> Where to Find, and What is Worth Buying

Going Out and Getting Some Cards

     The popularity of Magic means that cards are available to purchase at most major retailers around the world, just look around next time you are shopping and you are bound to find quite the selection. Though if you are lucky enough to have a comic shop near by, you should always go there over any other location. Comic shops are full of fellow nerds that will be more than happy to help you with any questions you may have, and most will have single cards for sale. But that approach to card buying should be reserved until you have a solid knowledge of game mechanics, thus allowing you to build the perfect deck to fit your choice of strategy.

     The first purchase any new player should make is a pre-made starter deck, each deck is a collection of 60 cards with one or two colors and each has a basic strategy meant to introduce new players to the game. Prices for each deck range from $15-$20USD.

     After you feel that you have a good understanding of the game, buying some booster packs may be in order. These packs contain 15 randomized cards but you are guaranteed at least three uncommon cards and one rare. These new cards can be used to augment and improve upon your decks, allowing them play more to your liking. Prices range from $4-$5USD each.

     A must have purchase for new players looking to build a deck of their very own is a core set Deck Builder Toolkit. These packs contain 125 semi-randomized cards, four booster packs, 100 basic land cars and come in a box that can be used to store your new collection. Prices range from $18-$25USD

     Next on the list is the Fat Pack. Each one contains nine boosters of a specific set, 80 basic land cards, two deck boxes and an organized twenty sided die that you can use to keep track of your life total. Prices range from $35-$40USD

     Once you have accumulated a small collection of cards, have some boxes to store everything in and a twenty sided die the purchase of Fat Packs and Toolkits becomes obsolete until a new set of cards is released. Purchasing individual booster packs will provide more bang for your buck as the average price of nine boosters is $36USD while a Fat Pack containing the same amount of boosters averages about $40USD. I know the price difference is minimal but some people like to get as much as they can for every dollar spent. Though the best way to go about buying cards is to find a comic shop that sells individual cards, thus taking out the randomness of boosters and the possibility of getting multiple copies of the same card.

     My local comic shop is kind enough to have all of their cards separated by release and rarity. Prices for individual cards depend on the rarity of the card. Commons are usually valued at $.25USD per card. Uncommons at $.50USD per card. While Rares and Mythic Rares can range from $1 per card and in some cases can be up to $100USD per card.

     $100USD for one card may sound insane, but some people are willing to spend large amounts of money to make sure their deck is perfect. Personally I wouldn't spend more that $10USD on an individual card, but that is solely up to you.

     Something else to mention about comic shops is that they will sometimes buy cards from you and give you store credit that can be put towards other cards that you may be interested in. So if you open up a booster and don't plan on using the rare that you got, pop into your local comic shop and trade it in for something more useful to you.