The Duel Decks product line is ending this year, so let's take a look at one of the recent releases that might still be in stores to see whether you might want to grab it while you can.

Duel Decks are designed to give buyers two decks that play well against each other at a price point of around $20. It's a good way to start playing Magic, because they also tend to include some fun mechanics for each deck and re-print a few cards from previous sets. The balance between the two decks is usually pretty well balanced, and gives a lot of interaction between the players. They can also be updated for more balance against a variety of other decks.

The downside is that there usually aren't cards with significant collector value, and the decks aren't legal for the Standard format because they aren't part of recent release sets. If you're new to Magic, the downsides aren't really significant. But that downside is why the Duel Decks line is ending in favor of starter decks that are legal for the Standard format.

But let's see how this particular pair of decks works out.

Mind vs. Might

The red/blue deck featuring a foil Jhoira of the Gitu generates token meat shield chumps to absorb damage while the rest of the deck deals direct spell damage until something big can be brought to bear. It looks like a fun blend of blue subtlety and red aggression.

The blue/green deck featuring a foil Lovisa Coldeyes uses tribal affinities and brute force. There are a lot of warrior creatures, some mana ramp, and some +1/+1 counters to boost power.

Both decks grow nicely as the game progresses until one or the other is in a position to try for a win with a big swing. The full deck lists are here on MTGgoldfish.

The packaging is nice. Inside, there is a basic rule booklet, two deck boxes, and a large poster. The poster has deck lists, character background, and a few tips for how to play each deck. The deck boxes are large enough to hold the deck after the cards have been sleeved, and there were also two 20-sided spindown dice for tracking life totals for each player, which are nice touches I didn't see whenever I last bought one of these. The decks include all the tokens needed for each deck. All told, it's a reasonably complete intro to the game.

At the time I am writing this, both decks would cost over $15 to construct by buying the cards as singles, so it's not a complete waste of funds to buy the set if the mechanics interest you, and some of the cards may have utility in various game formats other than Standard. There are also eight Legendary Creatures that could be used in a Commander deck.

Not all of these are especially useful as an EDH general, though. Lovisa and Jhoira have potential leading tribal red aggro and Izzet Storm decks, respectively. I have already used Talrand in another deck I posted a long time ago, and while that deck is being reworked right now, he's not a bad general. The rest might be viable in the right deck, but are probably better as support cards in the 99.

Conclusion

If you want to try Magic, or already play magic casually, this might be a good buy. If you play competitive Standard, you already probably know this isn't the product for you.

Did I miss anything? Do you have any questions? Comment below! Did you enjoy this rambling post? Upvotes are welcome! Want to see more? Follow me, because MTG March Madness will continue sporadically!