How To Get Your Girlfriend To Play Magic The Gathering

So you play Magic. You have a girlfriend (or wife or whatnot). You want to play Magic with your girlfriend. And she just kinda looks at you funny...

As a wife who was brought over to the dark land of the Planeswalkers, let me share a few tips on how to encourage your lady friend to pick up a deck. Here are ten basic tips for getting your girl to play, and enjoy, Magic the Gathering.

1. Keep it simple. If you go to play with your girl and you're playing one of these crazy complicated decks, it is likely to be overwhelming. Start with a more simple deck like the Zombie Starter Deck featured earlier this month.
2. Another good starting deck is one that plays to her interests (hers, not yours). Perhaps you like a quick moving goblin deck, but she's more of a Merfolk milling deck type of person. Maybe you like heavy control decks with lots of instants, but she prefers a creature heavy deck. Build, or help her build, a deck with cards that will peak her interests, not just ones that win games quickly. For casual play, you can try the Pussycat Must Survive deck previously posted.
3. On that note, you might have an awesome deck that wins in less than five turns, but now's not the time to use it. If she doesn't get to play hardly anything in the deck, and looses very quickly, she's not likely to learn much about the game, nor want to play again. Play a competitive deck if you wish, but one that will allow for her to learn the game and get to use what's in her deck.
4. Also, be very patient. If you've been playing for ten, fifteen, twenty years, MTG comes very easy to you by now. It won't be the same for her. Take your time. Remember that "mana" and "casting" aren't necessarily part of everyone's vocabulary. Her questions may seem stupid to you (I know my questions just about annoyed the crap out of Philip), but if she feels judged or thinks you're being condescending, your chances of success will drop very quickly.
5. Let her watch you play with others. Have her come with you to a Friday Night Magic or some other tournament. One of the reasons I first wanted to learn to play was because I went with Philip to FNM and was bored just watching. I wanted to learn the game so that I would know what they heck they were talking about.
6. This may seem silly, but accessorize. Most girls like things to be pretty. Now, her definition of pretty may be different from someone else's, but let your girlfriend make Magic pretty. Here's what you need: card sleeves, deck box, dice, dice bag, and play mat. Make a set in her favorite color or with a character from MTG that she likes such as Ajani. Or, if you've already peaked her interest, take her to the gaming store and let her shop! 
7. If she is going to play in a tournament setting, make sure it's a fairly nice community. Where we used to play, there were several really competitive players who weren't always so nice to newbies. Try to break her in slowly so that she can play with pleasant people who will be patient in explaining the game as it's played.
8. Be willing to play with her as often as she wants. Once I learned the basics and built my first deck, I wanted to play all the time. I think we played on 4 of 7 nights in between my first and second time at FNM because I wanted to learn more. If you are successful in getting her to want to play, be willing to play with her as much as you can. This is what you wanted, now cultivate it!
9. Don't let her win, but don't be a sore loser either. We lady folk tend to be very aware of the male ego's ability to be bruised. Some don't care, but your girlfriend/wife is likely to not want to embarrass you or hurt your ego. If you aren't such a good loser, learn now. The first time I ever beat Philip I jumped up and down a little, maybe even squealed. But, he's a good guy, and he could take it. When she wins, be happy for her.
10. After all is said and done, remember that girls not only can play Magic, but they can kick your ass too. This was written for those with partners who are less oriented towards MTG, but you just might be a lucky lad with a girl who will catch on quick. Don't be alarmed if she starts taking first on Friday nights and you're left in the dust... Just saying.

MTG: Zombie Starter Deck

This deck is focused on zombies, infect and gaining life while taking it.. It only uses black mana and is designed for those who are new to the game. All the cards are either from New Phyrexia or M12.

20 Swamps
2 Deathmark
2 Consume Spirit
4 Mindcrank
2 Pristine Talisman
2 Taste of Blood
4 Grim Affliction
4 Pith Driller
2 Warpath Ghoul
2 Caress of Phyrexia
4 Gravedigger
4 Reaper of Sheoldred
4 Geth's Verdict
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Dismember
4 Cemetery Reaper

Best of luck to you!

MTG: Sorting System

Many people have asked me how I sort our Magic The Gathering cards. We have well over 10,000 MTG cards and I can find any card in our collection in less than ten minutes, usually less than five.

As I have been asked so often how I sort our cards and keep them that way, I shall outline for you my sorting system. Hopefully this helps you to keep your life a little more organized and those grey hairs a few more months at bay. :)

What you need:

• 1-3" three-ting binder (possibly more than one depending upon the size of your collection)
• Card sleeves (available at local comics/gaming stores, but also frequently found at Wal-marts and Targets)
• Card Boxes (If you buy "fat packs" you can use those boxes, or buy boxes at collectables stores or online)
• Index cards or slips of paper (If you have deck boxes that come with those little dividers, you can use those as well)
• Time

To get started you need to make a few choices:

1. Do you want your sets to be mixed together? For instance, M12 cards next to Rise of the Eldrazi? If you're sorting for your gamer, ask his/her preference.

2. Do you want rates/foils mixed in with commons/uncommons? I recommend keeping rare and mythic rare cards separate because of their increased value. My system has them sorted separately. If you choose to keep them together, adjust accordingly.

If you are going to keep your sets separate, sort your cards by set before continuing.

To get started, separate your rare and mythic rare cards from the rest. These will be going into the card sleeves in the binders. Sort as following: (1)By set. (2) Then by card number, (3) Place foils with regular cards. Place the cards in the card sleeves in that order. Place foils on top of regular cards so that they are the card you see. Do not place cards front to back. One card per slot. Continue until all are in the sleeves.

Rares/Mythics in Binder

Next step, sort out your land and token cards. Include "special" lands such as Drowned Catacombs or Glimmerpost.

If you wish to keep your token cards, sort those by type and set aside. Sort out the regular lands (e.g. swamp, island) from the special lands. Sort the regular lands by type and the special lands by card name. Place the lands in card boxes using the index cards to create dividers between types. Place token cards behind lands.

Lands and Tokens

Now you're ready for the time-consuming part. To begin sorting your common and uncommon cards separate them by color (blue, white, green, black, red, colorless). You will then sort each color one at a time. 

Commons/Uncommons by Mana Color

Cards within the same color will be sorted by mana cost. This is easiest to do with colorless cards. Sort them just by the number. 

Colorless Cards by Mana Cost

For colored cards, it becomes slightly more challenging. Sort first by total mana cost. 

Blue Commons/Uncommons sorted by total mana cost

Then you will sort from the most specific cost to the least specific. For example (b) (b) will go before (1) (b). In the same way, (2)(b) will go after (1)(b)(b). 

Blue Commons/Uncommons by Specific Mana Cost

Cards with variable mana cost (x)(w) will go after the cards with a set mana cost. See the picture below for a better example. 

Cards with variable mana costs to go after other cards of the same color.

New Phyrexia provided a new challenge to mana-based sorting with the new game mechanics. I decided to sort the cards with the Phyrexia symbol in the mana cost after the cards with the original mana costs within the same color. For example, after finishing the regular red cards in the manner listed above, I would then start with the Phyrexian mana cost cards in the same way behind the regular red ones. Refer to the next picture for more information.

Red Cards with New Phyrexian Mana Mechanism

Once cards are sorted by mana cost, sort them alphabetically. Then, if you are including your foil cards, place them either at the front or the back of that particular card. If you are combining sets, sort the card by set within its place in the larger sort.

What if all the cards of one color won't fit in one box? Continue into the next. Use paper dividers to make where each color begins. If you have a lot of boxes, write the number of the box on the bottom in pencil.

Multiple boxes numbered to keep in order

You should now be able to find specific cards as well as cards to fit a need in any deck!

I think that's it. If there's anything I've left out, and situation I haven't answered, please leave a comment or e-mail. Don't hesitate to ask questions either!

Gamer Girl MTG Deck of the Month: PMS

So... here's my plan. Once a month I will post a Magic the Gathering Deck that is made for female casual players (aka girls who want to play with their guys). Here's January's deck: Pussycat Must Survive (PMS)

20 Plains
3 Ajani Goldmane
4 Ajani's Pridemate
4 Ajani's Mantra
2 Kemba, Kha Regent
4 Kemba's Skyguard
3 Leonin Arbiter
4 Abuna Acolyte
4 Silvercoat Lion
2 Sword of Body and Mind
3 Pacifism
4 Solemn Offering
2 Silence
3 Soul Parry
4 Seize the Initiative

Side board:
4 Revoke Existence
4 Whitesun's Passage
4 Condemn


(Note: Links have been set to take you to the Amazon page for the above cards. You might be able to find them cheaper on ebay or through trades/sales at your local shops.)

This deck was inspired by Kathleen from Loading Ready Run (here). The group did a video about Magic the Gathering where Kathleen wins with the "Angry Kitty" deck. I decided I wanted to make a kitty deck too, especially after finding out that Kathleen's wasn't legal for tournament play. :( So, I made this deck, and yes, the husband made some suggestions. All the creatures are cat creatures. In play-testing the deck, Philip joked about it being the Cats-Must-Survive deck. This then evolved into the PMS deck: Pussycat Must Survive! Now, I don't promise great results from this deck, but it's a ton of fun to play, and that's what matters to me.

For next month I'm going to work on the Sexy Vampires Don't Sparkle deck. See you then!