What Should I Actually Buy to Start Playing Magic?

September 14, 2026

Most "what should I buy" guides for Magic start with a budget. That is the wrong first question.

The right one is who are you going to play with? Because the answer changes completely depending on whether you have a friend waiting, a local store you want to walk into, or nobody yet and just curiosity.

Here is the right first purchase for each case. If you want to understand how the game itself works first, start with our guide to playing Magic and come back.

Case 1: You have a friend who also wants to learn

Buy two ready-to-play decks. Nothing else.

This is the cleanest start in the whole hobby. Two complete decks, shuffle up, play in ten minutes, no deckbuilding and no collection required.

The efficient version is a Commander deck set of two — a single purchase that gives both of you a finished 100-card deck. You are playing a real format on day one, and both decks can be upgraded slowly over months.

If you would rather pick your own themes, two individual Commander decks works just as well — each person gets the faction they actually like, which matters more than people expect for staying interested.

A Beginner Box, where available, is purpose-built for exactly this: tutorial decks designed to be played against each other, two playmats, and step-by-step guides. If one is in stock it is the gentlest possible on-ramp.

Case 2: You want to play at a local game store

Buy nothing. Go to a Draft night.

We sell sealed product for a living and this is still the advice we give.

At a Draft, you pay an entry fee, everyone opens fresh packs, and you build a deck from what you open. No collection needed. Everyone is on equal footing, nobody can outspend you, and you keep every card you opened. It is the cheapest genuine entry into Magic that exists, and it comes with the thing you actually need most — people to play against.

Go twice before you buy anything. By the third week you will know which colours you like, which format the store runs, and whether you want to keep going. Then buy with that knowledge instead of guessing.

Our formats guide explains what Draft and the other formats actually are.

Case 3: You are curious but have nobody to play with yet

Buy a Jumpstart box, or a Bundle.

Jumpstart is the most underrated product for new players. Each pack is a themed half-deck. Shuffle any two together and you have a playable deck in about thirty seconds — no deckbuilding, no rules knowledge required. A box gives you many packs, so you can hand two to anyone who visits and have a game running immediately. It is the single best product for turning friends into opponents.

A Bundle is the other good answer: nine packs, the basic lands you will need, a promo card and a storage box. It is a relaxed way to see a set, get a feel for the cards, and end up with something to build from.

Case 4: You mostly want to open packs

Completely valid, and worth being honest with yourself about, because it changes the answer.

If opening is the fun part, a Play Booster Box is the best cost per pack — thirty packs of a single set, and enough cards to build decks or run a draft with friends afterwards.

A Draft Night box is the version of this built for a group: twelve packs plus a Collector Booster and all the lands, everything four people need for a draft evening in one purchase. If you have a regular group, this is better value than everyone buying packs separately.

What not to buy first

Four common and expensive mistakes:

A Collector Booster Box. These are premium collector products, not a way to build a playable collection. They cost several times a Play Booster Box and give you far fewer cards. Wonderful if you want the treatments; a poor first purchase if you want to play. We explain the difference in Play Booster vs Collector Booster.
Loose packs, one at a time. Fun, but random packs rarely assemble into a working deck. You can spend a lot and still not be able to play a game.
Expensive singles. Before you know your format and your colours, individual cards are guesswork. Powerful cards are also often illegal in the format you end up choosing.
A whole booster box of an old set you liked the look of. Sets vary enormously in how well they play in isolation. Start with something current.

The accessories you actually need

Very short list, and none of it is urgent on day one:

A way to track life. Dice, paper, or a free phone app. Most Bundles include a spindown die.
Sleeves, once you have a deck you care about. They protect the cards and make shuffling easier.
A deck box. Cheap, and stops your deck living loose in a bag.

A playmat is nice and entirely optional. Skip binders and top-loaders until you actually own something worth protecting.

A rough spending order

Nothing — two Draft nights at a store, or MTG Arena's free tutorial.
One ready-to-play deck, or two if you have a friend.
A Bundle or Jumpstart box to broaden your cards and get others playing.
A Play Booster Box of a set you have decided you like.
Singles, once you know your format and what your deck is missing.

Most people who quit Magic early did step four first.

Get told when preorders open

New sets sell out fastest at preorder. We send one email when a set opens for preorder — nothing else, no newsletter, unsubscribe any time.

Common questions

How much does it cost to start playing properly?
A single ready-to-play deck gets you into a real game. Two decks gets two people playing. Everything past that is optional and paced entirely by you.

Do I need to buy the newest set?
No, but current sets are easier — more people are playing them, stores run events for them, and they are legal in more formats.

Are preconstructed decks any good, or are they just a starter toy?
They are genuinely playable. Commander precons are complete 100-card decks that hold up at most casual tables, and upgrading one gradually is how a large share of Commander players built their deck.

Should I buy singles or packs?
Packs while you are learning and the randomness is fun. Singles once you know exactly what your deck needs — at that point buying the card is always cheaper than chasing it.

Is a crossover set a bad place to start?
Not at all. Universes Beyond sets from 2025 onward are fully legal, ordinary Magic sets. If Marvel or Middle-earth is what gets you interested, that is a perfectly good door in.