Is It Worth It To Buy A Magic Arena Starter Kit | A MTG Product Review

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  • čas přidán 25. 08. 2020
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Komentáře • 723

  • @TolarianCommunityCollege
    @TolarianCommunityCollege  Před 4 lety +257

    Quick Note About Big Box Store Availability: It appears these are indeed available at some big box stores like WalMart. My evaluation was not influenced by availability online vs. in big box stores. So my evaluation and grade are unchanged, SO LONG AS online codes for redemption are still present. The Arena online code (as I will explain) is a vital part of this product and without it, the grade would be reduced significantly. Cheers, friends.

    • @KevenRector
      @KevenRector Před 4 lety +22

      Also, the arena code is valid for two accounts! So, you can give it to a friend and play on Arena together as well as in paper.

    • @HighlightHouse07
      @HighlightHouse07 Před 4 lety +1

      They worth it

    • @HSKCHER
      @HSKCHER Před 4 lety

      They are available at my LGS over in the Netherlands, I guess distribution is a bit weird!

    • @Asrugan
      @Asrugan Před 4 lety

      I also have picked these up at Target and seen it at Wal-Mart for around $7, so we picked up one each (my play group).

    • @lykosleather7515
      @lykosleather7515 Před 4 lety +3

      I picked one up at target for $6.99 at the time foil veto was around that price. included the redemption code as well.

  • @gabrielmanari4454
    @gabrielmanari4454 Před 4 lety +172

    Bought it for my girlfriend. She asked me to teach her and she loved it! She's learning fast and growing to like the game.

    • @GeekMAXX
      @GeekMAXX Před 3 lety +11

      Same! Isnt it great to have a person always available to play with now :)

    • @glen2003
      @glen2003 Před 3 lety

      As a hobby yes. But be warned not to get indulge too deep. It costs A LOT😳

    • @anthonyexmouth
      @anthonyexmouth Před 3 lety +6

      In my 40's and finally jumped in. Loving it so far, would be great to have some paper games but having passed by my local shop on FNM they all look so young playing, need a local oldies night.

    • @Robzilla-Robotron
      @Robzilla-Robotron Před 3 lety

      Bought it so me and my sis can play. She liked it but hasn't played in a bit. Schools taken up too much time.

    • @ColasTeam
      @ColasTeam Před 3 lety +1

      I built 2 janky decks from a deck building box, and the deck I gave my gf didn't have a good balance of low cost creatures and she ended up hating the game :( I hope she's willing to give it another chance someday.

  • @nathanfriedman7367
    @nathanfriedman7367 Před 4 lety +304

    That green deck has two colossal dreadmaws. TWO! How can this even be considered to be low powered?!!

    • @bigmacmm5
      @bigmacmm5 Před 4 lety +18

      There isnt a storm crow... is it really that hard to explain?

    • @robertneilson2780
      @robertneilson2780 Před 4 lety +9

      It’s too powerful for the price of you ask me...

    • @thedislikebutton3425
      @thedislikebutton3425 Před 4 lety +5

      I have seen this kind of cmment before, but it doesn't seem like a strong card...is this a joke, or are you for real?
      - A confused boi

    • @jamestrevelyan1268
      @jamestrevelyan1268 Před 4 lety +7

      Carl Fredricksen It’s a long running joke.

    • @nathanfriedman7367
      @nathanfriedman7367 Před 4 lety +7

      @@thedislikebutton3425 It was a card that was power creeped by a mythic (Carnage Tyrant) in the same set it was originally printed in, was then printed in 3 sets in a row, was the only card from Ixalan in the Masters set of the time, and has recently been reprinted in Core Set 2021, which was supposed to look back at great cards and characters from Magic's past.

  • @cabri358
    @cabri358 Před 4 lety +46

    I usually use to build my own "learn to play" decks with the remnants of the booster boxes I buy and use that to teach my friends, I tend to use the more "control" decks myself so they can see first how to play against instants and counterspells, and then when they get the grasp of the game, give em the deck and let em try themselves, I really love teaching magic to friends who never played before.

    • @dorsalfin22
      @dorsalfin22 Před 4 lety +3

      I had over 20 casual pauper decks at one point from doing the same thing haha. Gave 2-4 away to each friend I taught so they would have something to play with others. I love when friends I have taught tell me they introduced someone to magic!

    • @goncaloferreira6429
      @goncaloferreira6429 Před 4 lety

      same

    • @somsoc_
      @somsoc_ Před 4 lety +2

      I tend to avoid putting counterspells in any decks I would be piloting in that scenario. Interested to hear more about how that works out. I just feel like new players don't understand that it's a trade of resources when their spell is countered or their creature is removed (and they're not going to notice that I spent 3 mana to counter a two mana spell or whatever). It's just a big feelbad moment for almost all new players, even those who are hardened gamers - usually they drew a big creature with flashy art who they are excited to play, and countering it is just not what I want to be doing.
      Naturally I lean their decks towards having better removal and being generally more powerful, rather than having to curb my plays too much.

    • @cabri358
      @cabri358 Před 4 lety +1

      @@somsoc_ I usually go for teaching them to play against control right away since they are my friends and if they plan on keep playing against me, they gonna have to face control most of the times. I just use the deck at first, then when they finally understand what I'm doing, let em try to be THAT GUY for themselves. We are all people on their 25+ years, they dont need no sugarcoating.

    • @David-gj9qr
      @David-gj9qr Před 3 lety

      Using a control deck against new players? I feel like if I was a new player I would be fustrated and quit if my friend kept countering my cards.

  • @shadowdrag0n96
    @shadowdrag0n96 Před 4 lety +10

    I feel it's worth mentioning the kit also comes with a small rules booklet that my local judge had a lot of praise for, apparently covers a lot of stuff in really good language

  • @argentpuck
    @argentpuck Před 4 lety +58

    Permit me to offer a rebuttlal to the dirdly nature of these decks: if they're intended for brand-new, completely clueless players, a sluggish dirdly game is not as bad as it sounds. Imagine being a brand new player, someone gives you a digital deck and a barebones tutorial, and unleashes you on Arena. After your 10th consecutive turn 4 loss to an aggressive deck or just a very well-tuned one, you probably never want to play again or, worse yet, decide to just net-deck whatever the current tier 1 meta is.
    I remember when I first started playing in middle school. This was during 4th edition, so mechanics were pretty basic and lots of cards only had flavor text. If my 13-year-old self was trying to sort through the paragraphs of nonsense on Vito, I'd probably put it down and never touch it again. I remember having a Sylvan Library (which I've regrettably lost) and having to read it over and over even though, by current standards, it's not a very complicated effect. A dirdly slug-fest pair of decks where both players can get familiar with the way the game plays is a good thing. It also hammers home the concept of win conditions when you've only got one copy of your finisher.

    • @saffakanera
      @saffakanera Před 3 lety +4

      Arena uses VERY clever algorithms to avoid scaring off new players.

    • @TheSynj
      @TheSynj Před 3 lety +2

      @@saffakanera Boy I wish that was true. (If was joke or sarcastic my bad hard to tell with text only). I did my red color challenge first one got to the pvp round was stomped by turn 5 n thats pretty much been staple with the rest of the colors.

    • @bobfranklin2572
      @bobfranklin2572 Před 3 lety +1

      Damn you're gonna love Inspector Boarder or Astrograph Sorcerer In yugioh

    • @theadultdemon
      @theadultdemon Před 9 měsíci

      ​@@TheSynjmaybe they're just new at the Arena but not irl MTG

  • @greeksotiris
    @greeksotiris Před 4 lety +133

    It's funny how a product with two decks is cheaper than a starter deck.

    • @Tom-Bartlett
      @Tom-Bartlett Před 4 lety +2

      You also get a booster pack too mate so that’s like £3 right there

    • @deanofcool
      @deanofcool Před 4 lety +2

      Eddy Thurber that’s a matter of opinion.

    • @squalltheonly
      @squalltheonly Před 4 lety +16

      @Eddy Thurber but all cards are just cardboard and according to the legal side, a basic land should be the same cost as a power 9. But of course wizards are hypocrites and they do acknowledge the market, even if they say otherwise.

    • @squalltheonly
      @squalltheonly Před 4 lety +9

      @Eddy Thurber according to wizard lawyers: all cards have the same value.

    • @bobby45825
      @bobby45825 Před 4 lety +4

      @Eddy Thurber That's a weird way to say "MSRP of all magic cards is .05 cents"

  • @williamcooper4471
    @williamcooper4471 Před 4 lety +15

    I miss duel decks. My wife and I had so much fun with them.

  • @judahtorgerud5754
    @judahtorgerud5754 Před 4 lety +181

    I bought one of these for $7 a couple weeks ago, and then pulled 2 more Vitos out of the M21 box I bought lol

    • @TolarianCommunityCollege
      @TolarianCommunityCollege  Před 4 lety +109

      $7 is a great price for these.

    • @judahtorgerud5754
      @judahtorgerud5754 Před 4 lety +8

      @@TolarianCommunityCollege It was at Target and was the only one I saw. I went to Walmart and my LGS the same day.

    • @sindividual
      @sindividual Před 4 lety +5

      Same! I'm building an edh deck with Vito as commander. Both my lgs were out, swung through Target, saw this and was thrilled! I got my commander AND put Kong in my Klothys edh deck and used the commons and uncommons for my cube in progres!

    • @wiimotecactus3124
      @wiimotecactus3124 Před 4 lety +1

      Same but with kogla

    • @judahtorgerud5754
      @judahtorgerud5754 Před 4 lety

      @@wiimotecactus3124 RIP my guy lol

  • @goochtheotaku
    @goochtheotaku Před 4 lety +25

    You bring up how durdly the decks are but I feel like that's perfect for starters. Having less game ending bombs helps them feel like they've had enough time to go back and forth and pulling that kogla or Vito is akin to ripping the one Shivan dragon in your deck. A feeling of exhilaration to know you're about to put the smack down on somebody.

    • @corriedebeer799
      @corriedebeer799 Před 4 lety +1

      this mimics limited play more than constructed

    • @DragonCompany1
      @DragonCompany1 Před 4 lety +5

      I can see that in some ways, but having too little interaction or exciting plays might give off the wrong idea of what Magic is about. I was put off playing the game for years because the starter products were boring and I didn't have someone to show me the more exciting parts of the game (this product seems like an alright compromise though).

    • @goochtheotaku
      @goochtheotaku Před 4 lety

      @@DragonCompany1 I see your point there, if all things go right though, arena will help shed more light on the possible plays and deck options. Maybe I'm looking at it too much in the lens of kids picking up the game for the first time

    • @DragonCompany1
      @DragonCompany1 Před 4 lety +1

      @@goochtheotaku Arena is definitely one of the best ways to teach people how to play the game these days, it handles all the awkwardness and lets the player see how intuitive things really are. (I was coming from YuGiOh, when kinda punches you in the face with complexities and explosive plays, even in starter products. There was more mental onboarding I had to do with Magic before I could see the complexities of the game)

  • @charanth182
    @charanth182 Před 4 lety +80

    I fail to see the logic of a LGS having a single "sample box" seems like a slap in the face to the LGS.

    • @fronckiewcz
      @fronckiewcz Před 4 lety +10

      I'm guessing the idea is that instead of selling the decks or giving away free starter decks like in the past, the store would open this and be able to teach someone using the 2 provided decks. Still makes no sense but my best assumption is that they want to draw new fans towards the digital market so they can make more profit

    • @Mtonazzi
      @Mtonazzi Před 4 lety +3

      @@fronckiewcz Here stores are selling them at around $23... Amazon isn't shipping here, though

    • @fronckiewcz
      @fronckiewcz Před 4 lety +4

      @@Mtonazzi wow really? That's ridiculous and another example of why wotc shouldn't have gotten rid of MSRP

    • @Mtonazzi
      @Mtonazzi Před 4 lety +1

      @@fronckiewcz MSRP was always a joke here but mitigated what's going on.
      Back in the day, MSRP was what the distributors charged the LGS... so a LGS would get booster boxes at a price that amounted $4 per booster... and then the LGS would raise $1+ for their income

    • @charanth182
      @charanth182 Před 4 lety +1

      @@Mtonazzi yeah amazon Canada is charging about that when you convert currency. So I sympathize.

  • @kittenclaws5775
    @kittenclaws5775 Před 4 lety +10

    This makes me think of back in the day when MTG products had a Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert level.

  • @SmugLookingBarrel
    @SmugLookingBarrel Před 4 lety +27

    I just can't wait for the product for established players, the one that has fetch lands in it.

    • @ForeverLaxx
      @ForeverLaxx Před 4 lety +11

      I, too, can't wait to be told to spend 400 dollars on a product that's print-to-demand and costs the company no more than it would to print a foil token.

  • @fronckiewcz
    @fronckiewcz Před 4 lety +31

    9:20 couldn't help but notice "single color" was misspelled, but love the video! I've been looking for a product to teach my significant other how to play, and this video surely helped me in that regard.

    • @landonfriesen8673
      @landonfriesen8673 Před 4 lety

      or maybe sigil is misspelled...

    • @fronckiewcz
      @fronckiewcz Před 4 lety +1

      @@landonfriesen8673 "sih-gull" or "sih-jull" 🤔

    • @charanth182
      @charanth182 Před 4 lety +5

      You're right it should be "colour". :)

    • @krvys7226
      @krvys7226 Před 4 lety +1

      First off, spot the non-american... Don't worry Christopher, some day they will learn to spell right.
      Second, pointing out spelling mistakes is why we will end up Sigle...
      Edit: I criticized Americans not spelling right, but typed it as Anericans... #ComedyGold

  • @M-ES5
    @M-ES5 Před 4 lety +25

    I found this kit at my local barns and noble for $6. I’m finally showing my gf how to play this weekend.

    • @elshabonneveras8769
      @elshabonneveras8769 Před 4 lety +4

      Good luck although i deem MTG a curse for my wallet.

    • @furonet138
      @furonet138 Před 4 lety +1

      Same! Great way to indoctrinate friends!

    • @bobby45825
      @bobby45825 Před 4 lety +1

      I got my ex wayyyyy into the game, to where she was going to SCG Modern events. Granted...she had a horrible time because of a wildly dickish player, but STILL.

  • @MilesRibbans
    @MilesRibbans Před 4 lety +1

    I've never played a game of Magic in my life but watch every video from the Prof. Keep it up!

  • @greasydiamond
    @greasydiamond Před 4 lety

    I got this and some theme boosters at my local game store a couple days ago for my wife and I to learn for 7 bucks! Almost didn't get it cause I have been binging your videos trying to get a grip on what to buy and the game in general. Never saw you mention it. Didn't realize it was such a new item. It has been such a treat and a huge improvement from the 30 card welcome decks. You MTG nerds know how to get people hooked. Come into the store a week ago for some casual yugioh pack cracking. Next thing I know I'm walking home with a welcome deck and a free welcome booster. Can't thank you enough either, your channel has helped us so much! So much knowledge, history, and philosophy to catch up on. The atmosphere of your videos are the greatest and I could listen to you on autoplay for way too long.

  • @josephs.4813
    @josephs.4813 Před 4 lety

    Prof I never get tired of your reviews. Thank you for your work.

  • @matthewh8589
    @matthewh8589 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for the review! I teach kids how to play MTG all the time at work and this is perfect for that. I got one for $6.49 at Fred Meyer's in PDX btw

  • @GamerdevilPro
    @GamerdevilPro Před 4 lety +2

    Something I noticed about these that you didn't mention: These packs actually include the THB theme booster exclusive rares like Demon of Loathing which actually had a very limited supply and some of them are pretty reasonable in a commander deck for example and they seem like fun bombs for new players I think. This way this product fulfills 2 purposes: It increases the supply of cards with a low supply and it teaches new players the game.
    However I kinda wished that they included a couple more uncommons, only having commons and rares is pretty weird to play...

  • @akatsukihalko-5148
    @akatsukihalko-5148 Před 4 lety +1

    I was given one of these from my game store when I started trying to learn and me and my friend love it

  • @RainRaiderX
    @RainRaiderX Před 4 lety +2

    When I went to a TCG store for MTG, the person there introduced me to Planeswalker decks and said they are newbie friendly. But before that I was introduced to MTG through Pauper and my favorite format to play as well.

  • @adiaz2485
    @adiaz2485 Před 3 lety

    I just stared playing magic and I got this set a few days ago and it mixed with your videos made it very east to learn the rules, I really like this set a lot since it’s affordable and it gives mostly everything needed for 2 people to play and easy to understand rules.

  • @braidenpinard7430
    @braidenpinard7430 Před 3 lety

    Maybe its different here in Canada but I got it from a local game shop since I want to learn to play and this video helped make up my mind on what to buy, thanks professor!

  • @TheKiingkiller
    @TheKiingkiller Před rokem +3

    i got into magic with one of these sets. it was being sold in my local card shop (uk) and it was £8:99. it was cheap so i said what the hell. i played with a friend but they got bored but i wanted to keep playing then i remebered the arena code and used that to play more.that gave me the card understanding i needed to want to play commander so i bought a precon and have been playing since.

  • @FFWindchaser
    @FFWindchaser Před 4 lety +1

    I just got into the game about a month ago when I saw this starter kit for about $7 at Target. My significant other and I had so much fun that night, learning how to play and trading decks! I consider it an excellent first buy, and a dangerous slippery slope into the world of collecting!

  • @thesuker
    @thesuker Před 3 lety

    Great video!! Loved the review. Just bought the set and was wondering what kind of cards I could try to get my hands on to improve the starter kit.

  • @cedricholder9172
    @cedricholder9172 Před 4 lety

    Love the videos. Keep up the good work!
    :)

  • @owopest4166
    @owopest4166 Před 4 lety +2

    I found that at Wal-Mart for 6 o: and also still love your mtg reviews always a nice thing to look at what's worth and what's not

    • @dailynator
      @dailynator Před 4 lety

      Yep, you can find these at Walmart and Target for around $6-7. Thats a heck of a deal for a foil Vito and some Arena codes (plus everything else).

  • @BigDumbMeRC
    @BigDumbMeRC Před 4 lety +1

    I've been waiting for this! I was kind of shocked to see a physical product called "Arena" starterkit

  • @NapalmJustice
    @NapalmJustice Před 4 lety +1

    I'm always fascinated with the entry point into MTG for people... I'm glad this product exists. I'm hoping they expand it to include decks with other colors.

  • @EnglishAdventures
    @EnglishAdventures Před 4 lety

    Great video! I've been playing Magic for over 10 years and I picked this product up for just over $6 from a local Target. I saw the Vito and figured the extra couple of bucks more than buying a Vito was worth the other cards and online code. At $6 I think it's a steal :D As you mentioned though, the gameplay was disappointing (especially for the black deck because only Vito and 1-2 other cards had lifelink....). I agree that having playsets of better cards would both improve gameplay and teach new players that consistency and focus are crucial when constructing decks. It took me a couple of years playing casually to learn that having playsets of cards was worth the money/time to get them. It also taught me to trim out unnecessary cards or others that diluted the strategy of the deck.

  • @cauldronfamiliar3339
    @cauldronfamiliar3339 Před 4 lety

    My very first deck was the previous years Starter Kit from Amazon and it was looking back on it pretty lackluster, about two weeks later I picked up this (the Amazon only version) from ... well Amazon and it helped me learn the game and introduced me to MTG Arena just in time to fall in love with the Cat Oven deck and then have it banned from right under me (I eventually got over it despite my username saying otherwise).
    Anyway my version did not have Vito so that sucks, but I have since acquired a full range of Planeswalker decks that I played with my partner at the kitchen table for about 3 weeks until they outlived their usefulness. At that point I bought singles for a competitive RDW & Mono Green Stompy and thanks to the guidance of this channel we are now exploring what Commander and Pauper decks we want to buy.
    So what started on Amazon eventually found it's way to my kitchen table and in the meantime I made Mythic tier on Arena and found an actual LGS who are running a belated Ikoria pre-release event next Monday (12 people only, all masked and distanced as much as possible) that I will be attending, so my very first time in a game store will be for a pre-release tournament... so in that respect this deck did everything it was supposed to do... it got me playing and into the LGS eventually... sort of.
    I'm just sad I did not get a Vito and that I'll probably never get a Core 21 Welcome Booster because the only place I can find them in the EU is on Ebay and I'm not sure my LGS will consider me a "new player" anymore =)
    Love the channel, it's the reason I even wanted to get the Starter deck in the first place. Thanks for reading

  • @DeadeyeDino
    @DeadeyeDino Před rokem +1

    I am new to magic the gathering, I played it a long time ago on xbox back in 2015. I never truly got into it but enjoyed playing it. I downloaded the game on my phone recently and completed the color challenges. The next day(today) I received an email from magic the gathering and they are sending me a free starter kit so Im really excited to actually have a physical deck! Now I just need to find people to play with!

    • @tsohgallik
      @tsohgallik Před 4 měsíci

      Woah>? They send you free card decks? I wonder how that works😅

  • @CarlosOrtiz-ht6rn
    @CarlosOrtiz-ht6rn Před 4 lety

    They should just hire you as a spokesperson. Your videos are the only reason I bought my amazon arena starter deck. If your channel didn’t exist I wouldn’t have known or had the interest in learning this game. it was your energetic videos that got me wanting to learn more.

  • @sergez6172
    @sergez6172 Před 3 lety

    I picked this up yesterday whilst I was out getting Christmas shopping for my kids.
    I was really surprised because it's a big chain toy/video game store and only really ever had Pokemon or yugioh, but yeh it was 7 € which is pretty cheap pre made zendikar decks and booster boxs, and it shared it's stand with some dungeons and dragons stuff.
    nice to see as a possible alternative to some kid or anyone coming into the store it was clearly displayed conviently at the video games and smaller displays at the top of every second aisle,and boosters at the checkouts, there was so much stock.
    It's nice to see it's becoming more accessible here in ireland because it's a game/hobby you can start at 12 and it will still be 100% intresting and engaging 15 years later and I've tried alot of hobbies and it's pretty much mtg I always find my way back into and followed by wow and sometimes sill show interest in 40k but it's to expensive to really jump back into, end of the day can't really go wrong with magic it's easy to play it's fun, competitive and creative,sociable and you can always play MTG arena online if you cant make it to the local game store or find someone to play with. Can't say enough about how good of a past time this can be and this is a great starter product definitely one of the better ones I've seen over the years.

  • @techlover1664
    @techlover1664 Před 3 lety

    I'm new, wanting to get into Magic. I purchased at least 2 Jump/Start Booster Packs sometime ago, one of them containing Vito! The foil variant shown in the Arena Starter Kit is very nice!

  • @MegaDude531
    @MegaDude531 Před 4 lety

    I always love these videos!

  • @dawidgaleziewski3335
    @dawidgaleziewski3335 Před 3 lety

    This is awesome. I was trying to get into magic with my girfriend for some time. I bought a dual deck 4 years ago and we played it a bit but it was too complex. Recently I bought this one and we played every day since. They are simple and easy to understand, quite balance (seems to me black is a bit stronger). And it is dirt cheap, I grabbed one for our friends and they are playing it as well.

  • @TheScarletInfector
    @TheScarletInfector Před 4 lety +19

    These are selling for $6 at the local Box stores in South Jersey so me and my freinds grabbed them just for an easy Vito

  • @DannydeFou
    @DannydeFou Před 3 lety

    Thanks Prof, great Video, i bought the Starter Kit dein my Store and iam as a new Player Like it very much.

  • @Lott.Z
    @Lott.Z Před 4 lety +1

    I was able to snag one for 9.99 . My brother and I have been throwing cardboard since.
    Made me get some throne of eldraine brawls to mess around with...

  • @ModelsWorkshop
    @ModelsWorkshop Před 4 lety

    I know you already addressed about MJ Holdings putting these in the big box stores, but I just want to point out that there are also different versions of these decks out there with different foils. As far as I know the main deck content doesn't change though. One version of the deck is the only way you're able to get the Iron Scale hydra foil, that's the main reason I know about it because I needed it for my Gargos deck.

  • @kristennorth3268
    @kristennorth3268 Před 4 lety

    My husband, son, and I learned together on the Card Kingdom rookie decks. They were very helpful. But especially during a pandemic, the Arena connection is great for getting people more experience.

  • @PlainDiscord
    @PlainDiscord Před 4 lety +93

    Hey prof; do you know if these were suppose to be sent to big box stores, or due to pandemic they allowed it to not be an amazon exclusive? I have found these for sale at my local big box stores for about 12 to 15.00 each.

    • @TolarianCommunityCollege
      @TolarianCommunityCollege  Před 4 lety +59

      It sounds like a new wave has been sent to big box stores, yes. WotC is very confusing with some of their official statements on this, especially with them withholding info like MSRP, etc.

    • @russellsmith1060
      @russellsmith1060 Před 4 lety +2

      I found mine at Walmart a few weeks ago for 6.93 each but doesn't help I live in NH, got them for a friend and they love them

    • @andy19934
      @andy19934 Před 4 lety

      I was able to find one at a Walmart here in Canada over a month ago, I think $12-13 CAD. LGS is asking $10

    • @Mortismors
      @Mortismors Před 4 lety

      Picked mine up at Target for $5.99

    • @PlainDiscord
      @PlainDiscord Před 4 lety +2

      @@TolarianCommunityCollege it amazes me how “foggy” WOTC makes product releases. It feels very intentional how that they prefer there to be little to no good communication with consumers. One of my biggest frustrations is their refusal On communication for products! Especially the ones they essentially seem to be less important! For example commander legends seems to have good communication (good being a C average grade) maybe because Blake is Headding that up? He seems to enjoy and understand the value of good communication. Also 6.00 for this arena product is amazing! I would pick a bunch of this up at that price to hold on to and give to new players at my lgs or events I host or go to!

  • @mtgmason1551
    @mtgmason1551 Před 4 lety +61

    I saw this at Walmart, went “eh, the prof hasn’t made a vid on it yet” then bought jumpstart
    I got a teferi, and zurzoth, worth it :3

  • @TimStamper89
    @TimStamper89 Před 3 lety

    Picked the arena kit up myself as my first purchase last month.
    It's really helped me start to learn online and I'll be playing my first game with a friend today whos going to teach me more. Great to be learning something brand new thats this fun at 31 years of age

  • @Shannon_Vlogs
    @Shannon_Vlogs Před 4 lety

    Thanks for explaining what’s up with these!

  • @tiobridge841
    @tiobridge841 Před rokem

    Some of the newer starter kits have some really solid cards in them - I recently bought one, played a few games with my young cousin and then broke them down to add cards to my commander decks. Twas a fun day, and I needed the lands too!

  • @deifiedtitan
    @deifiedtitan Před 4 lety

    Returning player that dabbled in Arena during the pandemic after a 10-year hiatus. These were £5.99 in my local store, came with a couple of promo packs, and I have to say I'm happy with them. Sits right in that 'impulse buy' price range and gave me a good few opening games the evening after.

  • @alejandroespinosa7542
    @alejandroespinosa7542 Před 3 lety

    When I started out with Magic I got the Arena one and I loved them. I thought the decks were fun and fairly powerful. Nothing broken clearly but overall just a lot of fun and for me that was totally worth the price. I find myself agreeing with prof on most points. Love the vid!!

  • @anthonyexmouth
    @anthonyexmouth Před 3 lety +1

    Well I did it, after years of watching your videos I jumped in, bought the set from Amazon and started on my Arena adventure. Got the mono colour tutorials done, earned my first dual colour deck and played a couple of standard games. What is my next move in this world? What games should I be playing to improve and should I stick to the decks I already own?
    Thanks

  • @marioguy119
    @marioguy119 Před 4 lety +1

    I bought one of these as my first Magic product, and I was very happy with both decks (mine was also only about $8 which was a steal). I think you can end up with slightly different configurations, for example my foils were Ironscale Hydra and Demon of Loathing. Based on my play sessions in Arena, I would say both sets are very good, especially my Green deck, which was able to get me to Silver rank in Standard. While it is true that there is usually only one copy of rares, I find that even having multiple powerful cards means you have to think strategically based on what your draws are and learn to adapt to that, which I found very helpful as a newbie. I also think the decks play well against each other, and plan to use them to get more of my friends into Magic. Overall I think it a great product that served my needs well

    • @zacharia4061
      @zacharia4061 Před 4 lety

      That’s great you were able to start playing magic with this product. Would recommend using some wilder cards and buff the numbers of rares in your deck.

  • @flashrollerball1173
    @flashrollerball1173 Před 4 lety

    Was waiting for this vid since I saw it in Walmart. Thanks again Prof

  • @dieglo90
    @dieglo90 Před 3 lety

    Thanks a lot! Greetings from Brazil! 👏

  • @AndiVx
    @AndiVx Před 3 lety +1

    I think the 7th edition ¿core? Or whatever was called had a great tutorial. It had a "do not shuffle" warning and I played the demo game with my father, but it also included a cd with a kinda small offline magic game to play on pc. It was cool.

  • @PaperTiger201
    @PaperTiger201 Před 4 lety

    My local Target had these for $6.19, so I actually wound up buying two, so my "new to MTG" son and myself could each get a code for Arena. I was pleasantly surprised at how willing he was to finally sit down and play the physical version, and he's had a ton of fun with the green deck.

  • @kiwi280
    @kiwi280 Před 4 lety +6

    Lol it’s not even a big deal but I kept laughing at "sigle color" 9:20

  • @jessicajones657
    @jessicajones657 Před 4 lety

    Sigle color, from the English professor. I only jest, you're a fantastic all things MTG reviewer / knowledge source.

  • @EmmanuelZavala91
    @EmmanuelZavala91 Před 3 lety

    Best $10 I ever spent. My wife wanted to enjoy my hobby with me and this was the perfect teaching tool. Now we enjoy magic together!

  • @BigDamnVanguard
    @BigDamnVanguard Před 4 lety

    I bought this for like seven bucks at Walmart when M21 dropped almost solely for the foil Vito and Kogla, but I also gave the codes away to friends who were interested in trying Magic out, so well worth it IMO.

  • @AnimatedCarl
    @AnimatedCarl Před 4 lety

    Brand new player here. Mostly on Arena. It's nice to have this insight if I ever decide to start going physical.
    Yu-Gi-Oh! is my current physical card game of choice. I really wish Konami would give us online redemption codes for Duel Links. That's really awesome that MTG has that.

  • @s7121n9s
    @s7121n9s Před 4 lety

    Speaking of duel decks, I got the Goblin vs Merfolk awhile ago and used the goblin one as a jumping off point for my Krenko, Mob Boss Commander deck

  • @roygbiv7370
    @roygbiv7370 Před 4 lety +1

    My wife bought me one of these a few weeks ago and it definitely reignited my spark for Magic.

  • @frosty980
    @frosty980 Před 4 lety +8

    I got one for $8 at target as an impulse buy a couple weeks back

  • @KukulcanCan
    @KukulcanCan Před 4 lety +8

    I'm just here to see how many people attempted to redeem the Prof's code on Arena.

  • @ferdithetank7535
    @ferdithetank7535 Před 4 lety

    Dang Prof, you made me remember what "smorgusblorg" means again!
    What a hero.

  • @Thomas-vn6cr
    @Thomas-vn6cr Před 4 lety

    Holy crap I got your slang video on my recommenced like the day before this video came out!

  • @phillipfranco55
    @phillipfranco55 Před 4 lety

    I do not play Magic the Gathering nor do I even own a single card. But I was just looking at Card Kingdom's Rookie Deck Bundle so My girlfriend that just got sick and is now bed bound can play MTG together for the first time. One of her online friends plays and just spent $200 on his deck we thought the price to play was too high. I am thinking of getting the Rookie Bundle for $30 just so we would have a variety to play. I think I will get the Rookie deck bundle now since you graded 2 rookie decks the same as the Arena Kit, this bundle seems to be a tiny bit more of a value. Thank you for the review.

  • @Realmisskrose
    @Realmisskrose Před 3 lety

    I managed to pick one of these up for $7 at my local Kroger store and it's nice having paper decks (that aren't my standard decks) to play with my younger sister.

  • @bshell1731
    @bshell1731 Před 4 lety +1

    I love the throwback to the spellslinger starter. hahahaha

  • @hiphopklaus3052
    @hiphopklaus3052 Před 3 lety

    Many Magic the Gathering Player asks the Question; are u startin the video with this sentence? :D Probz for your great videos, prof!

  • @b.o.353
    @b.o.353 Před 4 lety +1

    What’s the difference between this one and the one with the ape on the front? Ah you answered my question! Thank you. So the ape one is valuable and RARE! Got mine for $6! Haha. But if they put more value in the deck collectors would buy them all up you know that, Prof. Your video is the best one on this set I’ve seen. Nobody else brought up the one with the ape cover. Great job. The only problem is you don’t learn as well with Arena because you don’t learn timing with Arena at all. Tapping etc. better than nothing. :)

  • @DragonCompany1
    @DragonCompany1 Před 4 lety

    Found one at a Target for $6, seemed like a good pickup for both the value and to rejigger a little as a teaching tool.

  • @Quimusik
    @Quimusik Před 4 lety

    I learnt Magic with my first ixalan vampire/vraska planeswalker deck. I felt that it was awsome to play with my friends even if I allways lost.
    And I gave a friend a Dominaria's Chandra deck, so It was awsome to play with that decks.

  • @ByFee
    @ByFee Před 4 lety +23

    "If you're watching this you already play Magic"
    False, I don't play/watch at all but I love your videos!

    • @murozond8473
      @murozond8473 Před 4 lety

      Was looking for this

    • @zippoflames4901
      @zippoflames4901 Před 4 lety

      Same :D rural England here so there isn't really anyone to learn to play with

    • @Tobistohightoplay
      @Tobistohightoplay Před 4 lety +2

      @@zippoflames4901 thats why i love playing on arena. Takes 5 seconds to find someone to play with

    • @sailingdede
      @sailingdede Před 4 lety +1

      @@zippoflames4901 rural England here too. You'd be surprised at how many game stores are about if you have a car. My closest is a 50 min drive away. I still made the trip twice a week (FNM and Monday draft). It made for a fun night out pre covid. I'm in East Coast Essex
      Ps - take the plunge to arena with this kit. It's a great game!

  • @mjohnson8122
    @mjohnson8122 Před 4 lety

    Hey Professor! I bought one at Wal-Mart a month ago for $7 and change. The Vito and ‘Kong’ one. That was the normal price, not even on sale. 👍🏻

  • @generic_brandmoments7565
    @generic_brandmoments7565 Před 4 lety +1

    A store near me sold it for 6 dollars, which is crazy considering Vito basically pays for the cost itself

  • @krvys7226
    @krvys7226 Před 4 lety

    Great video as usual prof. That said, you may need to run certain parts through spell check on occasion, such as when you compared the product to the Rookie decks.
    But perhaps my being pedantic about spelling is why I will die Sigle...

  • @1Xapa
    @1Xapa Před 4 lety +2

    12:09
    Professor: Well, you already play Magic and has a collection!
    Me, who has been watching the channel from a long time: Are you sure about that?

  • @DocPyro
    @DocPyro Před 4 lety +2

    My LGS are selling these for about 6$ for the whole thing. They are absolute angels for the newcomers that show up.

  • @crackcorn0404
    @crackcorn0404 Před 4 lety +1

    Also, the Arena code can be redeemed twice (different accounts required). Easy way to get a friend into the game too.

  • @WHITEKNIGHT95
    @WHITEKNIGHT95 Před 3 lety

    I picked one of these up literally for the foil vito and kolga. Pretty decent product

  • @datastorm17
    @datastorm17 Před 4 lety

    I was able to snag this exact version at 2nd n charles for less than $7 so definitely worth the money. Also the Arena code works for 2 people, so you can give the digital version to a friend as well. Something like this would raise the rating (in my opinion at least)

  • @TheKoop1
    @TheKoop1 Před 4 lety

    I got into magic thanks to the Ajani & Nicol Bolas Planeswalker decks.

  • @mikaela5938
    @mikaela5938 Před 4 lety

    i didn't realize this was a brand new thing, i got it pretty recently and think it's pretty fun so far

    • @mikaela5938
      @mikaela5938 Před 4 lety

      i'm still pretty new to magic just trying to learn the game so but i'm having fun with these

  • @JacobRichVideos
    @JacobRichVideos Před 4 lety

    Just got one of these for 7 dollars in an LGS in Marquette, Michigan. Teaching my family how to play while we’re on vacation

  • @GeekMAXX
    @GeekMAXX Před 3 lety

    I got the updated Kogla/Vito box at my local target for a little bit over $7 with tax. And the arena code can be used TWICE. Once for you and once for a friend! 100% worth it, especially if you're a brand new player. I thought the $7 price was a mistake but it wasnt, all local big box stores, walmart and target all have them for that price. KILLER DEAL for a newbie

  • @aven78
    @aven78 Před 4 lety

    One thing of note is that the code for Arena actually works for two people, which means you and a friend could both get your start on Arena at the same time. If you were to buy multiples of these the code does not work if you have already submitted a code once. I learned this after someone told me they bought it and gave me the code and I went and tried the second code, so if you can't use the code then share it with a younger sibling or someone that would like to try the game.
    I was able to find this at Wal-Mart for $7 and snapped up a copy and shared my code with someone I knew. At $7 it's a perfect price and hard to pass up, but for $12 it's still a great buy for an easy foil Vito and just to have some fun.
    I hadn't been playing on Arena much before this, but picked it back up and was able to switch some cards for the green deck and have had a lot of janky fun with it and I only replaced a lot of commons with better commons/uncommons.

  • @Blackpallyboi
    @Blackpallyboi Před 4 lety +1

    These definitely need to be on sale not only at LGS but, at big box stores.

  • @RaginKavu
    @RaginKavu Před 4 lety +32

    Hey Prof.
    There's a missing "k" in "ignite your *spar* "

    • @Robin-ve7ck
      @Robin-ve7ck Před 4 lety +17

      RaginKavu sigle color for rookie deck description too

    • @Hitzel
      @Hitzel Před 4 lety +4

      ignite my spar anytime

    • @krvys7226
      @krvys7226 Před 4 lety +6

      @@Robin-ve7ck pointing out mistakes like that is why we will remain Sigle...

    • @Robin-ve7ck
      @Robin-ve7ck Před 4 lety

      Krvys you spelt single wrong ;-)

    • @krvys7226
      @krvys7226 Před 4 lety

      @@Robin-ve7ck *in McBain voice* That's the Joke!

  • @776Falcon
    @776Falcon Před 4 lety

    Just a note, at about 13:30 you are missing a "K" in spark. Love the content

  • @koanos2448
    @koanos2448 Před 4 lety +1

    9:42 Sigle Color. Can't unsee now.

  • @mreshadow
    @mreshadow Před 4 lety +1

    I didn't get Vito in my box. So worth it for $8, might grab a second for another deck too. Nbd on the price

  • @racvets1
    @racvets1 Před 4 lety

    I picked up the set at my LGS for $6 at my LGS. The first thing it did remind me of was the old duel decks. I wish these products had a little tutorial of how the deck played, as the black one should be a little aggressive before the big green took over. For critique, Collossisification felt weird in the green deck, and Peer into the Abyss should have been replaced with Underworld Dreams to be simpler. But the foil Vito, arena codes, and 2 60 card decks made it on hell of a deal at $6. 10/10

  • @theuntappedtable3487
    @theuntappedtable3487 Před 4 lety

    We bumbled through the Arena 2020 Starter Kit for the first episode of our show. I thought they contained the “Do Not Shuffle” tutorial inside and it would make an amusing demonstration. Instead we just drank beer and Yorvo beat me up in a few turns lol

  • @merzbeaux
    @merzbeaux Před 4 lety

    I picked up one of these a few weeks ago at Target and instead of Vito and Kogla, it contained extra copies of the hydra and Demon of Loathing in foil. Would have definitely preferred the Vito...

  • @munozkidd8659
    @munozkidd8659 Před 4 lety +20

    I bought one of these the other day for $7 at walmart. In my opinion, getting two 60-card decks both physically and digitally for that price is a STEAL, especially for a new player like myself. Also, my brother and I have been learning to play using these decks and I can say that they are a very good teaching tool for new players.

    • @pipino1313
      @pipino1313 Před 2 lety

      what, a steal isnt a bad thing?

  • @mtgexile8929
    @mtgexile8929 Před 4 lety

    Well, I picked 2 of these up. 1 to keep as is, and the other to pull the cards that I wanted for some of my main decks. (yess, some of these cards are useful additions). In the UK, purchased from Chaos Cards at an amazing £4.35 ( $5.75 ) which includes the Arena code. First thing I did was jump in to Arena to give them a few games, and while there's a fair few decent cards in each of these decks, the gameplay was fairly slow. Not the strongest, but definitely make you work for your win! With the code card selling for £3.99 in the uk ($5.25), the concept of buying these, selling the codes on, and reusing the physical cards in your decks looks like it's becoming a common concept. (and from a business standpoint, given the value of the physical cards, makes this a no-brainer)

  • @LeNimph
    @LeNimph Před 4 lety

    I was able to buy this today at my local comic shop for 9.99$ so ... there are definitely local shops that have some of these. I bought it for Vito and to play with my brother who is relatively new.