Summary
When you have a favoriteMagic: The Gatheringdeck, you’ll eventually want to give it a few upgrades. You can do that with some fancy card choices, a few custom additions, and maybe some unique twists to help your deck stand out.
If you’re struggling for some inspiration then look no further, we have gathered some of the best ways you can give your deck a little extra something to help it stand out from the rest at the table. Not every option is going to be viable, but there are some great things you can still do to give your decks a bit of an upgrade.
5Pick Your Favorite Lands
The Budget-Friendly Option
One of the easiest things you can do to give your deck some synergy is to do something a little different with your lands. This can looklike picking just one artist, or even just one land from that single artist to give your deck a uniform look. If you’re in a multicolored deck you can still do this, but just know that the number of basic lands you’re running is going to go more downhill with the more colors you run.
If you don’t mind spending a little extra cash, you can go with a theme, like running all full-art lands, or snow-covered lands. If you’re okay with dishing out some more money, you can go with the Guru lands, a series of promo lands that were given out for a limited time around the early 2000s. These lands run for around $500 per land thanks to their rarity, so make sure you’re good with that before getting your hopes set on them.
4Snag Some Foils And Promos
It Can Start To Get Pricey
Most of the time, foils are worth a good bit more than the regular printing, which is fair given their rarity and fancy designs. They are also a surefire way to give your decks some impressive upgrades with very little extra work.
The nice thing about foils and promo cards is that a good number of them aren’t worth that much more than the original version thanks to a few factors. For a common card, the foil likely isn’t going to be too much more. A $0.10 common is likely only going to be around $0.50 for the foil version, at least for the more modern foil cards.
For an extra little bonus, you can start collecting cards in foreign languages as well to a little extra pizzazz.
Once you get a little older in your sets, foils can climb dramatically, even for common and uncommon cards, especially if not as much of the set was printed. Dipping into alternate art and variants can dramatically increase the price of the cards as well, so keep that in mind while pricing your deck out.
3Find Your Favorite Secret Lair
There Are A Lot To Pick From
Giving your deck a fancy little upgrade can be as easy as taking a quick peek through the 1,700+ cards Magic: The Gathering hasreleased through their Secret Lair drops. These are limited-time collections you may purchase that generally come with four or five cards following a specific theme.
You can have some drops centered around a specific artist, some with cards picked to fit a certain theme, or others that are based on a different movie, video game, or entertainment property.
While not every card has received the Secret Lair treatment, there are tons to pick from, with plenty of Commanders among them if you want to show off a little.
2Get Your Cards Signed
What’s In A Name?
A fantastic way to spice up your cards with something unique is to get themsigned by the artist who originally illustrated the card. Artists are often at conventions and tournaments, signing cards for a small fee.
Depending on the artists, they might do a little extra, like using different colored pens, drawing little pictures, or adding a little note. The more unique your signature, the more you’re able to show off your exclusive cards.
Keep in mind that getting a card signed is defacing the card, so often times you won’t be able to sell the card should you decide you no longer need or want it. Plus, a card should keep its picture intact so players can recognize the card throughout the game.
1Support An Artist With An Altered Card
Perhaps the most unique way to take your deck to the next level is to get your favorite cards altered by an artist. A common alter is getting the border extended to give a more unique feel, though as Magic releases more promo cards, there is a high chance your card already has an extended border out there.
Another popular card alter technique is changing the card to another thing entirely. You could take a Commander card for example, and turn it into a popular television show character, or to change the pose of the character in the art.
Getting a card altered often takes time and can be fairly expensive to commission, but you get to support an artist which is a great thing to do. Much like getting a signature for a card, getting one altered is likely going to highly damage the card, generally removing all value from it.
Perhaps more importantly, an altered card will likely be unable to be played in a deck during a tournament. If you’re uncertain, you’re able to always ask a judge at whatever tournament you’re competing in to ensure they’re comfortable with allowing them.
