Entry Point of TCGs
As many have come to realize from me, I really enjoy trading card games. Having collected Pokemon as a kid before moving onto Yu-Gi-Oh & many other card games, I have found myself trying a lot at just thentry level. I also understand the value of a hobby for one’s mental state, and in the case of tcgs social state as well. These games can seem daunting to start, and given the price of some cards I fully understand why. So dear readers allow me to to bring some entry point products for a few of these games.
Let’s start with the big daddy of the scene. So you want to be a planeswalker, cast some spells, summon demons & dragons? Well the best entry into at the minimum learning of the game would honestly be Magic Arena. Now I will say you do loose some of the more social parts of the game, as well as a bit of hand holding, it is a good way to start though. Not putting money into a game is nice for new players, but I would encourage after if you do enjoy going to a local game store (lgs from here on) after. Good products to look into would be the challenger decks if you want to play the 75 card format as these are good ways to get started within the respective formats of standard & pioneer, some with fair notable reprints & well put together list. If the commander format of 100 cards is your thing well then any of the pre constucted (precon from here on) are also a good start, with as many are out & continue to release if there is a play style you enjoy. Good examples for each being well the aptly named Starter Commander 2022 or Pioneer Challenger decks. With key reprints like shocklands, well built strategies, and ease of entry of price I recommend. Other products to look into after if the enjoyment is still there would be booster boxes, then after having a bit a collection & understanding singles would be the way. Some notable content creators would be The Professor of Tolarian Community College, Mitch of Commanders Quarters, the guys over at Starcity Games, and the teams that make up the MTG Gold Fish Command Zone & Loading Ready Run.
Well not as old as Pokemon (we’ll get to in a moment) the next game with ease of access on the list is Yu-Gi-Oh. While Pokemon has video game entry better with its anime being a straight point into the game series, Yu-Gi-Oh does the same with its. So many are familiar with the tale of Egyptian Pharaohs & memes of card games on motorcycles, it is honestly a lot of our start point. The game has only its one real legacy format, but there are a plethora of fan formats that have started seeing recognition such as the fan fave of Goat & Edison. Being able to buy 3 structure decks & being able to have a deck ready to go if just needing some upgrades is so nice, but I will say the price of cards on the secondary market gets rough fast depending on what you want to play & the price of staple cards. One thing the game has going for it is how they treat most reprints, which does make it affordable later down the line. Products to look for being again precons (this will come up a lot) & the yearly reprint sets. Channels I would recommend include MBT Yu-Gi-Oh, Cimoooooooo, Dzeeff, and Team APS.
The game most gamers are familiar with for its video games & trading cards. Now I will be honest I haven’t done much for pokemon outside of collecting, and playing online from time to time. So while looking into it myself & asking people more in the know of the trading card game. This one may honestly be the best to get into. Each product you buy comes with a code for the online client, be it packs, sleeves, or even full decks. Speaking of decks there are many precons of favorite pokemon new & old, some needing upgrades others being fully capable of tournament play out of the box. But the biggest thing I want to point out for this game is the secondary market price. Many of the high tier decks are very affordable with some coming in at 80$ USD, with most of the high price being the collector market. Again this one is I have limited knowledge on but channels I would recommend Leonhart, and the Dojo’s own Drex23 (note Drex23 is a speedrun streamer, but player of the tcg with tournament reports on twitter).
Another game with an anime, coming into its 12th year in the industry, honestly while late to playing this game it has become a favorite of mine. Now to acknowledge that yes reprints are fairly scarce for some cards. That being said the anime for this one is actually a good entry point, as it’s one that goes over the full rules of the game, after which if the interest is there the next step is format. There being 3 formats to Vanguard the legacy format of premium, and the two stand alone formats of V-Series & D-Series. V-Series being the prior standard format it doesn’t see as much attention as it used to, but does see two to three sets of support a year. D-Series on the other hand being the current standard does see a good bit of releases, including precons. These would be the way to go again. Start decks for example are around 5$ USD, trial decks on the other hand being the next step up are slightly better and around 10-15$ USD with some exceptions being that sadly some decks have a lot of hype on release and the price ends up reflecting. After those if the interest is high enough, you guessed it boxes & singles. I’d also like to give an honorable mention to the two current special series stride decks for the standard format, being 50$ roughly each they aren’t the cheapest, but give solid decks with minimal need to upgrade as of yet. So many channels deserve a mention here but to keep it short Differentfight, Good Game Mr Rogers, WCC, Solemn Vanguard, Vanguard Insider, and The Top Deck Heroes.
The final entry on the list, and return of an older game from an anime. Digimon had fallen off as a card game in the west, but following a reboot of the tcg it has returned in style. In the last several months I myself I have played a lot, and I mean a lot of this game, even recruited former MTG teammates to it. The ease of entry for the most part is amazing, only needing two structure with bare minimum upgrading to have viable decks, singles at very affordable prices, and a strong growing community. I can not recommend this one enough. Product to look into if the game is for you would be Beelzemon structure decks a very bang for your buck product, and honestly singles the game is super affordable. Channels to check out being The Egg Man, Card Protagonist, and Avault.
Like I said it is daunting. But very new player friendly with the right resources, lgs, or friend group these games are an amazing time to share with others. So whether you want to planeswalk, be the very best like no one ever was, be a tamer, if you have Brooklyn Rage, or the cheaty power of PSYqualia may you enjoy whichever game you venture into.
