I have been playing magic for 4 month now and i bought the counter surge deck and played it on fnm and it was the most fun i have ever had in my life (maybe not true but it was fun)
But why would they? While this review is an A, many others advise customer not to buy products, or are critical of the company's decisions. I'm honestly amazed I get spoiler cards (and it took 2.5 years for THAT to happen)
To me, it's just like when a movie or a video game doesn't allow reviewers to see their product until the day of release. It tells me that WotC has an incredible lack of faith in their own products. Though, considering the kinds of things that WotC usually puts out, maybe that's justified somewhat :P
The command zone is supported. I feel like they care more about different formats. Since WotC would rather have us watch the actual official WotC MTG channel itself.
madhatten00 at the end of the day Wizards is a business trying to make a profit. I love Prof's videos, but if they were to support him he wouldn't be able to be critical of their at times predatory and unfair products. And if you think about it, simply by existing, Wizards provides the Professor with a large portion of his livelihood.
Game Knights is sponsored because it functions as an advertising space for WOTC. Yes, you can argue the merits of their content up and down, and make this or that claim about selling out or whatever, but the reason WOTC sponsors Game Knights is that it gets views and *doesn't* express critical or downright negative opinions about their products, like Prof does sometimes. I don't know off the top of my head, but does WOTC actually sponsor The Command Zone podcast, or is it just Game Knights? Because there is definitely more "opinion" (granted it is generally tempered, and positive) in TCZ podcasts than on GK. That isn't to say that Profs content is controversial or unreasonable, but why would a company whose goal is to sell a product sponsor content that 50% of the time is telling people "don't buy this".
I've bought all 4 for £90. I plan on sleeving all 4 then leaving them in my locker at my LGS so if people need a deck to play, they have a high powered deck to borrow
I had a kid from church I've been trying to teach the basics of deck construction, and it's been tough. But last night, I gave him Vehicle Rush, and he's ecstatic! This is the perfect product for him. I know it's early, but I think this may even have unseated Wizards' EDH decks as my favorite product that they make. These are just so fun and so well made, and they are the perfect level of quality and complexity for new players while still being good for more established players wanting into Standard.
Wizards really did awesome with these and I think they are my favorite product they've ever released. And hey, that's really cool of you to be helping new players.
The reason why is the challeger decks have to be ordered in sets. If you price them all at the same price you end up with lots of stock of the unpopular ones so you price them so they sell at similar rates.
I would love for WoTC to continue Challenger Decks. My LGS did an FNM where everybody bought one to play and it went over super amazingly. I think these decks are great!
i honestly hope they do, the idea is both very appealing and, for the most part, cost effective. i picked up the vehicle deck recently, just haven't had a chance to test it out yet.
As someone who used to play Yugioh (Magic’s drunken stepchild), that wants to get into MTG. This video gave me exactly what I needed, something to buy I can actually play at locals. I am new to magic, but I’m not new to card games or mechanics so your explanation of this has sold me on it! Also in general I’m glad I found your channel, as I’ve been teaching myself on the mobile app before I buy real comp decks, your channel has been amazingly helpful! Especially that you explain what person each video is for. Thank you so much Professor!!!
I got my Hazoret deck! I had to go to Target early though, because most places were up charging about $10 specifically for Hazoret Aggro, which kinda irritates me. But I got the last one at Target for MSRP so I'm happy. Just in time for my birthday!
This is the best product Wizards has come out with in a loooooong time. I really enjoyed making a review video myself, because there are just so many positives for these things, and I hope Wizards continues with them into the future! It seems you have similar feelings on them Prof! Nice vid! Edit: I'd just have to disagree on the financial piece not being a crucial element of these being so successful and player friendly. No one outside of Wizards could produce a deck with this power level, with this price. This means players get a great deal and the LGS/store still can make money on them. This is the first time Wizards has really gone above and beyond to make the product competitive while walking that fine line of value vs. price. I think they did it very well with these decks, and I look forward to them continuing this trend!
Professor seems more excited and enthusiastic in this video than he has been in awhile. I think I may try taking these decks post-rotation, on sale to do the Battle Box idea.
I played magic 12 years ago when I was a kid and now I've come back because this decks are affordable, not expensive and competitive and I am very happy of buying 2 of them and playing store tournaments putting a fight against good decks. I think this has been a very good aproach by Wizards of the Coast and I am very happy about it.
This guide helped me get a ready to play MTG deck right out the box. Thank you for making this video. I even stood a chance and won against my friend who've been playing MTG for years.
Actually counter surge did some what make into the top 8 it's called sultai constrictor. The difference being that the top 8 is tri-colored(green/black/blue) and quite some expensive cards missing.
I am very much coming into Magic from scratch. I played a challenge deck in the local 8-person tourney and won 2 lost 1 match. They were close, there was luck involved, the winner was clearly a stronger more consistent deck, but I did beat someone else running nearly identical deck. Not a lot of up front cost for something useable and something I could see tweaking. I very much appreciated being able to ease in with something I owned. The local store is super friendly and happy to loan decks. But it is nice to learn on something you own. I actually bought 2 and played them against each other solo a few times just to get a feel for it and learning the new mechanics and when to hold on to things, when to bait, etc. I'm a bit sad to learn that they will be rotated out in a couple months but $35 for playing a month is also very good up front value vs $500 for a competitive modern deck. I can see where fully upgrading the deck every 6 months would be expensive, but having a place to start is a big leg up.
I rather like hearing your criticism, positive or otherwise The fact is you lay it all on the table, all the relevant points that should be pointed out and what they all entail You are, for lack of a better term, an honest voice who really cares about the members of the Magic community and the company itself I'm rooting for you, Prof! Keep up the good work
I played Magic from 1996 (Mirage) until Judgment (2002). Thanks to your amazing review, I'm going to buy some Challenger decks to see if I can get back into Magic.
Post-rotation battle box sounds like a perfect time for me to pick up these and future challenger decks. Will be fun to see how different starter Standard decks play against each other over the years.
One of the guys in my LGS that's been playing for longer than i've been alive (probably) doesn't really play standard at all, he plays vintage and 93/94 etc, but on the morning of our store champs he rang up the owner to say he was gonna swing in and was wondering if anyone had a spare deck, no one did so he picked up the vehicle rush deck and he played the thing unsleeved and ended up in top 4 beating out full upgraded vehicles deck, ram red and u/w decks, it was crazy and really stands out as a great testament to the product
Last weekend's Store Championship at my local store the Mardu Vehicles deck made the top 8. Even though I myself will probably still continue to build my own decks and buy the singles for those, I'd love to see this product to continue. More players equals more Magic.
One of my biggest concern's with these decks was rotation. However your suggestion to build a battle box was one I hadn't considered and is making me consider buying one of each.
Bought all four, hoping they continue down this path. These decks being announced filled me with excitement. Now all I need is some confidence to actually go and play Magic in person for the first time ever.
These videos help out a lot when trying to find info on older decks for casual games. Happy to get a frame of reference on vehicle rush, just ordered it. Looks really nice.
Bought the countersurge deck last weekend, as my first deck, and I have been having a blast playing against my friends. My only issue now is trying to keep school in mind when Magic is so much fun
This video got me into Magic. I just found three of these sealed two weeks ago and snapped them up. I traded away most of my original ones but this was the funnest Magic ever was, those first few months when it was all new. All four decks are so balanced and make for a great night with friends. It’s so funny looking back at how awesome I thought these cards were and how much I paid for a few upgrades (rekindling Phoenix hello). Chandra torch of defiance is still my favorite card. Good shit.
YES!!! I am a fairly experienced mtg player and I have been looking for a way to buy some good cards and I have been watching a TON of your videos to try to find a decent buy and this is PERFECT. Im going to buy this asap
It was hilarious to find out WotC has basically blindsided you, The Professor, from early reviews because you're probably one of the few highly intelligent AND highly principled reviewers of MTG products. It's not craziness, it's good honest product research, which is not always good for business. Not that you need to hear it, but keep it up! You have absolutely earned your audience's trust.
These sets are amazing, Two NEW/Returning players turned up to our store championship and they both were sat on the top table at the end of the day with Approach and Red. They were both super happy and I was happy to see some new faces in the LGS. Wizards hit the button with this one! As soon as I can get hold of and afford these decks I will be making a battle box so I can play nostalgia down the line! :)
Hey man, I enjoy magic and tend to do so on a budget. I just wanted to say thank you for breaking down the playability of these decks. I love these "Are they worth it" videos. Keep up the good work
DarKorp United Even better, we’re kinda getting a Return to Return to Return to Ravnica next year, though I suppose it’s more like a Return to Return to Ravnica Part II.
Thank you for making this video! I've always wanted to try and play the standard format but I'm not confident in my deck building skills, but because of your video I now want to pick up one of these decks and go compete. Thank you!
Off topic: PLEASE bring back „At the Multiverse“! Literature criticism of Magic story on an elevated intellectual level was something you can‘t enjoy anywhere else. I LOVED those videos
Thanks professor for the useful info and great great videos. I love you soooo much. I built my own deck and have played with it for a while I'm definatley gonna pick up one of these once I have saved enough and am gonna start playing at FNM at my great LGS "The Battle Bunker".
It's good to hear that MTG finally figured out how to make event/challenger/planeswalker/intro/whatever decks viable in the average FNM tournament. This is proof the MTG has the interest of the average player at heart in their choices, and that given time, they will learn from their mistakes. I think that's a testament that the tried-and-true players of MTG need to keep in mind. MTG is going through some changes right now, particularly in story, and people should be patient while MTG figures out exactly what they need to do and where they need to go.
Bought Second Sun in anticipation of Teferi Control, and have no regrets. With two Azcantas of my own through dumb luck in draft, I don't even need to invest to make ot better. The Hazoret deck needed work, but I love how well this control deck came together, and as a veteran, I found new lines for cards that I'd never considered before.
Thank you for the video. I just attended Pax East and attended a New Player seminar there. Really enjoyed it. Was this _ close to buying a planeswalker deck there and goofing around, but didn't. Came home and did more research, saw these decks coming out literally the very same day I was looking up information. They're very hard to find, was able to buy one off eBay (here's hoping it's real....they have like 100000+ positive feedback so hopefully so, lol) and I'll be hoping to attend FNM tomorrow in my hometown to play. I'll probably lose, but I'll have a legal deck for Standard!
I got my red deck and it's amazing. Once rotation happens, I'll have to see what it does as a modern deck and I won't even have to make changes because it's already a wonderful deck.
Nice, i wanna play some magic again and can get all of those decks for 60 Dollars, so I am gonna get them and have some fun relearning magic with friends, without any of them having to buy cards themselfes.
I began playing right before Ixalan was released. I wanted to get into standard, so I picked the Hazoret aggro deck on the day of release. This friday I tried it out at FNM and, while I didn't do amazingly well, I did manage to win a match, something that I had never done before when I drafted at FNM. Great video!
Prof, I rarely buy Magic products that don't have your approval. Therefore, it makes me rather jubilant that you approved these because they looked bloody fantastic for a dunce like me to start playing Standard. Keep up the excellent work!!
I think these are a great buy for new players, especially for someone who may want to play modern over standard, these decks give them a feel for what a competitive deck looks like (even though standard is far different, the thought behind building is the same) and open the door to having an idea of how to build in any format.
i was on the fence for quite some time, but after actually looking at the deck list, not only did this allow me to grab a quick deck for play, but some of the cards in them were ones i had already been pondering for the sake of my personalized decks, so this put put me a couple steps ahead with a quick swap of the sleeves!
I've been out of standard since pre release of khans of tarkir. And I picked up the approach the second sun deck and immediately played it against a Mardu vehicles deck. We only had time for the one game but I was surprised at how well the pre constructed deck handled itself. And I wholeheartedly agree that it's incredible to finally have a pre con purchase and be able to play as soon as it's shuffled.
We owe that kind of product to the constructive criticism Wizards has had from you and many others over the years. Thank you so much for being the biggest voice in this community, Professor.
I recently bought the Counter Surge pack and played a few games at my lgs. It was really fun, even though I mostly lost. This deck honestly does give you a chance at winning, but it is also clearly incomplete. A turn 4 Gearhulk is a serious threat even against top tier decks, but the removal is not great, and the nonbasic lands are only about 50% of what you want to end up with. However, Constrictor+Glint+Rishkar+Hulk is a very solid core, and even the singletons of Fatal Push and Ballista mean that you will occasionally have a nearly unstoppable hand. You will lose more often than not because of inconsistency and weak removal, but the deck gives you a solid taste of what could be. I would definitely be willing to buy a few of these, just to have a cheap way to try out different archetypes. I would also recommend them to anyone that wants to try out competitive play and/or a certain archetype, without committing a lot of money. Finally, I just want to add that you are doing good things here. I haven't played Magic (outside of the Planeswalker games) since the 90's, and this channel is greatly responsible for my renewed interest. Thank you, and please keep up the good work.
I fully support this kind of thing in standard. Up until about a month ago, I almost never had anyone to play standard with at my LGS, but now I see more people coming in specifically for standard since it's much more affordable to get into. I hope these stick around, and I would gladly pick up one myself after this next rotation!
Almost 2 and a half years later and I still can't believe they actually printed these. They had so much value, and I'm not talking financial value, but fun and competitive value for the time. These really were playable and competitive out of the box in a standard FNM event.
I saw a guy looking at those decks and got everyone of em i thought he was crazy that it was just another poorly made deck and had no use but seeing this video i can't wait to see it back in newer sets
IMHO, this is the best MTG product line ever released. They form a competitive gauntlet that resemble Commander product releases (and we all know how successful those have been). I hope these sell well and they continue for many years to come.
I haven't decided if I'll buy one yet as a modern and legacy exclusive player. But I think they are one of the best products wotc has ever put out. If the standard scene in my area is revitalized due to these decks' release I will probably pick one up just so if someone wants a game and doesn't have an eternal deck, we can still play. Also because I do want this to continue and supporting it would be a way I could encourage the continuation of the product
I got the Vehicles Rush Deck the other day. And I love it! I know these rotate out of standard but I plan to convert my Mardu Vehicles into a Modern Deck when they rotate. I don't expect it to be top-tier or anything but I'll make it work!
Standard isn't something run at my local store (lack of interest), but seeing that Red Deck wins...*sniff* brings a tear to my eye. I remember getting into Magic, starting with mono red, and having a blast with Chandra's Spitfire, Lightning Bolt, Flame Slash, Perilous Myr, Chandra's Outrage, Ember Hauler...ahhhhh, good times, good times. :')
These challenger decks made my friends really excited to play magic again. I plan on getting the vehicle one and possibly the red one if my lgs can even keep them in stock. It's a slam dunk of a product and I love the idea of making a battle box playing against each other in the future. See every year Pokemon makes a similar product with decks with the exact lists of the people who win the World Championships and every year (albeit, they have cards with different backs so you can't play with them at tournaments) I get those decks and have a big collection to break out and see what was going on in that format at that time.
Prof, as an exclusively-EDH player, it is unlikely that I’ll pick up any of these Challenger Decks for Standard. However, I do appreciate that these decks do offer someone like me a good starting point if I do decide to get back into Standard someday, as you have said yourself. In fact, if these were released earlier like around October 2017, I would’ve strongly considered getting myself one. I also like the idea of a Battle Box with these decks, which I didn’t think of before. So yes, I do like Challenger Decks & I do want Wizards to make more of these.
thanks a lot for discussing these. my gf and I really enjoy premade decks simply bc it eliminates losing to a budget etc... and keeps the game light hearted and fun. ill pick them up :D
These are a fantastic product. My LGS was sold out the day of, mostly by my friends. They all tweaked them slightly to make them even more competitive. Anyway, I'm fortunate in having an amazing LGS (Nerd Church in Pocatelo, ID) that only charges MSRP. If you're having trouble finding the decks at your LGS for MSRP, try places like TCGPlayer and StarCityGames.
The last time I played MTG was in 2015. I've always thought of getting back into it for some casual fnm play, but building a deck immediately made me rethink. These Challenge decks are exactly what I needed. Perhaps it's time to get back into the MTG scene :)
I would like to see this product line continue, and I think you are right that they need to work on the timing of their release. I would like to see Challenger Decks come out twice a year. Once in the fall, shortly after standard rotation and once in the spring after standard has been fleshed out further with the current year's set releases.
I hope that they consistently put these out with quality cards so that standard stays affordable. They could even offer upgrade packs of new cards that will slot in like Teferi in the Second Sun deck.
They are stronger in general, they also have more dependability with easy upgrades for less than $15 that make them an entire notch closer to the meta of the day. Additionally, all but Hazoret Aggro have dropped to $20 on tcg player ( I haven’t checked other sites)
Great breakdown. For what it's worth, while you explain quite well why you often focus on "value", I want to add that your approach has always been perfectly sensible. If an event deck costs $X, but I could buy the singles online for less than that, at the same time that the deck doesn't naturally upgrade, that *absolutely* matters. It's not about knowing the value to "make money" off buying the deck. No one operating on a small scale makes money buying and selling magic cards, once you take into account the time investment (which only starts to payoff when you have large economies of scale). But you *have* to consider "value" for the product to be worthwhile. Even if these decks were natural fits for FNM, if they cost $100 but only had $60 worth of cards, then the question of value would absolutely be relevant, because I could just order my own version of the deck at a reduced cost. So please don't worry about complaints about putting too much emphasis on "value" when it comes to product. It's not the only concern, it's just one of many. But any review that didn't consider that in detail would be an incomplete review. I'm also glad you mentioned the issue of rotation. The challenger decks are fantastic, but this is both their biggest flaw, and the notable reason that Wizards was willing to price them so competitively. It's not a fatal flaw, far from it, but I think some excited buyers don't realize that the reason Wizards was willing to do this was the fact that these cards are only legal for ~5 more months.
I really liked the Born of the Gods Event deck "Underworld Herald", It was actually playable at FNM and it reminds me of these new ones challenger decks.
So good to see the Professor happy with a new MtG product that's not Commander for once. It's been a long time coming for a solid Standard deck one can simply pick up and play. Glad Wizards is finally listening! 😎
I bought the Vehicle Rush deck as a joke last FNM and played in Standard (haven't had a deck of my own in a while, usually just borrow cards) and I got 3rd place. It was actually really enjoyable and a pretty coherent deck. Ive actually been talking with some of my friends with extra cards trying to upgrade it to be more like recent Mardu lists, and I'm even going as far as to draft up a stupid Depala EDH deck since I resolving her that much at FNM! I would say this is the greatest product I've seen in a long time from Wizards (excluding Commander stuff maybe, but those are pretty expected as yearly releases where this was a very nice surprise). I hope to see more as a quick, easy, cheap, and fun way to get into FNM each standard season. :)
I mostly bought my Hazoret Aggro deck to harvest missing parts for my EDH deck but I am extremely happy with how the deck would play and if I was going up against another Challenger deck I'd quite happy retrieve those cards temporarily and sit down with the deck. That said, I'd almost prefer this to have been a Fall release so you don't end up with a bunch of cards that are only going to last you 4-6 months. But that obviously has the problem that WotC would have to predict some kind of meta months in advance of Summer and Fall set releases. Something that they aren't particularly good at. Probably because all they do is draft...
Challenger Decks + Dominaria seem to be signs that we might finally be leaving the dark days that were the last couple years of magic. I don't actually play standard, but I might, now.
Up until today, I hadn't played in a MTG tournament (of ANY kind) in about 20 years. Sure, I dabbled with some Duel Decks/Planechase here and there, but nothing organized. I walked in to FNM tonight with the Aggro deck, did ZERO tweaking to it......and went 2-2. Only round 3 was an 0-2 sweep, every other round went to 3 games (including both of my wins). I'll take that kind of a start anyday!
That Battle Box idea sounds like a fantastic idea! Additionally I would like for WOTC to release these every year. Maybe with practice, WOTC can begin releasing them earlier. In order to give players more than 6 months of Legal STD gameplay.
