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So, as a magic player myself, my group and I talk a lot about getting more people into Magic and inviting them to join us. We get excited about a new set, send a friend pictures of cards featuring their favorite characters, and tell them they should come play sometime. Hasbro themselves has even made specific efforts to pull in people other fandoms via the Universes Beyond sets. I suppose both they (and we) figure that with enough persistence and evidence of linked interests, they’ll give in eventually and give it a try…
And then, eventually, they do.
Now what?
For someone who’s been playing for a while, sitting down for a game might be the easiest part of the night. You know your deck. You know the people. You probably already know which person is going to say their deck “isn’t that strong” before becoming everybody’s problem, and you know exactly what buttons to press to throw someone off their game or create an unexpected alliance.
A new player is still figuring all of that out. They might be wondering where to sit, whether they brought the right things, or how many questions they can ask before someone gets annoyed (the answer is 42).
I’ve written before about how much it helps to have an “anchor person” when a social situation feels overwhelming. A friendly/familiar face. Someone you can check in with when you’re not quite sure what to do next. For someone new to a game (especially if they’re also new to the group), they may not have that person starting out.
But each one of us always has the opportunity to be that person for someone else. Here are few suggestions to help.
1. Make the invitation easy to accept.
“You should come play sometime” is a nice low-commitment start, but it leaves a lot for someone to figure out.
Assuming they show interest, try giving them a little more:
“Some friends and I are playing Saturday around six. It’s casual, I’ve got a deck you can borrow, and we can walk through a game together first to get you acquainted.”
Now they know when to show up, what to expect, and that they don’t have homework before they’re allowed to join us.
If you’re meeting at a game store or a place they haven’t been before, offer to meet them at the entrance. Walking into a room where everybody seems to know everybody else can be its own challenge. Having someone wave you over helps.
And once they get there? Introduce them. Give them names and something to join the conversation with. Inside jokes can wait long enough for everyone to learn who’s sitting across from them. After that, give them a chance to find their space, but check in periodically.
2. Have something ready for them to play.
If you’ve offered to lend someone a deck, have it ready before they arrive.
Preferably one you can explain without needing twenty minutes and a diagram.
A useful starting point is being able to tell them what the deck wants to do in a sentence or two. “You’re building up a bunch of creatures and attacking with them” gives someone a direction while they’re still learning what their cards mean.
If you want a dedicated teaching setup, the Magic: The Gathering Foundations Beginner Box (paid link) includes two guided tutorial decks and additional themed packets to mix and match once you’ve learned the basics. It gives you a way to sit down together and walk through those first games. If the plan is to join your regular Commander group, have a suitable Commander deck ready to lend as well. For that, the Commander Foundations Decks (paid link) also give a good… foundation.
Of course, if you already have suitable decks to lend, you’re ready.
Let them choose between a couple of options, too. Maybe they like dragons. Maybe they like the artwork. Maybe one deck just looks more fun.
That’s a perfectly good place to start.
3. Leave room for them to learn—and make decisions.
Magic gives us a lot to explain. The temptation is to explain all of it immediately. Don’t.
I understand the impulse. We’re excited! We want them to understand why this game has occupied so much of our time, money, and available shelf space, and some of us are just really interested in the niche rule interpretations or linguistic implications (nerds. <3)
But they probably don’t need the full history of your favorite combo before they’ve taken their first turn.
Explain what they need for the decision in front of them. Give them time to look at their cards. And before offering advice, try asking:
“Want a suggestion, or do you want to try something?”
Sometimes they’ll want help. Sometimes they’ll want to see what happens.
Let them.
For a casual teaching game, agree beforehand on how you’ll handle reminders and take-backs. That makes it easier to ask for help without wondering whether they’re doing something wrong by asking.
Also, if three experienced players are explaining the same rule at once, somebody needs to pause. Being helpful gets a little less helpful when it becomes surround sound.
4. Take care of the little practical things.
Have a way to track life. Bring the tokens your loaner deck needs. Keep a few spare six-sided dice available if your decks use counters. A set of Chessex 16mm six-sided dice (paid link) can cover that job, or you can bring extras you already own.
Those are small things to prepare, but they save someone from having to interrupt the game every few minutes to ask for another supply.
If you’re giving a new player some cards to take home, spare sleeves and a basic deck box can be a thoughtful addition. If you need to pick up sleeves, Dragon Shield Matte Black sleeves (paid link) come in a standard-size pack of 100 that fits Magic cards. Use what you already have if you can.
Keep it simple. They have plenty of time to develop strong opinions about deck boxes later. The rest of us certainly managed it.
The useful message here is: “We thought about you coming, and we’ve got things ready.”
5. Give them a reason to come back.
The end of the game matters, too.
Ask what they enjoyed. Maybe they loved a particular creature. Maybe they liked figuring out an interaction. Maybe they’re still confused, but they had a good time hanging out.
You don’t need to turn it into a performance review.
And if they made a cool play, say so. Be specific. Having someone notice a decision you made can feel pretty good when you’ve spent most of the game wondering whether you understand anything.
Then make the next invitation.
“We’re doing this again next week if you’d like to join us.”
If your group uses a chat to arrange games, ask whether they’d like to be added. Give them a clear way to stay involved.
Their first game might be messy. They might forget something you explained two turns ago. They might need a break, or decide a different kind of Magic sounds more appealing.
That’s okay.
We all had a first game. Someone had to explain things to us, too.
If you’ve ever been the nervous person hovering near a table, you probably remember the relief of someone looking up and saying, “Hey, want to join us?”
We can do that for somebody.
So, pull up a chair. Learn their name. Help them get started.
Consider this:
What made you feel welcome when you first started playing—and what could you try to do for someone new?