Welcome back to Prerelease Week here at the Rules Blog! Today we’ll be going over what you can expect at your SOI Prerelease, and some tips on how to enjoy it to the fullest! First, we’ll quickly cover the ‘new’ mechanic of Skulk: I frame it that way because it’s actually something that already exists! Skulk is really pretty simple: a creature with Skulk can’t be blocked by something with greater power. It skulks right by! What’s important is that the legality is only checked when you actually declare the blocks- you can absolutely block your opponent’s Farbog Revenant with a 1/1 and then pump your 1/1 up to kill the Revenant! Conversely, you can swing with Revenant into a board of 2/x creatures so your opponent can’t block, and then boost it for more damage.
But, onto the primer! Prereleases are pretty laid-back events, with an emphasis on fun, learning, community, and seeing awesome new cards. Don’t be nervous- everyone is there to have fun! If you have any questions throughout your day, just raise your hand and call for a Judge- even if there’s not a certified judge at the event, your TO should be able to help you out. So, what should you expect once you get there? You’ll be given a Prerelease Pack, which is a nifty box full of goodies. Inside will be a spindown dice (you can use it to keep track of your life total, but we’d prefer you use paper and pen!), six packs of Shadows over Innistrad, and a special promo. The promo can be literally any rare or mythic in the whole set, and is legal to play in your deck- so if you open a really great card, be happy that you get to wreck boards with it! From these 6 packs (and one promo), plus as many basic lands as you need- your store should have plenty available, but please return them when you’re done!- you will build a 40 card deck. You can go above 40, but generally you want to stick to right at 40 for consistency. With this deck, you’ll be playing at least 3 rounds; if your store doesn’t announce how many at the start of the event, ask!
Prereleases don’t use decklists, so like any Limited event with no decklists, you can change your whole deck as you please between games AND rounds! You could build two different decks and switch between them every game, or change your deck between rounds if you have good ideas on what to do. You’re also not only allowed, but ENCOURAGED to give (and seek!) advice on how to build your deck from other players. Feel free to offer advice to those who want it, and feel free to ask those who are willing to give. But don’t trade your cards until you’re done! That can get you in trouble.
So, what should you put into your deck? Normally, you should play 2 colors. It’s very unlikely that you’ll have enough strong cards to play a one-color deck, and playing 3 or more colors can be difficult without the mana fixing that Constructed decks have access to. Which colors SHOULD you play? Well, whichever you want- but you might be pulled one way or another by a very strong rare (often called “Bombs”), lots of good removal, lots of good creatures, or just a really good mana curve. Sort your cards by color as you open them so you can look at what options are available! Once you pick your colors, you’re going to want 22 or 23 cards, with 17 or 18 land to build your deck. Try to keep your mana curve in mind- it can be tempting to put a ton of huge creatures in, but you need to live long enough to play them. You’ll want only a couple of 1-drops, a lot of 2 and 3 drops, a few 4 drops, and fewer and fewer as it goes down the line. It’s okay to have an ‘extra’ big late game bomb like Avacyn, because those cards are pretty nuts! Just don’t go overboard; you want to be casting spells, not sighing and taking damage. Also, remember that evasion (Flying, Skulk!) is really good, because it makes it a lot easier to get in damage when the board state gets clogged with bodies.
Last, these are some tips I give anyone, regardless of the event: Have fun. Eat a good meal beforehand to stay focused, and get a good night’s sleep. Make sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated! And most important: have fun. Magic is a wonderful game, and if you’re not having fun, what’s the point of a game? Get out there, crack some shiny mythics, and have a great weekend playing Magic with other people who share your love for this amazing game. May the pulls be ever in your favor!
For added bonus, here are links to the rest of the SOI Prerelease Primers, each covering the other mechanics!
Today’s Prerelease Primer was written by Trevor Nunez