Everything You Need to Know About Starter Deck Duel on MTG Arena

Last updated on July 19, 2024

Dueling Coach | Illustration by Caio Monteiro

The Starter Deck Duel is one of the best events for players starting out their MTG Arena journey, and above all for those playing on a shoestring budget. If you have a small collection, there's no better way than the SDD to clear your daily quests!

Let’s go over what the Starter Deck Duel is, how to unlock it (if you've just created your MTGA account), how to skip it if you wish, and the several reasons why to play it.

What Is Starter Deck Duel?

Rivals' Duel | Illustration by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

The Starter Deck Duel is a Preconstructed event on Magic Arena in which you choose one from among ten starter decks and battle other players, also piloting one of those ten starter decks.

The SDD was announced last March, and along with the new Spark Rank, was added to the game in patch 2023.24.40, as part of the changes to Magic Arena's new player experience.

The event has no entry fee, you can play as much as you want, and you can switch decks as often as you like. As far as we know, it uses a hand-smoothing algorithm for your opening hand (as all best-of-one formats in Arena), to decrease the odds of being mana-flooded or mana-screwed.

Where Do I Find the Starter Deck Duel?

For brand-new accounts, Sparky (the talkative Wisp that guides you through the New Player Experience) unlocks the Starter Deck Duel once you've cleared the PvE tutorials:

If you've already unlocked all play modes (or your account already existed by the time the SDD was added to Magic Arena), you'll find the SDD in MTGA's Play Blade under Events, where you can also find every format that Magic Arena has to offer. If you have trouble finding the SDD, filter by “Constructed” and you should see it at the very top.

Why Play the Starter Deck Duel?

If your MTGA account is brand new, you kinda have to – Sparky's a stern teacher and won't let you proceed further until you get three wins and complete the SDD event. At that point, it'll gift you 600 gems and unlock the next (and last) step of the new player experience: the Spark Rank.

You can skip the whole New Player Experience if you want to jump straight into the deep end of the pool – to do so, click “Adjust Options” (the gear icon on the top right), then “Account”, and then you'll see an “Unlock Play Modes” button at the top (you still get the 600 gems, by the way!).

Either way, the SDD is always available for you to play in the future. Reasons why you may want to revisit the SDD include:

• For your first two wins, you'll earn a couple of Individual Card Rewards (known as IRCs; that's MTGA's fancy term for “a random card added to your collection”), plus a nice cosmetic for your third win.
• If you’re new to Magic, the SDD is great for learning the game: although the SDD decks don't cover every MTG mechanic, they’re an excellent introduction to many of the intricacies that make Magic such a great game.
• It's an even playing field. You may bump into experienced players in this game mode, but they'll be on an even footing when it comes to the decks they’re using. While in the SDD, you don't have to worry about your budget deck being overrun by expensive, top-tier decks.
• If you’re playing on a strict budget (or entirely F2P) the SDD is a great way to grind Daily Quests, which is how you get Gold: the SDD provides you with decks of every color pair, so you’re guaranteed to have the deck you need.

And the cherry on top: all the SDD decks will get added to your collection!

If you have a brand-new account, you'll earn every deck as soon as you win with it, and Sparky will also gift you all the decks you don't already have once you complete the Spark Rank. If you skip things and unlock all the Play Modes, you get all the decks right away.

Once a deck is added to your collection, the cards are fully yours: you can use them in any deck you want and for any Constructed format that the cards are legal for.

The only drawbacks are that:

• It doesn't increase your MTG Arena Ranks – while great for grinding Gold, you won't progress your ranking in this mode; and
• Opponents in SDD games can sometimes play very slowly – which is to be expected, of course, considering that the SDD is aimed at starting players that see the cards for the first time. We've all been there, after all! =)

How Long Is Starter Deck Duel Available?

The Starter Deck Duel event is perpetually available.

What are the Rewards of Starter Deck Duel?

Earn three wins in Starter Deck Duel and you get two individual card rewards and a card style.

The Starter Deck Duel Decks

The ten 2-color decks for the SDD rotate once per year, a few weeks before the Fall set (in this case, Bloomburrow).

The 2024 crop has a couple of interesting tweaks, compared with previous rotations:

• Board wipes: A handful of decks include one board wipe, like Expel the Interlopers in Power to the People or No Witnesses in Crack the Case. Be on the lookout if your opponent seems suspiciously slow to develop their board!
• Counterspells: These used to be non-existent until now, but this year the Faerie Pranks deck has a couple.
• All cards are Standard-legal: Previous iterations had Alchemy cards, making the SDD decks illegal in Standard – which was a really odd choice for starter decks. Now all decks are legal both in Standard and Alchemy.

Ancient Discovery

Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon | Illustration by Chris Rahn

Oh, how the mighty have fallen…

Boros () used to be the SDD boogeyman, but no longer. It feels like the devs, wanting to make sure Boros was toned down, pushed too far in the other direction. Ancient Discovery is probably the worst of the SDD decks right now.

Its main problem is an awful curve with almost nothing worth playing on turn 2, which makes Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon and Etali's Favor really odd inclusions. The 3-drops are nothing great either, and this deck’s little removal means you have no way to catch up if you fall behind.

Ancient Discovery has a couple of bombs like Bonehoard Dracosaur, and the discover lottery is fun when it works, but all in all, it's only worth playing to clear your dailies.

Crack the Case

Novice Inspector | Illustration by Fajareka Setiawan

A bit clunky to get going, but Azorius's () Crack the Case can get the job done. Unlike Ancient Discovery, you have some solid early plays: Novice Inspector may be the best 1-drop in the whole Standard format, and an early Private Eye can make your detectives surprisingly hard to deal with.

The lack of removal is a sore point, but Crack the Case is one of the SDD decks that can reset the battlefield with a board wipe, and it has tons of card draw to catch up if they play their sweeper.

Giving the deck only two different creatures with disguise is a bit silly (there's not much mystery about what they could be), but don't underestimate Granite Witness: Tapping a would-be attacker or blocker can be crucial, and a flying creature with vigilance ends games quickly.

Desert Oasis

Bonny Pall, Clearcutter | Illustration by Bryan Sola

If Ancient Discovery feels like it's paying for Boros's sins, Desert Oasis seems to have been greatly rewarded for Simic's () past meekness!

The plan here is simple: ramp, ramp, ramp, then drop the biggest bombs in the SDD format. Bonny Pall, Clearcutter is plain crazy and can turn around games that were otherwise utterly lost, and with so many explore effects it helps dig for your best cards.

Desert Oasis is among the strongest decks, although I’d rate it slightly below the best two (Faerie Pranks and Power to the People): You can be overrun if you draw the wrong half of your deck, like all ramp with no payoffs, or all big guns without ramp. It's still a great choice for clearing your dailies, especially if you get a “Play X lands” quest.

Dino Might

Earthshaker Dreadmaw | Illustration by Jesper Ejsing

Sometimes we need to stop overthinking things and slam big dinos down – and in this department, Dino Might solidly delivers!

It has a bit too much top end and often lacks meaningful early plays, coupled with a lack of good removal. But if you weather the early aggression and aren’t being assaulted in the air, your big dinos just take over the show.

Among Arena's starter decks, this is a middle-of-the-pack choice in terms of strength, with satisfying, stompy plays. Above all you're in great shape if you manage to stick Pugnacious Hammerskull on curve!

Faerie Pranks

Obyra, Dreaming Duelist | Illustration by Evyn Fong

I'm between Faerie Pranks and Power to the People as the strongest SDD deck, with Desert Oasis a close third.

Faerie Pranks is the only SDD deck with counterspells, and that's a first: Countermagic wasn’t a thing in previous iterations of this event. It also has a very aggressive curve (very few cards cost more than 3 mana), lots of card draw, and almost all its creatures have flying, making it really hard to deal with. It may lack a bit in the removal department, but it has some options.

Faerie Pranks may also be the hardest to pilot: Knowing what to counter, or which number to choose for Talion, the Kindly Lord requires knowing your opponent's deck well.

Outlaw Posse

Hellspur Brute | Illustration by Caio Monteiro

These outlaws don't pose much of a threat, I'm afraid.

When drafting Rakdos () in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, you usually need to choose whether you'll lean towards committing crimes or towards outlaw synergies. If you try to do both, you tend to end with a mis-matched deck… which is what happened here.

Outlaw Posse is one of the weakest SDD decks, with two redeeming qualities. It has a nice selection of removal, something that many SDD decks lack. And Laughing Jasper Flint can take over the game by itself if left unchecked, and it makes for a really solid Rakdos commander if you feel like giving the Brawl format a try.

Power to the People

Delney, Streetwise Lookout | Illustration by Darren Tan

Power to the People has it all. A solid curve with lots of relevant 2-drops, some removal, hand hate with Deep-Cavern Bat, and the best board wipe in SDD decks: Expel the Interlopers is often one-sided, which is just plain nuts.

This deck can win in different ways: an early Neighborhood Guardian lets you go aggro; Sanguine Evangelist goes wide; you can get airborne with Marketwatch Phantom; and Wispdrinker Vampire is excellent as blocker, attacker, and draining opponents.

And that's without counting Power to the People's bomb, Delney, Streetwise Lookout. In most SDD decks, you’re left wondering what the heck some cards are trying to do, but here most creatures have a trigger that you'll be happy for Delney to double.

You also have a copy of Rankle's Prank, which should have been in Faerie Pranks. It may seem a weird card at first, but here it works by providing burn and a way to handle an opponent's one or two huge creatures when you're going wide.

Saddle Up

Bounding Felidar | Illustration by Lars Grant-West

Saddle Up is another SDD deck inspired by an Outlaws of Thunder Junction draft archetype – but, in this case, it works fairly well.

In OTJ drafts, Selesnya () Mounts is one of the best archetypes you can draft when it's open. Saddle Up has certainly been toned down in that respect (in particular, it doesn't include Trained Arynx or Miriam, Herd Whisperer, two of that archetype's staples), and the lack of good 2-drops shows. But, it can still get the job done with a decent opening hand.

Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero is a nice inclusion in this deck since it’s much safer when used to saddle a mount. This ranger gives you some important card draw, and like Outlaws Posse's Laughing Jasper Flint, it makes for an good Brawl commander.

Second Chance

Archmage's Newt | Illustration by Edgar Sánchez Hidalgo

In perfect Izzet () fashion, 50% of the time Second Chance works every time. It's amazing when it does, but often it can feel like it's too smart for its own good.

In particular, there's a bit of an artifact-matters subtheme that doesn't gel. Breeches, the Blastmaker is awesome if you manage to create a Treasure or a Clue, but you often have to jump through too many hoops to get there.

Having said that, Second Chance is indeed amazing when it works! Opponents with big creatures tend to be problematic (you have almost no way to get rid of them), but you have a lot of removal for early threats that buy you time until you get to do Izzet big-brain things.

Snack Time

Greta, Sweettooth Scourge | Illustration by Steve Prescott

I hear you like food? Well, how about some Food on top of your Food!!

As noted for other decks, having little removal and a low density of good 2-drops keeps Snack Time down a bit, above all because a lot of its cards are combat tricks and auras like Titanic Growth and Reach for the Sky that require you having something in play.

But this deck can pay off if you're patient. A buffed Gumdrop Poisoner can turn a race in your favor, and Snack Time is the only SDD deck with a mass-reanimation spell: with Lich-Knights' Conquest in hand, you can freely trade your units and later bring them all back.

When games go long, you can burn down careless foes with Sweettooth Witch, which works more often than you'd think!

Where to Find Your Starter Decks on MTG Arena

You can find all the starter decks you've already unlocked in the “Starter Decks” tab of your “Decks” menu.

You can’t modify decks in the “Starter Decks” category, so if you want to tweak one of your Starter Decks, you’ll have to clone it to “My Decks”:

What Is Spark Rank?

The Spark Rank is a Constructed queue in Magic Arena specifically tailored for new accounts. You unlock the Spark Rank after completing the Starter Deck Duel (by getting to three wins).

Once you climb the four rungs of the Spark Rank, you're placed in the Bronze category of the “real” Constructed ranked, and all the Arena game modes are unlocked. At this point, the Spark Rank vanishes, and you can’t replay it with the same account.

Like the Starter Deck Duel, the Spark Rank was introduced to MTGA in patch 2023.24.40.

As described in said patch notes, “To help players begin their ranked journey, Spark Rank gives new players a place to play against other players with similar skills and decks. In Spark Rank, players will progress more quickly if they win consistently or bring a strong deck.”

In my experience, from a couple of new accounts I created recently, the “similar decks” part isn’t too accurate – while piloting an unmodificed starter deck in the Spark Rank, I've bumped into fully-kitted, top-tier decks that just ran me over.

Always in my opinion, you're better off just skipping the Spark Rank by unlocking all Play Modes, as described at the start of this article:

• You'll find yourself at the Bronze rank of the real Constructed ladder, where you'll face much fairer competition,
• You get all the rewards from the new player experience,
• You can revisit the Starter Deck Duel any time you want (only the Spark Rank vanishes; the SDD is forever available),
• If you're interested in Limited formats, you get to play them right away, rather than having to slog through a Constructed queue.

How Do You Get Starter Decks in MTG Arena?

You get all the single-color decks after completing the very first tutorial and each dual-color deck after you win with it in the Starter Deck duel.

Alternatively, you can get all starter decks right away by skipping the new player experience and unlocking all Play Modes.

Can You Upgrade the Starter Decks?

For playing in the Starter Deck Duels, no you can't. You can only join the queue with the preconstructed decks and can't tweak a single card.

But once the SDD starts feeling a bit repetitive, you can take those decks to other queues (Standard Ranked or Standard Play would be the most obvious choices), and you can modify them as much as you want!

For upgrades, you may want to check our Arena Tutor app. It's great for tracking your collection, so if there's a deck you're interested in, you'll know how many wildcards you need to craft it. And you'll get detailed information about which are the best decks in each format!

Wrap Up

Elspeth Resplendent | Illustration by Anna Steinbauer

Well, time to finish what we started!

The Starter Deck Duel is one of the best ways for learning how to play Magic while facing an even field, and when you're starting out it's also one of the best ways to grind Daily Quests.

Have you played the Starter Deck Duel event? If you haven’t, I hope you've found this useful. If you have any doubts or need specific tips for each Starter deck, feel free to ping me on the Draftsim Discord!

Take care and stay safe!