You can play Magic: The Gathering at home with a Prerelease Pack by building a 40-card Sealed deck from its boosters, adding basic lands, then playing a normal two-player game. You do not need a prebuilt collection: each player can open one pack and build from those cards. The exact contents change by set, so check the pack for the release you have.
What do you need besides a Prerelease Pack?
For a head-to-head game, each player needs one Prerelease Pack and access to basic lands. You can get the lands from an existing collection or another source; Sealed rules let players add as many basic lands as they need. You will also want a clear way to track life totals. The pack’s spindown die works for this, though any clear tracking method is fine.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Magic: The Gathering Prerelease Kit: MTG Innistrad Midnight Hunt | $52.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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MTG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pre-Release Pack | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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MTG Prerelease Pack : Core Set 2019 (M19) | $40.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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MTG Prerelease Pack : Core Set 2021 (M21) | $53.14 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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MTG Prerelease Pack : Theros: Beyond Death (THB) | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
As a current set-specific example, the Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit Prerelease Pack guide lists six Play Boosters, a Traditional foil promo card, a deck box, and a spindown die. Wizards says the pack is intended for building a 40-card Sealed deck with basic lands. Contents can differ between releases, so do not assume another set’s pack has the same items. Wizards’ The Hobbit Prerelease Guide
How do you build a deck from six booster packs?
- Open the six boosters. The cards in those packs form your Sealed pool. Keep the promo card and any other cards you want to consider with the pool.
- Sort the cards so you can compare them. Group cards by color, and keep multicolor, colorless, and land cards easy to find.
- Choose a coherent set of cards. Favor cards that work together and that you can realistically cast. A practical beginner approach is to focus on the strongest compatible colors in your pool, with a mix of creatures and other spells. The best choices depend on the cards you opened; no single color combination or fixed list is right for every pack.
- Add basic lands and reach 40 cards. Sealed decks must contain at least 40 cards, and you may add any number of basic lands. Add enough lands to give your chosen spells a reasonable chance of being cast. The remaining opened cards are your sideboard; keep them nearby in case you want to review your options between games.
Wizards’ Sealed Deck format rules define the 40-card minimum and the role of the remaining cards. Its Hobbit guide likewise describes building a 40-card deck from the pack with basic lands.
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- Pre-release packs are the perfect way to play sealed with your friends!
How do you set up the game?
- Each player shuffles their deck and places it face down.
- Each player draws seven cards for their opening hand.
- Track both players’ life totals, using the included spindown or another clear method.
- Choose who goes first. The starting player skips their first draw, as described in Wizards’ beginner guide.
How does a turn work?
A turn moves through the beginning phase, first main phase, combat, second main phase, and end step. For a first game, the most important rhythm is: ready your cards, draw, play a land or cast spells, attack if you can, then finish your turn.
- Beginning: Untap your cards, handle any upkeep effects, and draw a card. The player going first skips the draw on their first turn.
- Main phase: You may play one land during your turn. Lands produce mana when tapped, and mana pays for spells. You can cast spells whose costs you can pay.
- Combat: Choose which creatures attack and follow the combat steps below.
- Second main phase and end step: After combat, you get another main phase to play eligible cards or a land if you have not played one yet, then end your turn.
Creatures and other permanent spells remain on the battlefield after resolving. Instants and sorceries resolve, then go to the graveyard. The official How to Play guide explains the turn sequence and basic card play.
Rank #2
- Contents: 6 Magic: The Gathering | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Boosters Each Play Booster contains 14 Magic: The Gathering cards May contain these cards: TMT 1–252; PZA 1–20 1–5 cards o
How does combat work?
- The active player chooses which of their creatures attack and taps those creatures.
- The defending player may assign untapped creatures to block attackers.
- Attacking and blocking creatures deal damage to each other. An unblocked attacker deals damage to the player it attacked.
- A creature with damage equal to or greater than its toughness dies.
Take turns playing lands, casting spells, and attacking until a player’s life total reaches zero. That player loses the game.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 6 Booster Packs and a die
Rank #4
- Contents: 6 Core Set 2021 Draft Boosters Packs, 1 foil promo-stamped rare or mythic rare from Core Set 2021, 1 Spindown life counter, 1 MTG Arena code card
Rank #3
- A return to Magic's past, Core Sets are back!
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