MTG - Is it worth it to buy a Shadows Over Innistrad INTRO PACK for Magic: The Gathering

[@Madjas00]

I never knew that these "welcome decks" existed. I hit up my local card shop and they did in fact have them. I've been wanting to teach a buddy how to play so these are perfect for doing so. And the best part is that they are FREE!

[@Ninjahankin]

+Madjas How are "welcome decks" made? Is this an official Wizards product or do the card shop owners make them? If they are made by card shop owners, its seems like a great idea because it helps card shop owners get rid of bulk commons, uncommons, and rares that are never bought while allowing new players to spend $15 on 4-5 booster packs instead of buying an intro pack.

[@Madjas00]

Ninjahankin The deck has a main color that correlates to the Planeswalker on the front of the box, and the second color is random. The cards are sealed so it was definitely put together by wizards. The decks are really cool though. They have rares, commons, and uncommons in them. I tested them out earlier and they were a lot of fun to play. I definitely recommend new players to get their hands on welcome decks. I'm just surprised that I never heard of them sooner.

[@Ninjahankin]

Madjas Ah ok cool.

[@DavidBrianDobbsArt]

Intro Packs are for the Mom or Dad who have no idea about Magic and saw their kid has a small interest in the game. And they usually are bought at Target or WalMart.

[@larrybobinski7156]

For the freaking life of me I can't figure out why they just don't make these along the same quality as Event Decks... There should be a dual deck and five event decks... These should be ready to play out of the box for semi-compeditive FNM... Period...

[@jaredong]

I think it's designed for "intro" players to have a taste of mtg without too complicated mechanics and a buffet tasting of cards so new players can find their favourite methods. Totally not value for money though.

[@larrybobinski7156]

Jared Ong MTG is not nearly as complicated as it used to be. Nothing against you personally, but that is a really weak argument. MTG is INSANELY easier to pick up than it used to be. When I joined in on the game Portal 1 hadn't even come out yet. All we got was: Gorilla Pack 3/3 for 3G with trample... wtf is trample? We had to look it up in an instruction manual that came with the game. If the game has progressed to the point we don't need that manual anymore then the game is simple enough already. And having 3 and 4 of cards increases consistency and its fewer cards new players have to learn. They'll learn and master a deck faster that has fewer overall different cards and they'll be better suited to play since it'll have more consistency. You'd have to buy two of these decks and merge them together to get that. So why not charge 10 bucks more, through in a decent rare or two, and give new players a quality product.

[@jaredong]

+Larry Bobinski I agree with you that Intro packs aren't good for introductions. However, from the MTG's design and marketing perspectives, Intro decks are meant to appeal to new players and their parents. Even in the choice of words, "Event" and "Duel" aren't as welcoming as "Intro", and the toolkit / booster packs require a level of knowledge to setup. Theoretically, Intro packs are meant as simple, compact method for a set-specific flavorful introduction to Magic. In practice... they aren't always the best. Reference: magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/making-introductions-2011-12-19

[@KreuzDrache]

+Larry Bobinski Yeah, they don't even have to add more rares to them. Just more copies of particular cards(EX: Unearthed Secrets gets more Uvenwald Mysteries.) and less obvious bad cards(EX: Thornhide Wolves, from Unearthed Secrets.)

[@KevinSmith-qt4hz]

Why charge more? It costs wizards the same amount to print a tarmogoyf as it does a token card.

[@iTadakimAsu85]

Needless to say, Wizards probably isn't a big fan of the Professor lol

[@Tedurbin202]

+iTadakimAsu85 Have you seen his video on the event decks and clash packs? Mark Rosewater responded to him, and while MaRo's criticism wasn't inflammatory, he was not happy with the professor's evaluation.

[@razieltaung4845]

+Tedurbin202 its a good thing that the proff isnt exactly bashing wizards on products.. its more like "constructive criticism for wizards to take note on.... and hopefully improve on"

[@warhammerwayz2644]

Well he is featured on their channel and is in the new league thing

[@Tedurbin202]

Tristin Wolfe Most definitely. Many of the problems he's brought up I've mentioned myself in my play group, even before I stumbled upon his channel. I was not as nicely worded as his arguments, but my points were still in line with his. I also hope that wizards improves their products, as their intro packs are...just not good.

[@Lycodrake]

I got Unearthed Secrets at prerelease before Tireless Tracker shot up, and now I'm glad to have made the purchase. I even got a Thing in the Ice in one of the 2 boosters!

[@spiritconsumer]

These videos are SO good - Filled with information from beginning to end. I always learn and i have been playing Magic for YEARS.

[@evileyeball]

Back in the day they had some good Preconstructed decks There was a Jitte in one of the Kamigawa Precons. and I think one has Sensai's Devining top in it. and Transference, from DARKSTEEL had TWO SKULLCLAMP!!! inside it. I also seem to remember one of the fifth dawn precons having a couple Syrum Visions inside . I remember the first deck I bought was a red green flashback precon from Odyssey. The rares wen't super great but it did come with TWO ROAR OF THE WURM....

[@d.ruiperd6165]

This is a typical "pro" magic player talking about what the cards are "worth". Personally I love the intro packs. I have a collection of them some of them from series as old as tempest when I started playing. The fun part of these decks is that they are all pretty well matched with some exceptions in contrast to the Event decks that are not. I have no experience with dual decks after the dower I got from the event decks bad matchup I decided to stick with intro packs when playing straigt out of the box magic decks. The point that intro packs are a grind, yes I do agree you have to take care and check the contend before you buy one especially if you have a collection because the guys from wizards to repeat the same theme's in these decks. The are intro packs, meant to be an introduction to magic, so I can not blame them for doing this.

[@cassiopeiakidd7927]

Thanks for the video Prof. I know they are sub par value but sometimes I'll pick up an Intro pack just because. Tonight just happened to be one of those times, and wouldn't you guess that I grabbed the Unearthed Secrets. Even better is that i was opening it as I sat down to watch your channel. And the happiest moment is when my first booster from the pack contained a Jace, Unraveler. What a happy turning point in an otherwise poor day. Always looking forward to watching you again.

[@Venefica82]

I have always enjoyed intro packs, me and my gaming group often play them as then we stand on a equal footing, also I like to just try something new than my regular decks at times and then playing these with my friends are fun.

[@KiokuJonny]

After being out of the game for a couple of years and wanting a cheap Standard deck for FNM, I picked up the RB Vampires and an SOI fat pack. I was having a good time and winning about half of my games without spending more. After doing some trading for 2x Olivia, Mobilized for War and 2x Falkenrath Gorger (also a bulk rare, funny enough), I'm wining closer to 70%, still using largely the original deck's creatures and spells. Local Meta can easily change the value of the decks for most people.

[@WindchaserX]

I bought the green blue intro, got foil Trail of Evidence, Invocation of Saint Thraft, Jace and foil Asylum Visitor :D

[@arenkai]

Wow... Congratulations Professor ! That was a really thorough review of all the aspects that come in the process of buying this product ! Your best review so far ! Keep on the amazing work !

[@alexsuperfly9790]

hey prof i cracked an intro deck and got on pretty well. it helped me find my feet. and my heart is set on delirrium green black.

[@RonJohn551]

I've never heard of a welcome deck before, they definitely don't have those available at my local shops, which stinks because I'm trying to get my friends into the game

[@dimebag5884]

+RonJohn551 They do for sure, but you can't buy them. You introduce your friend to the store owner as someone looking to get into magic and the shop owner should offer him a pair of welcome decks to play with you or someone. Every shop that puts on official wizards events will be sent a large number of welcome packs.

[@RonJohn551]

I'll give it a try thanks man

[@theawesomeleprechaun]

+RonJohn551 You can also just ask for them and explain it is your for friend, the worst the store can say is no

[@FusterIsBased]

+Vulture I went up to the store and asked for 5 of them (because I didn't know it came with 2 30 card decks instead of just 1 like in previous years) and they just handed me 1 for each color lol.

[@jamesarriagada8046]

Prof thanks for replying to my tweet yesterday! I tweeted ya what I got today! As you said, I got the two quick start packs you reccommend in this video and also purchased a booster pack. Got a Westvale Abbey/Ormendahl Profane Prince as my first rare! Now that I watched this video I will go tomorrow and purchase 6 booster packs. I want to make a blue deck!

[@stephenduarte2179]

I built an amazing delirium BG deck buying an intro deck. I added about $20 worth of cards and it turned out to be great in standard play. So as an introduction the intro deck for $15 was absolutely worth it in my opinion

[@rtcubes6816]

I probably should have done this earlier, like, say, a half-year ago, but hey. I like your content professor, so I'ma sub. Honestly, that's not that much of a thing for me to comment about, and I shouldn't comment about it. As I'm making a set in "Magic Set Editor", I kind of wanted to point the program out to you. It lets you make very nice looking cards (minus the backside, so you can't just print your own copies of cards like black lotus) that you made yourself. I hope that you check that out, and I really hope that you do a video about it. Here's the reasons why I like it. -Has many different formats of cards (vintage, modern, etc.) -Very simple to learn -The only thing that you need to do of some difficulty is finding art. -You can print the cards out 3*3 on A4 paper -Can be played in "Lackey CCG" Please, if you see this, professor, check it out!

[@meownezz]

simple yet pristine. love these videos from you sir!

[@Zetagech]

I don't know why, but everytime I watch one of these videos of yours, I imagine someone at Wizards planning on how to take your channel down xD And that's a good sing of honesty! Keep up the good work!

[@Stratos0083]

Yo Professor! Just wanna say that I started a toolkit league thanks to one of your old videos. Buddies seem to like it. I am hosting another one later on this year when EMN comes out. This one will be a intro deck league, most of my playgroup seems really interested in trying it out.

[@arKiteX3]

The opinion expressed is reasonable, but I would add one more addendum: if you're really looking forward to a particular mechanic from a new set, and you want to build a relatively casual gimmick deck based on it, Intro Packs can be an excellent starting point and can provide that first taste of the new set's mechanics before release. (I note that you are (or should be by WotC standards) allowed to buy intro packs at Prerelease, even if you aren't interested in playing at the event itself.)

[@MrEdLemon]

Great video :) I personally think that the decks are designed with fun in mind as and are very appealing for a new casual deck builder than only buying boosters (which can totally flop) or having to spend a few hours finding good singles for a budget deck.

[@parthbhatnagar7472]

I know it's an old video but last week I watched one of your card sleeves videos and now my kmc hyper mats and perfect sleeves came in the mail :)

[@SpiritXtreme1]

I love how you tell your honest opinion about obvious bad products instead of kissing wizards ass like almost every other big mtg channel

[@hylianlionstatealchemist4309]

First, i would like to say thank you tolarian academy for bringing this to my knowledge, i was about to buy my little cousins some intro packs to help them start out. But now i know the truth. Thank you.

[@techpriest8965]

Store in my country sells these for the price of 2 boosters and maybe a dollar or two over. It is worth it for that price.

[@natesmith6871]

While I was at work ( I work at Walmart), I bought the Horrific Visions deck, because why not. In the first pack I pulled Declaration in Stone (I think that's what it's called) and the second I pulled Sorin, Grim Nemesis.

[@natesmith6871]

AngryMonkeyArmy You caught me; I legit stole the deck for a Sorin. In fact, I did it again, and pulled The Gitrog Monster.

[@russelldavies160]

so at my local game store we have started offering 40 commons for £4 and free basic it lands to build a pauper deck as we find its a great why to show off the new set and it cost effective

[@Charsiupao]

The problem is some of our local shops don't carry free welcome decks, and while it may be cheaper to buy the individual cards for, say, Horrific Visions, and construct the Intro Pack at a cheaper price, it's so much hassle. It may not be a well-constructed deck for competitive play, but it was great fun to use, and a great introduction to delirium. At the end it may feel like a con job to experienced players, but it is a convenient way to get into a new experience (and I really did enjoy Horrific Visions) for those of us who may not want to spend the time picking individual cards from some website, ordering them, hoping that the one shop has all the cards needed and waiting for them to arrive.

[@gabevega9706]

Honestly I always buy a coulee intro packs from each set and I had some really good casual decks that my friend who has been playing for much longer than me said they would be good in actual play that were just modified intro packs. Specifically the jeskai deck from khans and the black/white allies deck from oath of the gatewatch.

[@finn3588]

when I first started magic I didn't know how insanely lucky I got. In the two booster packs I got a five dollar rare in the first one and then a Dragonlord Suligmar in the second!!! Back then I didnt know what rares and Mythics and stuff were so I basically tossed it aside.

[@MiyummYT]

I started with magic yesterday and bought the angle intro pack. Got the 20$ mythic angle from it. Worth it for me :>

[@Liliputian07]

This guy's voice is not helping the stereotypes for MTG players

[@Liliputian07]

also is he related to Greg Proups

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Liliputian07 What stereotype is that? Also, I can't help how my voice sounds. It's not a personal choice.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Liliputian07 Nope!

[@Liliputian07]

Tolarian Community College Just nerdy, in general I mean I subscribe to Wedge over at the Mana Source and hoo boy So you good man you good (And the reason I mention Greg Proups is because you sound like Greg Proups)

[@tophergrallison]

+Tolarian Community College Your voice is fine.

[@chrischeng2922]

Hey Professor, could you possibly ask to be on the new season episodes of Spellslingers (Geek and Sundry)? You and Day9TV from Spellslingers were the reason I got back into magic!

[@theawesomeleprechaun]

+Chris Cheng He and Day9 were the reason I got into it in the first place

[@guftders]

+TolarianCommunityCollege Yes! This would be the most AWESOME thing ever! And a great way to "advertise" the college ;) Plus, you know we all want to see you duel ^_^

[@Woodsy2575]

Wait are they doing a new season? When?!

[@blanklotus3476]

Wizards also needs to replace this product with something you actually want to buy at the prerelease to get extra packs

[@guardbreak4034]

I loved buying intro packs when I first started playing many years ago.. so I found this video great for players every wondering if they should/ should not buy these intro packs

[@lasrean]

My LGS does a Limited Intro Pack day, usually the Sunday during or after launch weekend of a set. The Intro packs are usually discounted a bit (NZ$20 instead of the RRP of NZ$25), which helps, then we build a typical 40-card minimum limited deck from the contents of the intro pack and play 3 or 4 rounds of swiss. It's at the stage where it's become one of the events my wife and I look forward to every time a set is released, but in all fairness, if it weren't for the event, we would never buy an Intro pack.

[@quintinquimby7709]

Great decks. Also something most people don't know is the packs have higher rates of getting good cards. As most people know, boxes have a certain pull rate of on avg 3 mythics and 1 foil rare per box. But when you buy products like fat packs, tool kits, precons, and prerelease packs, they don't have these rates. So instead when you buy them they have random rates. So for example if you buy a box, you might get 3 mythics and a foil rare. But if you get your packs from these products, after 36 packs you might have 6 mythics and 3 foil rares. Instead of having a specific print run, they are random rate. So also when you open these packs, you have a higher rate. I love your Channel professor but there's a bigger picture to what you say.

[@jackbrillinger8630]

My brother got Ghostly Tides, and he’s been loving it. He started playing MTG in October of 2017. I started playing in August of 2017 and I have an Oath of the Gatewatch blue/red intro deck and he’s been destroying me with the extreme life gain mechanic of that deck. Although my deck is somewhat older so there new cards and mechanics such as the werewolf. Playing Magic with him is still fun but it’s losing flavor because I can’t win. I just want to sit down with him and play and have a chance if winning but I can’t, due to the fact that he’s gaining 3 health every two turns and 5 health when he plays the Nearheath Chaplain which he got 3 copies of.

[@EasleyAmused]

You should take a second look at Fat Packs. The SOI one is slightly better, at least the box quality went up. I found one or two of my boosters slightly split, and there was a weird loose plastic wrapping around them and the lands, but I just thought you might be interested in the new card storage box quality.

[@dayton228]

I bought unearthed secrets at prerelease just to open more packs. luckily, I also pulled thing in the ice out of it

[@JavierReyes-vi7vj]

I went out to the closest card shop and got a welcome pack and it's been pretty fun , am coming from yugioh so am not a total noobie but these are great to get a feel for the game. I recommend for new players to ask for a welcome pack and learn the rules before buying singles or other merch.

[@pdieraue]

Also worth noting is that due to printing logistics Wizards can't include any double faced cards in any supplemental products, so you can't even get bulk common or uncommon DFCs from an intro pack.

[@mikehunt001]

Great job Prof like always, keep up the radical work of entertainment!

[@warrant89]

Would you do an indepth review of the welcome decks?

[@tomaslincolnpinheirosantia3596]

Congrats!! It took several of my doubts!!

[@phildawson9485]

Intro decks got me into MTG, if you're brand new to the game or simply have no idea how to build a decks, Intros are totally worth the money... I would always say to brand new players to pick up a couple... or simply if i was say away with a friend and just wanted to play some magic i would pick up 2 packs no problem

[@aegisofhonor]

I also think that Inexorable Blob is a very playable card, it's already an on curve 3/3 for 3, but with delirium, he makes a copy of himself to attack with it causing blocking headaches for your opponent. I think that card will start to see at least some standard play in green and black delirium decks and it's value may rise a little over time (though I doubt it will ever see north of $2 even if it starts seeing more play).

[@pawjack]

I think they're fine for casual play, so long as you're playing against someone inexperienced making their first decks. I use these against my brother. Plus, they can often be fun starting points for making kitchen table decks. They're certainly not worth it on a pure value level, but they aren't inherently worthless.

[@aler0506]

I didn't have to watch the video to know that intro packs are not worth the money, your teaching methods work!

[@TheMonyarm]

Varna Games were giving away welcome decks but it was just 1 per person not a box with 2 of them.

[@petrkovacs3191]

Well... in my country Intro Pack promos are worth 5 to 6 USD in public trade and shops. In this case... the "New" Intro Packs (from M15) have some collector value and buying them is usual gamble of two boosters + alternate art promo. But I agree with professor: Welcome Decks are best option for new MtG players... free cost and easy to play, all thing new player needs.

[@jackcho634]

Great insight into the intro decks! Have a sub :D

[@leventedoleviczenyi1218]

When you dont even want to buy a pack but still watch the video... :D

[@dragonicstar2248]

is the five color EDH mana base guide still on the way? I am really looking forward to it.

[@AlexGeh]

My store is finally starting league and chose to start every player off with a SOI Intro Pack. Of course I would have preferred a toolkit or simplay 6 boosters but I guess it's a way to at least make something out of the intro packs. we're allowed to incooperate one additional pack per week and given the initial state of the intro decks the incentive of unlocking these additional boosters will certainyl be a lot higher. So I think this is actually a somewhat decent way to at least get actual PLAY out of these products.

[@TheGreatMillz]

Man, I wish I knew about welcome decks when I first started. I was one of the dopes who bought an intro deck (simply because it had "Intro Deck" on the packaging) and was sorely disappointed. I'll make sure to get one of those if one of my friends ever got interested.

[@ArtanesCS-Rockon]

+TheGreatMillz I liked my first intro deck when I started (RB m15) it played well with my causal crowd and was good for teaching me the game

[@vicentm52]

Pretty informative, thanks! keep the good work!

[@TheSfid]

My first deck was the Slaughterhouse intro pack (B/R from Avacyn Restored). This is well before I even cared about cards' dollar values, but that deck held its own against some casual constructed decks. Fastworward to present day, I and a couple of friends still like buying the intro packs to play against each other. The intro decks are typically all at similar power levels, so it's a nice fresh fair game for everyone. All that said, I was not very impressed with the past few sets' intro packs.

[@stevedale1699]

You got a sub from me. I am starting to look to get into MTG and your videos are helpful on how to spend my money. Though I am older (35 UGH) I was never able to play as a teenager and looking to get into some hobby that is a community thing.

[@Horatiuy]

I am waiting for a deckbuilder toolkit/ fat pack worth it video. Also it would be nice to make a video demanding some products supporting standard/ modern that are not boosters. I miss the event decks and clash packs and modern event decks... The only products that are worth it to me this year, are the commander decks.

[@jimtaku]

keep up the awesome work Prof!

[@ajarntoe]

I still think intro packs are good for beginners because they introduce new mechanics of the set and they allow new players to play with specific, not-so-good cards so they start to learn and figure things out and become more creative and better players.

[@dinkalus]

Actually SOI doesn't since print costs for flip cards is high so they don't include them in these

[@Kelvin-vf9wl]

Great videos Professor, thank you. Although, I especially like the booster box game videos, I can't get enough of them! Does anyone know if the books are worth reading? I've been trying to read the titles of those on the shelf since I first started watching, but never quite could until now.

[@Lost77]

This is the first time I think I've ever seen one of these where the Professor hadn't declared that Intro packs are an overwhelming of money. Although, I've never heard of "Welcome Decks" before. That'd be interesting.

[@br41nc3ll]

I think a video over Welcome Decks would be a great video to make!

[@nartin9]

I would love to see the intro packs come with a 20 sided dice and a set of 80 sleeves.

[@firetruckabc]

where do i find welcome decks in the uk? looked on Amazon can't find anything

[@WindchaserX]

+Shelf ask for store, by store i mean local card store. I got a full set of 5 welcome decks for free because I've built an MTG club for the school.

[@Fakeromon]

at any local game store, and they're free!

[@SchuckPipe]

Magic madhouse

[@mrpotatohead34]

could you do a short video on drafting etiquette, or i guess "card store" etiquette in general? I'm a nervous and shy person, so i am shy about how to behave during a draft, (ie leaving early, or picking the wrong cards). I also buy singles through those bulk boxes to find some worth while cards, and foils. Is sitting there and looking through them bad etiquette?

[@clafey]

I strongly disagree with your review of these products. The store where I play in organizes Beginner leagues lasting 5 weeks with these Intros for base, where you can add in each week the contents of a booster to improve your deck. They are limited to players up to the 20th level and normally attract people who love playing more casually and in a more friendly environment. Given the fact that my store sells these decks, for these events, below msrp at 12€ each, they contain two booster packs and that the alternate art promos, as I write these lines in the European reference market (MKM) are trending on average at 4,68€ each with the lowest being 3,57€ on average I'd say you are getting what you pay for monetarily and while some matchups are better than others, most of these are very fun to play against one another. To me, certainly more fun than playing FNM with a budget deck and seeing the same people with the same tier one decks winning constantly. Also you get to play with decks that never made it competitively and you get a whole b-side view of a certain set. I'm remembering the Elves deck in Origins, the Rally/Cohort Oath deck and SOI's "tribal" Vampires deck.

[@Firebert]

+clafey It's interesting that the cards are worth so much there. I'm wondering if they actually sell or if they are only listed for that much. Anything that has multiple prints, can be found at the front of a duel deck, intro pack, etc., will eventually plummet in value if it hasn't already. Unless you are talking about something that is more than a few years old. In any case, I think he is merely grading the cards based on MSRP and their value in America. Obviously the value can be sweetened by LGS's offering extra packs, lowering the price of the packs, or if you are in some other country where the product is hard to find. In America, these intro packs can be found by the hundreds littering not only LGS's, but also Walmart, Target, Gamestop, Barnes and Noble... pretty much any store that carries Magic. Most Magic can be made fun in some way, but the value of these cards simply can't match MSRP unless you luck out and pull a bomb card from one of your packs.

[@clafey]

+Firebert They actually sell them - I've bought some off MKM users. Since the pre-releases stopped having alternate arts and the intros began having them I went from collecting ones to the others. I normally acquire them locally at the store from individual players, but they'll always sell them close to MKM's listing. A Pristine Skywise (Dragons of Tarkir) alternate art intro pack costs today from 1,40€ averaging on 1,70€, Dwynen's from Origins from 1,45€ averaging on 2,80€... So the prices do drop over time, but these cards will always have market on collectors.

[@JapanischErfahren]

+clafey Yes, these videos are sadly always simply bs, sorry to put it that way. Your example sounds like great fun. Intros are simply a great product.

[@clafey]

+JapanischErfahren - einfach online Japanisch lernen I can't tell wether you are joking or not. I simply disagreed with the views shown on this particular case. I normally agree with Tolarian on 95% of his videos though.

[@EmotionalTree]

+clafey Thanks for this. I bought some intro packs because usually the deck has a common theme. Teaching you what to look for when building your own deck. Then you can use boosters to work on that deck.

[@karlswanson8594]

There are only two exceptions in dragons of tarkir I can think if, the cruel plots deck and enlightened mastery, they both have commons and rates that saw constructed play

[@TiltedSquare]

I'm so glad I picked up Tireless Tracker before it shot up to $7. I never knew it could. I knew it was a great addition to Sigarda, Heron's Grace EDH, but man...

[@MediumChungus223]

+Edward Z. I got 3 copies of Avacyn from the same booster box back when they were around $20. I decided not to sell them. I did sell them recently, however, since they are now sitting at just above $40 each.

[@MysteriousSoulreaper]

I just have the buddies I introduce to MTG dig through the singles with my input on what's playable or passable. Usually only about $8 for a good 3 decks.

[@Omegaroth666]

However, would anyone be interested in format specific intro packs. The idea is rough to say the least, and it would most certainly devalue cards, some of the most expensive ones too. And that's excluding all the reserve list cards.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

I think intro parks are really to entice new players to the game and shouldn't be judged on their monetary value (although it is still interesting to see its value). I think new players should get duel decks because you can tear them out and play them against each other whilst getting a taste of the current mtg story. GOod video review btw!

[@KreuzDrache]

+Board Game Sanctuary Well, I feel the reason he goes on about value is more because he is trying to point out that if you REALLY wanted one of these intro packs, you could just build it yourself from singles and minus the obvious draft fodder and random boosters from it for less money than intropack. I get that these are for new players, but introducing new players with several bad-for-constructed cards is kinda lame honestly. Not saying that every intro pack needs insanely good rare/mythic cards, but it wouldn't hurt to cut stuff like Thornhide Wolves in favor of stronger commons or even uncommons such as Byway courier/Uvenwald Mysteries.

[@BoardGameSanctuary]

Good Points! I totally agree. It would be nice to have a better balance of uncommon / rares with common cards in the decks. I still think that If I was introducing a new player to magic, itd be more fun to play with a Duel deck just cause its more thematic and they tend to release it just before a new set / block and it has a splash of some old / new cards.

[@YoSneeze]

I wonder what would happen if the fine people at Wizards had watched this video. Would they say "We should improve Intro decks", We should get rid of Welcome decks" or, "We could care less"?

[@TheMysticalFate]

+YoSneeze he does these videos pretty much every time a new set comes out. a majority of the time, it's not worth it. So if wizards watched this, all they do is hope people don't watch it, so they can make a profit XD

[@YoSneeze]

profit :(

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

Thanks to the proffesor i would suppose, intro decks are discontinued.

[@Starsoulklr]

They seem to be dumping the Intro Decks for the next set after the Shadows of Innistrad Block for two different decks that feature a planeswalker.

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

Starsoulklr I think its a great change! I do wish they wouldn't leave COMPLETELY though... I enjoy recreating intro decks by buing singles which amass to like 2 dollars.

[@lbyoung5640]

The blue one with a few minor tweaks is really good

[@doomedark]

Great video as always!

[@dino-kira6996]

Actually I've made my friends unearth secrets deck decent. With it as the base you can make it into a pump deck based clues because of tireless tracker and that one spell that gives +1/+1 for each clue you have and gives you a clue.

[@ebush279]

Great video good math and helps out new players. How is your office doing?

[@CronicDaClown]

good videos u caught a sub from me.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Kroniik DaClown Cheers and welcome! :)

[@consecrateddark656]

welcome!

[@almilakoca6808]

In angelic fury I got mythic and made a draft out of it. It was the best deck in my school.

[@johnprice2342]

In my opinion the reason for me to get an Intro deck was to have a decent deck that I could play with at school with friends. The fact of the matter is that Intro decks do not contain that many really really good cards for the simple reason if that they did, new players would not have a reason to get more cards to expand their collection or to improve their deck(s) as they would now.

[@sankethbhaskar4236]

The problem is that welcome decks go like hot cakes. I went to three stores and couldn't find any.

[@ashzciwobuz1277]

+Sanketh Bhaskar (S3) wow. My lgs still has Scars of mirrodin for sale because noone wants them

[@AFunkyFresh1]

+Ash Aman Scars? For how much? Assuming they're being sold for $15, you'd be stupid not to buy them.

[@AFunkyFresh1]

+Ash Aman Scars? For how much? Assuming they're being sold for $15, you'd be stupid not to buy them.

[@ashzciwobuz1277]

Im from AUS they are 22 here. Noone buys them because they just have jank and you will lose money on it.. Also most people There would already have the cards from there because they have been playing for a while

[@ashzciwobuz1277]

22 AUD is about 20 American

[@zachdenman5392]

My first time opening packs was about two weeks ago, I opened two packs, one of which a $5 Mythic, the other, a Masterpeice Thought Sieze

[@MadShepard]

you mention in this video "free welcome decks" how does one get those? I want to, but have never played magic before and it seems like a really intimidating world to break into, most magic players seem like tight knit elitists from my experience, and I happen to be terribly shy socially, but i do have a friend who also wants to learn and play. so when you mentioned the decks that teach you the game that made me curious thank you for the great informative videos too. I sub'd of course

[@Level_1_Frog]

I love your tie sir. Might I be so gauche as to ask what brand/tailor is?

[@xAbsolutis]

The foil rares (at least the Markov Dreadknight) seem to have alternate art and sell for more.

[@Seekr237]

Are your thoughts on the SOI deck builder's tool kit the same as the core tool kits?

[@natesmith6871]

+Gabriel Xiong Honestly I thought the Deck Builder set was shit since almost a good quarter of the cards I got were from M16.

[@fraser7211]

OMG Professor! Are you still missing the Shattered Chains MTG novel?! I noticed you have the other 3, but SC is needed to complete your quadrillogy! I am speaking of course as someone who owns all 4 books and have read them quite a lot. Hope you can find a copy soon.

[@joeybeason7501]

Thanks for this. Is there any chance of you reviewing the SOI deck builder's toolkit? I played magic a long time ago (Mirage), and I am looking to get back in with some old friends for some casual play (3 of us total.) I've watched the "complete casual" video at least a dozen times. Would it be a better investment for us to get deckbuilder's toolkits or the 6 packs of cards? We don't have any of our old cards so we would need to get "lands" also. Thanks for any help. (Initially posted on Facebook)

[@thegamerz9822]

I have a problem because welcome decks which are free do not exist where I am from so are there any other ways to get started in MTG

[@firetruckabc]

when i got into magic i bought the landfall one and love it

[@foketeo]

Battle for Zendikar? I recommend you to make that deck modern, landfall decks needs mana ramp and fetch lands to trigger the ability...

[@isaacschoeber9919]

Same here, it worked out great and was really easy to turn into an okay deck

[@Bobacus6122004]

You have been coming down on intro packs for some time (rightfully so). What would you do to improve them?

[@Turai12]

What if there are no stores with welcome packs in your area?

[@maradas1689]

eventhough i can understand your argument i think your point of view is to competitive for most casual players sometimes it is not about having the most powerlevel-cards I remember having great fun with these with my brothers back when innistrad was new and it gave us the lands we needed also here (germany) i didnt find any store in my proximity giving those welcome decks away..... so i think they are worth it for casual players who want to see new sets (that why i wont consider duel decks here, because they often lack new cards) again i think you are mostly right but in my expirience i still think it is an ok to good product for non competitive (new) casual players (also excuse when i made some mistakes in english (non native speaker))

[@MediumChungus223]

+Lord Uchiha Too many people only look to what a card can do in standard or modern. They forget the largest market of magic is, in fact, the casual players who just want something to do with their friends once or twice a week. I personally bought these 5 decks for me and my friends to play our own mini tournaments with, and its a lot of fun. Thought the W/B spirits deck seems to be more powerful than the others so far.

[@maradas1689]

Dakota Davidson yes that is exactly my exp so far i kinda do the same ^^ what makes the ghost deck so strong? flyer spam?

[@MediumChungus223]

Lord Uchiha I think its the fact that you can always do something with the creatures. You can generate spirit tokens all the time, flash spirits in, and generate life. There are really no basic creatures either.

[@maradas1689]

Dakota Davidson ok sounds like its worth a second look :D

[@Gulyus]

For reference, as of the 18th the value of Tireless Tracker has gone down $0.50. If it goes down any further in price, you would be better off buying the TT from your local game store and two packs instead of an intro pack.

[@Gulyus]

+Gulyusml shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/shadows-over-innistrad/tireless-tracker

[@GaruruTheWolf]

The other day I got lucky and found the Dragons of Tarkir intro with Secure the Wastes, which is now a $15 card, so I bought it because Dtk is FULL of money rares and mythics and even some value uncommons. Of course, I pulled absolute crap from my packs and there was nothing else in the deck of value, so I basically just bought the Wastes at retail. :(

[@theheroclixvillian]

+tolariancommunitycollege So now that wizards is finally getting rid of intro decks. What do you think about the new pre-con decks "planeswalker centered pre-cons"? Do you think they will be worth it when the new block Kaladesh comes out? Also wizards just announced too that they are changing fat packs. They will now come with 10 booster packs and they are renaming them. I just learned all of this via +themanasource channel. tms wedge likes the idea. I like the idea.