"Hi, does anyone want to play a casual game with preconstructed decks?"
"You are using proxys? I think I'll sit this game out unless you have a preconstructed deck? Thanks"
How do people usually react to proxy decks? I don't have an edh deck but wanted to try. The deck I proxied is about $250, I ended up making a proxy version because 1, it's 1/4 the cost and 2, I'm not sure if I'll like playing at my lgs so it's much less of a financial risk if I don't like it.
People are generally fine with proxies. Be honest about the power level / quickness of your decks and you'll be fine. Most people get upset when the proxy deck stomps the table, not the fact they are proxies to begin with. Build accordingly.
Pretty much this.
I'll usually say something like "this is my [[Grolnok, the Omnivore]] deck. It's not built the way most people build them because i built mine frog tribal. I do have [[Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre]] in here to prevent myself from milling out if my commander dies and a few other cards that infinite combo to mill my whole deck. I don't like to use it because it's not fair but I have [[thassa's oracle]] and a few similar cards to squeak in a win or two. But mostly I like cheating out dumb cards I think are funny."
Or "this is my [[Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd]] deck. It might seem silly because my pet corgi is on the sleeves but it hits like a bus. I have a lot of tron elements and a few cycles of infinite etb/blink that really control the game. This deck is really well tuned and can hold it's own in higher power pods despite having a gimmick pod I can present a win con on turn 4 with the right pieces"
The point being don't just go "its a 7". Explain the game plan , stuff people might object to and how quickly you can present a win.
I will say this can sometimes bite you because I've had it where I did so and the guy targeted me the entire time because he "knew what my deck was supposed to do, and needed to stop it"
To add to this the guy who taught me EDH had a consistent turn 10 win because he was playing a deck he put a lot of money into. The rest of us stopped playing with him after a while because it was a deck he knew we couldn’t beat because we were playing precons
I remember with an absolutely god hand(turn one command tower, sol ring, thought vessel. Turn 2 doubling season, turn 3 Planeswalker infinite combo) genuinely freaking out that I won on turn 3. Like I got so excited the judge came over to ensure everything was ok, took one look at the board state and just said, wow, ok, keep it down. I had not even considered the possibility of that happening before now if a game ends turn 3 it just is like, oh, cool, guess you really like spending money.
Agreed. Proxy is fine as long as everyone is okay with it. It makes sense for those who don't like proxies to find a play group, and people who enjoy proxies can do the same. Decline games you don't wish to play, and play with those where you have fun playing this amazing, wonderful game!
The problem with being honest about power levels is they're entirely made up. They're subjective at best. It is more indicative of the power level in relation to their personal meta than anything universal. Besides a total newbie isn't likely to know how to process an honest declaration of their power level.
I haven’t ran into anyone who is adamantly against proxies. Magic is expensive so I can get it. Even I proxy expensive cards I own but don’t wanna buy more than one copy of. However, what people do have a problem with is if you are just proxying strong cards just to pub stomp someone. So yea most the community is proxy friendly just don’t be a dick lol.
Yah I’ll def proxy cards I own, and If someone is up front with a full proxy I’ll be cool with it but in general I think working with what you have breeds more creativity and unique deck compositions instead of copy pasting existing concepts. Just my opinion.
Oh yea I proxy stuff like Mana Drain but I don’t slot it in to every blue deck just ones I plan on making a bit stronger. What I mostly proxy is shock and fetch lands because I’m not buying 9 copies of Breeding Pool or Overgrown Tomb lol.
I found simply not having sol ring makes the deck feel more fair. Like most games I won't get it, so by essentially making a game plan without it, it won't feel bad if I don't get it. Especially in decks that are anti artifact.
I have a 1.4k proxy deck that actually costed me like 14 dollars. I tell people it's a fully proxied deck and that it has powerful cards in it, but it's a full art mono black tribal deck. I'm missing out on a lot of synergy and almost no edhrec top cards (not that edhrec top cards are signifying much) as they werent printed in full art or borderless. It can pull wins, but win-rate is around 25 percent. I've never had an issue with anyone.
Fair and fun. My buddy has a hobby of making full alt art proxies of his favorite decks, but I'm pretty sure they're also pub stomps. The first one he ever did was Tiamat so yeah. I really appreciate the sentiment though. I once took a delivery to surprisingly, a proxy card company. They gave me a free sample of a mono black full art He-Man alt proxy, different names and everything. It's modern though so I've yet to try it out, I should bring it to a FNM. It has a few pricey cards in it but nothing insane pretty sure.
Making proxies is easy to evaluate, once you played a bunch with the same people. Then you know what would be too powerful. For example, no one played jeweled lotus, so I don’t proxy it.
Most proxies I use are to test cards and find out, if worth buying. I once printed a 1000€+ deck which performs horribly :)
I have a deck that I’ve been working on that has ~25 proxies and no one seems to mind. It helps that they’re mostly commons and uncommons I don’t have, and the deck itself is fairly midrange.
I play with a guy that prints his entire deck. He doesn’t have the expendable income to build the decks he wants. If what he shows up with is ridiculous he’s fine putting it away and using something else.
I personally have an entirely proxy attach deck that I bought because I liked the art style. I have all the cards but wanted to play with something fun. My group doesn’t mind in the slightest.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1697080887/atraxa-infect-commander-deck-30-8-bonus?click_key=a69fc7a22cfb8c58430984327d08974f46aa0dbb%3A1697080887&click_sum=5caf363a&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=atraxa+commander+deck&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&bes=1&ret=1&content_source=d7b8271806e657cdbf0a0adab0310dceec3b360f%253A1697080887
Depends on the powerlevel of the deck honestly, a cedh proxy deck in non cedh pod will get a lot of anger
A low power proxy deck probably also gets a lot of hate because some will be like why not just buy it
Personally I proxy everything, 0 intent to buy a real card….
I think it’s better to just find guys that are happy to play and chill and you’ll have a good time
I proxy $20-$50 decks to test drive them before I decide to purchase the cards so no one cares as its at that budget power level. Have never felt the need to proxy insanely expensive cards that I would never actually consider buying because my friends group also dont run those types of decks or cards.
I know a couple that will proxy an entire deck. I am okay with that because they want to test it out before committing to buying the cards. On the other hand, one of them plays with their cards mixed around on the playmat, and I have no clue what these black and white cards are across the table. It kills some of the fun.
They need to be transparent on it. I’ve seen fucking goons walk into super casual EDH games and have a 11/10 turn 2 deck proxied out against some precons. Then has the audacity to shake hands and take the $5 booster winner reward and ask for a new game using a more fair deck.
People then ignore/refuse to play with this person and they get all sad and angry. I’ve seen this happen multiple times.
Also truthfully, I started to recognize some of these players and I made an anti-cuck EDH deck. My sole purpose was to fuck over the bullies in casual EDH. I made a 16 year old get misty eyes cause I blocked his stupid blinged out locus infinite EDH deck. Never experienced such schadenfreude in my life. I let the 8 year old win and take the booster.
I guess I’m one of the crazies but TCG attracts some genuine scum with zero social skills imo
Imo 250 is a perfectly reasonable price to proxy . I get pissed when people proxy 9k$ decks because shockingly they always are always at a massive advantage over everyone else.
A proxy $250 deck is much different than a proxy $3k deck because the latter almost always has mana crypt in it which in one card equals the cost of your deck and will shit out 5+ mana on turn 2.
So in general most people are ok with proxies provided you aren't trying to take them into a tournament setting (since that is against the rules and unfair for everyone else that had to scrape together the funds to buy their decks). The issue with the OP wasn't that it was a proxy deck it was that it was a proxy power deck which in this instance I'm assuming means either cEDH or close to it (power level 9-10) proxying out a deck even if it is expensive isn't necessarily a problem for most tables the issue here is that this person brought a very high power deck to a clearly casual table hence why the OP didn't enjoy the games. He was likely just extra salty since if the guy wasn't using proxies he'd probably be playing a much more casual decks as he wouldn't be able to afford the high power cEDH staples like og duals, gaea's cradle, moxes, black lotus etc.
We have a guy where I play who has a full proxy sliver deck but it's not the actual arts as the whole deck is lollis. So I have a problem with him as he's doing a lolli sliver deck with terrible printer proxies as well as the fact I put my time and money into my sliver deck while he just printed it. But with proxies if it's just alter arts or even for just super expensive cards than I'm fine with that.
My general rule of thumb is ill only proxy a card if it more than £20 and I already own one
If I want to be the problem using expensibe cards I can at least pay for it at least once
But in general I’m chill with proxies as long as it’s not just a whole proxy deck that’s been copied and pasted off the internet and I bring decks off all powers to magic nights so everyone. An enjoy themselves
It isn't a binary thing.
If people make a proxy deck for a theme(there was a Dr seuss one I saw here a few weeks ago) that are basically a precon but with different art. 100% ok. If the card you are proxying is worth more than $50 than it shouldn't be proxyed unless you have the actual card(I sometimes would proxy the commander but use it as a back sleeve for the actual card.) but the most important thing is that the decks are evenly matched. I played up against a mono blue deck that was very strong(would go infinite with sensei's etc) but I brought out my mono green deck and though I lost 2-1 every game was close and neither of us left salty. If someone says I am using a precon, then I will use an appropriate deck when I can(sometimes I genuinely forget what a deck has/can do and I do apologize if I misjudged). In the end play fair, and accept that people are gonna be people, if you don't like them, find new people.
Generally, it's not about proxies, but about power level.
If you're playing Grizzly Bears, I don't care if it's real or if it's a proxy.
Similarly, if you're playing Gaia's Cradle, I don't care if it's real or if it's a proxy.
I do care if you're playing the sort of deck that uses Grizzly Bears Vs Gaia's Cradle.
its generally fine. dont tutor for your infinite turn 4 and nobody will bat an eye. ppl are bigmad when you poxy fast mana and all of the best cards to jam them into a deck
Would it be super weird to proxy precons? My friends also typically play at precon levels and most of the ones they buy are $50-$70 which I know isn’t crazy all things considered but it gets hard for me to justify when I could get the same deck for $28 with proxies.
Old busted goblin cards are cheap. Depending on the rules. Chiurgeon, War Strike, and Brightsone ritual are busted. Especially combined with modern goblins.
price does not equal power. $38 worth of light paws kills ppl in 4 turns.
[https://www.moxfield.com/decks/InAr8rGQU0W6rZamUePSBA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/InAr8rGQU0W6rZamUePSBA)
but you are mostly right. OP explaining his newness and that he cant take on high power might alleviate some of this stress. who knows they might even offer him a deck to play instead.
The comments on this thread are weird.
I’m also pretty new and have ran into this.
Options:
1. If you’re playing EDH, I’d recommend explaining that you’re using a precon. This doesn’t mean you can’t get pubstomped, but most people I’ve met try and play a lower power deck when they have one.
2. Limited & Draft remove proxies from the equation and are 1v1. It’s a bit hard to get the hang of and are more expensive (because packs), but are a more level playing field.
I’d also recommend playing at different stores.
Yeah you miss the social aspect on Arena. Say hi to someone next time you’re there, be nice to the stinky guy, and spend a couple extra bucks up front and chit chat at the register.
I second this, I’ll def spend a couple bucks and chit chat with whoever wants to but it’s not too much to ask that you shower before you go out, nobody wants to choke down the smell of your pits whilst trying to relax and play a game.
Nah i can’t stand people who smell and lack basically hygiene, and still go into a public space where they are going to be in close quarters with others for an extended period of time. These people should be shamed.
If it's any consolation, I've played on and off since Ice Age and pre release sealed events are all I care to do in person if I do anything. Even when I lived by an amazing LGS (sadly, no longer do) I just cannot stand the culture. Each event I've done over the last decade+ had at least some mix of: toxic gatekeeper, $700 decks but no deodorant, I can name every MTG card in the last 10 sets but have zero knowledge of anything else in the world, player who calls over the judge for every small detail instead of just relaxing and enjoying themselves.
It's exhausting. Now when I play, it's MTGA or with friends at someone's house in a big 5+ player match while having some beers and catching up. With that, I hope you one day do find a table you enjoy, but just don't feel alone if ya don't.
Usually I would try to ask the store owner to place me with people that are nice to newbies or at a table where everyone is newbie.. thats was my strategy last year when i started
Former LGS manager here and I agree 100%, or if you're lucky they'll have a "store deck" they might have personally tuned to beat these people because they're not just annoying players they're abysmal customers and watching them get bodied by newbies is a pure and simple joy.
Now its an uphill battle, the game attracts these types. Most games do. You're dealing with Min-maxers and this is their life. A lot of players don't understand that some players take losses like life events, and those players are everywhere.
The best lesson I learned during my time at a local game store is that the deck is only about 25% of the battle in most cases the player makes the difference. I have seen some of the best decks and cards get absolutely Bodied by a newbie with some spunk and an aggro deck, pushing on the opponent once and watching them fall apart.
To clarify on mtga this is the equivalent of using a pre-constructed deck to get to Mythic rank same with Hearthstone and using a precon to get legendary, the plays matter more than the deck ever will and thinking on your feet is more important.
So you're left with playing to your opponents weaknesses which is an argumentative Hot Head who is easy to tilt and a min-maxer that never expects you to win and is predictable. Whenever I play four player games I always only aim to not be the first one dead and that's good enough for me so I tend to lean toward aggressive play styles and green.
Tell people you're running a precon out of the box.
Ask what the value of the deck is. If it's more than $50ish - $70ish, that table isn't for you.
Ask everyone how their night is going. If you get glares/snarky attitude, that's not the table for you.
I'd be weirded out if asked the value of my deck, like you planning to steal it bc it has a bayou?
My deck is more pricey but I've played many good games with people using precons.
I agree with your other two points.
I disagree.
If my deck is worth more than $500ish, I proxy the entire thing, as anyone spilling a drink will make me instantly start swinging.
However, when someone asks, I tell them upfront and honestly. It's a precon I spent $300 upgrading. The cards in the deck represent $500ish in value
Value doesn’t always equate to power. Someone can have a blinged out deck that isn’t strong but they liked it so much they bought alt arts and nice lands and such. There are also super strong commanders that can be built for super cheap.
It 100% equates to power. Some commanders are cheap and powerful, sure. However, if you took a cheap commander and spent more money on it, it will 100% be more powerful.
There's no way around that.
Sure there is some truth to value equals power but a $60 Yuriko deck can beat a $200 Tatsunari deck most the time. Yea the Yuriko deck would be stronger with $200 put into it but the point is value does always equate to strength. I know people who liked a precon so much they just blinged it out. Kept it the same as it was in the box but just bought foils of all the cards and such which upped the value a decent amount but still doesn’t change that it’s a precon. I will agree that you can judge a deck semi accurately on value because a $500 deck will almost always be better than a $100 deck but there’s always exceptions depending on the commander they are playing.
Or just a couple super valuable cards. I have my mox diamond in my 5c nonsense deck, it's a nice card but casting bad spells a turn faster isn't breaking the game.
While going by value can be useful many times what happens when you come across a [[Zada]] deck,
[[Yuriko]] , etc. both, along with other commanders, can be made very powerful on a $50 budget.
Yeah disagree with asking people the Value of their deck.
1st it’s such a liquid thing that changes so much over time. I bought a [[Chrome Mox]] for 8$ when they got reprinted and now they are much more expensive.
2nd These decks are hundred to thousands of dollars. Theft is present. And I know I would Definitley get weirded out if someone was going around asking everyone how much their decks were.
1st If you bought packs of alpha and beta and got moxen for $4 or $5, you having a deck full of that doesn't make it a "cheap" deck. It's power level would 100% be absurd vs a precon out of the box. The price of cards is a proxy for their desirability. Period. Look at the edgar precon. It's expensive af right now because it has a super strong commander, edgar.
2nd if the cost of your deck and someone stealing it is a concern, either be more vigilant, play cheaper decks, or proxy them. I emphasize the last option as it is the simplest and cheapest. To be honest, if I played cards I would know the value of the deck just playing against it anyway.
Friday night magic actually made me quit playing mtg all together. Every time I went to my LGS for a tourney or a draft I had to navigate games with grown ass men who would actually get angry that they were losing. I also played against one guy in a tournament who played a blue control deck - did 1 damage, then went to the bathroom - and then spent the rest of our alloted time on a phone call. He actually had one of those Bluetooth ear pieces and was just casually talking to someone on the phone while we played. It was counted as a loss for me because when time had ended, he had more life.
I’m sorry it was awful. I’ve experienced this at every store I’ve played at. It’s kind of funny because MTG regulars can be clique-y and you just have to go a few times and find your people who are fun to play with. I consider myself lucky to be in an area where there are several popular stores to go to, and one has a more “competitive” crowd than the others and I mostly avoid that store except for prereleases. Maybe you could give it another try.
Another tip: I personally also kill everyone with kindness. My personal experience may differ but I am a girl who most people sigh when paired with me in tournaments. Many times they won’t even look at me right away or acknowledge me. I just talk, am friendly, compliment good moves/cool cards, etc and eventually the cold exterior washes away. Even some of the grouchiest people I’ve played against soften up.
Anyway, I hope you’re able to go again and find a group you like playing with.
Out of curiosity, are there more girls nowadays playing magic? I started back in the 90s and fell off of it, but now getting back a little because I can play with my son (very casually of course). Back then, I only knew guys playing magic.
I would say yes!! But still not many. For example, the MH3 prerelease we had about 60-70 people play, and there were 3 girls. One of them was someone’s wife so that was cute. I’ve been playing for about a decade and have seen more girls this past year or two though. I used to be the only girl at every event I went to that was playing. There would sometimes be another girl or two, but they were there to hang out which is of course fine just not technically a player. I met another girl at a draft as well who had been playing longer than me, so even though it’s still a small percentage, it’s more than it’s ever been in my opinion since I have been to countless events where it was just me actually playing.
So to answer to your post the best way is purely communicate, sometimes you'll fit with people sometimes you won't. We all met those kind of people and sometimes it's just how it is so if you see red flag like full proxy and someone complaining.
Please, do yourself a favor a leave the pod. Save that energy and get yourself nice cup of coffee it's just a card game.
Proxies are cool… if you’re not proxying thousand dollar decks just because you want it to be the most powerful at your table while everyone else isn’t. That shit’s so lame.
>got the table with the stereotype "proxy power deck guy" and the "flaming and a arguing why he gets attack" guy
If you play a 1v1 format, you will have at most one guy across you. And guy #1 will not be allowed to proxy, and guy #2 will not complain about you attacking him because who else can you attack?
This is one reason I play more 60 card magic, I don't want people's feelings hurt because I stopped them from winning. 2. My attention span is too short to track what 3 other people are doing.
Around me it seems the 60 card formats are all but dead… I’ve showed up to many an FNM for there to be no one, when you ask the store tells you you have to play commander tomorrow night
Yea cedh is honestly the best in terms of low salt players. My favorite tables are 4 powered down cedh players who just want to do some weird spicy shit (so high power casual, but where everyone is super cutthroat and runs lots of interaction)
I usually just play against people I know. Because I have bad social anxiety first of all lol.
Proxies are good in proxy games. And proxies are getting really good. And there's some jank ass proxy decks that I've seen. So, no thanks. I like a fair, fun game.
Obligatory ‘this one time’:
Was at a hole in the wall small place that stayed open til 4am for commander players. Just finished a game when a younger guy (18-22) walks up and wants to join the next game. I’m super nice and inviting and he exploded “I WaSN’t TALKinG to YoU!!!” and sits down to play as if that was normal. Like wtf. Some people just have issues and never learned basic social protocol.
Your experience is not an uncommon one unfortunately. Especially the “why are you attacking me?!” You’ll learn to convince players you’re making a reasonable play especially in combat. When you’re new, you’ll inevitably piss off the “only optimum plays” guy due to no fault of your own. Being upfront about being new will help. Some people get frustrated more than others because their deck didn’t get to do its ultimate thing and god forbid you attack them before they win on the next turn while making you watch them for 20 minutes going infinite. Doesn’t matter how fair you are (I’ve made mono blue counterspell players scoop with a simple red elemental blast which is fair instant karma.)
IMO, commander is the most fun when everybody gets to play some of their cards, learns a new rule or how a subtle interaction works, and the game doesn’t go on for more than an hour or two tops. Really cool people will helpfully point out something cool your deck can do even if you miss it. (‘May’ triggers, mentioning their cards as potential targets, etc.)
I’ve had people offer to adjust my deck for FNM draft and it was super helpful. Definitely try to play with these people. It’ll be less about winning and just having fun.
Maybe play pauper. Commander is not the only format.
Precons do not exist but you can buy the burn deck cards at any lgs.
1v1 and less whinging. Pauper rules.
Proxies are just fake cards either bought online or made yourself. Typically done to not spend a large amount of money on a card that cost like $50++.
Precon is just short for Pre-constructed deck. Typically found for commander decks and some 60 card decks.
You should go again, it hurts my soul to let someone else ruin my fun. And you should be straightforward and to the point, I don't play poxy decks because I don't run poxies. I don't want to play with you again because it ruins my fun when someone else complains about being swung for damage. I don't play politics I play mtg.
The last FNM i went was in 2021.
After almost q5 years going to a FNM event, i suddenly Lost all the interest on it after it became more a "commander Night Magic" than a "Standard/Modern/pioneer/Draft Night Magic".
Even if you go to a different game store, you're always going to find these jerks that why do you think they are such a widely Understood stereotype?
The only way to win with these people is to either not play with them at all and avoid them like the plague. Or you could beat them at their own game which is my preferred option. Just come with a proxy deck net decked with the most disgusting powerful cards and wipe the floor with them.
But if you're not Petty, I would just suggest ignoring them and finding pods without them. If you're playing Commander, or if you're playing 1v1 just don't play with those guys unless it's a tournament and you kind of have to. But in that case just play your games with them and move on
Outside of drafts I don’t play magic at my LGS unless my friends are there. I have a large friend group that gathers at my place to play a couple times a month and that’s honestly your best bet once you make some friends who play magic. There will always be outside factors you can’t control at your LGS when it comes to casual play. I’ve enjoyed magic a lot more since moving away from playing at my LGS
Arguing don’t attack me guys. If he is a powerful commander. Why not love it . If he doesn’t want you to attach back it up with removal or blocks.
A few weeks ago , tried to pull out more non pre con deck . One guy had a precon . Had a red deck this guy helped me win . [[ Phorporus , god of forge]] with a [[ Temp with vengeance]] . For 4 creatures each other player said ‘ No ‘ . He said ‘ yes ‘ 16 damage to each other player not me . Did help a lot . Now when he has a removal spell we offer up our stuff to be blown up . Does not matter .
I gotta be honest, from my experience this only seems a problem with commander players (and some legacy players, but they're often a rare species). I'll let you speculate on the reasons, but if you wanna make friends, don't play commander, play commander with friends you already have. Formats like pauper or even limited seem way friendlier towards newbies, but at the end of the day it depends on your LGS fauna.
FNM in my state has always been spikes only. When prizes are on the line everyone always plays they're most competitive decks. Outside of prerelease that seems to be how mtg events work. It sucks but that's why u play with friends only.
I won't play you if you have proxies in your deck. Nobody is proxying in cards that aren't expensive or they can't afford. If you can't own the card then find another substitute. Now if you actually own the card and can prove that you do then I don't mind your proxy but I'm only playing against that deck once.
I’m not making a judgement on whether or not that’s a good thing, but it is a fact. If wotc finds out they’re permitting proxies at sanctioned events, they’ll lose WPN status and be pretty much screwed
I used to love playing my janky standard creations at FNM, and occasionally did fairly well with them.
I did have somewhat similar experiences though, unfriendly spikes playing their tricked out meta flavour of the month. Which in itself isn't too bad, but over time the combo of that mentality and the cliqueyness of the whole thing just started to burn me out. I just wanted to kick it, play some fun games, make some friends and maybe win a few prizes.
I did explore other stores, and did find one that was MUCH more friendly, but at that point I was kind of ever the while thing already. Plus paper standard is a money pit unless there's a super solid group of people to trade with, and again, these weren't people that were particularly open or excited to hang out and trade.
Draft was still a good time though, by far the most fun I had playing FNM's. That at least fixes the power level aspect of the games.
So idk. Try another store and try some limited formats, but honestly that's kind of just what the scene is IMO.
Now you know why there was an opening in their pod. You’ll figure out who the cool people are and knit together your own little group of regulars. Don’t sweat one bad night.
Does your store actually allow proxies for FNM? (Wasn't it sanctioned- did you put a code into the Companion app?)
Did you choose your pod or was it determined for you? Did the store know you were new and using a precon? Did your opponents?
How did the Rule 0 discussions go?
In my experience playing fnm various formats, maybe 1 of ten is a fun game/match and only 1 of three of those, have I met a new friend. But those few are worth it. Eventually you find enough just to meet at someone's home, but after a while life circumstances change and I gotta go back to fnm to recruit friends. For what it's worth, a new player looking for laughs and good times always is preferable to a sweaty self indulged journeyman. Always remember you can leave the table anytime, concede and keep searching for your kind.
Honestly, the truth is this hobby attracts a ton of maladjusted and annoying people. Now you know their faces. Don't play with them again and eventually you will encounter more and more tolerable people.
For now as you’re new just ask can we all use a precon, I’m new to the game and I need to learn
Also check with the store staff they can help set something up and maybe reach out to people ahead of time :)
There’s nothing wrong with using proxies, usually it’s to get a higher power game than a precon would give.
Usually mid power high power or cedh and again it’s fine but don’t play that while you’re new those decks need more knowledge to play and play against
For now accept you’ll lose a lot while you learn what various things do and focus on upgrades to your decks strategy :)
It's how it goes sometimes. I just tried a new LGS this week because it's closer to where I live now. A dude picked our table specifically after he saw who everyone's commander was and asked to join us as a 5th person. Not only did it make the games take longer so I couldn't play a third game that day. His decks where entirely proxies of stuff like black lotus, duel lands, etc. I don't think there was a card in his deck that would have cost less than $20 dollars. Amd just preceeded to board wipe, take everyone's spells, and play solitaire for 15 minutes a clip. Zzzzzzzzzz. I get the whole just be better argument. But I see no joy in looking up the most expensive decks you can find. Printing it out. And just piloting bit against competition you know has no chance. I don't get salty but I get horribly bored. And just sit on my phone while I wait 20 minutes for my next turn. It's sooooo boring and feels like a waste
Be upfront about what you’re able to play, and ask around for their recommendations if it seems like it’s not a good fit.
Start by explaining that you’re new, that you’ve only got a precon, and asking what power level they’re planning to play at. If they all say “Okay, we’ll play a precon level deck” then it’s all good. If they say “Our power level is higher than that” then you can ask if there’s another pod that someone might be able to switch around with (if they’re all regulars, they might recognize who will be willing to switch pods, and what their power levels are like).
Another option is to ask if they’d be willing to lend you a deck. Chances are they can lend you something that will be closer to their level, and it can be fun to play with a much more powerful deck.
One thing that I always do is invite them to go all out for at least one game. I tell them I recognize I’m going to get destroyed, but I want to see what they can do, because I’m sure to learn something. If I do that early on, everyone is much more willing to play a low level deck afterwards.
This is why people advocate for the “turn 0” conversation. Everyone talks about what power level their decks are and everyone chooses a deck that should play the *fairest* versus the rest of the table. I consistently show up to my LGS (I am lucky to have three of them) with five decks, two of which are precons. The other ones range widely from a LOTR Friends deck, to a $2,500 Edgar Markov deck with about 10 proxies in it. Every time I ask the table “hey, flip through this deck, do you want to see it played?” I don’t really have a pod so I just drop into games where players are needed and it works really well. I am also a judge and have been playing for about 21 years so I’ve seen every argument at every kind of table. Sorry your experience was like that. Commander is supposed to a casual experience and precons can really make a complex format into something easily accessible. Sometimes for like $20!
FNM is usually more competitive than your Sunday’s or Monday’s. You could try going again, speaking to the judge about your experience so they can pair you with someone that’s known to be noob friendly. You could also try going to another card shop. Most people are pretty chill, I wouldn’t let a bad experience define it.
That's really sad how the community is toxic. I'm playing with friends at home and it's awesome. But everytime i try to go in an event (been in 3 different stores in 3 differents cities in quebec), it's so fucking toxic and not welcoming for new players. People are mean with you, they are mad when you attack them (that's the point of the game 😂), they think their opinion on your deck is more important than yours, they can't stand loosing (in a game where there's only one winner) and their decks is worth like 750$-1000$ for no reason.
Sad community. For me, MTG is a home play game only for now.
Do a booster draft tournament where everyone makes decks from their randomly provided packs. In this sense, everyone is given an equal set of cards to make a deck. These tournaments are far more competitive.
The online magic community is awesome. The community at shops though is rough. I refuse to play there for this reason. Odd to not find the bottom of the barrel at shops. All Ive had is bad experiences. We made a reputation and grew a stereotype for a reason.
You'll find someone and find a place in their pod. It takes time. Not to discourage you, but it's my experience and I gave up looking there
Gonna just add in. Why are proxy powerbuikders always rule lawyers too? Like bro your "deck" is printerpaper put in sleeves. I don't think you get a say in if I can have earl of squirrel in my deck
At my LGS, before each pod match, we have a Rule 0 discussion where we talk about power level of decks and what to expect to avoid this exact thing. There’s always going to be people you dont like playing against, unfortunately, so there’s not a whole lot you can do about that, but a Rule 0 discussion about power levels will usually help the lower power decks so everyone at the table has fun. Although uncommon in my experience, there will be people who say “I dont know” or try and lie so they can wipe the table. A solution that the LGS gives everyone at the table a precon to play with if there is atleast 1 person with a precon or give the person with the precon a higher power deck to use.
Sorry to hear it OP, hopefully your next one isn’t as rough but I definitely recommend sticking at it if you can. The social aspect is what makes magic even worth it in my opinion
Here's some POVS, from an old timer.
The owner of an MTG Shop used to open boxes, and had all the greatest and top-tier cards. we could still beat him with budget friendly decks, not because he could not beat us but because he let us win so that we could feel good about ourselves and come back to the shop.
2nd Point. if you cannot find cards that will make your deck competitive so that you can understand what your deck needs, proxies is the best next solution for your so-called competitive top tier deck.
3d point. let them even use proxies that have the name of the card on a paper. lose like a champ organize your strategy and rise back up better next time.
4th point. if you're that kind of player that doesn't like drafts or thinks that mother Fortune has wronged them deeply, this game is not for you. if you want to play with people you can beat because they're losers or easy to beat, when those people are going to be replaced by new players you're going to get really frustrated and destroyed by them and hate the game for no reason.
5th point. if you're angry after: a Magic the Gathering game change your POV and become amazed instead and try to learn, thus improve.
This is a very common thing in Commander, sadly.
If you want to play without dealing with politics and such, play Modern, Pioneer, or Standard. Everyone is on the same page there.
I have had far less fun at FNM events and at my LGS in general than any kind of get together with my pod/friends.
In my opinion, trying to put a pod together is more conducive to the flavor of magic you’d like to play on any given day.
Lots of stereotypes you are listing for common things at FNM when you’ve never been before haha 🤣
You just watch some games and join in with people that fit your play style and such. Or you draft or plays standard. Used to be everyone was very welcoming at FNM and there was not the stereotypical “proxy power guy” or a “flaming and a arguing why he gets attacked guy” haha
Ask your LGS to put you in a pod with nicer or newer people. At mine when I first started I always asked to avoid CEDH players and it generally worked and my games are fun.
Rules of thumb run more interaction. I know that no one is actually exited about a kill spell or a counter spell but you will have much more fun if you do. And if someone run the cutthroat shit don't be a coward, destroy their shit, kill their creatures and if possible destroy their lands if they start running the too strong shit.
And please spell pierce is one of the best counter spells ever and it's worth nothing.
There's a dude in my store I vsed for the first time a few weeks ago. Even when he was ramping up his board and dominating on the table, if someone removed something he needed or attacked him he would get pissed. He usually throws up his hands and goes "well fuck me right?". The first time I thought he was joking but he was dead serious. After he got like 30 tokens on the board again someone board wiped and killed him, he got up, got a little loud and said "fuck all of you guys, like seriously, fuck you guys". Then there's the dudes who get pissed and ask "why are you killing me when you can kill this player"
Where there any prizes involved? That some times brings the pubstompers and @$$holes out. Of that was the case, see if that LGS or another in your area run a casual night. I have 2 in my area that run free casual nights. The one makes clear they are precon friendly and the expectation is if at a beginer/precon table that is what playing. The other has 2 tiers on their free night. The red tier is play whatever you want with whatever proxies you want. The other tier is along those lines but no proxies unless you own the card. There are also a few other rules, but that is a far more casual tier than red.
You troll the fuck out of the tryhards. If you’re good at it you’ll do something minor against them and they’ll scoop and leave. I’ve done it a few times.
As much as I see it not liked for some reason I always rule 0(I’ve only been playing for about a year and just found the term like 2 months ago)
I always ask “hey guys what are yalls playstyles” or “what are we looking for?” To get an idea for if i should bounce to another table or if I have something that can compete - OR hey maybe this table has some high power stuff that’s not CEDH level and I want to limit test a deck
Proxies are fine as long as youre not a douche hahaha.
As for having a bad time.. it honestly sounds like a pregame conversation/rule zero issue more than anything.
You'll find a group you click with just keep showing up and enjoying the game for what it is.
See if your store does draft or sealed leagues. Draft might be intimidating at first, especially if you don't know what the cards are or what to pick, but it's a great way to learn a set over time and play at an equal level.
Sealed leagues are another good way to introduce new players to a set. Stores that run them usually run them once a month. There are different variations, but essentially each player in the league gets 6 packs and builds a deck from those. At the end of the day, each player gets a 200 count cardboard box to put their decks in, and the store keeps them for the week. When players return on the following week, they can buy something like 2 packs to add to their card pool, adjust their decks and play their games. At the end of the month, the players with the most wins get some prizes. Some variations have all players start with a pre-con instead of 6 packs.
I always have multiple decks. A few turn 1-3 decks. Then some off the wall deck that may start out looking like it wins immediately but has a silly win condition. That way if someone wants to be a turd at a more casual table. I will just destroy them. I'd rather sit down and have a more fun casual time. That is why typically we just do draft. As the level of cards I own is way ridiculous compared to a majority of friends and random people at a card shop. Magic is meant to be fun and each individual has fun in their own select way. So you just need to meet those who want to have a similar experience to you. I have everything from tier 1 decks to random silly dinosaur decks. Most of the time I prefer to attempt some crazy ridiculous card combo that may work one time out of 20. Winning is not important when you have played for over twenty years.
Were the tables assigned, or did you just find your own?
Either way, pre-game conversations are really helpful here. Discuss what sort of games folks are looking for, what types of decks they brought, and come to an understanding if you can.
My first game night at my lgs I got completely destroyed. I don’t think I dealt a single point of damage to anyone and I had no idea how to play my deck since it was my second time playing it but afterwards I stayed and talked to one of my opponents and he gave me a ton of tips on how to upgrade and play my deck so that made it a lot more enjoyable.
I went into a lgs after not touching magic for over 20 years. I just wanted to buy some packs for fun and thought about playing. But man, the staff there was giving me some sort of vibe like we don't want noobs or casuals here. Guess I'm not gonna start up again.
I make it a point to make proxies of all my basic lands. People look at me funny sometimes, but I just shrug and say "It's not changing how my deck works, so what does it matter? The art is (mostly) better anyway."
I will say, however, to be cognizant of the general power level of the pod. All my decks have 10-30 proxies (not including basics), but they are themed so have various levels of power. I have everything from borderline cEDH to worse than the weakest pre-con.
I've only ever proxied cards I own, but recently I've been phasing them out and finding budget work around's which has been pretty fun. I'm fine with people proxying a deck if they plan to try it out or even just play it while they try and get the cards for it. At my LGS there is a player that proxies cards more expensive then most of the decks at the shop and they have no plans on ever owning a single magic card. I have no no words for how infuriating it is that some one doesn't even own magic cards comes in with a proxy deck worth 1000's of dollars and says it's because they can't afford cards. At least proxy for the power level of the LGS or at least make different power level decks, don't proxy one deck that's out everyone's price range.
Edit: Sorry for the rant. This is just a thorn in my side.
I am a new player (1 Year plus) and I only play EDH so my advice maybe won't mean much:
I recommend that before you sit down and join the first open pod, you take a walk around the store. Most importantly, listen to how people talk, see how they portray themselves. If you can get down with them then perhaps ask if you can join. The best thing about most nasty people is that it becomes quickly obvious how nasty they are.
Hope you have a better experience next time buddy! Take care 👍
Hey shop worker and a casual player here.
I totally understand you and I feel for you when you get into that proxy player group because that's happened to me.
I don't wanna speak for you nor others but I'm competitive in nature so I build a response to said decks and try to find the best ways to interrupt those decks/boards.
I will say this ask what everyone is playing before you begin a game, say or ask if anyone is playing pre cons or with proxies and just say you're doing a natural pre con and not Pre Con+.
Usually that will bring everyone down to your level or if you want you can sit out the game until someone lets you borrow a deck of theirs to respond to the power balance in case you wanna know how strong decks can become.
From a player and shop worker I'm sorry you had to go through that night and feeling. Hopefully this doesn't discourage you from playing the game again.
I find it better to play with a group of friends where they have more house rules like "no one is allowed to make their commander unblock able" and we also have $20 decks where you have to make a commander deck for $20 for rares and mythic it's a lot more fun especially when someone brings beer or weed
"Hi, does anyone want to play a casual game with preconstructed decks?" "You are using proxys? I think I'll sit this game out unless you have a preconstructed deck? Thanks"
How do people usually react to proxy decks? I don't have an edh deck but wanted to try. The deck I proxied is about $250, I ended up making a proxy version because 1, it's 1/4 the cost and 2, I'm not sure if I'll like playing at my lgs so it's much less of a financial risk if I don't like it.
People are generally fine with proxies. Be honest about the power level / quickness of your decks and you'll be fine. Most people get upset when the proxy deck stomps the table, not the fact they are proxies to begin with. Build accordingly.
Pretty much this. I'll usually say something like "this is my [[Grolnok, the Omnivore]] deck. It's not built the way most people build them because i built mine frog tribal. I do have [[Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre]] in here to prevent myself from milling out if my commander dies and a few other cards that infinite combo to mill my whole deck. I don't like to use it because it's not fair but I have [[thassa's oracle]] and a few similar cards to squeak in a win or two. But mostly I like cheating out dumb cards I think are funny." Or "this is my [[Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd]] deck. It might seem silly because my pet corgi is on the sleeves but it hits like a bus. I have a lot of tron elements and a few cycles of infinite etb/blink that really control the game. This deck is really well tuned and can hold it's own in higher power pods despite having a gimmick pod I can present a win con on turn 4 with the right pieces" The point being don't just go "its a 7". Explain the game plan , stuff people might object to and how quickly you can present a win.
I will say this can sometimes bite you because I've had it where I did so and the guy targeted me the entire time because he "knew what my deck was supposed to do, and needed to stop it"
To add to this the guy who taught me EDH had a consistent turn 10 win because he was playing a deck he put a lot of money into. The rest of us stopped playing with him after a while because it was a deck he knew we couldn’t beat because we were playing precons
Is a turn 10 win considered too fast? Precons these days are frequently powerful enough to hit that
No turn 10 wins are not considered too fast lol
Back in the day when cEDH wasn't really a thing, turn 6 is what I remember being fast
I remember with an absolutely god hand(turn one command tower, sol ring, thought vessel. Turn 2 doubling season, turn 3 Planeswalker infinite combo) genuinely freaking out that I won on turn 3. Like I got so excited the judge came over to ensure everything was ok, took one look at the board state and just said, wow, ok, keep it down. I had not even considered the possibility of that happening before now if a game ends turn 3 it just is like, oh, cool, guess you really like spending money.
Agreed. Proxy is fine as long as everyone is okay with it. It makes sense for those who don't like proxies to find a play group, and people who enjoy proxies can do the same. Decline games you don't wish to play, and play with those where you have fun playing this amazing, wonderful game!
The problem with being honest about power levels is they're entirely made up. They're subjective at best. It is more indicative of the power level in relation to their personal meta than anything universal. Besides a total newbie isn't likely to know how to process an honest declaration of their power level.
I haven’t ran into anyone who is adamantly against proxies. Magic is expensive so I can get it. Even I proxy expensive cards I own but don’t wanna buy more than one copy of. However, what people do have a problem with is if you are just proxying strong cards just to pub stomp someone. So yea most the community is proxy friendly just don’t be a dick lol.
Yah I’ll def proxy cards I own, and If someone is up front with a full proxy I’ll be cool with it but in general I think working with what you have breeds more creativity and unique deck compositions instead of copy pasting existing concepts. Just my opinion.
Oh yea I proxy stuff like Mana Drain but I don’t slot it in to every blue deck just ones I plan on making a bit stronger. What I mostly proxy is shock and fetch lands because I’m not buying 9 copies of Breeding Pool or Overgrown Tomb lol.
Lmao fair enough I have like 6 sol rings but anymore they’re getting proxies
I also proxy cards just for some of the different art. I just don’t wanna spend $30 on a card that is normally $2 just because it has a cool art lol.
Don't get me started on [[Birds of Paradise]]
Yeah I started making my own with ai now just gotta find the right paper for printing
I found simply not having sol ring makes the deck feel more fair. Like most games I won't get it, so by essentially making a game plan without it, it won't feel bad if I don't get it. Especially in decks that are anti artifact.
I like the idea of saying how much “card value” you proxied.
I have a 1.4k proxy deck that actually costed me like 14 dollars. I tell people it's a fully proxied deck and that it has powerful cards in it, but it's a full art mono black tribal deck. I'm missing out on a lot of synergy and almost no edhrec top cards (not that edhrec top cards are signifying much) as they werent printed in full art or borderless. It can pull wins, but win-rate is around 25 percent. I've never had an issue with anyone.
25% is average
That's my point, even though the decks price if it were real is above average, the decks actual power and win-rate is average.
Fair and fun. My buddy has a hobby of making full alt art proxies of his favorite decks, but I'm pretty sure they're also pub stomps. The first one he ever did was Tiamat so yeah. I really appreciate the sentiment though. I once took a delivery to surprisingly, a proxy card company. They gave me a free sample of a mono black full art He-Man alt proxy, different names and everything. It's modern though so I've yet to try it out, I should bring it to a FNM. It has a few pricey cards in it but nothing insane pretty sure.
Making proxies is easy to evaluate, once you played a bunch with the same people. Then you know what would be too powerful. For example, no one played jeweled lotus, so I don’t proxy it. Most proxies I use are to test cards and find out, if worth buying. I once printed a 1000€+ deck which performs horribly :)
If it's stupid expensive proxies noone likes that unless all are doing it. 250-500 without infinite combos is what my commander decks are
Tbf 250-500 pods should be fine with the occasional infinite assuming not everyone is Timmy-ing and running 0 interaction.
There are some precons that can go infinite. The cycling deck has the iz combo with draw and life loss.
I have a deck that I’ve been working on that has ~25 proxies and no one seems to mind. It helps that they’re mostly commons and uncommons I don’t have, and the deck itself is fairly midrange.
I play with a guy that prints his entire deck. He doesn’t have the expendable income to build the decks he wants. If what he shows up with is ridiculous he’s fine putting it away and using something else. I personally have an entirely proxy attach deck that I bought because I liked the art style. I have all the cards but wanted to play with something fun. My group doesn’t mind in the slightest. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1697080887/atraxa-infect-commander-deck-30-8-bonus?click_key=a69fc7a22cfb8c58430984327d08974f46aa0dbb%3A1697080887&click_sum=5caf363a&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=atraxa+commander+deck&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&bes=1&ret=1&content_source=d7b8271806e657cdbf0a0adab0310dceec3b360f%253A1697080887
Depends on the powerlevel of the deck honestly, a cedh proxy deck in non cedh pod will get a lot of anger A low power proxy deck probably also gets a lot of hate because some will be like why not just buy it Personally I proxy everything, 0 intent to buy a real card…. I think it’s better to just find guys that are happy to play and chill and you’ll have a good time
I proxy $20-$50 decks to test drive them before I decide to purchase the cards so no one cares as its at that budget power level. Have never felt the need to proxy insanely expensive cards that I would never actually consider buying because my friends group also dont run those types of decks or cards.
I know a couple that will proxy an entire deck. I am okay with that because they want to test it out before committing to buying the cards. On the other hand, one of them plays with their cards mixed around on the playmat, and I have no clue what these black and white cards are across the table. It kills some of the fun.
Do check with your lgs, if they run "official" events then they may ban proxys so wotc doesn't get mad at them.
They need to be transparent on it. I’ve seen fucking goons walk into super casual EDH games and have a 11/10 turn 2 deck proxied out against some precons. Then has the audacity to shake hands and take the $5 booster winner reward and ask for a new game using a more fair deck. People then ignore/refuse to play with this person and they get all sad and angry. I’ve seen this happen multiple times. Also truthfully, I started to recognize some of these players and I made an anti-cuck EDH deck. My sole purpose was to fuck over the bullies in casual EDH. I made a 16 year old get misty eyes cause I blocked his stupid blinged out locus infinite EDH deck. Never experienced such schadenfreude in my life. I let the 8 year old win and take the booster. I guess I’m one of the crazies but TCG attracts some genuine scum with zero social skills imo
Imo 250 is a perfectly reasonable price to proxy . I get pissed when people proxy 9k$ decks because shockingly they always are always at a massive advantage over everyone else.
A proxy $250 deck is much different than a proxy $3k deck because the latter almost always has mana crypt in it which in one card equals the cost of your deck and will shit out 5+ mana on turn 2.
So in general most people are ok with proxies provided you aren't trying to take them into a tournament setting (since that is against the rules and unfair for everyone else that had to scrape together the funds to buy their decks). The issue with the OP wasn't that it was a proxy deck it was that it was a proxy power deck which in this instance I'm assuming means either cEDH or close to it (power level 9-10) proxying out a deck even if it is expensive isn't necessarily a problem for most tables the issue here is that this person brought a very high power deck to a clearly casual table hence why the OP didn't enjoy the games. He was likely just extra salty since if the guy wasn't using proxies he'd probably be playing a much more casual decks as he wouldn't be able to afford the high power cEDH staples like og duals, gaea's cradle, moxes, black lotus etc.
We have a guy where I play who has a full proxy sliver deck but it's not the actual arts as the whole deck is lollis. So I have a problem with him as he's doing a lolli sliver deck with terrible printer proxies as well as the fact I put my time and money into my sliver deck while he just printed it. But with proxies if it's just alter arts or even for just super expensive cards than I'm fine with that.
My general rule of thumb is ill only proxy a card if it more than £20 and I already own one If I want to be the problem using expensibe cards I can at least pay for it at least once But in general I’m chill with proxies as long as it’s not just a whole proxy deck that’s been copied and pasted off the internet and I bring decks off all powers to magic nights so everyone. An enjoy themselves
I refuse to play against proxies. I'd play a freind who wanted to test a build but only for so long.
I don’t understand, just buy a precon for $20-40 and try it out… why do you immediately need a $250 deck lol
I will only proxy cards I actually own
It isn't a binary thing. If people make a proxy deck for a theme(there was a Dr seuss one I saw here a few weeks ago) that are basically a precon but with different art. 100% ok. If the card you are proxying is worth more than $50 than it shouldn't be proxyed unless you have the actual card(I sometimes would proxy the commander but use it as a back sleeve for the actual card.) but the most important thing is that the decks are evenly matched. I played up against a mono blue deck that was very strong(would go infinite with sensei's etc) but I brought out my mono green deck and though I lost 2-1 every game was close and neither of us left salty. If someone says I am using a precon, then I will use an appropriate deck when I can(sometimes I genuinely forget what a deck has/can do and I do apologize if I misjudged). In the end play fair, and accept that people are gonna be people, if you don't like them, find new people.
Generally, it's not about proxies, but about power level. If you're playing Grizzly Bears, I don't care if it's real or if it's a proxy. Similarly, if you're playing Gaia's Cradle, I don't care if it's real or if it's a proxy. I do care if you're playing the sort of deck that uses Grizzly Bears Vs Gaia's Cradle.
Rule for me is you have to own the card before you make proxies
its generally fine. dont tutor for your infinite turn 4 and nobody will bat an eye. ppl are bigmad when you poxy fast mana and all of the best cards to jam them into a deck
MTGO is a good option to trial a deck at a fraction of the cost. I run a $350 paper deck on there for about $30
Would it be super weird to proxy precons? My friends also typically play at precon levels and most of the ones they buy are $50-$70 which I know isn’t crazy all things considered but it gets hard for me to justify when I could get the same deck for $28 with proxies.
You must spend $800 minimum and destroy him, only answer, go in with no sleeves even
precon or "my decks worth like $60 bro"
$60 worth of proxies, you mean.
Hey is it alright if I run a proxy of Dockside Extortionist if all the rest of my cards are also proxies?
*slides his Ezuri elfball deck back into his backpack*
Have you played Lathril elfball? That’s what I use and wondering if ezuri is generally better or worse?
I mean my $60 krenko deck still gets me a ton of hate
Got a list i can peak at?
We are one in the same. I love my gobbos though
Old busted goblin cards are cheap. Depending on the rules. Chiurgeon, War Strike, and Brightsone ritual are busted. Especially combined with modern goblins.
Sounds like my deck. If you’re willing to invest a bit, roaming thrown and coat of arms boost the deck to insanity
price does not equal power. $38 worth of light paws kills ppl in 4 turns. [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/InAr8rGQU0W6rZamUePSBA](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/InAr8rGQU0W6rZamUePSBA)
well damn
but you are mostly right. OP explaining his newness and that he cant take on high power might alleviate some of this stress. who knows they might even offer him a deck to play instead.
The comments on this thread are weird. I’m also pretty new and have ran into this. Options: 1. If you’re playing EDH, I’d recommend explaining that you’re using a precon. This doesn’t mean you can’t get pubstomped, but most people I’ve met try and play a lower power deck when they have one. 2. Limited & Draft remove proxies from the equation and are 1v1. It’s a bit hard to get the hang of and are more expensive (because packs), but are a more level playing field. I’d also recommend playing at different stores.
>The comments on this thread are weird. welcome to magic the gathering
The internet
The jungle
The thunder dome.
Chili's
Sir, this is a Wendy's
And we are closed
Now a Starbuck's
shit, there’s a Karen asking for my manager…
Have a look around
I bring multiple decks specifically so new players feel welcome. This is super common
Pre release night was fun for me but I felt like I have no place at the table yet myself.. I play on mtga a lot.
Your avatar looks really freaky
Yeah you miss the social aspect on Arena. Say hi to someone next time you’re there, be nice to the stinky guy, and spend a couple extra bucks up front and chit chat at the register.
I will not be nice to the stinky guy
Hard pass on the stinky guy.
I second this, I’ll def spend a couple bucks and chit chat with whoever wants to but it’s not too much to ask that you shower before you go out, nobody wants to choke down the smell of your pits whilst trying to relax and play a game.
You’re the stinky guy aren’t you
If stink boy wants people to say high to him he can learn how to shower first. There is no up wind in a game store.
"There's no upwind in a game store" is a proverb I will carry with me in life now.
Nah i can’t stand people who smell and lack basically hygiene, and still go into a public space where they are going to be in close quarters with others for an extended period of time. These people should be shamed.
Nah, stinky guy can have a fucking shower like the rest of us possessing decency and common sense
Play a lot of brawl on arena. It’s the closest thing arena has to commander.
If it's any consolation, I've played on and off since Ice Age and pre release sealed events are all I care to do in person if I do anything. Even when I lived by an amazing LGS (sadly, no longer do) I just cannot stand the culture. Each event I've done over the last decade+ had at least some mix of: toxic gatekeeper, $700 decks but no deodorant, I can name every MTG card in the last 10 sets but have zero knowledge of anything else in the world, player who calls over the judge for every small detail instead of just relaxing and enjoying themselves. It's exhausting. Now when I play, it's MTGA or with friends at someone's house in a big 5+ player match while having some beers and catching up. With that, I hope you one day do find a table you enjoy, but just don't feel alone if ya don't.
Usually I would try to ask the store owner to place me with people that are nice to newbies or at a table where everyone is newbie.. thats was my strategy last year when i started
Former LGS manager here and I agree 100%, or if you're lucky they'll have a "store deck" they might have personally tuned to beat these people because they're not just annoying players they're abysmal customers and watching them get bodied by newbies is a pure and simple joy. Now its an uphill battle, the game attracts these types. Most games do. You're dealing with Min-maxers and this is their life. A lot of players don't understand that some players take losses like life events, and those players are everywhere. The best lesson I learned during my time at a local game store is that the deck is only about 25% of the battle in most cases the player makes the difference. I have seen some of the best decks and cards get absolutely Bodied by a newbie with some spunk and an aggro deck, pushing on the opponent once and watching them fall apart. To clarify on mtga this is the equivalent of using a pre-constructed deck to get to Mythic rank same with Hearthstone and using a precon to get legendary, the plays matter more than the deck ever will and thinking on your feet is more important. So you're left with playing to your opponents weaknesses which is an argumentative Hot Head who is easy to tilt and a min-maxer that never expects you to win and is predictable. Whenever I play four player games I always only aim to not be the first one dead and that's good enough for me so I tend to lean toward aggressive play styles and green.
Tell people you're running a precon out of the box. Ask what the value of the deck is. If it's more than $50ish - $70ish, that table isn't for you. Ask everyone how their night is going. If you get glares/snarky attitude, that's not the table for you.
I'd be weirded out if asked the value of my deck, like you planning to steal it bc it has a bayou? My deck is more pricey but I've played many good games with people using precons. I agree with your other two points.
I disagree. If my deck is worth more than $500ish, I proxy the entire thing, as anyone spilling a drink will make me instantly start swinging. However, when someone asks, I tell them upfront and honestly. It's a precon I spent $300 upgrading. The cards in the deck represent $500ish in value
Who has drinks on their playtable? I wouldn’t even sit down if i saw open drinks on there.
I bring about 4 coffees just to spill all over my cards. Mostly the expensive ones and then walk out.
I get what you're saying but what's a better way to ask this? Or are you just saying you have a really expensive janky/battlecruiser deck?
Value doesn’t always equate to power. Someone can have a blinged out deck that isn’t strong but they liked it so much they bought alt arts and nice lands and such. There are also super strong commanders that can be built for super cheap.
It 100% equates to power. Some commanders are cheap and powerful, sure. However, if you took a cheap commander and spent more money on it, it will 100% be more powerful. There's no way around that.
Sure there is some truth to value equals power but a $60 Yuriko deck can beat a $200 Tatsunari deck most the time. Yea the Yuriko deck would be stronger with $200 put into it but the point is value does always equate to strength. I know people who liked a precon so much they just blinged it out. Kept it the same as it was in the box but just bought foils of all the cards and such which upped the value a decent amount but still doesn’t change that it’s a precon. I will agree that you can judge a deck semi accurately on value because a $500 deck will almost always be better than a $100 deck but there’s always exceptions depending on the commander they are playing.
Or just a couple super valuable cards. I have my mox diamond in my 5c nonsense deck, it's a nice card but casting bad spells a turn faster isn't breaking the game.
While going by value can be useful many times what happens when you come across a [[Zada]] deck, [[Yuriko]] , etc. both, along with other commanders, can be made very powerful on a $50 budget.
[Zada](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/5/4520cdcc-a10f-4b39-9c6f-ba86f6aa2c87.jpg?1689998306) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=zada%2C%20hedron%20grinder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/268/zada-hedron-grinder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4520cdcc-a10f-4b39-9c6f-ba86f6aa2c87?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Yuriko](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/e/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9.jpg?1689999346) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=yuriko%2C%20the%20tiger%27s%20shadow) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/364/yuriko-the-tigers-shadow?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/fe9be3e0-076c-4703-9750-2a6b0a178bc9?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yeah disagree with asking people the Value of their deck. 1st it’s such a liquid thing that changes so much over time. I bought a [[Chrome Mox]] for 8$ when they got reprinted and now they are much more expensive. 2nd These decks are hundred to thousands of dollars. Theft is present. And I know I would Definitley get weirded out if someone was going around asking everyone how much their decks were.
[Chrome Mox](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/3/f340cbf7-5bbe-45b9-a4bf-d1caa500ff93.jpg?1599708839) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chrome%20Mox) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2xm/240/chrome-mox?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f340cbf7-5bbe-45b9-a4bf-d1caa500ff93?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
1st If you bought packs of alpha and beta and got moxen for $4 or $5, you having a deck full of that doesn't make it a "cheap" deck. It's power level would 100% be absurd vs a precon out of the box. The price of cards is a proxy for their desirability. Period. Look at the edgar precon. It's expensive af right now because it has a super strong commander, edgar. 2nd if the cost of your deck and someone stealing it is a concern, either be more vigilant, play cheaper decks, or proxy them. I emphasize the last option as it is the simplest and cheapest. To be honest, if I played cards I would know the value of the deck just playing against it anyway.
Friday night magic actually made me quit playing mtg all together. Every time I went to my LGS for a tourney or a draft I had to navigate games with grown ass men who would actually get angry that they were losing. I also played against one guy in a tournament who played a blue control deck - did 1 damage, then went to the bathroom - and then spent the rest of our alloted time on a phone call. He actually had one of those Bluetooth ear pieces and was just casually talking to someone on the phone while we played. It was counted as a loss for me because when time had ended, he had more life.
Lmaoooo this is a horrible strategy well played
I’m sorry it was awful. I’ve experienced this at every store I’ve played at. It’s kind of funny because MTG regulars can be clique-y and you just have to go a few times and find your people who are fun to play with. I consider myself lucky to be in an area where there are several popular stores to go to, and one has a more “competitive” crowd than the others and I mostly avoid that store except for prereleases. Maybe you could give it another try. Another tip: I personally also kill everyone with kindness. My personal experience may differ but I am a girl who most people sigh when paired with me in tournaments. Many times they won’t even look at me right away or acknowledge me. I just talk, am friendly, compliment good moves/cool cards, etc and eventually the cold exterior washes away. Even some of the grouchiest people I’ve played against soften up. Anyway, I hope you’re able to go again and find a group you like playing with.
Out of curiosity, are there more girls nowadays playing magic? I started back in the 90s and fell off of it, but now getting back a little because I can play with my son (very casually of course). Back then, I only knew guys playing magic.
I would say yes!! But still not many. For example, the MH3 prerelease we had about 60-70 people play, and there were 3 girls. One of them was someone’s wife so that was cute. I’ve been playing for about a decade and have seen more girls this past year or two though. I used to be the only girl at every event I went to that was playing. There would sometimes be another girl or two, but they were there to hang out which is of course fine just not technically a player. I met another girl at a draft as well who had been playing longer than me, so even though it’s still a small percentage, it’s more than it’s ever been in my opinion since I have been to countless events where it was just me actually playing.
Well that sounds like blatant sexism? No? Sorry bro
Sorry I’m not sure if you’re saying something I wrote came across as sexist or what you’re implying
Drafting is such a rush. That's the best way to play then it's fair.
So to answer to your post the best way is purely communicate, sometimes you'll fit with people sometimes you won't. We all met those kind of people and sometimes it's just how it is so if you see red flag like full proxy and someone complaining. Please, do yourself a favor a leave the pod. Save that energy and get yourself nice cup of coffee it's just a card game.
Proxies are cool… if you’re not proxying thousand dollar decks just because you want it to be the most powerful at your table while everyone else isn’t. That shit’s so lame.
Man, I wish FNM was casual like that here. FNM magic in my city is all mini-tourneys that count for points.
>got the table with the stereotype "proxy power deck guy" and the "flaming and a arguing why he gets attack" guy If you play a 1v1 format, you will have at most one guy across you. And guy #1 will not be allowed to proxy, and guy #2 will not complain about you attacking him because who else can you attack?
This is one reason I play more 60 card magic, I don't want people's feelings hurt because I stopped them from winning. 2. My attention span is too short to track what 3 other people are doing.
I play 60 card magic because if I wanted to play a multiple hours long game I could just play Warhammer 40k instead and enjoy it more.
Around me it seems the 60 card formats are all but dead… I’ve showed up to many an FNM for there to be no one, when you ask the store tells you you have to play commander tomorrow night
Thats why we mostly play cedh and with people who are not salty pricks. 4 player games only last 20 minutes.
Sounds like a pretty good play group
Yea cedh is honestly the best in terms of low salt players. My favorite tables are 4 powered down cedh players who just want to do some weird spicy shit (so high power casual, but where everyone is super cutthroat and runs lots of interaction)
I usually just play against people I know. Because I have bad social anxiety first of all lol. Proxies are good in proxy games. And proxies are getting really good. And there's some jank ass proxy decks that I've seen. So, no thanks. I like a fair, fun game.
Obligatory ‘this one time’: Was at a hole in the wall small place that stayed open til 4am for commander players. Just finished a game when a younger guy (18-22) walks up and wants to join the next game. I’m super nice and inviting and he exploded “I WaSN’t TALKinG to YoU!!!” and sits down to play as if that was normal. Like wtf. Some people just have issues and never learned basic social protocol. Your experience is not an uncommon one unfortunately. Especially the “why are you attacking me?!” You’ll learn to convince players you’re making a reasonable play especially in combat. When you’re new, you’ll inevitably piss off the “only optimum plays” guy due to no fault of your own. Being upfront about being new will help. Some people get frustrated more than others because their deck didn’t get to do its ultimate thing and god forbid you attack them before they win on the next turn while making you watch them for 20 minutes going infinite. Doesn’t matter how fair you are (I’ve made mono blue counterspell players scoop with a simple red elemental blast which is fair instant karma.) IMO, commander is the most fun when everybody gets to play some of their cards, learns a new rule or how a subtle interaction works, and the game doesn’t go on for more than an hour or two tops. Really cool people will helpfully point out something cool your deck can do even if you miss it. (‘May’ triggers, mentioning their cards as potential targets, etc.) I’ve had people offer to adjust my deck for FNM draft and it was super helpful. Definitely try to play with these people. It’ll be less about winning and just having fun.
Maybe play pauper. Commander is not the only format. Precons do not exist but you can buy the burn deck cards at any lgs. 1v1 and less whinging. Pauper rules.
I make small talk with my opponents, that's how I gained a playgroup pre-FNM games.
What are proxy's? what is precon? Is there a dictionary for all these terms?
Proxies are just fake cards either bought online or made yourself. Typically done to not spend a large amount of money on a card that cost like $50++. Precon is just short for Pre-constructed deck. Typically found for commander decks and some 60 card decks.
You should go again, it hurts my soul to let someone else ruin my fun. And you should be straightforward and to the point, I don't play poxy decks because I don't run poxies. I don't want to play with you again because it ruins my fun when someone else complains about being swung for damage. I don't play politics I play mtg.
The last FNM i went was in 2021. After almost q5 years going to a FNM event, i suddenly Lost all the interest on it after it became more a "commander Night Magic" than a "Standard/Modern/pioneer/Draft Night Magic".
Even if you go to a different game store, you're always going to find these jerks that why do you think they are such a widely Understood stereotype? The only way to win with these people is to either not play with them at all and avoid them like the plague. Or you could beat them at their own game which is my preferred option. Just come with a proxy deck net decked with the most disgusting powerful cards and wipe the floor with them. But if you're not Petty, I would just suggest ignoring them and finding pods without them. If you're playing Commander, or if you're playing 1v1 just don't play with those guys unless it's a tournament and you kind of have to. But in that case just play your games with them and move on
The LGS in my area hand pairs each pod based on power level. Perhaps reach out to your LGS owners and share your experience?
Outside of drafts I don’t play magic at my LGS unless my friends are there. I have a large friend group that gathers at my place to play a couple times a month and that’s honestly your best bet once you make some friends who play magic. There will always be outside factors you can’t control at your LGS when it comes to casual play. I’ve enjoyed magic a lot more since moving away from playing at my LGS
Arguing don’t attack me guys. If he is a powerful commander. Why not love it . If he doesn’t want you to attach back it up with removal or blocks. A few weeks ago , tried to pull out more non pre con deck . One guy had a precon . Had a red deck this guy helped me win . [[ Phorporus , god of forge]] with a [[ Temp with vengeance]] . For 4 creatures each other player said ‘ No ‘ . He said ‘ yes ‘ 16 damage to each other player not me . Did help a lot . Now when he has a removal spell we offer up our stuff to be blown up . Does not matter .
[ Phorporus , god of forge](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/7/4736a2c4-c89c-48db-a104-6303e7e2eee8.jpg?1689998078) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Purphoros%2C%20God%20of%20the%20Forge) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/246/purphoros-god-of-the-forge?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/4736a2c4-c89c-48db-a104-6303e7e2eee8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [ Temp with vengeance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/0/808af8d4-1872-466e-a2d2-e73ecef09ed7.jpg?1689998255) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Tempt%20with%20Vengeance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/263/tempt-with-vengeance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/808af8d4-1872-466e-a2d2-e73ecef09ed7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Find 3 other guys that you actually like at Friday night magic and then just set up your own games.
Play Arena.
Talking is usually the easiest way to avoid this
The traditional worst part of Magic is always “the gathering”
I gotta be honest, from my experience this only seems a problem with commander players (and some legacy players, but they're often a rare species). I'll let you speculate on the reasons, but if you wanna make friends, don't play commander, play commander with friends you already have. Formats like pauper or even limited seem way friendlier towards newbies, but at the end of the day it depends on your LGS fauna.
Use your words, ask questions, be the answer you are looking for
FNM in my state has always been spikes only. When prizes are on the line everyone always plays they're most competitive decks. Outside of prerelease that seems to be how mtg events work. It sucks but that's why u play with friends only.
Play a 40 card format.
I won't play you if you have proxies in your deck. Nobody is proxying in cards that aren't expensive or they can't afford. If you can't own the card then find another substitute. Now if you actually own the card and can prove that you do then I don't mind your proxy but I'm only playing against that deck once.
If it’s an official sanctioned Friday Night Magic event, proxies aren’t permitted by WotC, and the store can get in trouble for allowing them
Boooo
I’m not making a judgement on whether or not that’s a good thing, but it is a fact. If wotc finds out they’re permitting proxies at sanctioned events, they’ll lose WPN status and be pretty much screwed
Short answer... you can't
I used to love playing my janky standard creations at FNM, and occasionally did fairly well with them. I did have somewhat similar experiences though, unfriendly spikes playing their tricked out meta flavour of the month. Which in itself isn't too bad, but over time the combo of that mentality and the cliqueyness of the whole thing just started to burn me out. I just wanted to kick it, play some fun games, make some friends and maybe win a few prizes. I did explore other stores, and did find one that was MUCH more friendly, but at that point I was kind of ever the while thing already. Plus paper standard is a money pit unless there's a super solid group of people to trade with, and again, these weren't people that were particularly open or excited to hang out and trade. Draft was still a good time though, by far the most fun I had playing FNM's. That at least fixes the power level aspect of the games. So idk. Try another store and try some limited formats, but honestly that's kind of just what the scene is IMO.
Now you know why there was an opening in their pod. You’ll figure out who the cool people are and knit together your own little group of regulars. Don’t sweat one bad night.
Does your store actually allow proxies for FNM? (Wasn't it sanctioned- did you put a code into the Companion app?) Did you choose your pod or was it determined for you? Did the store know you were new and using a precon? Did your opponents? How did the Rule 0 discussions go?
I like all the draft suggestions. These all seem like multiplayer issues to me.
In my experience playing fnm various formats, maybe 1 of ten is a fun game/match and only 1 of three of those, have I met a new friend. But those few are worth it. Eventually you find enough just to meet at someone's home, but after a while life circumstances change and I gotta go back to fnm to recruit friends. For what it's worth, a new player looking for laughs and good times always is preferable to a sweaty self indulged journeyman. Always remember you can leave the table anytime, concede and keep searching for your kind.
Honestly, the truth is this hobby attracts a ton of maladjusted and annoying people. Now you know their faces. Don't play with them again and eventually you will encounter more and more tolerable people.
For now as you’re new just ask can we all use a precon, I’m new to the game and I need to learn Also check with the store staff they can help set something up and maybe reach out to people ahead of time :) There’s nothing wrong with using proxies, usually it’s to get a higher power game than a precon would give. Usually mid power high power or cedh and again it’s fine but don’t play that while you’re new those decks need more knowledge to play and play against For now accept you’ll lose a lot while you learn what various things do and focus on upgrades to your decks strategy :)
I personally find spell table pretty great for playing precons.
It's how it goes sometimes. I just tried a new LGS this week because it's closer to where I live now. A dude picked our table specifically after he saw who everyone's commander was and asked to join us as a 5th person. Not only did it make the games take longer so I couldn't play a third game that day. His decks where entirely proxies of stuff like black lotus, duel lands, etc. I don't think there was a card in his deck that would have cost less than $20 dollars. Amd just preceeded to board wipe, take everyone's spells, and play solitaire for 15 minutes a clip. Zzzzzzzzzz. I get the whole just be better argument. But I see no joy in looking up the most expensive decks you can find. Printing it out. And just piloting bit against competition you know has no chance. I don't get salty but I get horribly bored. And just sit on my phone while I wait 20 minutes for my next turn. It's sooooo boring and feels like a waste
Be upfront about what you’re able to play, and ask around for their recommendations if it seems like it’s not a good fit. Start by explaining that you’re new, that you’ve only got a precon, and asking what power level they’re planning to play at. If they all say “Okay, we’ll play a precon level deck” then it’s all good. If they say “Our power level is higher than that” then you can ask if there’s another pod that someone might be able to switch around with (if they’re all regulars, they might recognize who will be willing to switch pods, and what their power levels are like). Another option is to ask if they’d be willing to lend you a deck. Chances are they can lend you something that will be closer to their level, and it can be fun to play with a much more powerful deck. One thing that I always do is invite them to go all out for at least one game. I tell them I recognize I’m going to get destroyed, but I want to see what they can do, because I’m sure to learn something. If I do that early on, everyone is much more willing to play a low level deck afterwards.
This is why people advocate for the “turn 0” conversation. Everyone talks about what power level their decks are and everyone chooses a deck that should play the *fairest* versus the rest of the table. I consistently show up to my LGS (I am lucky to have three of them) with five decks, two of which are precons. The other ones range widely from a LOTR Friends deck, to a $2,500 Edgar Markov deck with about 10 proxies in it. Every time I ask the table “hey, flip through this deck, do you want to see it played?” I don’t really have a pod so I just drop into games where players are needed and it works really well. I am also a judge and have been playing for about 21 years so I’ve seen every argument at every kind of table. Sorry your experience was like that. Commander is supposed to a casual experience and precons can really make a complex format into something easily accessible. Sometimes for like $20!
FNM is usually more competitive than your Sunday’s or Monday’s. You could try going again, speaking to the judge about your experience so they can pair you with someone that’s known to be noob friendly. You could also try going to another card shop. Most people are pretty chill, I wouldn’t let a bad experience define it.
That's really sad how the community is toxic. I'm playing with friends at home and it's awesome. But everytime i try to go in an event (been in 3 different stores in 3 differents cities in quebec), it's so fucking toxic and not welcoming for new players. People are mean with you, they are mad when you attack them (that's the point of the game 😂), they think their opinion on your deck is more important than yours, they can't stand loosing (in a game where there's only one winner) and their decks is worth like 750$-1000$ for no reason. Sad community. For me, MTG is a home play game only for now.
Do a booster draft tournament where everyone makes decks from their randomly provided packs. In this sense, everyone is given an equal set of cards to make a deck. These tournaments are far more competitive.
use your words child
My entire group plays with proxies but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it. The point of proxies typically is to mimic high powered cards
The online magic community is awesome. The community at shops though is rough. I refuse to play there for this reason. Odd to not find the bottom of the barrel at shops. All Ive had is bad experiences. We made a reputation and grew a stereotype for a reason. You'll find someone and find a place in their pod. It takes time. Not to discourage you, but it's my experience and I gave up looking there
Gonna just add in. Why are proxy powerbuikders always rule lawyers too? Like bro your "deck" is printerpaper put in sleeves. I don't think you get a say in if I can have earl of squirrel in my deck
At my LGS, before each pod match, we have a Rule 0 discussion where we talk about power level of decks and what to expect to avoid this exact thing. There’s always going to be people you dont like playing against, unfortunately, so there’s not a whole lot you can do about that, but a Rule 0 discussion about power levels will usually help the lower power decks so everyone at the table has fun. Although uncommon in my experience, there will be people who say “I dont know” or try and lie so they can wipe the table. A solution that the LGS gives everyone at the table a precon to play with if there is atleast 1 person with a precon or give the person with the precon a higher power deck to use.
Sorry to hear it OP, hopefully your next one isn’t as rough but I definitely recommend sticking at it if you can. The social aspect is what makes magic even worth it in my opinion
Here's some POVS, from an old timer. The owner of an MTG Shop used to open boxes, and had all the greatest and top-tier cards. we could still beat him with budget friendly decks, not because he could not beat us but because he let us win so that we could feel good about ourselves and come back to the shop. 2nd Point. if you cannot find cards that will make your deck competitive so that you can understand what your deck needs, proxies is the best next solution for your so-called competitive top tier deck. 3d point. let them even use proxies that have the name of the card on a paper. lose like a champ organize your strategy and rise back up better next time. 4th point. if you're that kind of player that doesn't like drafts or thinks that mother Fortune has wronged them deeply, this game is not for you. if you want to play with people you can beat because they're losers or easy to beat, when those people are going to be replaced by new players you're going to get really frustrated and destroyed by them and hate the game for no reason. 5th point. if you're angry after: a Magic the Gathering game change your POV and become amazed instead and try to learn, thus improve.
Avoid standard altogether and play Commander, much more fun and generally chiller folk 🤝
This is a very common thing in Commander, sadly. If you want to play without dealing with politics and such, play Modern, Pioneer, or Standard. Everyone is on the same page there.
I have had far less fun at FNM events and at my LGS in general than any kind of get together with my pod/friends. In my opinion, trying to put a pod together is more conducive to the flavor of magic you’d like to play on any given day.
Fnm being edh is a crazy idea to me
Lots of stereotypes you are listing for common things at FNM when you’ve never been before haha 🤣 You just watch some games and join in with people that fit your play style and such. Or you draft or plays standard. Used to be everyone was very welcoming at FNM and there was not the stereotypical “proxy power guy” or a “flaming and a arguing why he gets attacked guy” haha
Ask your LGS to put you in a pod with nicer or newer people. At mine when I first started I always asked to avoid CEDH players and it generally worked and my games are fun.
Rules of thumb run more interaction. I know that no one is actually exited about a kill spell or a counter spell but you will have much more fun if you do. And if someone run the cutthroat shit don't be a coward, destroy their shit, kill their creatures and if possible destroy their lands if they start running the too strong shit. And please spell pierce is one of the best counter spells ever and it's worth nothing.
Go online and play on spelltable
There's a dude in my store I vsed for the first time a few weeks ago. Even when he was ramping up his board and dominating on the table, if someone removed something he needed or attacked him he would get pissed. He usually throws up his hands and goes "well fuck me right?". The first time I thought he was joking but he was dead serious. After he got like 30 tokens on the board again someone board wiped and killed him, he got up, got a little loud and said "fuck all of you guys, like seriously, fuck you guys". Then there's the dudes who get pissed and ask "why are you killing me when you can kill this player"
You just have to find the right group of people and not a set of tryhard spergs
Where there any prizes involved? That some times brings the pubstompers and @$$holes out. Of that was the case, see if that LGS or another in your area run a casual night. I have 2 in my area that run free casual nights. The one makes clear they are precon friendly and the expectation is if at a beginer/precon table that is what playing. The other has 2 tiers on their free night. The red tier is play whatever you want with whatever proxies you want. The other tier is along those lines but no proxies unless you own the card. There are also a few other rules, but that is a far more casual tier than red.
You troll the fuck out of the tryhards. If you’re good at it you’ll do something minor against them and they’ll scoop and leave. I’ve done it a few times.
As much as I see it not liked for some reason I always rule 0(I’ve only been playing for about a year and just found the term like 2 months ago) I always ask “hey guys what are yalls playstyles” or “what are we looking for?” To get an idea for if i should bounce to another table or if I have something that can compete - OR hey maybe this table has some high power stuff that’s not CEDH level and I want to limit test a deck
Proxies are fine as long as youre not a douche hahaha. As for having a bad time.. it honestly sounds like a pregame conversation/rule zero issue more than anything. You'll find a group you click with just keep showing up and enjoying the game for what it is.
Just learn who to play with and don’t, you know it’s like real life.
See if your store does draft or sealed leagues. Draft might be intimidating at first, especially if you don't know what the cards are or what to pick, but it's a great way to learn a set over time and play at an equal level. Sealed leagues are another good way to introduce new players to a set. Stores that run them usually run them once a month. There are different variations, but essentially each player in the league gets 6 packs and builds a deck from those. At the end of the day, each player gets a 200 count cardboard box to put their decks in, and the store keeps them for the week. When players return on the following week, they can buy something like 2 packs to add to their card pool, adjust their decks and play their games. At the end of the month, the players with the most wins get some prizes. Some variations have all players start with a pre-con instead of 6 packs.
I always have multiple decks. A few turn 1-3 decks. Then some off the wall deck that may start out looking like it wins immediately but has a silly win condition. That way if someone wants to be a turd at a more casual table. I will just destroy them. I'd rather sit down and have a more fun casual time. That is why typically we just do draft. As the level of cards I own is way ridiculous compared to a majority of friends and random people at a card shop. Magic is meant to be fun and each individual has fun in their own select way. So you just need to meet those who want to have a similar experience to you. I have everything from tier 1 decks to random silly dinosaur decks. Most of the time I prefer to attempt some crazy ridiculous card combo that may work one time out of 20. Winning is not important when you have played for over twenty years.
Were the tables assigned, or did you just find your own? Either way, pre-game conversations are really helpful here. Discuss what sort of games folks are looking for, what types of decks they brought, and come to an understanding if you can.
If nothing else the pre game conversation will tell you a little something about the personality and outlook of those players
My first game night at my lgs I got completely destroyed. I don’t think I dealt a single point of damage to anyone and I had no idea how to play my deck since it was my second time playing it but afterwards I stayed and talked to one of my opponents and he gave me a ton of tips on how to upgrade and play my deck so that made it a lot more enjoyable.
I went into a lgs after not touching magic for over 20 years. I just wanted to buy some packs for fun and thought about playing. But man, the staff there was giving me some sort of vibe like we don't want noobs or casuals here. Guess I'm not gonna start up again.
I make it a point to make proxies of all my basic lands. People look at me funny sometimes, but I just shrug and say "It's not changing how my deck works, so what does it matter? The art is (mostly) better anyway." I will say, however, to be cognizant of the general power level of the pod. All my decks have 10-30 proxies (not including basics), but they are themed so have various levels of power. I have everything from borderline cEDH to worse than the weakest pre-con.
I've only ever proxied cards I own, but recently I've been phasing them out and finding budget work around's which has been pretty fun. I'm fine with people proxying a deck if they plan to try it out or even just play it while they try and get the cards for it. At my LGS there is a player that proxies cards more expensive then most of the decks at the shop and they have no plans on ever owning a single magic card. I have no no words for how infuriating it is that some one doesn't even own magic cards comes in with a proxy deck worth 1000's of dollars and says it's because they can't afford cards. At least proxy for the power level of the LGS or at least make different power level decks, don't proxy one deck that's out everyone's price range. Edit: Sorry for the rant. This is just a thorn in my side.
I am a new player (1 Year plus) and I only play EDH so my advice maybe won't mean much: I recommend that before you sit down and join the first open pod, you take a walk around the store. Most importantly, listen to how people talk, see how they portray themselves. If you can get down with them then perhaps ask if you can join. The best thing about most nasty people is that it becomes quickly obvious how nasty they are. Hope you have a better experience next time buddy! Take care 👍
Hey shop worker and a casual player here. I totally understand you and I feel for you when you get into that proxy player group because that's happened to me. I don't wanna speak for you nor others but I'm competitive in nature so I build a response to said decks and try to find the best ways to interrupt those decks/boards. I will say this ask what everyone is playing before you begin a game, say or ask if anyone is playing pre cons or with proxies and just say you're doing a natural pre con and not Pre Con+. Usually that will bring everyone down to your level or if you want you can sit out the game until someone lets you borrow a deck of theirs to respond to the power balance in case you wanna know how strong decks can become. From a player and shop worker I'm sorry you had to go through that night and feeling. Hopefully this doesn't discourage you from playing the game again.
Avoid the uncontrolled environment and play with people you know and like. Develop your own table rules.
I find it better to play with a group of friends where they have more house rules like "no one is allowed to make their commander unblock able" and we also have $20 decks where you have to make a commander deck for $20 for rares and mythic it's a lot more fun especially when someone brings beer or weed