(Part 2) Best products from r/magicTCG

Specifically, I would recommend getting him this one.

As its name suggests, deckbuilder's toolkits contain a smattering of semi-random cards, enough that you can build a functional deck or three just out of the included cards. Kaladesh is the most recent set. New sets come out every few months, and for casual play among friends the set doesn't matter, but if you're going to be playing at events held in a store, there are rules governing which sets are allowed. The most common rule set (called "Standard") always sticks to the most recent couple of sets. As far as playing in stores go, I would keep an eye out for things called "prerelease" events. These are held at stores whenever a new set comes out (the next one is in January), and are easily the most welcoming environments for brand new players. You don't need any cards of your own for these, you just show up, pay a small fee, they give you some packs of cards, and you play with them for the night.

As others mentioned, another good option for new players are things called Planeswalker Decks. These are ready-to-play preconstructed decks, not a pile of cards you use to make your own deck (although of course there's nothing stopping you from adding or removing cards to it as you see fit). The downside of these for someone in your position is that Magic cards come in five different colors, each with its own overarching theme. Green cards, for example, often focus on nature and growth. Blue cards often focus on spells and being clever and/or tricky. Red cards often focus on fire and aggression. Black cards often focus on death and destruction. White cards often focus on defense and purity. Why do I mention this? Because planeswalker decks will typically be exclusively one color. So if you've got a favorite color, awesome, get a recent planeswalker deck of that color! But if you're really new and still exploring what the different colors have to offer, buying a product that only has cards in one color might not be a great idea.

Something nobody has brought up yet are duel decks. Like planeswalker decks, these are products containing preconstructed decks, not just assorted cards, but unlike planeswalker decks, which are designed to be a gentle introduction to the game, duel decks contain two decks, which are designed to be fun to pit against each other. Magic isn't very fun if you don't have anyone to play against. Sitting at home and making decks is great, but you don't actually get to play the game with one person and one deck. If he's got a friend that's also interested in playing, getting a duel deck is probably the best way to easily allow them to play together.

All the more resent books are garbage. Only one of them, in my opinion, is worth reading. If you want to find good books, you're going back until Urza block to find the good stuff.

The Brothers' War and The Thran are typically regarded as the two best MTG novels. The Brothers' War is the first book, The Thran is a prequel to that book. Like most good prequels, it is best reading the first book so the prequel makes more sense. In this case, it actually doesn't necessarily make more sense, but due to the excellent world building in The Brothers' War, you'll enjoy it much more if you do read the prequel. Here is what you want to be buying. It's both books compiled as one giant book, and it is definitely worth buying.

Aside from that, there are some solid scattered stuff. Rav block was pretty solid and apparently Time Spiral is too. If you're up for newer stuff, I'll only recommend Agents of Artifice.

Thankfully, the book I posted is still in print, and easy to get. Two great books for one great price is definitely worth it. It's a good starting place, as it'll give you background on the most famous story and characters, and be a good book to boot.

One word to the wise though, the majority of MTG novels suck. Flat out, they're horrible. The rest of this series is actually pretty bad, and aside from one book being marginally okay, the other two were awful and I could barely stomach them. There's a reason they don't make block novels anymore -- they simply were as bad as them imply.

The KMC Hyper Mat (Matte) Premiums are probably the less opaque of the KMC brand sleeves. They have a different back texture in comparison to the KMC Hyper Mats (Mattes), but the plastic on the front is slightly more glossy, which slightly clouds viewing (you can still see your card perfectly clear, but it doesn't quite let the foils "pop"). It's super minor, but if you're going for the backs not showing, the different texture does help. I think they come in colors other than black, but you have to look around (Amazon is my reference point). Ask your LGS for them.


You're making a good decision by choosing KMCs, that's for sure. The Premiums also have a great shuffle feel if that helps.

Edit: I should have referenced you to the Professor for further details on the Premiums. As they say, it's never too late.


Also should have said this earlier (and my spelling was bad too...that's what happens when I reddit before my AM coffee), but I use these sleeves and have never had an issue with seeing the backs of cards with them. I believe they are the Premiums, but I could be wrong. They have the gloss and texture, so I'm assuming they're Premiums. If they have the same type of plastic in white as they do in black, you shouldn't have an issue with seeing your cards. I use KMCs for everything and they work wonderfully with my double faced cards. I'd recommend them to anyone. My buddy who uses Dragon Shields shuffled with my cards and couldn't stop for a solid hour (I have weird friends). He couldn't believe how they can pull off double sleeving so well and how nicely they shuffled. So there's that upside plus the visibility. Judges seem to like them.

I'm at work right now so I can't provide any dimensions, what I've done in the past when using perfect fits + DS mattes is use these(unfortunately Amazon has none in stock atm but I think they may have changed the art and therefore product number, try searching 'ultra pro mtg card dividers' on Amazon) in my ultimate guard flip n tray to fill out the empty space and keep pressure applied to my cards while in the deckbox. Before I moved to perfect hards my setup looked like this here, with 9 dividers on each side. Now in perfect hards I can only fit 4 dividers on each side, so id say the deck doesn't get too much thicker. In perfect hards it's still smaller and easier to shuffle than my commander deck double sleeved in perfect fits + DS mattes.

I bet he will find several thousand more dollars worth of cards in there. He should invest in some sleeves and card holders in order to protect his cards. I prefer to double sleeve, then put it in a magic card binder (NOT a regular 3 ring binder) or in a top loaders.

KMC Perfect Fit sleeves

https://www.amazon.com/KMC-Barrier-PERFECT-packs-Total/dp/B00T3Z72Q8

KMC Hyper Matte Playing Sleeves

https://www.amazon.com/KMC-Hyper-Matte-Sleeves-Sheets/dp/B00VCQXQAW

Rigid Top Loaders

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Regular-TOPLOADERS-Standard/dp/B01G1GRLSA

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You take the card and (carefully) put the card upside down into the Perfect Fit sleeves. The card should fit snugly in there. Then you put the card into the Playing Sleeve with the opening of the Perfect Fit sleeve at the bottom. Then put the whole thing into a top loader.

So Card -> Perfect Fit sleeve -> Playing Sleeve -> Top Loader

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Good luck!.. And no more bend testing for all that is holy, lol.

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Edit to add: if they are in extremely good condition (like they look perfect straight out of the pack), it may be best to avoid the Perfect Fit because you can cause very small nicks in the corners if you're not careful putting them in which can affect their grade, but if they look like the Black Lotus you have there, then it's probably not a huge concern.

ABSOLUTELY watch all that, but if you don't have the time I'll give you the highlights.

For a regular deck box, Legion and Ultimate Guard make great boxes that tend to fit more than their reported value.

If you want to get fancy, any of the Ultimate Guard Flip'n'Tray or Monolith boxes are awesome. Also the Ultra Pro Satin Tower, pretty much the same as the Monolith.

If you need something as cheap as possible while also holding all your stuff (like d20s and d6s), the Ultra Pro Pro-Dual box will hold a full 75 card deck in one compartment and a Chessex 36ct d6 box and some d20s in the other.

Other than that I like the Ultimate Guard Deck'n'Tray, It holds a deck like the boxes with a tray for counters and dice.

Not the same one (another person linked you to that) but I will say this other, similar case has been great for me.

Stack-On DCOG-10 Deluxe Deep Cup Parts Storage Organizer with 10 Removable Cups https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EHY9RA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gp5IxbDFWF1EQ

It's incredibly sturdy and can fit even large EDH decks plus tokens in a single cup. I use it for holding all my duel decks as well, and the wide cups are great for general storage (mana station, tokens, dice) or for holding oversized cards for planechase or archenemy.

I've got about six of those cases and they are fantastic.

Welcome! And don't worry, even the most jaded of us started out just like you at one point.

Dice help immensely, I recommend some d6's. Something like this works well: https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Opaque-Black-Dice-Block/dp/B0011WOEQ2/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_21_bs_lp_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1WHWZN9EHFF733R9F03S
Or if you have any other dice those work. For -1 counters I like d4s if you have any, the different shape keeps them separate from the d6s

For travelling, any small cloth bag works for carrying the dice.

I recommend sleeves - at this point I hate shuffling unsleeved cards. As /u/dig_dude recommended see Tolarian Community College for recommendations. See that channel for deck boxes also

For score keeping, I like these sorts of things (forgive me, I know they ahve a name but really can't remember it): https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Electronic-Graphics-Handwriting-Children/dp/B01H936O8W/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1494641058&sr=1-13&keywords=electronic+pad+and+pen
but normal pad and paper work just as well

Most importantly, relax, have fun, ask questions, get advice, and when in doubt, ask a judge!

Depending on how you want to start out I usually recommend a deck builders toolkit for new players.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LDESLBG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487327668&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=deckbuilder%27s+toolkit&dpPl=1&dpID=418-AbeqGrL&ref=plSrch

It's a great cheap way to start a collection and begin building your own decks for casual play.

If you want to be more competitive most people here will suggest finding a list you like and buying it in singles.

You could also show up to a game store on a limited day and learn to play that way. Limited is my personal favorite format.

Magic has a lot of diffrent things to offer and there is no right way to enjoy the game so welcome and have fun.

Yep. I have one of these, but a Stack-On brand (green containers instead of yellow) and I love it. The decks don't bounce around any more than most other storage. Just put the decks in sleeves, which you should be doing anyway.

Here's the direct amazon link for anyone who'e interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EHY9RA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s03

EDIT: I will say, one criticism I have of these is that each container comes with two larger, double-sized containers that could technically fit two decks, but they can tend to be merged into themselves since there's nothing separating them. I for a while used one of the ultra pro dividers to go in-between the decks. Over the course of a year, though, I have ultimately bought THREE of these things, which gives me enough single containers to fully fill 2 Stack-Ons. A bit of an investment but I love it now. And, before anyone asks, I contacted the company who makes these directly to see if I could just buy individual containers but they said they do not sell them separately.

Anyway, I now have two stack ons full of only the smaller individual boxes that, between the two of them, can hold 12 decks each. I'm at 17 and counting!

I would recommend this one instead: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Gathering-Kaladesh-Builders-Toolkit/dp/B01LDESLBG/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481514634&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=mtg+deckbuilder%27s+toolkit

It is from Kaladesh, the most recently released set of Magic cards. If you plan to play with your friends at home or just build decks for fun, then it doesn't really matter which Deck Builder's Toolkit (or other product) you get. If you end up deciding you want to play in tournaments, Kaladesh will be legal in more formats for longer. In Magic, the most popular format is called "Standard," and only cards released in the last 1-2 years are legal to put in your deck, so the most recent set will be legal longer.

This is my favorite style of binder

They are about $20 which is cheaper than some others but they are really nice and have side loaders. Some people don't like them because you cant replace the pages, so if a sleeve gets ripped or if it gets shabby over the years you cant replace it, only the whole binder. I use these for my "keep binders" meaning that they stay at home and I am the only one that handles them.

I also have one for my trade binder but I usually dont let other people handle it since some have sausages for fingers and they are rough with the pages. Regular 3 ring binders with card sleeve pages work well. I dont like the top loader style though and that is the most common, they probably have side loader pages but i havent seen them. this is probably the cheaper route and it will lat you a long time. that being said the binders break pretty easily since they are just card board with plastic keeping them together.

monsters are nice but I dont think they are better than the ultrapro leather one i mentioned earlier. the thin ones with graphics and fixed pages suck. dont buy them.

That's why it's best to invest in another tool and make it super easy for your customer to open their cards. These are just big enough for toploaders to slide into, they are self-adhesive, and they're easy to open. Most LGS should also have them for far less than $4 as well. My LGS sells them for $2.29, right next to the top loaders and penny sleeves.

I've got a flip-n-tray. It's... pretty good. I haven't had any serious problems with it. It seems like a step down, durability wise, from the Ultimate Guard Monolith, (which I feel totally safe stacking things on top of, or putting in the bottom of my luggage/event bag). The stitching was a bit loose on one of the corners; the Flip-n-Tray isn't perfectly square and I'm worried one day it may start to come apart.

The flip-n-tray is NOT designed to hold a double-sleeved commander deck. It will hold a single sleeved deck with room to spare, however.

Overall, I'm more inclined to trust the cheaper Monoliths to protect my cards, but I can't deny how classy the Flip-n-Tray looks and feels. As an added bonus, the trays themselves are removable, and are great for holding tokens and counters during the game--totally separate from the battlefield. Just note that the trays are snug. You need to take a little care when putting your cards back to avoid bending your sleeves.

What budget are you considering? You can build fairly cohesive and decent commander decks for ~$20. Is the $80 total out of the price range?

There is Game Night which is 5 decks meant to be played out of the box against each other, kinda treating it as if it was a board game. It's $35-$40.

Card Kingdom does a bunch of budget stuff. If you like drafting they have a $100 Starter Cube which lets you draft over and over with it.

They also have Battle Decks which are $10 decks that are all roughly designed to be played against each other, and might be your best option (especially if you want to be able to pick what decks to play and expand it with new decks).

They also have Sparring Decks which are similar but are brawl decks instead (which is a format a bit more conducive to multiplayer). A bunch of these cards will rotate soon so you might want to wait to see if they release new ones with Eldraine's release, but if it's just between friends you can also expand the rules of brawl to be non-rotating (you'll follow along with "historic"'s legality).

> Completely mucking up MTG's lore (and D&D's, I assume)...

You mean like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Guildmasters-Guide-Ravnica/dp/0786966599/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ravnica+D%26D&qid=1561995505&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Meanwhile, how would it "muck up" MtG's lore?

Having a plane that happened to also have iconic D&D stuff wouldn't effect the main MtG storyline any more than both games having dragons, goblins, elves, and so on. I don't think anyone's making the case that we start adaping Raveloft and Dragonlance to MtG sets...but there's be absolutely nothing wrong with a plane that happened to be populated by Beholders, Gelatinous Cubes, Mindflayers and so on.

D&D would be perfect to adapt, as it's not like it's disparate worlds are necessarily interconnected anyways, which is why you can have something like a Ravnica D&D set in the first place.

Seriously...if you're going to bring up an objection, immediately, to the "god I hope not" level, I'd really like to know what you're so afraid of.

• Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh
  
• The Art of Magic: the Gathering - Zendikar
  
• The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Kaladesh (Releases January 3, 2017)
  
  There are other nuggets of worldbuilding in the Kaladesh block stories (KLD, AER) and Battle for Zendikar block stories (BFZ, OGW), as well as flavor texts from the blocks and small stuff like the Consulate ARG account but not exactly necessary for D&D if you want to have more creative freedom. Enjoy!

> Deckbox Profile
> Tradelist

I am playing less Modern, and am considering trading some of the Grixis Death's Shadow cards that don't overlap with other decks, if I can trade them all at once.

I am always willing to look at your tradelist, so feel free to send me a message if I have something you're interested in, even if you don't have anything I've listed below. Deckbox is my preferred means of correspondence / trading.

Notable Haves:

• Death's Shadow (4 WWK), Street Wraith (4 FUT), and Collective Brutality (2) [only trading these cards together]
  
• Ancestral Vision (4 TSP)
  
• Sword of Light and Shadow (DST)
  
• Null Rod
  
• Scroll Rack (TMP)
  
• Bitterblossom (2 MOR)
  
• Scion of Oona (4)
  
• Unified Will (5)
  
• Countersquall
  
• Bulk rares (regular and foil; happy to work out a fair discounted price for rares with a Deckbox/TCG price of <$1-ish).
  
  I also have some supplies for trade:
  
  
• UltraPro 2x2 binder ($10): link
  
• Ultimate Guard Monolith (Petrol / Teal) ($15): link
  
• Ultimate Guard Monolith (Black) ($15): link
  
  Conditions are used but fine. Happy to send photos if desired. I'd trade these at the value listed (not a huge discount, but you get to pay with MtG cards instead of cash).
  
  Notable Wants:
  
  
• Intuition
  
• Infernal Tutor (3)
  
• Grim Monolith
  
• Palinchron
  
• Gilded Drake
  
• Pact of Negation (FUT)
  
• Gamble (USG)
  
• ONS/ZEN/KTK fetches
  
• Beta / Euro basic lands
  
• Revised dual lands (especially Bayou; willing to trade out of inventory if I'm not currently using the cards)
  
• To browse your tradelist

I do indeed! :) Here's another close-up.

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I make binder templates in Photoshop if anyone needs them -- don't have them for all sets yet, but I also provide the original psds and they're pretty easy to edit. I go with these folders for storage.

Here’s a good article summary of the whole magic story with some suggestions of where to start reading.

My personal suggestion: The Thran. Kindle edition is $4.99. Read it last year and it’s a really good story. Great villain and classic character, [[Yawgmoth, Thran Physician]].

For a more recent suggestion: the ebook from the latest set Throne of Eldraine. I’m admittedly not finished, but I’ve enjoyed it so far.

And for a small taste, one of my favorite MTG short stories: Sacrifice.

Also check out /r/mtgvorthos!

Edit: great post of resources

Scars is much more dependent than most books because it's essentially a sequel. Do you care about Urza, the creator of Karn? Or how Mirrodin came to be? Because it's annoying but all of it is tied together. But if you just want the story, check out the MTGSalvation wiki for your lore. It will keep you busy for a while.

If you really want to read, track down a copy of the Brother's War. It's easily the best of the books.

dice aren't that big you don't really need them. you can use other stuff but dice are super convienent. I would get them a bunch of smallish d6s in a color they like. Something like these

This is what I use for my "bulk" cards:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000K41E7E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

None of the stores in my area carry this, so that's why I buy it from Amazon. Otherwise, it's better to buy this from a local store and save 5 bucks.

Rares/uncommons/commons that I frequently need for decks, go into:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VOPRBM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The best rares go into:
http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-PRO-BINDER-Leatherette-Sideloading/dp/B004FVJDV2

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Binder-Trading-Anti-theft-Gathering/dp/B0043FLAZM/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1414512398&sr=1-1&keywords=monster+binder

The art book has a lot of information that you might find useful.

The Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad also has a bunch of information. Be sure to also check out the Uncharted Realms / Magic Story. Innistrad is my favorite plane but I am no lore master. I would be happy to help answer questions you might have (or at least try to).

Me again. they just re-released the best as a compliation: The Brother's War and The Thran as Artifact's Cycle 1.
Here it is on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Artifacts-Cycle-Magic-Gathering-Omnibus/dp/0786953055/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Other good places to start are the comics of the new planeswalkers:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/webcomics/main

And if you want summaries of books and things, there's a blog that does chapter by chapter coverage daily:
www.mtgfiction.com

That's a good start. If you want a more comprehensive explanation/summary, there's the mtgsalvation wiki:
http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Category:Storylines

I use the classic KMC perfect size inner sleeves. They hold the card very snug, so they fit in most normal sleeves.

They're generally sold for about $5.99 for 100 sleeves, but I've gotten deals on Amazon for buying bulk.

Actually, I use the perfect size sleeves for a lot of single-sleeving, since they're so tight to the card and are completely translucent on both sides. All of my trade foils are inside them to prevent scratching, and to act as an inner sleeve in the binder page pockets.

I use a similar model of organizer to carry my decks.

TCC is quite right that the cups that come with it are not desirable for sleeved cards. However, when you remove the cups, you can hold 16 regular-size Boulder deck boxes in the case itself. More importantly, it is a model that is stackable with others like it; the side clips allow multiple organizers to stick together. I also like the additional security of having two sets of latches to keep the lid on. I'm able to carry basically my whole collection in 3 of them stuck together. It's a really solid value if you've already got deck boxes but want a secure way to carry a bunch at once.

Since I just moved, I picked up a bunch of 2 rowed long boxes to pack my collection into- not counting the stuff already in long boxes.

For decks, I use a Stanley Fatmax Deep Organizer Pro. Already have one, and I'm getting a second one for christmas (via giftcard). It can hold about 11 EDH decks at max capacity, and they're stackable, and seal fairly tight so they're great protection if you're worried about things like moisture or sorting or getting knocked around.

They're super heavy at max load, I don't recommend taking them around unless you have personal transportation like a car- but they're perfect for use at home.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-PRO-BINDER-Leatherette-Sideloading/dp/B004FVJDV2


I love this binder and am actually considering getting a second one. There is a smaller version that is great for holding play sets of shocks / buddies etc. Very high quality binder imo and I have had 0 issues with ripping or tearing of the sleeves.

There is a lot of lore and worldbuilding in The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar. There is also a corresponding book coming out for kaladesh soon, as shown by this thread. If you are looking for something Pre-Eldrazi, there is also A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar.

I hope this helps and good luck!

1. KMC does sell clear Hyper Mattes.
   
   
2. There are some unfun Planes, but probably only 4-5 at the most. You can find 6 to remove probably, but it leaves you with no extras. In the end, it's unfortunate to have to buy 3, but at least you have extras (which can also be used for Archenemy or oversized Commander cards). In fact, you can get a 2-pack from Amazon for around the same price as one single pack (which is weird), so you might just want to get 2 of those. As mentioned, there is an oversized deck box for holding them as well.
   
   
3. Not really - you'd be better off carrying the 4 decks in a fat pack/deck builder's toolkit box.
   
   
4. Probably not - again, you'd be better off carrying the 4 decks in a fat pack/deck builder's toolkit box.
   
   
5. I'd save the box, as using it with sleeved cards/deck boxes (other than the provided slide boxes) wasn't really the intended purpose. The box itself is so thin (in depth) that I don't think even removing the plastic inner piece would allow it to fit regular deck boxes inside. Moreover, a box that size won't fit into a bag easily, whereas a fat pack box and the oversized deck box will fit almost anywhere (allowing you to preserve the original box for display/something else).
   
   Edit: Additionally, the Planar die that comes with the set is about 2x the size of a normal Planar die, so even finding a place for that is hard. I carry around a set of Chessex dice - the plastic case has some extra room for a normal Planar die if you have one of those sitting around (you basically put the d4, d6, d8 and Planar die at the bottom, then the d20/d10 next and the d12/d10 on top of that - should be an almost perfect fit). Or, you could always use a regular d6 and use 1/6 for Chaos/Planeswalk, respectively.
   
   Edit 2 - Forgot about the Planechase tokens... they're double-sided, so grab a pack of penny sleeves for those - that way, they're protected and still easy to use on both sides. You should have enough room left in the fat pack/deck builder's toolkit box for them along with the 4 double-sleeved decks.

BCW storage boxes are pretty fantastic when it comes to storing cards. I usually just mark off a row for sleeves and store them by color and manufacturer.

They can be found in a ton of places, but if you want to buy in bulk, their main site is definitely the place to go.

http://www.bcwsupplies.com/cat/trading-card/trading-card-boxes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K41E6K/ref=zgm_bs_2358923011_2?ie=UTF8&sr=1-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/146005?gclid=CjwKEAiA6YDBBRDwtpTQnYzx5lASJAC57ObM4heNRjNPlQknQin0F8VAqWafOz5COmIwCWgmTyuKbxoCHE7w_wcB

These boxes are cheap, sturdy, stackable, and hold a ton of cards. Also, they come in a lot of sizes.

At the moment, your options are largely limited to this (edit: and the other boxes linked in the comments below) for deck boxes and this for card sleeves. You'll note that all of these are Ultra Pro products, and none of them are particularly desirable. I would be very happy if KMC or similar got into the oversized card market - niche as it may be - in response to the renewed interest in Planechase.

For the first time ever (I believe), Wizards recently released an MTG adventure book based on the DnD ruleset set within Ravnica. Not exactly the plane you're looking for, but everything's provided for you guys to jump into an RPG system/setting.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Guildmasters-Guide-Ravnica/dp/0786966599

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What this book does (taken from an Amazon review):
- Explains the world of Ravnica and its backstory; especially dives into the backstory for the races, places, and guilds of Ravnica. This is 80% of the book.
- Provides gameplay details for the races of Ravnica.
- Provides 2 new subclass options (Cleric: Order Domain & Druid: Circle of Spores).
- Provides gameplay details for the guilds of Ravnica (treated as backgrounds).
- Provides lots of information about how to craft a D&D adventure within Ravnica.
- Provides some Ravnica inspired treasure/magic items.
- Provides stat blocks for the creatures/people of Ravnica.

I agree with this. Buy them from your LGS. They probably don't carry these, but I love em:

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-86101-Dividers-Mana/dp/B00I3F7N04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467128034&sr=8-1&keywords=magic+dividers

The Game Night collection is perfect is perfect for a group your size starting out: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Gathering-Night-Players-Accessories/dp/B07H9KB51J

I moved a 30,000 card collection from America to South-East Asia and back using boxes like these: http://www.amazon.com/BCW-Monster-Storage-Holds-trading/dp/B000K41E6K/ref=zg_bs_2358923011_1

I used twine to tie the lids on and it didn't cause any issues. Just have to make sure there isn't free space to allow the cards to slide. I used deckboxes and legos to fill in the free space.

if youre doing a setting you might also enjoy the innistrad art book. i picked one up a few years ago and its great
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

I sleeve all of the tokens my deck uses to protect the surface (for cosmetic and consistency reasons, not because I care about a <$0.01 "card"). I use KMC "perfect fits" because they're cheap in bulk, fit snug to the card, and make the surface more slippery for moving the cards around.

Binders

Ultra Pro 9 pocket 3 ring binder sleeves

Ultra Pro 4 pocket 3 ring binder sleeves

Honestly card organization can be as cheap or expensive as you want, but these are what I've spent a majority of my money on in the last year 6 boxes of the 100 per box 9 up sleeves, 2 of the 25 per box 4 up sleeves and no less than 20 binders. Finally finished card organization project I started two years ago. Just need to print the cover pages/spine inserts.

Best belated birthday present to myself/husband ever!

Sleeves: https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Oversized-Protectors-82420/dp/B003K5TMJW

Binder page: https://www.amazon.com/20-Twenty-Pages-4-Pocket-pockets/dp/B004QVH0RK

They do exist - yes. Its however up to you to find the best deal on them, this is just a quick google search I Did.

The fat pack is fine, just be careful not to overpay for them (the recent ones should be around 35 to 40 us dollars). If you like the art consider the Zendikar art book.

There is a FAQ for New/Returning Players in the sidebar of this reddit which is a good starting point for info on the game.

3 Rings can be a bit rough on cards if the pages get out of whack. I use Ultra Pro Pro-Binders like this and love them: https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-PRO-BINDER-Leatherette-Sideloading/dp/B004FVJDV2/

The sideloading is awesome, and they can hold a playset per slot.

My preferred way to store cards is in 4-Row boxes.


Seen here:
https://www.amazon.com/BCW-Monster-Storage-Holds-trading/dp/B000K41E6K


I only keep 4 of any given card, aka a ‘playset’. So I sort the cards by card number, which just so happens to be by color. I label the front of the 4-row box and also sort by set by date. I keep all of the commons, uncommons, lands, and tokens separate from the rares and mythics., that way the more valuable stuff is in one place. Therefore, if I need a specific card, I know exactly where it is.


I keep all of my trades that are above $1 in binders, keeping standard cards separate from modern/legacy/commander. I keep all bulk rares, that are not in standard, in a box, as it usually isn’t a good idea to carry around bulk to trade.

They are releasing a D&D 5th Edition sourcebook. If you preorder the D&D book on Amazon now, you get 40% off, though I always encourage buying locally instead.

Now looking at your username, is this just guerrilla marketing, dropping a hint that'll get a bunch of people to recommend the book.

If you're into the art of magic, another thing you might want to get is the art books, such as this one. These feature full page spreads of art art as well as great descriptions of the lore of the world.

If you like the art, consider the official [Kaladesh Art Book] (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Kaladesh/dp/1421590506). Also encourages Wizards to continue making them if they sell well.

Your local hardware store has toolboxes that commander decks fit nicely in. Haven't tried them with 60 card decks but I've seen quite a few put commander decks in them. Something like this or this.

http://www.amazon.com/Artifacts-Cycle-Magic-Gathering-Omnibus/dp/0786953055/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412578674&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=magic+the+gathering+Artefacts+book

These are by far my favorite books of Magic. The Brother's War is an amazing novel, and The Thran gives you the origin story of the Phyrexians and Yawgmoth, which later on develops into an important plot piece in other books.

Sorry I'm a little confused, are you offering the KMC Hyper Matte Black or the KMC Perfect Fit, I'd trade for either but I'm more interested in the Hyper Mattes.

If you're look for some plastic baggies for cards, you can get something called "team bag". something like from ultra pro. They are also good for shipping cards.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Poly-Team-Bags/dp/B00095NR1K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1538678698&sr=8-5&keywords=team+bag

Copying this from an earlier, similar post:

Here you go.

Of these, the following on available for e-book:

• Moons of Mirrodin, Darksteel Eye, The Fifth Dawn
  
  
• Outlaw, Heretic, Guardian
  
  
• Ravnica, Guildpact, Dissension
  
  
• Alara Unbroken
  
  
• Zendikar
  
  
• Scars of Mirrodin
  
  
• Agents of Artifice, Test of Metal, The Purifying Fire
  
  In addition to the Secretist books.
  
  Prior to Alara, each set had a matching novel, so each set had a triology. They never sold well, so Wizards eventually condensed them into single books for each set, but also added in single books for the new generation planeswalkers (the ones we have now). The Secretist is a revival of the book series, since no book was published for Innistrad, but using a different format: one short novella for each set, which should all together add up to a whole novel, similar to the Alara-era books but with a more encompassing feel. They're using it as a test.
  
  You can also find the Artifact Cycle collections in physical copies, which are very worth the read and extra cash.
  
  The Zendikar, Scars, and Innistrad stories happened mostly via a now-happened abandoned-by-Wizards medium, webcomic. You can find the relevant stories here.

Your best bet would be to pick up The Art of Magic: Zendikar book when it's released next month: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/announcing-art-magic-gathering-zendikar-2015-08-31 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X

Magic: Game Night is one of the best tools I've found for that kind of thing. And since getting it I've actually used it to introduce 7 people to the game, leading to a really smooth onboarding process.

EDIT: After reading some of your comments below, it seems to be geared towards your situation in particular with a group of 5.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EHY9RA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

great for sleeved edh decks

Pretty good, but after shipping it still comes out to about $6 per pack, while you can get 5 for about $4.5 a pack and with fast shipping with Amazon if you have prime: https://www.amazon.com/KMC-Hyper-Matte-Sleeves-Sheets/dp/B00VCQXQAW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494958836&sr=8-1&keywords=kmc+hyper+matte

I'd recommend something like this.

On a quick note, this book is truly awful. The plot is a convoluted mess, the characters are shallow, flat, or completely unrealistic, and the language switches from 'overly verbose English major' to 'under medicated pre-teen'.

If you're looking for good Magic novels, go for the Artifacts cycle of books.

If you want something more recent, I would recommend the recent Planeswalker novels.

Don't take this as an insult but you haven't tried Amazon or Google? They are the biggest e-retailers. A super quick search for it make me found these links. If you don't want to support big corporations there's always ebooks.com

There are 2 books that are a great start to the book series artifact cycle 1 and artifact cycle 2. They are the first 5 books in the whole series. The first one is the Thran and the brothers war. The second one is Planswalker, time stream, and bloodlines. They are a good read if you can find them for cheap.

We've reached the halfway point in Django Wexler's The Gathering Storm, with chapters 7 through 10 leading us up to the (failed) guild summit before War of the Spark. We even get back to listener questions, so thanks again to all our fans who ask those!

00:39 – The Wildered Quest Blurb
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Throne-Eldraine-Wildered-Kate-Elliott-ebook/dp/B07VP1PQ81
01:57 – Listener Question: Elder Dragons Older than the Thran?
03:23 – Listener Question: How Many Pre-Mending Planeswalkers Still Around?
07:23 – Listener Question: Could Dack Have Saved Himself with the Immortal Sun?
10:39 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 7
Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=f04ef0245f
19:16 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 8
Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=77411a7f11
32:19 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 9
Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=fd2c659d7a
37:04 – The Gathering Storm Chapter 10
Link: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=331efd73d0
46:57 – Final Thoughts

I think you might be talking about team bags, but they fit closer to 20, maybe 30 cards at a time.

I have an Ultra Pro Premium PRO-BINDER in brown leatherette as my main trade binder, and use a QuadRow Zipfolio™ - Ultimate Guard – Premium Protection in black as my main storage binder for valuables.

A couple of these will do you good.

Magic art books looks nice, im temped to buy this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

There are also new art books that might be something you're interested in too: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466891518&sr=8-2&keywords=art+of+magic+the+gathering

I use one of these. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004EHY9RA/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?qid=1415166815&sr=8-15&pi=SX200_QL40

It works really well for me.

of the game? It's in most stores and Amazon. I bought it yesterday at Target. https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Game-Night-Gathering-Accessories/dp/B07H9KB51J/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543210220&sr=8-1&keywords=game+night+mtg

That's the name of the original book. They compiled the earlier books into an omnibus. Which is this

There exists a novel that's already out: https://www.amazon.com/Throne-Eldraine-Wildered-Kate-Elliott-ebook/dp/B07VP1PQ81

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=4774046&postcount=52

This is order that I'm using to read the books. I'm also going to go with the crowd and say that The Brother's War is a very good book, and the best place to start. It was recently reprinted in the Artifacts Cycle I omnibus, but don't read the first book until much later.

Pre order the book here. Will probably worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Kaladesh/dp/1421590506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473867877&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+kaladesh

Amazon has them.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453452403&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+zendikar

Start with Uncharted Realms. Bite-sized stories, free and online. Ctrl+F to “Fire Logic”, the first of the Magic Origins stories and what I’d consider the start of the Bolas Arc that War of the Spark ended. And keep an eye out on The Wildered Quest, the story for the next set!

The Thran is not available for kindle, unfortunately. It is however in the Artifacts cycle omnibus, which I highly recommend. It has the story of the thran and then the story of Urza Vs the Phyrexians.

http://www.amazon.com/Artifacts-Cycle-Magic-Gathering-Omnibus/dp/0786953055

http://www.amazon.com/Artifacts-Cycle-II-Gathering-Omnibus/dp/0786953063/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=15M4GBD41KKZJWQTVT90

Ravnica has a number of novels, starting with "Ravnica: City of Guilds," then Guildpact, then Dissension, and then "The Secretist" ebook.

Innistrad has an art book that's full of lore.

Don't forget the official "Guilds of Ravnica" D&D content

Ravnica D&D Manual

The artifacts saga vol 1 (The Thran and the Brothers War) is around $13 used.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0786953055/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=all

I think they already fused those cosmologies when they released the MTG DnD supplements. https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Guildmasters-Guide-Ravnica/dp/0786966599

Just to clarify, you know they printed official 5e rules for Magic stuff, right?

The one that came with the release with Oath and part of the new series of lore/art books they're doing.

The Magic Art books seem to have lore interspersed but I think my wife would hit me if I brought them home. If only they were available via PDF.

Release date of July 5 according to Amazon.

Here ya go! :)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K41E6K?pc_redir=1410490397&robot_redir=1

They totally exist. BCW makes a bunch of different sizes of them. I use one for my cards, 3 rows.

I bought a couple of D20s and one of these and I’ve never needed more dice than that.

They do make oversized card sleeves. You could even back the two individual cards with an oversized card from, say, the Commander precons so it doesn't get all floppy.

Yes they do.

here

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Gathering-Night-Players-Accessories/dp/B07H9KB51J

^ this is the one I'm talking about

There's a very affordable and well-written eBook that tells the story of Eldraine very well.

Here is what I've been buying, first for my cube then later for random decks. 400 KMC Hyper Mattes for ~$20 is hard to beat. People say that KMC quality has dropped, but I haven't noticed with these.

for my decks, i typically use art sleeves such as these. since art sleeves have a tendency to be hard to get the same sleeves a year or two down the road, this means i'll pick up an extra pack when i'm making a deck so if sleeves tear on me, i'll be covered.

as such, this means i have plenty of extra sleeves that i can throw in binders. i'll throw my cards in a perfect fit, then throw that in one of my art sleeves, and put that in my side load binder.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K41E6K?cache=c9b926c4e5aab801176c9c954083a5c2#ref=mp_s_a_1_3&qid=1393779183&sr=1-3 here you, don't be like me and have cards on ever horizontal space in my apartment

First off, get the two Artificat books, it is a collection of the stories from Urza's Saga.

Book 1

Which covers the Thran who were 3000 years before Urza and the growing up of Urza until he becomes a planeswalker.

and

Book 2

Which covers Urza as he travels the multiverse, realizes the threat that the Phyrexians really are, and starts his defense against them on Dominaria.

Then, read the Ice Age trilogy by Jeff Grubb.

Ice Age Cycle

Which covers what happens during the Ice Age on dominaria while Urza is away on his exploration. There are a lot more stories out there, but these should really grab you into the awesomeness that the story used to be.

They stopped doing the novels awhile ago I believe. Now they post a story of the newest set every week which can be found on the official website (and will be posted here and on the frontpage generally). Though there's still the booklet in the fatpacks and they've brought out and starting with something new, a sort of Art-book/Lore-book for the new sets :

• (Info) http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/announcing-art-magic-gathering-zendikar-2015-08-31
  
  
• (Amazon) http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X

Hmm. It was never in a Magic Story chapter, and we've got nothing on the MTG Wiki. Unless there's a mention in the Innistrad art book, I doubt there's anything at all.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/The_Art_of_Magic:_The_Gathering_-_Innistrad

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807

KMC Hyper Matte Sleeves Black ×5 Sets (5 Packs/total 400 Sheets) ( Japan Import ) Made in Japan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VCQXQAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kNEJAbKM27CSB

I’ve been ordering these kmc hyper mats from amazon for a year now every time I start to run low. So far no splits.

It's been a while since I read the books but...

The Powerstones were a big part of the world. The Thran were a society that didn't have access to mana or magic. The powerstones were a mysterious source of energy that powered their society, and were quite strong. The powerstone spike which Yawgmoth used to lobotomize Dyfed was potent enough to incapacitate a pre-mending 'walker.

Yawgmoth did poison Glacian to get to Rebbec, but kept Glacian's consciousness alive in a powerstone. He later used this powerstone to open his gate to Phyrexia. When Rebbec realized Yagmoth's schemes, she was forced to destroy the powerstone which held her husband's mind, splitting it in two. Those two halves became the mightstone and the weakstone, the stones which Urza and Mishra used to war on each other, and which eventually became Urza's eyes when his spark ignited.

Everyone needs to read the Artifacts Cycle. Great fantasy on it's own, even knowing nothing about Magic.

http://www.amazon.com/Artifacts-Cycle-Magic-Gathering-Omnibus/dp/0786953055

Amazon has a kindle version of Brother's War for 5 USD. Same for all of the Artifacts Cycle books, all at 5 USD. The paper novels vary wildly in price. The Onimbus books probably the cheapest way, totaling ~100 USD (these versions also are not available as kindle books via Amazon).

I don't think that exact product exists, but there are some Magic art books available, as well as this book by Rob Alexander (who painted some of the most iconic land cards in the game) that features a bunch of art from Magic lands among other pieces.

Jumping in here, you can pick up the Artifacts Cycle 1 and 2 books at most bookstore, and they contain the first stories and the origins of Urza and the origins of the Phyrexian invasion. Just, skip over the Thran until you read the others in the cycle, it was written afterwards and contradicts some points made in the Brother's War and many later stories. I know some people who refuse to believe it's even in the canon storyline.

Also, Brother's War is my favorite in the series.

3 Main Sources.

1. There's a weekly column called "Magic Story" (Formerly known as Uncharted Realms). It comes out on Wednesdays.
   
   
2. The cards themselves often tell the story. There are cards known as Pivotal Events which represent particularly important story moments.
   
   
3. Since Battle for Zendikar, each new block has had an Art/Worldbuilding Book come out that summarizes the storyline in the last section.
   
   Also, just to clarify, Chandra did not kill Emrakul. She did use Zendikar's life force to kill Ulamog and Kozilek. Emrakul was trapped in Innistrad's silver moon by Nissa and Tamiyo. Nahiri was in the Helvault in the past, but she was released by Liliana when Liliana destroyed the Helvault as part of her plans to kill Griselbrand in Avacyn Restored. After being released, Nahiri worked to lure Emrakul to Innistrad to take revenge on Sorin.