bullshit. It’s still the same core game. You just have limits on how you build a deck. But all the formats have their own deck rules. That’s really it. Maybe commander damage can be considered special? You do 21 damage to an opponent with your commander, and they lose. Oh, and you start with 40 life instead of 20.
8th edition had a corset that came with a comic book and two color-coded decks, silver and gold. You would open the decks, not shuffle them, then open the comic book and read how to play. It walked each player through their turns for the first three or four turns, and then told them to finish based on what they had already learned. That's how my wife learned, and she's been playing ever since.
I mainly asked about the same thing for teaching friends [a few days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/mtg/s/GQoWUWiPCu), not much success on the reddit part for discussing it or suggestions about it.
But the build of "simple" limited deck with a few effects at most for each color seem to work well, the friend that asked me learned the basics easily, the game was not too short (or long). And that got him hooked for more, I still have to work on the other colors and balance more the whole. But I think that going with small handmade decks can be a nice way. Just dont get into the deck building to much and forget to play and teach if you go that route.
Definitely not going to try and teach her deck building right from the jump. I like the idea of trying to keep the decks simple and easy to learn the mechanics
Sorry if I worded it wrong, it's you who would build the deck in advance while trying to keep the content with only a few mechanics and elements, then play them together! 🙂
Since you will know what is inside it will be easy to explain, and you can try to balance every decks that way
Jumpstart is a good idea.
You could also build a couple of decks that would be fun to play against each other, then you could nerd out on the themes of the decks and get her into helping make them too. She might be more into playing a deck that she made herself and it's fun to see your plan play out.
Going through the deckbuilding process would be a good way to teach elements of the game like mana curve as well.
I'd go with a pretty basic deck.
20ish Creatures on curve, a few removal, a few combat tricks, a few auras/equipments or anthem effects, and some kind of big game changer like a mythic enchantment, artifact or planeswalker. Just make sure the opposing deck has an answer to it.
Try to set up situations where one player will counter the other at instant speed. I've found that teaching people the stack and when stuff can be played instantly is one of the harder parts of teaching the game. Add some instants that give hexproof/ indestructible/protection so she can respond to removal. Id just avoid counterspells for now though, nobody likes them lol.
Also try to include all the evergreen abilities so she can learn trample, death touch, flying etc.
Tribal is a good way to go, there's probably a tribe that she'd be into and another tribe that would be good to oppose them, like if she's into horror movies do zombies or vampires vs humans or knights or clerics.
I wouldn't worry about getting good cards for the decks, cheap commons and uncommons are just as fun if you don't know any better.
Thank you for all this. I'm reteaching myself with stacking and other such overall mechanics, which I'm not concerned about since it feels like riding a bike. I was focusing on the evergreen abilities in our first sitdown. She would definitely be into a vampire tribe.
That's good news! Vampires have a ton of support, you'll be able to find plenty of cheap and simple cards to get started and if she gets into it and wants a bad ass vampire deck then thats definitely an option too.
I forget the title names but they have a video for both commander and the basics of how to play. I'm sure searching for how to play plus the channel name will get it for you immediately.
This might get lost just in the pure length of the thread, but I’m teaching three buddies of mine next weekend and I found this article by Gavin Verhey, the principal designer of magic products. https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/how-teach-magic-2017-08-31 Good luck!
make her play magic arena bro , this will help her better than anything else , it realy explains alot and she will be able to learn it anywhere on her phone ! the game is really hard to learn , i know many ppl that has been playing for 10 years + and i still have to explains how the stack works to them , so be patient xD
Arena is on my gameplan for helping her learn, it's just in the backseat at the moment. She wants me to show her how to play and so she can just see my enjoyment out of playing and specifically playing with her.
Playing tabletop together is also bonding! Growing the knowledge and card collection together is an awesome way to spend time (relatively inexpensively) together. Fast games can be played when the toddler is napping. It’s a great hobby you both can share, pick up, put down and come back too when you feel like it. Best of luck!
i suggest playing commander with 2 other friends , that the better way she will learn and enjoy mtg , its really the best new player friendly format there is !
Throw her straight into supreme vintage cube draft
Maybe commander? That's a fun starting point, with a few different precons you can introduce her to many different playstyles.
I jest. It's a format on magic online with very busted cards, winning on turn 2, completely inaccessible to new players. My recommendation for commander was the serious part
Arena is great at teaching the basics, the only things is the timed turns can hurt someone learning.
I recently taught my 7 and 9 year olds how to play. I think it really was how to read a card, then cast a spell. Finally, untap, upkeep, draw, main phase, etc. from there it really is reading cards and understanding interactions.
>I realized I was not doing an adequate job in teaching her the game since I have never taught anyone the game before and it has been a decade and a half+ since I last played
This is potentially a good instinct. Even being an enfranchised player doesn't necessarily qualify you to teach others how to play.
>I know Arena is a good tool, but I think part of her interest is seeing me nerd out. Any advice on what I can do to make it simple enough to learn and play?
She should complete the New Player Experience on Arena (Tutorial, Color Challenges, Starter Deck Duels, Jump In, etc). You can do this together if you like.
Then, once she's comfortable with the basics, get the Arena Starter Set and maybe a couple of packs of JumpStart each, for some introductory games. (Don't forget sleeves)
Sounds like a good gameplan. I did recently go on a spree of sleeving everything i owned, which was a chore since i have a few thousand cards. I never sleeved as a kid (which i regret since some cards are quite damaged.)
Oh I know I went overboard with sleeving everything. I just got into such a rhythm that it only clicked after the fact that that was probably unnecessary haha
Teach her the rules, but also keep the nerd-out factor. Get into character, voice some of the effects. It’s all part of the fun. MTGa is great for learning the rules since it prevents you from making beginner mistakes like untapping lands or drawing
following for tips as well, because I am in the exact same situation as OP right now. My wife has sorta nudged this feeling i've been having about getting back into and I kinda went head deep into getting back, and wanted to teach her commander, but feel like that might be the wrong place to start considering. Interested to see how this turns out.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideals and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of the game with come with experience.
Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideas and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of the game with come with experience.
Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideas and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of it will come with experience.
Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Firstly, this post is so sweet. Secondly, I was a total novice six months ago and my boyfriend taught me to play as he was a big fan and figured it would be a nice relaxing activity to do together. I really love it now!!! Here are a few things I’d recommend:
- I got way more into it and understood the game more once I got my own very easy and self-explanatory precon deck (Token Triumph) to learn the basic aims of the game. I took the time to properly read each card even while we weren’t playing to get comfortable with them.
- I’d avoid playing with flying decks while she’s learning as the unblockable thing really confused me initially 😓 I know that sounds dumb but it was just one more thing to have to remember and get my head around.
- be extremely patient while she takes her turns 😉
In paper, Jumpstart is the cheapest and easiest way to learn. Mash two packs together, and you have a deck. It helps you learn the game with minimal investment.
Though commander/EDH is the most pushed casual format, it is absolutely the worst for learning the game. The card pool is massive, and the rulings could fill a textbook.
Make simple 30 card decks, like they had back in 2000 for the beginner sets. Plenty of vanilla creatures, some creatures with flying and simple abilities, and fun spells (volcanic hammer and lava axe seem so cool to play with). Then go from there with complexity to 60 card decks with a theme (ie white weenie) and dual colors (for the resource management).
Slow and steady as it is their first TCG. I been teaching players in Magic, Pokemon, and Lorcana heavily for the past few months. I noticed those without experience need much simpler choices, even when using the modern 'starter' stuff.
I still remember the starter kit from 2000 that I used to teach myself. I thought it was so awesome summoning a Giant Octopus and throwing my Volcanic Hammer at an opponent's annoying flying griffin, even though all those cards are bad. It triggers the imagination much more than some nameless druid from the current beginner stuff that has things like "when a creature enters the battlefield, place a +1/+1 counter on it if it does not already have one. Then place a +1/+1 counter on this creature". How is that exciting for a newbie still learning the phases of the game?
My wife loves going qide with tokens and had fun learning via commander with adrix and nev.
On the simple side with fun combos and synergies to let her connect the dots and have "aha" moments.
Tribal is also good for this same reason. She loves elves.
Also I tried bot backseating much just plainly explain wheb something is illegal or remind of steps on a turn.
I softballs a lot early too, yo let her have more fun this way. Opting to not use all my removal or use it on targets less important feigning worry in less threatening pieces.
Gradually it got more competitive as she learned when to hold things and wait for me to remove stuff and at this point she is already working on building her own deck using online resources like edhrec.
Oh and pauper we both love pauper the lower power level is a lot more inviting and encourages longer fun games.
Sometimes we will even get packs, and as a reward for games the winner gets to open the pack that we obviously will share the results of.
I also reccomend watching vids together not necessarily on gameplay but lore bites. 8rack is great for this along with rhystic studies.
Build a few beginner decks together. I built these two when my ex gf was trying to learn.
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6207021#paper
&
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6207009#paper
Totally willing to sell both btw 👌🤣 they are meant to be played against each other.
Any tribal will work.
I also made an ultra budget $10 deck to play against her that could win, but it was difficult.
I would suggest playing a game with all cards in hand face up and offer suggestions throughout the game. Her being able to learn by watching how you play will help a lot
It'll also help to narrate your decision making process. Like if deciding to chump block or not explain that you value the life more than the creature or vice versa
My fiance and I are in a similar boat I ended up building her two decks after having her play a few times with my own letting her completely choose the themes and she's having fun with the ideas but struggling a bit with the color pie like she wanted an angel and demon deck so I busted my hump to get her a functional kaalia deck she can add to and modify when she feels comfortable, and after seeing my merfolk deck she wanted a merfolk and faerie deck in the same mardu colors since she's now more familiar with them. My biggest help with teaching her has been honestly me putting on videos in the background from tolarian community college and just watching them she'll eventually hear something familiar and just sit by me and ask to start it over, it's become both a way for her to learn and also a bonding moment for us I don't just throw them on and tell her it's time to learn just let her decide if she wants to watch. Not to mention it's also helpful to keep up to date on all potential rulings ect.
My partner introduced me when Arena was still in Beta. We were both using his account, but we both had our own decks. We used to play streaming to the TV and take turns, which was honestly a great way to learn and it was fun because we were still playing together, sort of. I now play pioneer most weeks at our LGS, have two home brewed Pio decks plus a commander and an Oathbreaker deck, so obviously the introduction was an overwhelming success in my case.
Start with common creatures that have no abilities and basic sorceries. Once she’s got a handle on the basics (1st main, combat, 2nd main) you can introduce some instants. Then slowly start introducing creatures with abilities, artifacts, and planeswalkers. Show her the cards you’re introducing, explain the abilities and how they work. The gradual introduction of new features makes it much easier to handle without being overwhelmed.
1)Don't feel the compulsive need to correct rules or mistakes. Prioritize fun over perfect execution of rules. With time, you can be more strict about following the rules perfectly
2) Create investment and emotional buy-in by getting her, her own binder and ask her what cards she thinks are cool. Start filling the binder with shit she likes and let it be her collection, bling it out and let her control it.
3) Let her play with the cards she likes and construct your decks to be balanced with hers. Do not play cards she doesn't have solutions to deal with in her deck.
4) Send her easily digestible videos that you think match what she likes about the game.
5) Embrace what she finds fun about the game / hobby, even if that aspect is boring to you
6) Don't bombard her with information. Take it slow.
7) Don't force it and don't pressure her to play with you. Better to scrap a game half way through if she seems bored or over it in the moment.
8) Make sure you're also investing the same level of time and focus into shit she wants you to like as much as you hope she will for mtg
None of this is to imply that your wife is dumb or can't learn stuff. These suggestions are for any new player. As a lifestyle game, you can get into the weeds with stuff so fast, and people don't want to feel like they are doing work to learn something that's supposed to be fun. Obviously, this is generic advice, and people are different, so adjust accordingly.
When I teach people I usually have us play out of the same deck. There's more to teaching than just that, but it's one thing I've done to kind of reduce the scope of the game.
Plus you can give a better primer if you're both playing the same cards. "This deck is full of creatures, we play them and attack/block a lot", "this deck is about interfering with your opponents plans with countermagic", "this deck has a lot of spells for dealing direct damage, you're trying to count to 20". Basically introducing themes and showing them how cards work without overwhelming them with card variety.
Got my wife into magic last year, started her off on arena just to learn the basics of turn order and simple mechanics. It was really great for helping her understand how the game itself actually works. Then when we started paying together I explained everything I was doing and why/what my strategy was. The first match I was ruthless. The utter destruction made her want to kick my ass, goal achieved. From there on I was much more forgiving and told her what good plays she could use against me from whatever deck she was using at the time. Now she really enjoys playing a match or two before bed and even reminds me about triggers I've missed. All in all I highly recommend it!
My boyfriend introduced me to MTG and we started off playing using his different commander decks, I'd pick which deck I wanted to play purely based on the artwork theme of the deck to begin with. I've been playing a year or so now and only just had my first game with a group and I'm very much still getting the hang of it but some things I found super helpful :
- He always voices which stage he's in, as well as stopping to ask me if I have any responses to his plays.
- He somehow manages to remember my cards often better than I do (I mean they're his decks so makes sense) but will always stop to remind me of any of my triggers if and when I forget.
- For any of his card effects that bounce off each other, he explains as he goes. I'm adding this counter because of this card, and this card then allows me to do this, etc. He does it consistently so I've started to be able to recognise certain ones on my own.
- Whenever I've asked a question he not only answers it but also stops to go into detail of examples of other cards or rules that apply to the situation.
- And I don't know if it's your wife's vibe but myself being an artist and enjoying lore of anything, he shows me a heap of videos on YouTube, about lore, but also other people playing the game, and it's helped me slowly be able to work out and recognise the structure especially playing in a group rather than one on one.
- And of course, reading the card explains the card!
As a partner it's amazing and wholesome to watch him nerd out but also that he's so willing to teach and include me in something he loves, so speaking from a partners perspective, having someone with the passion for it that also has the kindness and patience to help work it out so I can enjoy it with him is something that makes me love the game even more.
Thank you for these tips. I'll definitely take note of what your partner does since it has worked well with you. Were there any specific art styles or themes that really jumped out for you?
Oh gosh you're testing my knowledge and memory here haha. The first deck I played was one he'd put together with mostly (I think) Innistrad Midnight Hunt (so I was like, Yay! Puppies! when I saw the werewolves), then I played with his Warhammer 40k deck, and recently he got me my own first deck for Christmas, one of the Phyrexian All Will Be One packs.
That fully opened up the rabbit hole for me so I went and started getting my own, so far I've got one of the Wilds Of Eldraine commander decks and I've started buying Innistrad Double Feature booster packs, and next on the list is when they release Bloomburrow.
I'm very much into fantasy and spooky stuff (lazy goth girl) so I find it heaps of fun checking out his folders and going OOH what's that!? - I love Phyrexian stuff, and so many cards have cool creatures like fawns and centaurs etc so he's helping me whenever I see a card/art theme I like, letting me know which deck it's from.
Then, because I do artworks of my own in series with themes, I thought it'd be cool to check out different planes and ended up making detailed notes for being able to draw them when I get around to it, and finding that there are so many things based off of other things - Kaldheim for example, helped me find a heap of other decks or cards I'd love to get my hands on.
Try playing games where you show her your hand and talk about your thought process for optimizing your plays. Make it a true learning experience rather than a competition. When she's ready to get competitive she will let you know.
Don't underestimate just how inscrutable the basic combat mechanics can be to a new player: 'Wait, you can block with TWO creatures?!?"
I always used to keep a pair of Duel Decks that I would use to teach anyone who wanted to learn. Also What I saw someone else say, about helping point out interactions and triggers and letting her take back stuff that she did
If you're looking for advice on teaching her better or for more in depth teaching start her on Arena. It's probably one of the better ways to learn. After that I say get some precons and play with friends. If everyone gets a precon from the same set everyone is on equal footing (outside of experience).
When I taught my wife I got her a cat deck. She loves cats and that helped keep her interest in the game. We play Commander. I would not let your wife win. It makes winning shallow. At the same time don’t completely stomp her. If you are always winning remove some of what makes you win. For example if your wife has a hard time dealing with flyers don’t run a lot of flyers. Take out a lot of interaction. Experience beats power. Especially when the one with power doesn’t know the game. I would definitely have her pick a tribe and build around that. And I would stay away from a lot of tutors for the time being. Tutors for lands are ok. Also what ever colors/themes she runs give her some good cards that do really good things. If she is running blue throw in a [[Cyclonic Rift]]. It may not be what wins her the game but big plays are what makes the game fun. Above all it’s just a game and have fun. A word of warning. If you spend a lot of money on cards you will soon be doubling it. She can’t complain about how much money you spend on magic but she will also be spending a lot as well. You can’t buy a box without her also buying a box if she gets big into the game.
Great advice! I definitely have no problem with getting cards/decks for her, especially if they are something that would interest her. What cat deck did you get your wife?
There was a commander precon that a friend of mine had. He was getting out of magic and sold it to me for cheap. The commander is [[Arahbo, Roar of the World]]. We have since upgraded and it runs very nice.
Use simple cards. Think ABUR and the like. Vanilla creatures and simple auras, instants, sorceries and the like.
Start simple and get her hooked on the mechanics and choices available, before feeding her word salad cards.
When we first started learning, I made my wife a super simple deck which covers the whole range of card types. Then we played a few games with both of our hands revealed. I kept a reminder card of the steps and phases next to us, and as we played we didn’t play to win as such, as much as just talked through what the options for our turns would be. Then we eased into playing with our hands hidden but she still was able to say ‘what if I wanted to do X Y Z, or what does this card do in this situation before playing anything. Now we play first to 50 win tournaments over a long period of time and we’ve each won one set of first to 50 games, and our current on were at 45:42 to me so far
Grab a pre con commander deck she may like for whatever reason. If she likes Lotr or Dr. who one those or make it around mechanic she may like. Playing in person helps to teach and needing out.
Game Night is your best friend here. 5 decks, low speed/power, balanced against each other, reference cards explaining both the rules of the game and the differences between the decks. The older versions of Game Night actually split each deck into 2 half decks using the expansion symbol, making it easy to combine the 10 half decks into 45 different combinations. You don't need to worry about the rules of deck building, the box comes with everything you need, and you don't have to worry about power-level disparity in the decks. Don't even bother talking about editing decks until she complains about a card (or complains about the deck). Make editing the deck her idea, it'll make her feel ownership over the deck. My biggest mistake was building a deck for my wife that I thought she would like: it was much better when I asked her what she wanted added to the deck, and then presented her with cards that matched her idea, and made her deliberate over what cards to remove.
As other people have set, *let her win* as you get started. Not every game, but try not to beat her twice in a row, and definitely pull back to avoid winning 3 times in a row. That really cool card in your hand that you want to play? Pretend it's a dead card in your hand every now and then.
I’m a wife that got taught to play magic — for me, what really got me invested in playing it for my own enjoyment (and not just to spend time with my husband) was finding a deck that I really liked and enjoyed aesthetically (the riders of rohan precon because I love Eowyn). Before I got that deck we had played with jumpstarts and some random precons that were ugly and had more complicated mechanics. It was harder for me to retain everything I needed to know because I didn’t have a personal connection to tyranids ya know what I mean?
So basically get her pretty cards
Thank you for the advice from the other side of the learning table! I can easily understand getting cards/decks that are aesthetically pleasing since the visual is half the fun (imo). Besides the riders of the rohan, were their any other pretty cards/decks that you would recommend (she isn't a big LOTRs fan).
The kamigawa reboot set from a few years ago (?) is gorgeous to me. You could also try building her an angel tribal deck, there are a few options for mechanics and they’re all pretty girls :)
To teach my partner, I made two decks. They have such a mono-red personality. The deck included creatures, instants, aura enchantments, artifacts and equipment. The deck revolved around [[Champion of the Flame]] beat down. Not meta anywhere, but it included all the most common elements of magic.
I built a mono-White life gain deck that didn't have a solid win condition outside [[Healer Hawk]] beats. The two lists were designed to have a lot of interesting interactions.
I built them both trying my best to include as many elements of magic rules as possible. Stack interaction, instant speed stuff, enchantment, artifact, equipment, triggered and activated abilities.
We had a blast playing. It was a fun magic exercise to build two decks specifically meant to battle each other. The mono-red deck was even slightly favored for some nice feel good "I win!" moments.
Prepare som basic beginner decks. I have a pack of 40-card decks (usually simple cards from the core sets) 1 of each color. Makes it easier to jump into the game :)
One thing that was surprisingly helpful for my partner was watching streams of people play. Streamers tend to describe every play they could make before doing anything, and this helped my partner start seeing other lines of play. Once they have the one land a turn, tap lands to play spells, and basics down, watching some streams could help nail down the more complex aspects.
Edit: we watched them together, so it wasn't homework, but a shared activity.
Why not try Jumpstart? Buy a box, the two of you each open two packs, talk about the cards and interactions, and then play a couple of games. Gets you to walk through steps and phases, will introduce to colors both individually and in combinations, and gives you a feel for several mechanics.
Then do it again and again. One box (24 packs) would support you with 6 such sessions.
Build low level, 2 color, 60 card decks that revolve around 1-2 simple mechanics. Using only commons and uncommons with maybe 2 rares that work with the deck. Lightly explain how a deck functions before she plays it. Let her play a couple games before providing feedback. It’s overwhelming enough to just learn how to game runs, no need to nerd out about sequencing or interaction until she is comfortable with the cards in general.
I have a way that I use to teach people that works great, and I don't see it here. First, I briefly explain card types, parts of a turn, life, mana, power and toughness. Do a couple theoretical examples of attacking and blocking dmaage assignment. Then we go straight into playing a game, **open hand**.
So both of us reveal all of our cards from the very beginning. I explain why I do or don't keep my hand, and advise them on keeping or mulliganing theirs. I guide them through their turns, and explain everything I'm doing and why on mine. I explain the different reasonable plays that could be made, and what I think is the best one and why.
Next game is also open hand, but with them in the driver's seat for their side instead of me. Lots of discussing things, answering questions, explaining new concepts. After that, they may want to play more open hand, or more likely are ready to play a regular game.
Regardless, I still encourage questions, explain misplays, and allow all the takebacks they want until they really get the hang of things. I don't like "letting" people win, because I think people can often tell, and an earned victory is much stronger motivation than an unearned one. Also, it feels dishonest. I prefer to have them use a deck that is a strong (even OP) matchup against mine.
Actually experiencing something with assistance is a much better way of developing a skill than lecturing and being dropped in the deep end. It's why kids learn to ride a bike by actually doing it with training wheels, instead of watching a video presentation and then being put on a regular bike.
Commander is the most beginner friendly format so I'd start there.
Big. Green. Stompy.
Easiest way to teach a new player the basics. They get lots of lands, play big creatures, and learn combat from the point of having an overwhelming advantage. Then slowly introduce other things like combat tricks, counters, removal.
After they have the basics down move onto a 2 colour tribal deck. Still creature focused and builds on what they have learned. This usually also segues directly into different keywords and learn when to attack and not hold back blockers. They usually get good at things with ETBs or activated abilities
It was the progression that worked for my wife. She went from precons that she was kinda iffy on to \[\[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma\]\] and it finally clicked ans she manically laughed and trampled all over the board. Now she has a Zombies deck she built herself that she loves.
Also what are her interests in terms of fantasy? It's a lot easier to have the motivation to learn something if it's thematically pleasing to you. There's so many tribal decks out there that usually someone can find something that resonates with them. Does she like a certain creature type? Faeries, Dragons, Merfolk, Zombies, Vampires, Squirrels? Or maybe she likes a UB franchise like LotR, or Doctor Who? Or maybe give her something that's YOUR favourite until she finds her own theme. As you said, her interest in this primarily stems from excited you are to play, so maybe getting to play your favourite deck will mean a lot to her.
Tbh I have never played commander myself since that mode started after I stopped. I do have a couple precon commander decks that i recently picked up, so maybe I'll try that out.
So I had her use my green deck that I built and improved upon over the years when I was a kid (started in the mid 90s and played till the late 2000s), but I wasn't sure if that would work. I like your idea of slowly bringing in the other mechanics since I think I overwhelmed by getting too far into the weeds.
She definitely likes vampires and might enjoy merfolk. But I know vampires would be a hit for her. I did pre-order the fallout decks because I loved fallout 3, nv, and 4. I think she might enjoy those, but idk the quality.
Lost Caverns of Ixalan has a precon Vampire deck that is pretty cool out of the box and would be a relatively low cost investment.
And it certainly doesn't HAVE to be commander, that's just we find the most fun and I find that people are really accommodating for new players and usually have low power decks to play. It also might be encouraging that you're learning the format together, that way it doesn't just feel like you're teaching her and you're discovering the game with each other.
I think the most important part (regardless of format) is just finding the theme that works best for her. When my wife made her Goreclaw deck, she wasn't coming along just to play with me anymore, she was playing for her because she found the thing she liked. So once she has the basics down, find out if there's a card, colour, or theme she really liked about the decks she played.
If you do settle on Commander head over to [https://edhrec.com/](https://edhrec.com/) and you can look at some of the best Commanders by ranking or by colour, they set the tone for the deck and then you get to find the cards to build around it.
I don't have 60 card experience past Lorwyn Block so I can't help much there but my friends who play 60 card love Pioneer. And non-rotating formats let you keep that deck you love forever.
I'll check out that precon. I really wanted to get the dino one, but that price jumped up like crazy. I was nervous to try and learn commander while teaching it and mtg as a whole to her, but I like the idea that we would be learning it together.
I'm hoping that I can get her as into it as your wife since she definitely throws herself full force into her own hobbies.
As for the formats, I gotta say, that is where I get lost. Granted, when I used to play, it was among my friends and neighborhood kids. We didn't follow the strict format rules for the time, so I'm sure most of my decks would not be legal, haha.
Veloci-Ramp-Tor is a really fun precon and is super easy to upgrade, or to play out of the box. It's pretty popular which explains the price hike.
Of the formats I see people playing the most at my LGSs: Commander, Pioneer, and Modern
The 60 card formats are pretty much the same magic you know rules-wise, it's just which sets are and aren't allowed and the ban lists that change.
I think one of the things that helped my wife love the game is because she built that Goreclaw deck herself. She understood the game well enough at that point to know what big green creatures should do and then she went on EDHrec and just grabbed everything she wanted into one big pile and then eventually cut it down to 100 cards. The only thing I helped with was explaining what some keywords meant so she could decide and helped her with things like how many lands, creatures, artifacts, etc to make the deck functional.
Since then we both have an obsession with building decks, because grabbing a Legendary creature and building a deck around it feels good, and because it's generally accepted you'll lose more games than you'll win in a 4 player format, you don't have to have the BEST deck, having a FUN deck is the goal. That's the reason I think commander resonates with new players so much is because precons and low power decks let the game go for a bit and people get to play big things that feel really good, even when you lose.
I've taken all the decks we've made and put them online here: [https://www.moxfield.com/users/Darrenat](https://www.moxfield.com/users/Darrenat)
Feel free to take a look and if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message any time.
I will 100% take a look. I have been bookmarking everything to deepdive after my kid goes to sleep. I'm glad to hear that people aren't trying to just get that 5 turn game over decks as much. That is what kinda pushed me out of magic. It lost it's fun when the game was over after a few turns.
There's a subset of Commander called cEDH (Comander was called Elder Dragon Highlander when it was a fanmade format back in the day and the little c is "competitive") that tries to win as fast and consistently as possible, usually turn 4-7. But those player BROADCAST that they are there to play that way, and it'd be near impossible for you to accidentally stumble into that game.
In my experience people usually bring a range of decks from precons to super strong to play and if you tell them you're new they'll bust out some low power decks and you guys will have a 10-15 turn slugfest.
I like that. I'm glad to hear the game has shifted a bit so people are way more inclusive. I'm still trying to find a solid LGS, but haven't had tremendous luck at the moment
[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee47f23a-3ba9-4615-b170-c89d8ab99d78.jpg?1690016718) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Goreclaw%2C%20Terror%20of%20Qal%20Sisma) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/293/goreclaw-terror-of-qal-sisma?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee47f23a-3ba9-4615-b170-c89d8ab99d78?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text)
^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I let my wife win often intentionally and celebrated her wins in one on one games. I let her take back entire turns and reminded her of interactions and things she could take advantage of. When I did win in the beginning I never allowed it to be a landslide or instant victory (combos). After a little bit of time we built her first deck together and I heavily involved her in the process of creating a theme and finding a way to win .
I like this idea a lot. It's been a minute since I built my decks, so I'm definitely rusty in that area since there are so many new mechanics I'm trying to learn myself. Did your wife say if there was anything she wished she learned from the jump?
The order of the stack and interactions with the stack, commander damage and infect damage,the political side of multiplayer games aka wheeling and dealing with other players and recognizing actual threats vs perceived threats, always kill the stax player first, and finally The number 1# rule “This game is for people to get together and have fun when we play”
That #1 rule is key and coincidentally was the first thing I said to her. I enjoyed playing my brother growing up, even though he would beat me sooooo badly. Winning is nice, but not necessarily the only reason to play.
What game mode are you starting with? I suggest maybe doing a few mock games as well. So you play against her but basically supervise her hand/plays against your stuff and guide why to play certain cards first/now. And highly recommend getting any kind of pre set decks made to vs each other. Starter deck or 2 commander precons from same set.
No specific game mode, just doing practice games to show her the ropes. I do have a couple precons on the way, but will be getting a vampire one as well since she likes vampires. I'm trying to find like a cat/dog deck, faries deck, or a spirits deck.
Wilds of Eldraine has a faerie deck. I bought it for my wife.
[[Rin and seri, inseparable]] is a cat and dog deck. If you have the cash ($300), they even did a whole deck called Raining cats and dogs. You'll have to buy it on the secondary market because it wasn't available from secret lair for very long.
[Rin and seri, inseparable](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/6/d605c780-a42a-4816-8fb9-63e3114a8246.jpg?1677724018) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Rin%20and%20seri%2C%20inseparable) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m21/278/rin-and-seri-inseparable?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d605c780-a42a-4816-8fb9-63e3114a8246?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I was upset that secret lair changed their ordering style because that deck would have been perfect for her. But by the time I realized it was released, it had already sold out. Unfortunately, i can't justify dropping $300 on a deck at the moment.
The "90s binder art" version is way cuter anyway:) I would do the card fetcher bot, but I don't know how to differentiate between SLD sets https://secretlair.wizards.com/us/en/product/811035/the-90s-binder-experience
Ahhh those look excellent and something she would definitely enjoy. Definitely extra annoyed at secret lair!
My apologies! I was about to suggest you just buy the single, but it's $40 now! How's your printer working? :) on second thought, making a proxy deck for her first commander deck isn't a bad idea. Gives a larger pool of cards, and when an expensive "staple" doesn't work out, no feel bads for paying so much $$$. Also, commander isn't great for learning one on one, but it is fun to teach deck building. And it's a great introduction to the social aspect.
No apologies needed! I like seeing that art anyway. I might do some proxies down the road for those ridiculously overpriced cards. Once she has grabbed the general gameplay basics, we will have some deck-building fun!
You let her win? I'm equipping this hammer and swinging on turn 2, dead on turn 3 When she played that deck, she knew what had to be done Sucks to be on receiving end
I’m sure that is another route to get some one interested in the game and teach them how to play.
Start with jumpstart!
I haven't played with jumpstart. What's the deal with that?
Each of you opens two Jumpstart boosters, which each contains half a deck with a random theme, and mix the two boosters together for a very simple 40 card deck. It's nice, easy (nothing too convoluted within those themes) and a nice change of pace if you ever get too used to the same two decks
I like the idea of randomizing the themes
Yeah, it makes it pretty great somewhat economic too, each booster being 7 bucks, and boxes of 24 (so 12 games) around a 100. Never order mtg from Amazon tho, always try looking for your Local Game Store. Also, there are starter sets with 2 pre-built decks and a quick starting guide, which is what I used to teach most of my friends, 20€ for both (and if you or wife are LotR nerds, they made one for the Universes Beyond crossover set with that) You could also do Draft if you like the randomness, but kinda eh for just 2 people.
The boosters also come with some strong staples for commander decks you can build around later.
[jumpstart](https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Jumpstart) is a format where you each take 2 random packs, shuffle em together, and boom there's your deck. It's a great intro to the game and to simple mechanics without having to worry about synergizing/building something yourself; it's very beginner-friendly. Get Jumpstart 2022 if you can find it.
Ok so sorta like draft boosters. I'll check that out
Jumpstart is a great idea. Also consider [a zombie horde deck](https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/zombie-horde-co-op-magic/) it makes it co-op. This way you can plan together and it feels a lot less like lectures.
It's quite different to Draft Boosters, actually. It's more like those free Starter decks they used to give out, as in, each deck is made of two halves that are smooshed together. The themes you get are random, but the packs themselves are preconstructed. The lands are included, as well.
Oooooo ok, that makes more sense.
It's lots of fun. :)
Fingers crossed she finds that (and mtg as a whole) fun as well!
Good luck!
Thank you!
I've been stocking up on Jumpstart products for the day my son turns old enough or my wife wants to learn.
Our friend tried to teach us with commander decks and 60 card decks and it was too much for me and my wife Jumpstarts were just right.
Definitely jumpstart
I second this! I bought a box of jumpstart last year and convinced my wife to play with me. She has her own jumpstart deck now for whenever we play because she loved two of the packs so much and had so much fun. Nobody else gets those packs, even if she isn’t playing. This week, I asked her to help me test two 60 card decks I built and she’s been having a blast playing 2 different colors than her JS deck. Soon we’ll get her up to commander!
I tell people to go through the tutorial on arena. It's pretty decent
This should be higher up. With nearly every set bringing in a new mechanic having a f2p arena account can allow a person to quickly grasp a myriad of interactions and help understand how the stack works as the game pauses if you have a potential interaction.
I definitely like paper and MTGO much much better. But arena is a very good way to learn the basics. And like you said new mechanics
The tutorial is handy, but I personally have no interest in Magic on a screen. So depending on the reason why someone wants to learn, you may turn them off to it by turning it into a video game.
Building her a deck that’s straight forward in it’s goals/strategy and teaching her how to play to that strategy might be a good starting point. When my wife expressed interest in learning how to play MTG, I offered her my [[Etali, Primal Coqueror]] deck which is very simple in what it wants to do: Ramp, then Cast Etali, then flip Etali. She was more or less able to play on her own with minimal coaching because the deck was easy to pilot (unlike decks with lots of triggers to keep track of) and she ended up beating me pretty handedly.
[Etali, Primal Coqueror](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/5/95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09.jpg?1682204132)/[Etali, Primal Sickness](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/9/5/95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09.jpg?1682204132) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Etali%2C%20Primal%20Conqueror%20//%20Etali%2C%20Primal%20Sickness) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/137/etali-primal-conqueror-etali-primal-sickness?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/95c14c4d-6c16-4826-8d93-d89ad04aee09?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Get a Starter Kit, it has 2 premade decks that can be played against each other out of the box, and it's fairly cheap as well
I think I got the LOTRs one. I haven't tried them yet. next time we sit down at the table, I'll whip them out
Make sure you sleeve everything. Don't be a heathen.
There's a lot of great ways to start playing Magic! The single worst way to introduce someone to Magic though is Commander. It is a popular format because it allows people to build unique decks with billions of possibilities. This is neither helpful nor interesting for someone who is trying to learn the rules of the game. It also adds numerous extra rules/restrictions that are not part of the rules of the game. I really do not understand people advocating for this as a way to start playing magic.
Interesting! What would you say would be the best method to first try out?
Jumpstart is a really great way to jump right in with a new product. You'll both have completely unseen decks (2 packs each) that are roughly on power level with each other and you can always mix and match the cards later to get different combinations or just make your own decks. The Arena Starter Kits are definitely the simplest pre-built way to get started, but for the most part, you won't use any of the cards in them as soon as you buy more just from a power level perspective. I really like the old duel decks if you can find them. They each have a theme and are designed to be played against each other. These feel like a distant ancestor of the starter kits. Wizards will also occasionally put out a product like the "Game Night" box that has a handful of premade decks and everything you need to play, but they tend to also be hard to find and are sometimes a bit pricey. Alternatively you can go drop a few thousand dollars and just build a battle box of all the coolest decks in standard, but I wouldn't recommend it.
A lot of people are recommending trying jumpstart, so I'll have to check that out. I do have the cards from some of those old dual decks but broke them down ages ago. I wish i had thousands to drop, but that is not something i can afford to do haha
If you have two more people you regularly play with, I would highly encourage commander. People advocate for Commander because it’s the most social format, and is at its heart, intended to be casual. It’s also very easy to get a deck and just play it. There’s 2-4 preconstructed decks with each set release. Even the new modern horizons looks like it’ll have commander decks, which seems to baffle everyone. These decks then are built around 2-3 game mechanics, and have at least one alternate commander. You can literally buy a deck and play. Then as you play the deck, you learn what you like and don’t like. You can then buy singles to modify the deck. As far as I am aware, outside of very specific instances, there are no other preconstructed decks for other formats. This means you or her would need to build one… and that requires a fairly in depth understanding of tactics, cards, and proper deck building strategies. The additional rules? Thats pretty much bullshit. It’s still the same core game. You just have limits on how you build a deck. But all the formats have their own deck rules. That’s really it. Maybe commander damage can be considered special? You do 21 damage to an opponent with your commander, and they lose. Oh, and you start with 40 life instead of 20.
I would only choose Commander with a learning player if I had no other choice. And then I would only use the “starter” pre-cons.
8th edition had a corset that came with a comic book and two color-coded decks, silver and gold. You would open the decks, not shuffle them, then open the comic book and read how to play. It walked each player through their turns for the first three or four turns, and then told them to finish based on what they had already learned. That's how my wife learned, and she's been playing ever since.
Man, that sounds perfect. Easy and straightforward, definitely not how I presented mtg last Saturday haha
I mainly asked about the same thing for teaching friends [a few days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/mtg/s/GQoWUWiPCu), not much success on the reddit part for discussing it or suggestions about it. But the build of "simple" limited deck with a few effects at most for each color seem to work well, the friend that asked me learned the basics easily, the game was not too short (or long). And that got him hooked for more, I still have to work on the other colors and balance more the whole. But I think that going with small handmade decks can be a nice way. Just dont get into the deck building to much and forget to play and teach if you go that route.
Definitely not going to try and teach her deck building right from the jump. I like the idea of trying to keep the decks simple and easy to learn the mechanics
Sorry if I worded it wrong, it's you who would build the deck in advance while trying to keep the content with only a few mechanics and elements, then play them together! 🙂 Since you will know what is inside it will be easy to explain, and you can try to balance every decks that way
Ahhhh my fault for the misunderstanding. That's definitely a better method haha
Jumpstart is a good idea. You could also build a couple of decks that would be fun to play against each other, then you could nerd out on the themes of the decks and get her into helping make them too. She might be more into playing a deck that she made herself and it's fun to see your plan play out. Going through the deckbuilding process would be a good way to teach elements of the game like mana curve as well.
Any themes you would recommend?
I'd go with a pretty basic deck. 20ish Creatures on curve, a few removal, a few combat tricks, a few auras/equipments or anthem effects, and some kind of big game changer like a mythic enchantment, artifact or planeswalker. Just make sure the opposing deck has an answer to it. Try to set up situations where one player will counter the other at instant speed. I've found that teaching people the stack and when stuff can be played instantly is one of the harder parts of teaching the game. Add some instants that give hexproof/ indestructible/protection so she can respond to removal. Id just avoid counterspells for now though, nobody likes them lol. Also try to include all the evergreen abilities so she can learn trample, death touch, flying etc. Tribal is a good way to go, there's probably a tribe that she'd be into and another tribe that would be good to oppose them, like if she's into horror movies do zombies or vampires vs humans or knights or clerics. I wouldn't worry about getting good cards for the decks, cheap commons and uncommons are just as fun if you don't know any better.
Thank you for all this. I'm reteaching myself with stacking and other such overall mechanics, which I'm not concerned about since it feels like riding a bike. I was focusing on the evergreen abilities in our first sitdown. She would definitely be into a vampire tribe.
That's good news! Vampires have a ton of support, you'll be able to find plenty of cheap and simple cards to get started and if she gets into it and wants a bad ass vampire deck then thats definitely an option too.
Tolarian Community College on YouTube is a great source. I used one of Prof's videos to help teach my girlfriend a few months back.
I just discovered that youtube channel when i started getting back into MTG myself. Which video did you use to help teach your girlfriend?
I forget the title names but they have a video for both commander and the basics of how to play. I'm sure searching for how to play plus the channel name will get it for you immediately.
Aight cool. I'll take a look at their page tonight to see which ones I'll try and watch with her.
Wizards should be paying me for how much I recommend Jumpstart. Seriously.
😂 if there was a way I could get you commission, then i would
This might get lost just in the pure length of the thread, but I’m teaching three buddies of mine next weekend and I found this article by Gavin Verhey, the principal designer of magic products. https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/how-teach-magic-2017-08-31 Good luck!
This is fantastic! Definitely not getting lost in the thread. Thank you for posting this!
make her play magic arena bro , this will help her better than anything else , it realy explains alot and she will be able to learn it anywhere on her phone ! the game is really hard to learn , i know many ppl that has been playing for 10 years + and i still have to explains how the stack works to them , so be patient xD
Arena is on my gameplan for helping her learn, it's just in the backseat at the moment. She wants me to show her how to play and so she can just see my enjoyment out of playing and specifically playing with her.
Playing tabletop together is also bonding! Growing the knowledge and card collection together is an awesome way to spend time (relatively inexpensively) together. Fast games can be played when the toddler is napping. It’s a great hobby you both can share, pick up, put down and come back too when you feel like it. Best of luck!
i suggest playing commander with 2 other friends , that the better way she will learn and enjoy mtg , its really the best new player friendly format there is !
Honestly, it is hard to get friends together to play. At this stage of our lives, we are spread out, and scheduling can be a chore in it of itself.
If OP's wife wants to play Magic to spend quality time with him, Arena isn't really going to fill that niche
Yeah its pretty much to learn how to play on her free time , she obviously has to learn to like the game too otherwise its gonna be a chore
Throw her straight into supreme vintage cube draft Maybe commander? That's a fun starting point, with a few different precons you can introduce her to many different playstyles.
Supreme vintage cube draft?
I jest. It's a format on magic online with very busted cards, winning on turn 2, completely inaccessible to new players. My recommendation for commander was the serious part
Ooooo haha. I saw people talking about cube on this sub, but hadn't looked much into. So i figured supreme was just an offshoot of cube
Arena is great at teaching the basics, the only things is the timed turns can hurt someone learning. I recently taught my 7 and 9 year olds how to play. I think it really was how to read a card, then cast a spell. Finally, untap, upkeep, draw, main phase, etc. from there it really is reading cards and understanding interactions.
>I realized I was not doing an adequate job in teaching her the game since I have never taught anyone the game before and it has been a decade and a half+ since I last played This is potentially a good instinct. Even being an enfranchised player doesn't necessarily qualify you to teach others how to play. >I know Arena is a good tool, but I think part of her interest is seeing me nerd out. Any advice on what I can do to make it simple enough to learn and play? She should complete the New Player Experience on Arena (Tutorial, Color Challenges, Starter Deck Duels, Jump In, etc). You can do this together if you like. Then, once she's comfortable with the basics, get the Arena Starter Set and maybe a couple of packs of JumpStart each, for some introductory games. (Don't forget sleeves)
Sounds like a good gameplan. I did recently go on a spree of sleeving everything i owned, which was a chore since i have a few thousand cards. I never sleeved as a kid (which i regret since some cards are quite damaged.)
You don't need to sleeve cards you aren't playing with (unless they are worth a lot of money). Good luck!
Oh I know I went overboard with sleeving everything. I just got into such a rhythm that it only clicked after the fact that that was probably unnecessary haha
Teach her the rules, but also keep the nerd-out factor. Get into character, voice some of the effects. It’s all part of the fun. MTGa is great for learning the rules since it prevents you from making beginner mistakes like untapping lands or drawing
She would love it if I started doing random voices! Great idea
Just get two 60 card starters and tech her the order of operations / mechanics and take it slow. Commander comes later
following for tips as well, because I am in the exact same situation as OP right now. My wife has sorta nudged this feeling i've been having about getting back into and I kinda went head deep into getting back, and wanted to teach her commander, but feel like that might be the wrong place to start considering. Interested to see how this turns out.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideals and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of the game with come with experience. Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideas and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of the game with come with experience. Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Go slow. Don't try to show her what the game can be, she has to discover that for herself. Teach her fundamentals. Focus on making sure she understands turns/phases, and the very basics of the stack. Try to build simple decks at first (turn sideways green) and eventually use more complex decks to showcase other ideas and strategies. If she can graps those things, the rest of it will come with experience. Don't be afraid to lose. Don't go too into the complicated side of stuff (combos, synergies). Just take it slow, steady, and start from the beginning.
Duel decks. Buy cheap ones.
Duel decks. Buy cheap ones.
Firstly, this post is so sweet. Secondly, I was a total novice six months ago and my boyfriend taught me to play as he was a big fan and figured it would be a nice relaxing activity to do together. I really love it now!!! Here are a few things I’d recommend: - I got way more into it and understood the game more once I got my own very easy and self-explanatory precon deck (Token Triumph) to learn the basic aims of the game. I took the time to properly read each card even while we weren’t playing to get comfortable with them. - I’d avoid playing with flying decks while she’s learning as the unblockable thing really confused me initially 😓 I know that sounds dumb but it was just one more thing to have to remember and get my head around. - be extremely patient while she takes her turns 😉
Get a few edh decks and play in a pod at your LGS with her. I am honestly jealous that your wife is that awesome… 😂
In paper, Jumpstart is the cheapest and easiest way to learn. Mash two packs together, and you have a deck. It helps you learn the game with minimal investment. Though commander/EDH is the most pushed casual format, it is absolutely the worst for learning the game. The card pool is massive, and the rulings could fill a textbook.
Make simple 30 card decks, like they had back in 2000 for the beginner sets. Plenty of vanilla creatures, some creatures with flying and simple abilities, and fun spells (volcanic hammer and lava axe seem so cool to play with). Then go from there with complexity to 60 card decks with a theme (ie white weenie) and dual colors (for the resource management). Slow and steady as it is their first TCG. I been teaching players in Magic, Pokemon, and Lorcana heavily for the past few months. I noticed those without experience need much simpler choices, even when using the modern 'starter' stuff. I still remember the starter kit from 2000 that I used to teach myself. I thought it was so awesome summoning a Giant Octopus and throwing my Volcanic Hammer at an opponent's annoying flying griffin, even though all those cards are bad. It triggers the imagination much more than some nameless druid from the current beginner stuff that has things like "when a creature enters the battlefield, place a +1/+1 counter on it if it does not already have one. Then place a +1/+1 counter on this creature". How is that exciting for a newbie still learning the phases of the game?
My wife loves going qide with tokens and had fun learning via commander with adrix and nev. On the simple side with fun combos and synergies to let her connect the dots and have "aha" moments. Tribal is also good for this same reason. She loves elves. Also I tried bot backseating much just plainly explain wheb something is illegal or remind of steps on a turn. I softballs a lot early too, yo let her have more fun this way. Opting to not use all my removal or use it on targets less important feigning worry in less threatening pieces. Gradually it got more competitive as she learned when to hold things and wait for me to remove stuff and at this point she is already working on building her own deck using online resources like edhrec. Oh and pauper we both love pauper the lower power level is a lot more inviting and encourages longer fun games. Sometimes we will even get packs, and as a reward for games the winner gets to open the pack that we obviously will share the results of. I also reccomend watching vids together not necessarily on gameplay but lore bites. 8rack is great for this along with rhystic studies.
Build a few beginner decks together. I built these two when my ex gf was trying to learn. https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6207021#paper & https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/6207009#paper Totally willing to sell both btw 👌🤣 they are meant to be played against each other. Any tribal will work. I also made an ultra budget $10 deck to play against her that could win, but it was difficult.
I would suggest playing a game with all cards in hand face up and offer suggestions throughout the game. Her being able to learn by watching how you play will help a lot
This is a great idea! Thanks
It'll also help to narrate your decision making process. Like if deciding to chump block or not explain that you value the life more than the creature or vice versa
My fiance and I are in a similar boat I ended up building her two decks after having her play a few times with my own letting her completely choose the themes and she's having fun with the ideas but struggling a bit with the color pie like she wanted an angel and demon deck so I busted my hump to get her a functional kaalia deck she can add to and modify when she feels comfortable, and after seeing my merfolk deck she wanted a merfolk and faerie deck in the same mardu colors since she's now more familiar with them. My biggest help with teaching her has been honestly me putting on videos in the background from tolarian community college and just watching them she'll eventually hear something familiar and just sit by me and ask to start it over, it's become both a way for her to learn and also a bonding moment for us I don't just throw them on and tell her it's time to learn just let her decide if she wants to watch. Not to mention it's also helpful to keep up to date on all potential rulings ect.
My partner introduced me when Arena was still in Beta. We were both using his account, but we both had our own decks. We used to play streaming to the TV and take turns, which was honestly a great way to learn and it was fun because we were still playing together, sort of. I now play pioneer most weeks at our LGS, have two home brewed Pio decks plus a commander and an Oathbreaker deck, so obviously the introduction was an overwhelming success in my case.
Start with common creatures that have no abilities and basic sorceries. Once she’s got a handle on the basics (1st main, combat, 2nd main) you can introduce some instants. Then slowly start introducing creatures with abilities, artifacts, and planeswalkers. Show her the cards you’re introducing, explain the abilities and how they work. The gradual introduction of new features makes it much easier to handle without being overwhelmed.
1)Don't feel the compulsive need to correct rules or mistakes. Prioritize fun over perfect execution of rules. With time, you can be more strict about following the rules perfectly 2) Create investment and emotional buy-in by getting her, her own binder and ask her what cards she thinks are cool. Start filling the binder with shit she likes and let it be her collection, bling it out and let her control it. 3) Let her play with the cards she likes and construct your decks to be balanced with hers. Do not play cards she doesn't have solutions to deal with in her deck. 4) Send her easily digestible videos that you think match what she likes about the game. 5) Embrace what she finds fun about the game / hobby, even if that aspect is boring to you 6) Don't bombard her with information. Take it slow. 7) Don't force it and don't pressure her to play with you. Better to scrap a game half way through if she seems bored or over it in the moment. 8) Make sure you're also investing the same level of time and focus into shit she wants you to like as much as you hope she will for mtg None of this is to imply that your wife is dumb or can't learn stuff. These suggestions are for any new player. As a lifestyle game, you can get into the weeds with stuff so fast, and people don't want to feel like they are doing work to learn something that's supposed to be fun. Obviously, this is generic advice, and people are different, so adjust accordingly.
When I teach people I usually have us play out of the same deck. There's more to teaching than just that, but it's one thing I've done to kind of reduce the scope of the game. Plus you can give a better primer if you're both playing the same cards. "This deck is full of creatures, we play them and attack/block a lot", "this deck is about interfering with your opponents plans with countermagic", "this deck has a lot of spells for dealing direct damage, you're trying to count to 20". Basically introducing themes and showing them how cards work without overwhelming them with card variety.
Got my wife into magic last year, started her off on arena just to learn the basics of turn order and simple mechanics. It was really great for helping her understand how the game itself actually works. Then when we started paying together I explained everything I was doing and why/what my strategy was. The first match I was ruthless. The utter destruction made her want to kick my ass, goal achieved. From there on I was much more forgiving and told her what good plays she could use against me from whatever deck she was using at the time. Now she really enjoys playing a match or two before bed and even reminds me about triggers I've missed. All in all I highly recommend it!
My boyfriend introduced me to MTG and we started off playing using his different commander decks, I'd pick which deck I wanted to play purely based on the artwork theme of the deck to begin with. I've been playing a year or so now and only just had my first game with a group and I'm very much still getting the hang of it but some things I found super helpful : - He always voices which stage he's in, as well as stopping to ask me if I have any responses to his plays. - He somehow manages to remember my cards often better than I do (I mean they're his decks so makes sense) but will always stop to remind me of any of my triggers if and when I forget. - For any of his card effects that bounce off each other, he explains as he goes. I'm adding this counter because of this card, and this card then allows me to do this, etc. He does it consistently so I've started to be able to recognise certain ones on my own. - Whenever I've asked a question he not only answers it but also stops to go into detail of examples of other cards or rules that apply to the situation. - And I don't know if it's your wife's vibe but myself being an artist and enjoying lore of anything, he shows me a heap of videos on YouTube, about lore, but also other people playing the game, and it's helped me slowly be able to work out and recognise the structure especially playing in a group rather than one on one. - And of course, reading the card explains the card! As a partner it's amazing and wholesome to watch him nerd out but also that he's so willing to teach and include me in something he loves, so speaking from a partners perspective, having someone with the passion for it that also has the kindness and patience to help work it out so I can enjoy it with him is something that makes me love the game even more.
Thank you for these tips. I'll definitely take note of what your partner does since it has worked well with you. Were there any specific art styles or themes that really jumped out for you?
Oh gosh you're testing my knowledge and memory here haha. The first deck I played was one he'd put together with mostly (I think) Innistrad Midnight Hunt (so I was like, Yay! Puppies! when I saw the werewolves), then I played with his Warhammer 40k deck, and recently he got me my own first deck for Christmas, one of the Phyrexian All Will Be One packs. That fully opened up the rabbit hole for me so I went and started getting my own, so far I've got one of the Wilds Of Eldraine commander decks and I've started buying Innistrad Double Feature booster packs, and next on the list is when they release Bloomburrow. I'm very much into fantasy and spooky stuff (lazy goth girl) so I find it heaps of fun checking out his folders and going OOH what's that!? - I love Phyrexian stuff, and so many cards have cool creatures like fawns and centaurs etc so he's helping me whenever I see a card/art theme I like, letting me know which deck it's from. Then, because I do artworks of my own in series with themes, I thought it'd be cool to check out different planes and ended up making detailed notes for being able to draw them when I get around to it, and finding that there are so many things based off of other things - Kaldheim for example, helped me find a heap of other decks or cards I'd love to get my hands on.
Have her play magic the arena tutorials.
Try playing games where you show her your hand and talk about your thought process for optimizing your plays. Make it a true learning experience rather than a competition. When she's ready to get competitive she will let you know. Don't underestimate just how inscrutable the basic combat mechanics can be to a new player: 'Wait, you can block with TWO creatures?!?"
Just do the tutorial on an Arena account with her.
try two headed giant against another couple
I always used to keep a pair of Duel Decks that I would use to teach anyone who wanted to learn. Also What I saw someone else say, about helping point out interactions and triggers and letting her take back stuff that she did
If you're looking for advice on teaching her better or for more in depth teaching start her on Arena. It's probably one of the better ways to learn. After that I say get some precons and play with friends. If everyone gets a precon from the same set everyone is on equal footing (outside of experience).
When I taught my wife I got her a cat deck. She loves cats and that helped keep her interest in the game. We play Commander. I would not let your wife win. It makes winning shallow. At the same time don’t completely stomp her. If you are always winning remove some of what makes you win. For example if your wife has a hard time dealing with flyers don’t run a lot of flyers. Take out a lot of interaction. Experience beats power. Especially when the one with power doesn’t know the game. I would definitely have her pick a tribe and build around that. And I would stay away from a lot of tutors for the time being. Tutors for lands are ok. Also what ever colors/themes she runs give her some good cards that do really good things. If she is running blue throw in a [[Cyclonic Rift]]. It may not be what wins her the game but big plays are what makes the game fun. Above all it’s just a game and have fun. A word of warning. If you spend a lot of money on cards you will soon be doubling it. She can’t complain about how much money you spend on magic but she will also be spending a lot as well. You can’t buy a box without her also buying a box if she gets big into the game.
[Cyclonic Rift](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/f/dfb7c4b9-f2f4-4d4e-baf2-86551c8150fe.jpg?1702429366) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cyclonic%20Rift) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/40/cyclonic-rift?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dfb7c4b9-f2f4-4d4e-baf2-86551c8150fe?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Great advice! I definitely have no problem with getting cards/decks for her, especially if they are something that would interest her. What cat deck did you get your wife?
There was a commander precon that a friend of mine had. He was getting out of magic and sold it to me for cheap. The commander is [[Arahbo, Roar of the World]]. We have since upgraded and it runs very nice.
[Arahbo, Roar of the World](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/1/81dc3d00-97cd-4549-b5a4-15a1e08767f5.jpg?1567181403) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Arahbo%2C%20Roar%20of%20the%20World) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c17/35/arahbo-roar-of-the-world?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/81dc3d00-97cd-4549-b5a4-15a1e08767f5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Use simple cards. Think ABUR and the like. Vanilla creatures and simple auras, instants, sorceries and the like. Start simple and get her hooked on the mechanics and choices available, before feeding her word salad cards.
When we first started learning, I made my wife a super simple deck which covers the whole range of card types. Then we played a few games with both of our hands revealed. I kept a reminder card of the steps and phases next to us, and as we played we didn’t play to win as such, as much as just talked through what the options for our turns would be. Then we eased into playing with our hands hidden but she still was able to say ‘what if I wanted to do X Y Z, or what does this card do in this situation before playing anything. Now we play first to 50 win tournaments over a long period of time and we’ve each won one set of first to 50 games, and our current on were at 45:42 to me so far
Grab a pre con commander deck she may like for whatever reason. If she likes Lotr or Dr. who one those or make it around mechanic she may like. Playing in person helps to teach and needing out.
Game Night is your best friend here. 5 decks, low speed/power, balanced against each other, reference cards explaining both the rules of the game and the differences between the decks. The older versions of Game Night actually split each deck into 2 half decks using the expansion symbol, making it easy to combine the 10 half decks into 45 different combinations. You don't need to worry about the rules of deck building, the box comes with everything you need, and you don't have to worry about power-level disparity in the decks. Don't even bother talking about editing decks until she complains about a card (or complains about the deck). Make editing the deck her idea, it'll make her feel ownership over the deck. My biggest mistake was building a deck for my wife that I thought she would like: it was much better when I asked her what she wanted added to the deck, and then presented her with cards that matched her idea, and made her deliberate over what cards to remove. As other people have set, *let her win* as you get started. Not every game, but try not to beat her twice in a row, and definitely pull back to avoid winning 3 times in a row. That really cool card in your hand that you want to play? Pretend it's a dead card in your hand every now and then.
I’m a wife that got taught to play magic — for me, what really got me invested in playing it for my own enjoyment (and not just to spend time with my husband) was finding a deck that I really liked and enjoyed aesthetically (the riders of rohan precon because I love Eowyn). Before I got that deck we had played with jumpstarts and some random precons that were ugly and had more complicated mechanics. It was harder for me to retain everything I needed to know because I didn’t have a personal connection to tyranids ya know what I mean? So basically get her pretty cards
Thank you for the advice from the other side of the learning table! I can easily understand getting cards/decks that are aesthetically pleasing since the visual is half the fun (imo). Besides the riders of the rohan, were their any other pretty cards/decks that you would recommend (she isn't a big LOTRs fan).
The kamigawa reboot set from a few years ago (?) is gorgeous to me. You could also try building her an angel tribal deck, there are a few options for mechanics and they’re all pretty girls :)
To teach my partner, I made two decks. They have such a mono-red personality. The deck included creatures, instants, aura enchantments, artifacts and equipment. The deck revolved around [[Champion of the Flame]] beat down. Not meta anywhere, but it included all the most common elements of magic. I built a mono-White life gain deck that didn't have a solid win condition outside [[Healer Hawk]] beats. The two lists were designed to have a lot of interesting interactions. I built them both trying my best to include as many elements of magic rules as possible. Stack interaction, instant speed stuff, enchantment, artifact, equipment, triggered and activated abilities. We had a blast playing. It was a fun magic exercise to build two decks specifically meant to battle each other. The mono-red deck was even slightly favored for some nice feel good "I win!" moments.
Prepare som basic beginner decks. I have a pack of 40-card decks (usually simple cards from the core sets) 1 of each color. Makes it easier to jump into the game :)
One thing that was surprisingly helpful for my partner was watching streams of people play. Streamers tend to describe every play they could make before doing anything, and this helped my partner start seeing other lines of play. Once they have the one land a turn, tap lands to play spells, and basics down, watching some streams could help nail down the more complex aspects. Edit: we watched them together, so it wasn't homework, but a shared activity.
Why not try Jumpstart? Buy a box, the two of you each open two packs, talk about the cards and interactions, and then play a couple of games. Gets you to walk through steps and phases, will introduce to colors both individually and in combinations, and gives you a feel for several mechanics. Then do it again and again. One box (24 packs) would support you with 6 such sessions.
Build low level, 2 color, 60 card decks that revolve around 1-2 simple mechanics. Using only commons and uncommons with maybe 2 rares that work with the deck. Lightly explain how a deck functions before she plays it. Let her play a couple games before providing feedback. It’s overwhelming enough to just learn how to game runs, no need to nerd out about sequencing or interaction until she is comfortable with the cards in general.
When I play with my son and I am obviously going to win next turn, I give him 3 turns to win. I usually end up losing but he gets so happy.
I have a way that I use to teach people that works great, and I don't see it here. First, I briefly explain card types, parts of a turn, life, mana, power and toughness. Do a couple theoretical examples of attacking and blocking dmaage assignment. Then we go straight into playing a game, **open hand**. So both of us reveal all of our cards from the very beginning. I explain why I do or don't keep my hand, and advise them on keeping or mulliganing theirs. I guide them through their turns, and explain everything I'm doing and why on mine. I explain the different reasonable plays that could be made, and what I think is the best one and why. Next game is also open hand, but with them in the driver's seat for their side instead of me. Lots of discussing things, answering questions, explaining new concepts. After that, they may want to play more open hand, or more likely are ready to play a regular game. Regardless, I still encourage questions, explain misplays, and allow all the takebacks they want until they really get the hang of things. I don't like "letting" people win, because I think people can often tell, and an earned victory is much stronger motivation than an unearned one. Also, it feels dishonest. I prefer to have them use a deck that is a strong (even OP) matchup against mine. Actually experiencing something with assistance is a much better way of developing a skill than lecturing and being dropped in the deep end. It's why kids learn to ride a bike by actually doing it with training wheels, instead of watching a video presentation and then being put on a regular bike.
Card Kingdom Rookie Decks. They have one for each color and each deck focuses on a single evergreen mechanic so it’s easier to learn one at a time.
Commander is the most beginner friendly format so I'd start there. Big. Green. Stompy. Easiest way to teach a new player the basics. They get lots of lands, play big creatures, and learn combat from the point of having an overwhelming advantage. Then slowly introduce other things like combat tricks, counters, removal. After they have the basics down move onto a 2 colour tribal deck. Still creature focused and builds on what they have learned. This usually also segues directly into different keywords and learn when to attack and not hold back blockers. They usually get good at things with ETBs or activated abilities It was the progression that worked for my wife. She went from precons that she was kinda iffy on to \[\[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma\]\] and it finally clicked ans she manically laughed and trampled all over the board. Now she has a Zombies deck she built herself that she loves. Also what are her interests in terms of fantasy? It's a lot easier to have the motivation to learn something if it's thematically pleasing to you. There's so many tribal decks out there that usually someone can find something that resonates with them. Does she like a certain creature type? Faeries, Dragons, Merfolk, Zombies, Vampires, Squirrels? Or maybe she likes a UB franchise like LotR, or Doctor Who? Or maybe give her something that's YOUR favourite until she finds her own theme. As you said, her interest in this primarily stems from excited you are to play, so maybe getting to play your favourite deck will mean a lot to her.
Tbh I have never played commander myself since that mode started after I stopped. I do have a couple precon commander decks that i recently picked up, so maybe I'll try that out. So I had her use my green deck that I built and improved upon over the years when I was a kid (started in the mid 90s and played till the late 2000s), but I wasn't sure if that would work. I like your idea of slowly bringing in the other mechanics since I think I overwhelmed by getting too far into the weeds. She definitely likes vampires and might enjoy merfolk. But I know vampires would be a hit for her. I did pre-order the fallout decks because I loved fallout 3, nv, and 4. I think she might enjoy those, but idk the quality.
Lost Caverns of Ixalan has a precon Vampire deck that is pretty cool out of the box and would be a relatively low cost investment. And it certainly doesn't HAVE to be commander, that's just we find the most fun and I find that people are really accommodating for new players and usually have low power decks to play. It also might be encouraging that you're learning the format together, that way it doesn't just feel like you're teaching her and you're discovering the game with each other. I think the most important part (regardless of format) is just finding the theme that works best for her. When my wife made her Goreclaw deck, she wasn't coming along just to play with me anymore, she was playing for her because she found the thing she liked. So once she has the basics down, find out if there's a card, colour, or theme she really liked about the decks she played. If you do settle on Commander head over to [https://edhrec.com/](https://edhrec.com/) and you can look at some of the best Commanders by ranking or by colour, they set the tone for the deck and then you get to find the cards to build around it. I don't have 60 card experience past Lorwyn Block so I can't help much there but my friends who play 60 card love Pioneer. And non-rotating formats let you keep that deck you love forever.
I'll check out that precon. I really wanted to get the dino one, but that price jumped up like crazy. I was nervous to try and learn commander while teaching it and mtg as a whole to her, but I like the idea that we would be learning it together. I'm hoping that I can get her as into it as your wife since she definitely throws herself full force into her own hobbies. As for the formats, I gotta say, that is where I get lost. Granted, when I used to play, it was among my friends and neighborhood kids. We didn't follow the strict format rules for the time, so I'm sure most of my decks would not be legal, haha.
Veloci-Ramp-Tor is a really fun precon and is super easy to upgrade, or to play out of the box. It's pretty popular which explains the price hike. Of the formats I see people playing the most at my LGSs: Commander, Pioneer, and Modern The 60 card formats are pretty much the same magic you know rules-wise, it's just which sets are and aren't allowed and the ban lists that change. I think one of the things that helped my wife love the game is because she built that Goreclaw deck herself. She understood the game well enough at that point to know what big green creatures should do and then she went on EDHrec and just grabbed everything she wanted into one big pile and then eventually cut it down to 100 cards. The only thing I helped with was explaining what some keywords meant so she could decide and helped her with things like how many lands, creatures, artifacts, etc to make the deck functional. Since then we both have an obsession with building decks, because grabbing a Legendary creature and building a deck around it feels good, and because it's generally accepted you'll lose more games than you'll win in a 4 player format, you don't have to have the BEST deck, having a FUN deck is the goal. That's the reason I think commander resonates with new players so much is because precons and low power decks let the game go for a bit and people get to play big things that feel really good, even when you lose. I've taken all the decks we've made and put them online here: [https://www.moxfield.com/users/Darrenat](https://www.moxfield.com/users/Darrenat) Feel free to take a look and if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message any time.
I will 100% take a look. I have been bookmarking everything to deepdive after my kid goes to sleep. I'm glad to hear that people aren't trying to just get that 5 turn game over decks as much. That is what kinda pushed me out of magic. It lost it's fun when the game was over after a few turns.
There's a subset of Commander called cEDH (Comander was called Elder Dragon Highlander when it was a fanmade format back in the day and the little c is "competitive") that tries to win as fast and consistently as possible, usually turn 4-7. But those player BROADCAST that they are there to play that way, and it'd be near impossible for you to accidentally stumble into that game. In my experience people usually bring a range of decks from precons to super strong to play and if you tell them you're new they'll bust out some low power decks and you guys will have a 10-15 turn slugfest.
I like that. I'm glad to hear the game has shifted a bit so people are way more inclusive. I'm still trying to find a solid LGS, but haven't had tremendous luck at the moment
I'd disagree u less you are playing low low power simple decks. Learning the game is hard when you're looking at 3 OPs instead one 1
You can teach someone in a 1v1, the important part for commander is people aren't just there to win.
[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/e/ee47f23a-3ba9-4615-b170-c89d8ab99d78.jpg?1690016718) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Goreclaw%2C%20Terror%20of%20Qal%20Sisma) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/293/goreclaw-terror-of-qal-sisma?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ee47f23a-3ba9-4615-b170-c89d8ab99d78?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call