If you are new to the game:
The most important thing that you can do when you are new player is to take the game seriously. It is very difficult to play when you are new, and even more difficult to become good at, but play the best that you can. Try to win. Try to understand what is happening. Ask questions. Ask for help. Nobody learned to be good at anything by themselves. Find a mentor, find some friends who know the game. Maybe they can lend you cards or give you advice on how to improve. Most importantly though, don't get tied down. Everyone has an attachment to their first deck, their first format, their first playgroup, or their first tournament, but realize that the game is much bigger than that. Don't be afraid to experience
If you are teaching a player who is new to the game: DO IT CORRECTLY. Don't cut corners. It is so important to be correct about the basics...which are actually the hardest part. If your game is weak on fundamentals, then this could be the opportunity you have been waiting for to brush up yourself! I am talking about the stack. I am talking about layers. I am talking about how the game progresses to the next step/phase of the turn by both players agreeing (APNP order) that they don't want to do anything...a fact which seems to be completely lost when we play the game these days. The strangest part is that the most skilled tournament players are often the biggest offenders about this type of thing. In the tournament rules shortcuts have been established. People do things that are ostensibly breaches of the rules all the time, but it is okay because, in that environment, everyone really does know what is up...and there is a judge who gets to answer all of the inquiries correctly and in a timely and impartial manner.
Short recap of important fundamentals that lead to confusion:
- Turns and phases pass when every player has yielded priority on an empty stack.
- Untap, UPKEEP, Draw, Main, Combat, Main, End.
- Let's zoom in on that combat phase: Beginning, Declare attackers AND THEN cast instants and activate abilities, Declare blockers AND THEN cast instants and activate abilities, First Strike damage AND THEN cast instants and activate abilities, regular damage AND THEN cast instants and activate abilities, end of combat.
- When multiple things happen within the resolution of a single effect that triggers abilities, those triggers are put on the stack AFTER the effect has finished resolving, not in between. You MUST do EVERYTHING that the spell or effect requires before moving on. Those triggers are placed on the stack in APNP order.
- If multiple things change zones together they can still trigger each other's abilities. If a card changes zones while it is the target of a spell or ability, then it is not effected by that spell or ability.
- Announcement is a thing, and it is a binding procedure that you can only begin while you have priority. You can tap and untap your lands as much as you want, but if you use the mana in your pool for something, then you can no longer untap those lands. When you cast a spell or activate an ability, you announce what you are doing, choose any applicable modes, choose ALL necessary targets. You don't make CHOICES until the effect resolves. Modal spells often look like they require choices on resolution, but they don't, that choice needs to be made on announcement. Once you have done that, then you must pay all of the applicable costs for the spell or ability. Then AND ONLY THEN it is placed on the stack. At that point, there is no taking anything back.
- Mana abilities are special activated abilities that can't be targeted by other effects BECAUSE they don't go on the stack. Nifty, but how do you know if something is a mana ability? It is an activated ability, meaning it will appear as [cost]: effect. The colon is the important part here. A mana ability CANNOT have targets, because then it would require going on the stack. Many things 'generate mana' that don't actually generate mana, like Arbor Elf's ability to untap Forests. These types of things are not mana abilities. The final component is that it must make mana. That is pretty simple, but I have seen people get that confused and had it cost them the game. Note: mana abilities can have costs, just like anything else, that doesn't mean its not a mana ability.
I am sure there are some FAQ type issues that I am missing, but this isn't supposed to be an explanation of the rulebook. This is a 'Map of the Problematique', for teaching new players. The game is greatly simplified by just using the core set to play games with. New cards and abilities slow the game down, but don't actually enhance the rate at which people learn the game. It is entirely possible to develop the kind of supernatural telepathy the pros have relatively easiliy, provided that you keep the card pool small enough. My advice is to start tiny. Identical decks, with only 3-5 different cards. Something like: Island, Divination, Unsummon, Coral Merfolk. It doesn't really matter if you obey restrictions like having 40 cards or only four of a particular spell, those are really more aspects of the format rather than the game. Even with this simplified environment you can learn about mulligan decisions, mana/card/tempo advantage, combat math, reading your opponent, calculating your outs, etc. Once you have these skills it will be much simpler to add 'difficult to play' cards Ponder or Mana Leak.
That's enough of that, jeez. Sometimes your old Grandpa just gets so riled up he doesn't know when you quit.
If you are new to a format:
Don't pretend to know anything. Watch and learn. See what is going on. See what is important and how it differs from what you are used to. The best ways to learn a new format are:
1. Talk to an expert. Watch them and play with them, but have them explain their thought process as they go. This is a quick and easy way to learn the tricky bits.
2. Play with someone who is better than you. It can be tempting to just play with your current playgroup or your close friends. You are going to make mistakes and you don't want to be embarrassed in front of strangers right.....? BUT THIS IS THE WORST IDEA! You won't know the true depth of the format or the importance of these new decisions you are making by playing against other new people. Also, you have no way to track your progress since you will both be bad and improve at similar rates. If you jam games against a Vintage expert, you will lose a ton of them in a row at the start, but if you keep track you will see your play improve MEASURABLY over time. Also, this person will be able to identify the important moments that led you to victory so you can fast rack your understanding.
But most importantly, don't get discouraged. things are going to suck at first, but after that...well they will still suck. BUT SOMEDAY, you will be the master.
If you are new to a play group:
Learn to share and learn to convince others to share. Be generous. With your information, with your time, with your resources, with your trades. There is no better way to foster relations and build good will than by investing in the community that you are trying to join. If they are important enough that you want to be one of them, then it is worth it to make the right first impression. In my experience, nothing else really matters. If I am overly competitive, or maybe don't fit the personality profile of my new group, things could go south quickly. That is true all over, but the key is that people see that you are involved in making their experience better. Don't make the mistake of turning things political. Imagine an example from real politics:
A candidate has a great plan to build a new park in your district. It will raise property value, quality of life, and provide a safe and healthy source of enjoyment for you and your family. But you don't vote for this person because his rebellious son got a DUI. Does that make any sense?
Personal lives are personal. You playgroup is about more than that. It is a community. Don't let something petty ruin it, and surely don't BE the petty person who ruins it for everyone else.
-GG
No comments:
Post a Comment