So, you’re looking at getting into trading cards, are you?
I get you. I, too, have recently fallen victim to the rush of opening packs, eagerly awaiting the next shiny card to give me a small rush of much-needed dopamine.
For those who don’t know, trading card games (TCGs) are a genre of card games that combine strategic deck building with collectible and tradable cards. You’ll match against another player who has their own deck of cards from the same game, and whoever can deplete the life points of the other player first wins.
TCGs have seen a recent resurgence, with many diving into the hobby. With our yearning to get offline and back into IRL spaces, it makes sense that TCGs have been a go-to for many.
I’ve only recently picked up the hobby after spending too much time opening packs in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Two free packs a day weren’t enough, apparently. Eventually, I was dragged into trying Magic: The Gathering and I’ve been addicted ever since. Yes, games can last up to hours at a time, but man, nothing beats clutching a win after pulling the perfect card at the most desperate moment.
If you’re looking to get into the hobby yourself, here are my tips (as a recent newbie) to help you get started and stick with it.
Pick the right game for you
The first thing you’ll wanna do is decide on what card game appeals to you.
TCGs can be dense (and pricey), so you’ll want to find one that you’ll stick with before ripping packs.
If you’re a fan of the original Pokémon games, the Pokémon Card Game is an obvious start, as we all grew up with it.
The card game carries over similar mechanics from the console games. Series staples like evolving and type matchups are prevalent here and are pretty unique to the game. Another fun fact is that Pokémon cards are actually more popular than the video games (a fact that blew my mind).
Magic: The Gathering is also one of the oldest and largest card games out there, so it can feel overwhelming to get into. But worry not — there are plenty of ways to ease into it.
Magic: The Gathering frequently collaborates with brands to release special, unique decks. These have included Fallout, Assassin’s Creed and even Doctor Who. This year, the brand is collaborating with Final Fantasy to release special themed decks in June. So, if you’re a fan of any of the games, you can now collect a bunch of cards with your favourite characters from the franchise.
Lorcana is another trading card game quickly gaining notoriety, but it plays slightly differently than the other two. The game is Disney’s main attempt at creating a card game with various characters from its catalogue. Lorcana also steers away from ‘combat’, letting players create stories and use cards as ink to write a story (which is just a nice way of saying blood, let’s be honest). Matches are also much faster than Magic or Pokémon, lasting under 30 minutes.
It’s relatively new, so you don’t have to worry about the immense power creep propped up in Magic or Pokémon in the past few years.
Thankfully, most TCGs share similar core mechanics, so learning one game makes it easier to pick up others. If you find that you’re not vibing with one as much, it isn’t too hard to dive into another.
Learn the basics
You don’t wanna be a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck.
After buying your deck, it’s worth getting some practice in. Thankfully, there are a bunch of tools and resources out there that can help you before you sit across from another player.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket and Magic: The Gathering Arena are fantastic free apps replicating the IRL game. You’ll be given free cards and can take on various tutorials to learn the ins and outs of the game. Even better, it’ll be up against bots, so you don’t have to embarrass yourself in front of strangers.
Magic: The Gathering also released a Foundations series last year, serving as a learning pack for new players. This box comes with an already sorted deck and a player manual, which also has a script written for the first few turns of the game.
This script outlines every rule in the game. With your pre-shuffled deck, this tutorial will take you through which cards you’ll be drawing so you can read what it does and how to play them. Magic has a pretty steep learning curve, so this player tutorial honestly is a neat way to learn on the go without spending hours combing over instructions.
In saying that, there are an abundance of helpful and engaging online resources out there that’ll explain the rules of the game, help you build decks, and learn strategies. Websites like Pokémon TCG Learn To Play and the r/magicTCG subreddit helped me a tonne when starting out, so I would recommend starting there.
Ultimately, not knowing how certain decks play or things work is part of the community experience. Think back to Yu-Gi-Oh, where half the duels in the series involved characters saying, “What the hell kind of card is that?” Then someone would go on a dramatic rant and explain why it’s bullshit.
That’s precisely how card games work. You get baffled by some card, your opponent explains it like a villain laying out their master gambit. Then you also pull a stupid card and get to explain why it’s broken. And the back and forth ensues.
So, in short, you should never feel silly for needing to have things explained to you. Most card game players love explaining their decks and what they do, so you’re honestly doing them a favour.
Find people to play with
Now for the hard part — finding people to play with.
Thankfully, there are tonnes of places you can find people to play with. So, no need to guilt your friends into playing with you.
Most trading card game stores offer tables for people to play on. You’ll want to double-check, though, as some game stores charge an hourly rate or only offer free nights on select days.
Plenty of Games in Melbourne, for example, offers free tables and themed nights around different trading card games, letting people drop in and run a few matches with others.
Fortress also has Magic: The Gathering nights, letting guests drop in and play for free and even loans out decks on the night to use. Staff will also teach you the basics so you’re not left hanging.
And there you have it, everything you need to know before diving into any TCG. In all honesty, the best thing you can do is buy a deck that looks pretty to you, show up at a card game store and play. The community is very warm and welcoming, and always down to help guide new players through the learning curve. Plus, having people teach you is a neat icebreaker.
Best of luck to you all and to anyone trying to grab a Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering deck on launch without filing for bankruptcy (I will throw hands for the Y’shtola deck at this point).
Image credit: John Keeble / Getty Images
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