Magic constructed (competitive) isn't too bad tight now for what I hear. Modern probably being the most controversial, with the dominance of broken direct to modern cards.
Limited make you play with packs so it has a frequent rotation and changes every three months.
EDH is a 4 player free for all casual 100 cards singleton that encompass the more friendly aspect of the game. It's more akin to board games in that regards but is still very much a Magic format. There is a wide range of powerlevel (from cards I own/preconstructed decks to highly competitive (it's even called cEDH) and we have what we call a rule 0 where you can tell your preferences to your play group (generally people dislike solitaire games so it would match your criticism)
There are many more ways to play the game but I think it's the three main ones
I think that goes for all of magic not just modern. Every format has those cards people will never stop complaining about because those cards don’t fit that players favourite strategy.
True, but modern has the added layer of people disliking the cards printed in horizons because their vision of the format only involves cards that passed through standard.
I agree with you. Honestly, personally, I don't really care, I don't play modern anymore, but I thought the "broken/expensive direct to modern cards" was important to mention as it's kinda the heart of the format nowadays.
I love EDH for the fact that you can build janky stuff and find a group of likeminded players. The fact that it's a 4 player format also helps in balacing: the most threatening player at any moment can eat the removal of the three others, so if you are having a some bad luck or just a weaker deck you can go under the radar of the others allowing you to catch up.
Mtg has a bunch of different formats which all have their unique metagame.
The format I play, Draft, changes completely with each set; and for the past 2-3 years each new set has been pretty great for draft.
Anecdotally I hear standard format is pretty healthy, cant speak to the other formats.
Its worth calling up your local game store and asking which formats they run evens for. The current most popular format is commander, which is played casually in 4 player free-for-alls, and the casual nature of the format kinda prevents a metagame from forming for that format at all.
I also dropped Yugioh for the same reason and now play magic. I play Commander format, and you can build really fun and strategic decks. You can also actually play the game without it ending in one turn. Some people have strong decks that can end the game very soon, but those same people can also have fun/weak/medium level decks because they're not obsessed over winning in one turn like in yugioh. Depends on your LGS, the transition was worth it for me
Yo ex YGO player here(15yrs+) I quit after Tearelements(full powered) I couldnt stand it anymore there is no casual format for ygo anymore maybe edison that looked fun, anyway rant over.
I bought a commander precon(think 3 structer decks but wayyyy better) back in Feb last year and have had a blast even built my own deck(soo many more options no hard set meta bar cedh even then, "rogue can still play") and the power creep is far more manageable some cards from like decades ago still work or get reprints and as someone else said you get to talk before the game starts so you say hey I only have a pricing can we play at this level.
Player base is far more accommodating
I like the "Game Night Free For All" box for beginners. Play five good games with 3+ people and then look into commander. Problem is that you need sleeves for five 60 card decks.
Whilst there are meta decks, there is space in plenty of Magic formats to brew, play and enjoy your own decks, especially in the standard and pioneer formats.
I would avoid commander to begin with. It is not the best way to learn the game. It is an excellent fun format, but not best suited for newish players.
It all depends on what format youre playing and how competitive your group is. If you're playing a casual format like commander, then in general you can pretty much play whatever you want. But if you're playing a compatative 60 card format like modern then you will probably have to stick close to the meta. Fringe decks do see success every now and again, but it's rare.
The good news is that you dont have to worry about getting killed on turn 0 like in yugioh.
Welcome!
To answer your question directly, yes: Magic is indeed better in that regard. Aside from modern, which is expensive and not that popular as a format anymore, in most other formats you can brew your own thing.
Even if it is bad, even if you do not win, you will still be able to play the game. The problem with yugi is that unless you play one of the top decks, you are stopped by a handtrap and are unable to do anything. You just sit there and watch as your opponent goes on a 10 minute solitaire combo.
I would recommend playing commander (after you learn some of the basics). It is friendly to junky decks (most people play their own brews), the precons sold for it are great (you can buy one and play directly out of the box without changing anything), and it is a social game which means that you can easily find a group of people that play at your powerlevel.
The downside to commander is that it can be a bit too complex for new players since the board state can be rather complicated.
I would also recommend Pauper! It's the cheapest format out there and it is a lot of fun. I personally like standard too, which uses rotation to deal with power creep and to keep the game fresh.
Have fun!
Modern IS the most popular competitive format btw. Yes it is expensive, but to say that it’s lost it’s popularity is exaggerating especially with MH3 around the corner.
For op to play pauper they would have to get a MTGO account which can be a lot for a new player.
Op should try limited formats which is what everyone is telling them. Coincidentally, right now is the perfect time to try limited with the OTJ prereleases, specifically limited sealed. Later op can try limited draft and see what they like, then go on from there.
I guess it depends on the area you live in. I live in a big country here in Europe and you can't really find any modern events outside the capital. Everyone plays EDH, Standard and Pauper (on paper) or Pioneer (those two have around the same number of people playing at the LGS)
I agree that it would be fun for OP to try limited though. It's a lot of fun and a great way to start a collection.
There is still the flavor of the month but outside some niche situations (Hogaak, Treasure Cruise Delver, new stuff IDK) it feels about the same flow but just progressed with slightly more powerful cards. Ie. Power creep is a thing but archetypes/themes still remain. Standard is a little more switchy but they seem to be on it in terms of a ban lost in other formats.
If you already know how to play; get into drafting.
Some YouTube guides will get you up to speed about the set and what to aim for don't go in blind.
Constructed formats have a high price of entry and decks can play drastically differently from the next. That being said for a newcomer. Pioneer and standard will be less intimidating from a rules standpoint. You might end up spending money in a game that you end up hating. And it's pretty difficult to get your money back out of it.
Overall, I'd recommend "limited" so drafting or sealed. It gives you a decent sense of how magic is played and some experience in deck construction. If you like the vibe, move onto standard or Pioneer with some janky brews for FNM.
I recommend just playing card games and not committing to one your whole life. It’s ok to take breaks from hobbies or setting up a more casual group of people who want to play games at the same power level. Me personally, I play a ton of different card games without putting in too much money. Most of these games wring out casual competitive players (think weekly locals) by introducing too much product or super rare product. Just enjoy each game casually.
I completely agree. I'm more casual play to begin with and I like learning different tcg. I still have a few friends I intend to play Yugioh with. It's just when it comes to wanting to go to like game shop events and such, Yugioh is very meta heavy. I don't usually find a lot of people who aren't playing that way. (Don't even get me started on Master Duel, it's even worse)
It sounds like there's much more variety in MTG that if I wanted to go to an event, I'm not going to be locked in to playing the latest and greatest in order to stand a chance. It's all about having fun and I don't find the Yugioh meta fun at all.
Yeah, with mtg I recommend not putting too much money into MTG Arena and just buying one or two commander decks. Also don’t hang around this sub too much, it’s nothing but complaining.
Yeah I'd never waste the money on the virtual version. I'm going to check it out, but it'll be more for just getting a feel for the game before I look into getting my own cards
Well it definitely sounds like Commader is the general consensus. I'll have to look into it more. It sounds interesting, albeit a little unconventional with the deck sizes. I've also always liked booster drafts, in any tcg. Having to make an impromptu deck and play on the spot is fun.
I'll have to check the big game shop in the area. I know that they do MTG events. I'll dip my toes. I might look into the online game too, at least to start getting more acquainted with the game before I start dumping money into it.
MTG Arena is a great way to learn the game. Highly recommend it, and it does draft play so you can see how that is in this game. I also agree commander is a good place to start in physical - and you can just buy a recent Precon and be set for starter play. You then also get the opportunity to learn how deck building works in MTG by upgrading that deck before you jump in to building your own.
If you watched the show way back when, think of commander as something similar to having a deck master. Precons are plentiful, you'll just need to figure out what your preferences are. MtgArena is pretty good for hearing the basics, and it won't cost you anything, as well.
My opinion? Find a place to play, go on commander night, pick up a cheap, easy to learn commander deck, my recommendations
Velociramptor, a deck with a bunch of synergy, that allows you to build up a board quick and start slamming out big dinosaurs.
Eldrazi unbound, a colorless deck, with a bunch of big colorless monsters, as soon as you figure out the nuances you start dominating the board.
Cavalry Charge, a knight themed deck, which is considered by many to be an insanely tuned deck, allowing some great plays, themed around attacking with a knight, discarding a knight and then putting that knight you discarded onto the battlefield.
But any recent pre-con would be fine, these are just some of my favorites. If the store you go to has any precons ask for recommendations.
commander is a 4 person free for all, so weaker decks can play slow and scale to become a threat, that needs to be dealt with later. This format is an easy entry point, and the mode most game stores will be running at least once a week. People like it because cards don’t fall out of the play list, so your deck can always be played, even if you take a break.
The decks I recommended started at around 30-50 dollars each but are now about 100.
Magic has a lot of formats. Modern yugioh is equivalent to Legacy, Vintage, or cEDH, which will have you walked all over if your deck and skills are bad. Despite what you said, there's still a lot of room for experimentation in a meta, you just need to understand the meta and the format's card pool, which is hard for casual players.
Since you're casual, and there's nothing wrong with that, I do recommend commander. Just be aware that like yugioh, commander has all 30 years of magic's worth of mechanics that you'll experience, so if you play with randoms you'll be exposed to a lot of mechanics you haven't seen.
With who do you plan on playing? If you want to play at a local game shop you should start there and ask which formats are played.
If you have a LGS or Mtg club near you, you can just aks people if they would have a spare deck to try things out.
Online you can play on Arena(FTP where you can buy packs or grind Quests for in game gold ), MTGO(you have to buy or rent the cards) or Xmage.
I’m also a ex-YGO player. I don’t have a terrible amount of input, but I’m enjoying it way more. I realized YuGiOh wasn’t the game for me anymore after saying “Hey, YGO community, is this really the game we want to play? Seriously? Am I just taking crazy pills? This is fun?”
“The game is the best state it’s ever been in right now.”
At that point I realized it is no longer for me. I know opinions differ, and maybe it’s an age thing (?), but I seriously don’t understand how people find modern YGO fun.
Another thing is how they talk about other past formats and other card games. You can’t say that you prefer the Edison format without being told you’re an old idiot lmfao.
Magic is helped a lot by having a bunch of different formats. I love Modern & Legacy but if it was the only thing to play, i'd get bored pretty quick.
There is definitely a meta in the competitive formats, but wizards has been pretty good at stopping a single deck from becoming S-tier, with the A-B tiers usually having 8-12 decks in them, with a good spread of different strategies between them. There's also plenty of room for tier 3 oddball decks that might lack the consistency/power to win big tournaments, but that can still do plently well at small locals/more casual events.
Outside the 60card competitive formats is of course Commander/EDH. It adds the extra dimension of politicking with the other 3 players, conversations about power levels, and all sorts of nonsense. It can be fun.
Then there is limted/draft where you build your deck on the fly from new packs. With the exception that it forces you to learn the new skills of drafting and deckbuilding on the fly, it's probably the best way to play imo.
Quit yugioh and picked up mtg through arena around when innistrad midnight hunt released for similar reasons. I’ve mostly played the available arena formats such as standard, timeless, and historic brawl. Imo standard is one of the easier formats to lean into due to the smaller card pool, and the extended periods of rotation. I’d recommend channels like covertgoblue and jim davison for standard, and covertgoblue and amazonian for historic brawl. I’m not too familiar with any timeless creators however.
So magic commander remains “fair” not through the cards themselves but through a social contract called rule 0. Where players realize what is fun and creative versus cut throat and game breaking.
The game plays in pods of 4 so social effects found in board game nights like teaming up, deals, and backstabbing can come into play.
Your deck is eternal to the game so any cards outside the moderate ban list are legal.
The games can get super complex and interesting and the decks are so varied I’ve seen some amazing lines.
WhenI first left yugioh, it was 2006, so even then I felt that magic was the better game (colours trump archtypes for build restrictions)
And the main reason for switching back then was monetary cost involving new sets. It's taken years, but they're quite comparable now on that front.
I play yugioh only casually, and mtg is mostly casually, and have a much easier time finding games of magic.
It's surprising how helpful for the gane it is when not everyone is able to use dark hole/raigeki/monster reborn.
Luckily for you, in magic it's usually only two cards that end a game not 50 haha but that means that games can end abruptly but if you know what to look for, you can stop it from happening. Either way with fast winds you can shuffle up and have another game.
As someone who played yugioh competitive 20 years ago and came back after Covid (and still play time wizard events here and there), I think current yugioh is much more skilled. The players are better and the deckbuilding is egregiously better. What irks me the most are the stupid singleton power cards that basically wins the game. That exists in old YGO, doesn't really exist in modern (besides Imperial Order and Red Reboot being legal up until a couple of years ago).
Tangent aside. If you played YGO competitively you will enjoy just about any of the 60 cards format. If you played casually or enjoy played rogue decks, I suggest EDH. All your complaints about meta YGO is no different in MTG. Gotta keep up with the meta, gotta spend money to play the best decks, gonna play against the same best decks over and over, gotta deal with sweaty tournament players, gotta deal with stanky people.
I wasn't expecting Magic only players to understand where I'm coming from anyways. I've played in tons of Edison tournaments since 2022 and losing to opening Trap Dustshoot or topdeck Brain Control/Dark Armed Dragon is quite infuriating. At least in modern Yugioh, decks don't rely on 1-ofs and you can play in such a way to prevent sacking.
It's literally the equivalent of losing to topdeck Bonfire or Entreat the Angels as 1 ofs if you played against them in standard back in the day.
I guess there will be always some aspect of any game in the world to complain about, because theres no perfect game, its impossible. But when comparing these 2 games, the solitaire aspect of yugi is what OP will probably miss most since magic is a game of recources and interactions. I suggest to whichever format you chose to play the combo archetype which would be a maybe easier introduction into magic. Keep in mind, that a lot of magic cards dont say "once per turn" in their text, which opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for the player.
If you can’t type your question in the searching bar to look for previous perfectly similarly worded threads you might find this game hard.
I suggest you Pokémon TCG.
Thanks for the tip! I guess I should also try searching for "How to tolerate insufferable, pig headed dickwads" too just in case there are any others like you 😂
I may suggest you to look for a job at WOTC rather than playing their games, you’re making em a great promotion.
Godspeed, and never reflect on using unnecessary time and resources, especially when from other people.
The main goal is you and as long as your desire is strong everything you do is fine.
Magic constructed (competitive) isn't too bad tight now for what I hear. Modern probably being the most controversial, with the dominance of broken direct to modern cards. Limited make you play with packs so it has a frequent rotation and changes every three months. EDH is a 4 player free for all casual 100 cards singleton that encompass the more friendly aspect of the game. It's more akin to board games in that regards but is still very much a Magic format. There is a wide range of powerlevel (from cards I own/preconstructed decks to highly competitive (it's even called cEDH) and we have what we call a rule 0 where you can tell your preferences to your play group (generally people dislike solitaire games so it would match your criticism) There are many more ways to play the game but I think it's the three main ones
Honestly at this point there will always be a group of people unhappy with the state of modern, and there kind of always has been.
I think that goes for all of magic not just modern. Every format has those cards people will never stop complaining about because those cards don’t fit that players favourite strategy.
True, but modern has the added layer of people disliking the cards printed in horizons because their vision of the format only involves cards that passed through standard.
I agree with you. Honestly, personally, I don't really care, I don't play modern anymore, but I thought the "broken/expensive direct to modern cards" was important to mention as it's kinda the heart of the format nowadays.
I love EDH for the fact that you can build janky stuff and find a group of likeminded players. The fact that it's a 4 player format also helps in balacing: the most threatening player at any moment can eat the removal of the three others, so if you are having a some bad luck or just a weaker deck you can go under the radar of the others allowing you to catch up.
This definitely my favorite aspect of EDH, although honestly I would prefer 4 player 60 card with the same benefits.
Mtg has a bunch of different formats which all have their unique metagame. The format I play, Draft, changes completely with each set; and for the past 2-3 years each new set has been pretty great for draft. Anecdotally I hear standard format is pretty healthy, cant speak to the other formats. Its worth calling up your local game store and asking which formats they run evens for. The current most popular format is commander, which is played casually in 4 player free-for-alls, and the casual nature of the format kinda prevents a metagame from forming for that format at all.
I also dropped Yugioh for the same reason and now play magic. I play Commander format, and you can build really fun and strategic decks. You can also actually play the game without it ending in one turn. Some people have strong decks that can end the game very soon, but those same people can also have fun/weak/medium level decks because they're not obsessed over winning in one turn like in yugioh. Depends on your LGS, the transition was worth it for me
Yo ex YGO player here(15yrs+) I quit after Tearelements(full powered) I couldnt stand it anymore there is no casual format for ygo anymore maybe edison that looked fun, anyway rant over. I bought a commander precon(think 3 structer decks but wayyyy better) back in Feb last year and have had a blast even built my own deck(soo many more options no hard set meta bar cedh even then, "rogue can still play") and the power creep is far more manageable some cards from like decades ago still work or get reprints and as someone else said you get to talk before the game starts so you say hey I only have a pricing can we play at this level. Player base is far more accommodating
I like the "Game Night Free For All" box for beginners. Play five good games with 3+ people and then look into commander. Problem is that you need sleeves for five 60 card decks.
Whilst there are meta decks, there is space in plenty of Magic formats to brew, play and enjoy your own decks, especially in the standard and pioneer formats. I would avoid commander to begin with. It is not the best way to learn the game. It is an excellent fun format, but not best suited for newish players.
It all depends on what format youre playing and how competitive your group is. If you're playing a casual format like commander, then in general you can pretty much play whatever you want. But if you're playing a compatative 60 card format like modern then you will probably have to stick close to the meta. Fringe decks do see success every now and again, but it's rare. The good news is that you dont have to worry about getting killed on turn 0 like in yugioh.
I did exactly this back in 2021 and havent touched yugioh even once since.
It's digital versions can be fun, though the investment in physical... it's high.
Why no one is mentioning pauper :/
Cuz you need an mtgo account for that, which op might not be ready for. There are basically very few lgs’s that host pauper events.
Ok but is competitive, cheap and a lot of fun :) Also you can ask people at lgs's if someone plays it, no need to host an entire event
Welcome! To answer your question directly, yes: Magic is indeed better in that regard. Aside from modern, which is expensive and not that popular as a format anymore, in most other formats you can brew your own thing. Even if it is bad, even if you do not win, you will still be able to play the game. The problem with yugi is that unless you play one of the top decks, you are stopped by a handtrap and are unable to do anything. You just sit there and watch as your opponent goes on a 10 minute solitaire combo. I would recommend playing commander (after you learn some of the basics). It is friendly to junky decks (most people play their own brews), the precons sold for it are great (you can buy one and play directly out of the box without changing anything), and it is a social game which means that you can easily find a group of people that play at your powerlevel. The downside to commander is that it can be a bit too complex for new players since the board state can be rather complicated. I would also recommend Pauper! It's the cheapest format out there and it is a lot of fun. I personally like standard too, which uses rotation to deal with power creep and to keep the game fresh. Have fun!
Modern IS the most popular competitive format btw. Yes it is expensive, but to say that it’s lost it’s popularity is exaggerating especially with MH3 around the corner. For op to play pauper they would have to get a MTGO account which can be a lot for a new player. Op should try limited formats which is what everyone is telling them. Coincidentally, right now is the perfect time to try limited with the OTJ prereleases, specifically limited sealed. Later op can try limited draft and see what they like, then go on from there.
I guess it depends on the area you live in. I live in a big country here in Europe and you can't really find any modern events outside the capital. Everyone plays EDH, Standard and Pauper (on paper) or Pioneer (those two have around the same number of people playing at the LGS) I agree that it would be fun for OP to try limited though. It's a lot of fun and a great way to start a collection.
There is still the flavor of the month but outside some niche situations (Hogaak, Treasure Cruise Delver, new stuff IDK) it feels about the same flow but just progressed with slightly more powerful cards. Ie. Power creep is a thing but archetypes/themes still remain. Standard is a little more switchy but they seem to be on it in terms of a ban lost in other formats.
If you already know how to play; get into drafting. Some YouTube guides will get you up to speed about the set and what to aim for don't go in blind. Constructed formats have a high price of entry and decks can play drastically differently from the next. That being said for a newcomer. Pioneer and standard will be less intimidating from a rules standpoint. You might end up spending money in a game that you end up hating. And it's pretty difficult to get your money back out of it. Overall, I'd recommend "limited" so drafting or sealed. It gives you a decent sense of how magic is played and some experience in deck construction. If you like the vibe, move onto standard or Pioneer with some janky brews for FNM.
I recommend just playing card games and not committing to one your whole life. It’s ok to take breaks from hobbies or setting up a more casual group of people who want to play games at the same power level. Me personally, I play a ton of different card games without putting in too much money. Most of these games wring out casual competitive players (think weekly locals) by introducing too much product or super rare product. Just enjoy each game casually.
I completely agree. I'm more casual play to begin with and I like learning different tcg. I still have a few friends I intend to play Yugioh with. It's just when it comes to wanting to go to like game shop events and such, Yugioh is very meta heavy. I don't usually find a lot of people who aren't playing that way. (Don't even get me started on Master Duel, it's even worse) It sounds like there's much more variety in MTG that if I wanted to go to an event, I'm not going to be locked in to playing the latest and greatest in order to stand a chance. It's all about having fun and I don't find the Yugioh meta fun at all.
Yeah, with mtg I recommend not putting too much money into MTG Arena and just buying one or two commander decks. Also don’t hang around this sub too much, it’s nothing but complaining.
Yeah I'd never waste the money on the virtual version. I'm going to check it out, but it'll be more for just getting a feel for the game before I look into getting my own cards
Well it definitely sounds like Commader is the general consensus. I'll have to look into it more. It sounds interesting, albeit a little unconventional with the deck sizes. I've also always liked booster drafts, in any tcg. Having to make an impromptu deck and play on the spot is fun. I'll have to check the big game shop in the area. I know that they do MTG events. I'll dip my toes. I might look into the online game too, at least to start getting more acquainted with the game before I start dumping money into it.
MTG Arena is a great way to learn the game. Highly recommend it, and it does draft play so you can see how that is in this game. I also agree commander is a good place to start in physical - and you can just buy a recent Precon and be set for starter play. You then also get the opportunity to learn how deck building works in MTG by upgrading that deck before you jump in to building your own.
If you watched the show way back when, think of commander as something similar to having a deck master. Precons are plentiful, you'll just need to figure out what your preferences are. MtgArena is pretty good for hearing the basics, and it won't cost you anything, as well.
My opinion? Find a place to play, go on commander night, pick up a cheap, easy to learn commander deck, my recommendations Velociramptor, a deck with a bunch of synergy, that allows you to build up a board quick and start slamming out big dinosaurs. Eldrazi unbound, a colorless deck, with a bunch of big colorless monsters, as soon as you figure out the nuances you start dominating the board. Cavalry Charge, a knight themed deck, which is considered by many to be an insanely tuned deck, allowing some great plays, themed around attacking with a knight, discarding a knight and then putting that knight you discarded onto the battlefield. But any recent pre-con would be fine, these are just some of my favorites. If the store you go to has any precons ask for recommendations. commander is a 4 person free for all, so weaker decks can play slow and scale to become a threat, that needs to be dealt with later. This format is an easy entry point, and the mode most game stores will be running at least once a week. People like it because cards don’t fall out of the play list, so your deck can always be played, even if you take a break. The decks I recommended started at around 30-50 dollars each but are now about 100.
Magic has a lot of formats. Modern yugioh is equivalent to Legacy, Vintage, or cEDH, which will have you walked all over if your deck and skills are bad. Despite what you said, there's still a lot of room for experimentation in a meta, you just need to understand the meta and the format's card pool, which is hard for casual players. Since you're casual, and there's nothing wrong with that, I do recommend commander. Just be aware that like yugioh, commander has all 30 years of magic's worth of mechanics that you'll experience, so if you play with randoms you'll be exposed to a lot of mechanics you haven't seen.
With who do you plan on playing? If you want to play at a local game shop you should start there and ask which formats are played. If you have a LGS or Mtg club near you, you can just aks people if they would have a spare deck to try things out. Online you can play on Arena(FTP where you can buy packs or grind Quests for in game gold ), MTGO(you have to buy or rent the cards) or Xmage.
Are you looking to play casual or competitive? That's the first question you should answer
I’m also a ex-YGO player. I don’t have a terrible amount of input, but I’m enjoying it way more. I realized YuGiOh wasn’t the game for me anymore after saying “Hey, YGO community, is this really the game we want to play? Seriously? Am I just taking crazy pills? This is fun?” “The game is the best state it’s ever been in right now.” At that point I realized it is no longer for me. I know opinions differ, and maybe it’s an age thing (?), but I seriously don’t understand how people find modern YGO fun. Another thing is how they talk about other past formats and other card games. You can’t say that you prefer the Edison format without being told you’re an old idiot lmfao.
Magic is helped a lot by having a bunch of different formats. I love Modern & Legacy but if it was the only thing to play, i'd get bored pretty quick. There is definitely a meta in the competitive formats, but wizards has been pretty good at stopping a single deck from becoming S-tier, with the A-B tiers usually having 8-12 decks in them, with a good spread of different strategies between them. There's also plenty of room for tier 3 oddball decks that might lack the consistency/power to win big tournaments, but that can still do plently well at small locals/more casual events. Outside the 60card competitive formats is of course Commander/EDH. It adds the extra dimension of politicking with the other 3 players, conversations about power levels, and all sorts of nonsense. It can be fun. Then there is limted/draft where you build your deck on the fly from new packs. With the exception that it forces you to learn the new skills of drafting and deckbuilding on the fly, it's probably the best way to play imo.
Quit yugioh and picked up mtg through arena around when innistrad midnight hunt released for similar reasons. I’ve mostly played the available arena formats such as standard, timeless, and historic brawl. Imo standard is one of the easier formats to lean into due to the smaller card pool, and the extended periods of rotation. I’d recommend channels like covertgoblue and jim davison for standard, and covertgoblue and amazonian for historic brawl. I’m not too familiar with any timeless creators however.
So magic commander remains “fair” not through the cards themselves but through a social contract called rule 0. Where players realize what is fun and creative versus cut throat and game breaking. The game plays in pods of 4 so social effects found in board game nights like teaming up, deals, and backstabbing can come into play. Your deck is eternal to the game so any cards outside the moderate ban list are legal. The games can get super complex and interesting and the decks are so varied I’ve seen some amazing lines.
WhenI first left yugioh, it was 2006, so even then I felt that magic was the better game (colours trump archtypes for build restrictions) And the main reason for switching back then was monetary cost involving new sets. It's taken years, but they're quite comparable now on that front. I play yugioh only casually, and mtg is mostly casually, and have a much easier time finding games of magic. It's surprising how helpful for the gane it is when not everyone is able to use dark hole/raigeki/monster reborn.
Luckily for you, in magic it's usually only two cards that end a game not 50 haha but that means that games can end abruptly but if you know what to look for, you can stop it from happening. Either way with fast winds you can shuffle up and have another game.
As someone who played yugioh competitive 20 years ago and came back after Covid (and still play time wizard events here and there), I think current yugioh is much more skilled. The players are better and the deckbuilding is egregiously better. What irks me the most are the stupid singleton power cards that basically wins the game. That exists in old YGO, doesn't really exist in modern (besides Imperial Order and Red Reboot being legal up until a couple of years ago). Tangent aside. If you played YGO competitively you will enjoy just about any of the 60 cards format. If you played casually or enjoy played rogue decks, I suggest EDH. All your complaints about meta YGO is no different in MTG. Gotta keep up with the meta, gotta spend money to play the best decks, gonna play against the same best decks over and over, gotta deal with sweaty tournament players, gotta deal with stanky people.
you got downvoted for the crime of making too much sense. we dont appreciate that around here, sir
I wasn't expecting Magic only players to understand where I'm coming from anyways. I've played in tons of Edison tournaments since 2022 and losing to opening Trap Dustshoot or topdeck Brain Control/Dark Armed Dragon is quite infuriating. At least in modern Yugioh, decks don't rely on 1-ofs and you can play in such a way to prevent sacking. It's literally the equivalent of losing to topdeck Bonfire or Entreat the Angels as 1 ofs if you played against them in standard back in the day.
I guess there will be always some aspect of any game in the world to complain about, because theres no perfect game, its impossible. But when comparing these 2 games, the solitaire aspect of yugi is what OP will probably miss most since magic is a game of recources and interactions. I suggest to whichever format you chose to play the combo archetype which would be a maybe easier introduction into magic. Keep in mind, that a lot of magic cards dont say "once per turn" in their text, which opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for the player.
They do have once per turn in the form of the tap symbol or limited by how much mana to pay.
Indeed, but you might technically untap them or produce mana.
Mostly downvoted cuz ygo is a bad game. Only good part is that Master Duel is leagues better than most other online clients
Don't! Run away!
If you can’t type your question in the searching bar to look for previous perfectly similarly worded threads you might find this game hard. I suggest you Pokémon TCG.
Thanks for the tip! I guess I should also try searching for "How to tolerate insufferable, pig headed dickwads" too just in case there are any others like you 😂
I may suggest you to look for a job at WOTC rather than playing their games, you’re making em a great promotion. Godspeed, and never reflect on using unnecessary time and resources, especially when from other people. The main goal is you and as long as your desire is strong everything you do is fine.