Sort by Color (The Easiest Way)
The biggest mistake a beginner makes is trying to cram too many cards into one deck. The first step is to focus and simplify.
Sort your entire collection into five piles based on their main mana color (look at the colored symbol in the card's casting cost):
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green
Colorless
Artifacts & Lands
Learn What Your Colors Do
Magic is a game of strategy, and each color has a unique personality. Before you pick a deck, you need to know what play style you enjoy.
White
Focuses on small armies, healing, and defense.
Blue
Focuses on drawing cards, flying creatures, and countering your opponent's spells.
Black
Focuses on destroying creatures, forcing opponents to discard cards, and draining life.
Red
Focuses on fast, aggressive creatures and direct damage (burn).
Green
Focuses on massive creatures and quickly generating extra mana ("ramp").
Choose Your Primary 1 or 2 Colors
For your very first deck, we strongly recommend sticking to one or two colors. This ensures you always draw the right type of land (mana) to cast your spells. Three or more colors are a recipe for frustration.
Look at the two colors you have the most cards in.
Choose the one or two that sound the most fun to you.
Gather only the cards from your chosen 1-2 colors, plus all the Basic Lands (Forest, Mountain, Island, etc.) you need. The rest can go back in the box for now!
Build Your 60-Card Engine
In most casual and competitive formats, your deck must be at least 60 cards. For a beginner, 60 is the maximum. This is the secret to consistency—you want to see your best cards as often as possible!
To make a functional deck from your pool of cards, use this simple formula:
| Card Type | Recommended Count |
|---|---|
| Lands (Mana Producers) | 24 |
| Creatures | 24–28 |
| Spells (Non-Creatures) | 8–12 |
| Total | 60 |
Pro Tip: You are allowed up to four copies of any non-Basic Land card. If you have four of a great 2-mana creature in your color, use all four!
Get Playing and Get Better!
You now have a deck! The only way to truly learn is to play. Find a friend, visit a local game store, or try an online simulator.
After a few games, you'll start to notice cards that are powerful and cards that feel useless. This is called Refinement.
Cards to Cut
Cards that sit in your hand because they cost too much mana, or cards that never seem to do anything.
Cards to Keep
Cards that win the game for you or solve your problems. Try to find more copies of these!