MTG Newbie Trying T1

[PATB]

I started playing MTG on and off about a year ago, playing sealed games (FNM, Pre-release).  I would like to start playing constructed but don't like to keep changing decks, so I am looking into playing T1.  I am also too old for the T2 folks!    

Anyways, I am thinking of building a POX deck as it seems reasonably cheap and suits my style of play (I love black mail, chain of smog, and unburden in Onslaught limited!).  My only concern is that I am not very familiar with cards older than Onslaught, so I have some questions.  Are there MTG newbies in T1 tournaments?  Am I better off playing T2 constructed for a while before trying T1?  Is POX competitive enough if I do my part (I don't need to win tournaments, I just don't want to be massacred all the time)?

I live near Matchplay in Mountain View, California, so I am thinking of trying out the monthly T1 tournaments there.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[TomX]

If you've been playing Sealed Games for 1 year you should have some good techniques/skills, so I think you will have the playing ability to compete with some players, so T1 is not out of your reach in that aspect.

But I do not think Pox is a viable deck is T1, I think it's too slow is most cards are dead against some decks. For budget theres nothing better than Suicide Black (Chalice or not) or Gay Fish. Although I think the Elf deck in the Budget forum is excellent it scoops to many cards in common decks.

Good Luck

[skecreatoR]

If you like offensive, build "the-only-viable-budget-deck" Food Chain Goblins. Vegetta2117 (Or something) made a beautiful primer so if you read that, get the cards you should be able to even win a few tournaments if your skills and luck is up to it.

[Dr. Sylvan]

Depending on how much you want to spend, Type 2 might be better initially. T2 Constructed (at FNMs and such) will let you understand Constructed and some of the arcane rules issues that seem to pop up more often than in Limited. If you like the pace of sealed deck, I'll be honest, Type One might not be your thing. We play fast and furious, with a lot of mana acceleration and big effects early in the game. TMD is full of people who think it's incredibly fun (why else would we be here?), but it's not for everyone. You can proxy up some decks with a sharpie and some worthless commons from Limited, and try it out (make sure you and your partner learn the specific cards that are in the decks first; you can find all the cards' pictures and text at www.cardkingdom.com).

Here is a set of decklists for most of the good decks in Type One right now. I'm not sure what would be best for someone who's not that experienced, but you could try playing SuperGro vs. Stacker to get a feel for it, and please post rules questions if the people you play with can't figure it out.

If you're going to play Type One, there is a discussion of UG Madness here, and the primer for Food Chain Goblins (FCG) is here. These are the two best decks for budget players. (Fish is also good, but these are my preferences.)

Good luck, and please ask questions. Newbies who can spell are always welcome!

[raziel]

PATB -  Come over to C&J on Thursday nights 6:30pm every week there's a sanctioned event. Players and decks of all levels are there. The store has singles for sale, the people are friendly and helpful.
 
C & J Collectables
(510) 796-5790  
5454 Central Ave # C
Newark, CA

[PATB]

Thanks Raziel.  I thought about the earlier advice and ended up getting together a Ravager Affinity deck for T2.  I also just found out that Matchplay (which is minutes from my house) stopped holding the monthly T1 tournaments.  

Anyways, I still would like to try T1 so I am going to check out how to convert the Ravager deck to T1 to get my feet wet. See you at C&J once I get my deck together (I may have to get T1 singles from them too).

----Pat