I remember that guy in the suit! I learned to play with these decks all those years ago. I still maintain that playing a "planned" game with very simple cards that introduces the basic concepts one at a time in order of increasing complexity is the best way to learn Magic!
I request that Graham always sing the "Please consider following the channel," call to action. A little head bob action with possible hand motions would be appreciated as well. Thank you.
That 7th edition starter was the first magic product I ever bought. Thorn elemental is OP when you don't understand the rules and assume thorn elemental essentially has unlockable damage but I can also destroy the opposing creature. Magic is hard.
Thorn Elemental looked really awesome back when his analog was Trained Orgg. Now, however, foil Thorn Elemental is a few bucks, and foil Trained Orgg is ~$133 on TCGplayer. Collectors? Collectors what are you doing???
@@GraemeGunn oh I read the card. And then I followed the rules I interpreted. And the rules I interpreted were not the rules on the card. My playgroup couldn't figure out exactly how indestructible worked back in the day either. It makes sense now, but the idea of I played this card and you can't interact with it seemed like nonsense so that can't be the case.
I actually used that very 7th edition pack to teach my younger brother to play. I will say, the preconstructed "decks" were only like 30 or 40 cards, if I remember correctly, and it was only like the first handful of turns which were pre-scripted (they actually told you which order the cards should go in if you wanted to run through it again), and then you were supposed to finish the rest of the game on your own. Don't know where the CD is (probably in my parents' basement or thrown out), but I still have the Thorn elemental card it came with.
I have the cd lost in the basement too, also it was only like the first handful of turns pre-scripted, then yo have to play by your own, at the end of the pre-scripted "game" the board state was like Giant Octupos vs Grizzly Bears¿? and the blue deck had in hand the Vizzerdrix. What stack of rubbish were both decks,and the CD game was like play the same game with the same decks over and over. What a memories. Fuck the Phyrexian Hulk.
@@HK_6758 yeah. I mean, it was a decent way to teach the basics, but not much more than that. Honestly, today, the best way to learn is send them to the Arena tutorial, and then bust out a couple real decks, but back then, this wasn’t too bad, even if extremely janky
I love white border lands, and 9th edition has probably my favorite selection in Magic history. Literally every basic in 9th edition has excellent and iconic art in my opinion. I use 9th edition Avons in my personal draft/sealed kit. One great upside to using white borders, outside of aesthetic or nostalgia reasons, is that they are especially easy to remove after a draft or prerelease.
I definitely agree with you about white border lands being some of the most beautiful to look at. Back in the white border days, they pronted some absolutely stunning pieces on the art. This isn't a knock against any of the art from today, I'm just acknowledging that the older art had a much more natural feel to it without being too overly polished.
I like white bordered lands. I got into the game in Revised and dropped out during Mirage, got back to playing with Commander 18. Large amounts of my old collection have vanished, but my white bordered lands are a) a reminder and marker I was there back in the day and b) some of the only totally playable cards I have left. Ah, Cosmic Horror, you were never Lord of the Pit.
That starter product from 7th edition with the Thorn Elemental was literally the first product I ever bought. I still have the foil card it came with and its one of my favorites.
I gotta say G, this booster pack and your reactions to it really made my morning. I remember one of these kits as a kid. I realize it's a specific ask, but I'd love to see you open one of the old "tournament packs/decks" which were roughly equivalent to 3 boosters, were the only source of basic lands for awhile, and was the first magic product I was bought.
I still remember that starter game CD. I think it had a cutscene with Rhox? I also vividly remember a lot of the art. Venerable Monk, Vizzerdrix, and my favorite Giant Octopus.
I had that 9th Edition starter pack, no one wanted to swap over from Yu-Gi-Oh and so I didn't play Magic again for 15 years. Wish I had stuck with it because I've been having so much fun the last few years and content like this has been a great way to pass the time.
So that box thing you had with the guided game bit is actually how I first got into magic. Quite literally the 7th edition one too. That is kind of awesome you still have one of those.
I had been thinking recently about something similar where you teach a new player but then upgrade their deck. In my head, it would be mono white Eldrain deck of probably only 30 cards against some Wilds themed deck. It would be designed so the new player piloting the white deck wins. Then their spark ignites and they can pick one of 5 planes to go to next. Each plane adds 10 cards (to bring to the limited 40 card deck) and possibly adds a color. Theros will keep it mono white, Tarkir will add blue, Ikoria will add black, Zendikar will add red, and Innistrad will add green. Then they play another game with the teacher running a new deck themed toward the plane they picked. This lets them experience the multiverse and have some control over color. But it would be a lot to design and balance and such.
I just wanted to say, thank you very much for giving the cards more screen time. I had fallen off watching these because I would constantly pause to read the cards, now that they're on screen as you're reading them I'll be much more inclined to tune in again.
The 9th edition core game is how I learned to play Magic. I still have the foil Serra Angel in the plastic wrapping (at the time it was too cool for me to open and risk damaging it, and now I just want to keep it like that), and I use Islands and Mountains that it came with in one of my pauper decks.
I had that exact thing when I was like eight! I even know it was the 7th edition one because I still have a basic mountain kicking around from it. My favorite card was Lava Axe.
i had something like this before i even knew what magic was and wouldnt get into the game properly until years later but i do remember playing the cd-rom
The only good thing I can say about the white border is that it makes it convenient to look for certain cards in my collection that have it. Like, "Oh, I need this card, and I only have a 9th Ed. print?" It'll take less than thirty seconds to fish it out.
So, this is actually how Nisei's Intro to Netrunner product works, except the additional cards aren't wrapped in foil and both players get more cards. Honestly, I think it's a pretty good way to do an intro product. "Here's the basic gameplay, so you can get the hang of it without things getting weird. Now here's some more cards that do interesting things or you use in a different way."
When I was brand new to MTG and played unsleaved, I preferred white boarder. Once I started sleaving them, I thought black looked way better against the background colours of the sleeves.
Can I just point out that Wind Drake art? Tom Wanerstrand is lowkey my favorite of the old MTG artists, and that Wind Drake is a great example why. Dude just has this mastery of color that's always great to see.
I learned how to play from the 7th edition CD Rom. I remember the opening cut scene from the game and all of the animations from the "opponent" you play against.
This is huge nostalgia for me. I had the 7th and 8th edition versions of this set. My cousin and I would alternate between playing games of magic and yugioh while we were on vacation.
The 7th Edition "learn to play" kit would have come out BEFORE Magic: Online was even created! I actually taught two people how to play using these kits; my then-GF in 2003 using the 8th edition set, and another friend in 2007 using the 10th ed set (this was actually near the end of my playing days). The blue/white deck got hosed hard in this pack. They definitely should have gotten the Dancing Scimitar- which is a card I'm surprised Graham didn't know, since it was a "Core Set" staple for a long time in the 90s and 2000s.
this was the first magic product i bought, i had played with my cousin a few times and loved it, after learning with this i bought a bunch of 50c cards for my decks from the local shop and got massive upgrades to my deck. I also thought that black bordered cards were somehow very fancy or advances, because i only had white bordered cards
I remember buying the 7th edition one as a kid. I still have the foil Thorn Elemental somewhere. I have absolutely no idea what was on the disc though.
Ahh nostalgia. I started playing round this time during Odyssey block. It was so interesting and new back then. Old memories of sitting in Literature class after readings in high school playing with my friends. Thanks for this. Sub/Liked
That 7th edition starter pack with CD was the first MtG thing that was mine. Sure, my dad had a load of cards from when he played, but he got me the starter pack. I remember the opening cinematic, which had the Thorn Elemental just wiping out a monster
if i remember correctly Thorn Elemental defeated Rhox but then Rhox used Regeneration. i also started at 7th ed i was lucky to meet rk post and he signed my copy. on the sad note i never had the chance to meet Christopher Moeller edit i am sure that 7th ed really started a major new player boom judging by all the comments
I picked up a couple of copies of the 8th edition version of this in a games shop for 50p each (so about... 75 cents, maybe?). Those ones each had a foil Elvish Champion glued to the front., which now sell for £10 to £15. Wonder what shiny they glued to the front of the 9th ed version (if any) ?
I had the 7th edition version when I first started playing. I swear they came with an actual booster. I could have swore I ended up getting an elvish piper in mine.
I had that 7th Edition set! IIRC, the computer "game" just kind of had several scenarios meant to teach you different mechanics (like trample or lifelink). I think there was a mode where you could play the included decks against a computer, but, like, it wasn't very good, and the decks only had *very* simple cards. And then, of course, it included wallpapers etc.
An unboxing of those kind of starters would make an excellent content for nostalgia connoisseurs like me. Please consider it at your future Mail Time/Crack-a-Pack schedule.
Just thinking it over, I'm kinda surprised we haven't gotten a 'Telepathy' on a body; and I mean on recent cards. Like a 0/1 with flying and Telepathy.
I started with that 7th Edition kit! The CD was such a great way to learn, and it was actually a decent program! ...or at least that's what my memory tells me.
That guy on the pamphlet looks like if Guy Fieri and Windows Clippy had a baby Also the most important thing is to have mismatched basic lands, some with white border, some with German card text, and random Guru land in there
Oh man I had the 8th Edition version of this. I think it was the first MtG product I ever bought, though I had received a Scourge-era RG Kavu deck from a friend by way of an intro gift before that
I got the "learn to play" thing from Portal. Still have the playmats and everything. The game wasn't completely predetermined by the way. You play the first few turns guided and by the end one player has an advantage, but either player could still win.
Why does a product from 2005 feel so ancient? I was already out of college by then. When did things that happened during my adulthood become so long ago?
I'll never get over the bass boost on the pack ripping
It sounds super weird on my IEMs.
Weird is good, by the way.
I remember that guy in the suit! I learned to play with these decks all those years ago. I still maintain that playing a "planned" game with very simple cards that introduces the basic concepts one at a time in order of increasing complexity is the best way to learn Magic!
I request that Graham always sing the "Please consider following the channel," call to action. A little head bob action with possible hand motions would be appreciated as well. Thank you.
I remember opening this pack! As the person with the U/W deck who did not know about double blocking, the R/G deck was unbeatable to me.
That 7th edition starter was the first magic product I ever bought. Thorn elemental is OP when you don't understand the rules and assume thorn elemental essentially has unlockable damage but I can also destroy the opposing creature.
Magic is hard.
Clearly you just needed to enchant it with Venom
It was my first Magic Product too! Man this brings me back.
Thorn Elemental looked really awesome back when his analog was Trained Orgg. Now, however, foil Thorn Elemental is a few bucks, and foil Trained Orgg is ~$133 on TCGplayer. Collectors? Collectors what are you doing???
So what you're saying is that you didn't read the card?
@@GraemeGunn oh I read the card. And then I followed the rules I interpreted. And the rules I interpreted were not the rules on the card. My playgroup couldn't figure out exactly how indestructible worked back in the day either. It makes sense now, but the idea of I played this card and you can't interact with it seemed like nonsense so that can't be the case.
As someone who was both introduced to Magic through this tutorial product AND owns the DVD with that bonus content, this was amazingly nostalgic. =)
I actually used that very 7th edition pack to teach my younger brother to play. I will say, the preconstructed "decks" were only like 30 or 40 cards, if I remember correctly, and it was only like the first handful of turns which were pre-scripted (they actually told you which order the cards should go in if you wanted to run through it again), and then you were supposed to finish the rest of the game on your own. Don't know where the CD is (probably in my parents' basement or thrown out), but I still have the Thorn elemental card it came with.
I have the cd lost in the basement too, also it was only like the first handful of turns pre-scripted, then yo have to play by your own, at the end of the pre-scripted "game" the board state was like Giant Octupos vs Grizzly Bears¿? and the blue deck had in hand the Vizzerdrix. What stack of rubbish were both decks,and the CD game was like play the same game with the same decks over and over. What a memories. Fuck the Phyrexian Hulk.
The CD intro was a beast i have to add.
@@HK_6758 yeah. I mean, it was a decent way to teach the basics, but not much more than that. Honestly, today, the best way to learn is send them to the Arena tutorial, and then bust out a couple real decks, but back then, this wasn’t too bad, even if extremely janky
I don’t remember having one of those boosters. But that specific ‘Learn to Play’ box is how I learned to play Magic with my Dad.
I had the sixth edition starter and the 7th, that CD made a huge difference if you were trying to learn how to play by yourself.
that opening cinematic where thorn elemental trashed a rhino was epic
I love white border lands, and 9th edition has probably my favorite selection in Magic history. Literally every basic in 9th edition has excellent and iconic art in my opinion. I use 9th edition Avons in my personal draft/sealed kit. One great upside to using white borders, outside of aesthetic or nostalgia reasons, is that they are especially easy to remove after a draft or prerelease.
I definitely agree with you about white border lands being some of the most beautiful to look at. Back in the white border days, they pronted some absolutely stunning pieces on the art. This isn't a knock against any of the art from today, I'm just acknowledging that the older art had a much more natural feel to it without being too overly polished.
I like white bordered lands. I got into the game in Revised and dropped out during Mirage, got back to playing with Commander 18. Large amounts of my old collection have vanished, but my white bordered lands are a) a reminder and marker I was there back in the day and b) some of the only totally playable cards I have left. Ah, Cosmic Horror, you were never Lord of the Pit.
The editing on this one was superb again. Matt, you are sublime.
It would be awesome if you could open the other one "like it was intended" together with someone else. I love silly tutorial stuff like that!
Sounds like an idea for a very special episode. I'm for it.
Thatd be awesome
The editor was on fire this episode. We need more like this lol
That starter product from 7th edition with the Thorn Elemental was literally the first product I ever bought. I still have the foil card it came with and its one of my favorites.
Yo. life come full circle. Thats the first magic thing I ever bought
I gotta say G, this booster pack and your reactions to it really made my morning. I remember one of these kits as a kid. I realize it's a specific ask, but I'd love to see you open one of the old "tournament packs/decks" which were roughly equivalent to 3 boosters, were the only source of basic lands for awhile, and was the first magic product I was bought.
I still remember that starter game CD. I think it had a cutscene with Rhox? I also vividly remember a lot of the art. Venerable Monk, Vizzerdrix, and my favorite Giant Octopus.
That was the Sixth Edition ("Classic") one. I remember it, because that's the one I had.
Dude "Telepathy" would be a fun commander include.
Loving the snark, Matt. Please never change.
I had that 9th Edition starter pack, no one wanted to swap over from Yu-Gi-Oh and so I didn't play Magic again for 15 years. Wish I had stuck with it because I've been having so much fun the last few years and content like this has been a great way to pass the time.
The editing in these have been so awesome and make them funnier than they already are
I haven't seen LRR content in years and this lands in my feed for a rush of memories.
That extract starter box was my introduction to magic 20 years ago, what a wild nostalgia trip
So that box thing you had with the guided game bit is actually how I first got into magic. Quite literally the 7th edition one too. That is kind of awesome you still have one of those.
I had been thinking recently about something similar where you teach a new player but then upgrade their deck. In my head, it would be mono white Eldrain deck of probably only 30 cards against some Wilds themed deck. It would be designed so the new player piloting the white deck wins. Then their spark ignites and they can pick one of 5 planes to go to next. Each plane adds 10 cards (to bring to the limited 40 card deck) and possibly adds a color. Theros will keep it mono white, Tarkir will add blue, Ikoria will add black, Zendikar will add red, and Innistrad will add green. Then they play another game with the teacher running a new deck themed toward the plane they picked. This lets them experience the multiverse and have some control over color. But it would be a lot to design and balance and such.
I just wanted to say, thank you very much for giving the cards more screen time. I had fallen off watching these because I would constantly pause to read the cards, now that they're on screen as you're reading them I'll be much more inclined to tune in again.
The 9th edition core game is how I learned to play Magic. I still have the foil Serra Angel in the plastic wrapping (at the time it was too cool for me to open and risk damaging it, and now I just want to keep it like that), and I use Islands and Mountains that it came with in one of my pauper decks.
I wish Wizards still made intro sets like this for beginners. Would be an easy way to get my friends into Magic.
actually they do. Or did at least. Last year had cards from ikora and 19th.
This year's version has two decks and code for those decks on arena.
This was my first Magic product. What a trip of nostalgia!
I still have a sealed copy of the 7th ed starter bundle here, picked it up a few years ago for shiggles.
You gotta put that disc in Graham. The goblin that teaches you to play is incredible
The 9th edition one definitely came with a CD for MTGO, that's how I first learned to play Magic.
I had that exact thing when I was like eight! I even know it was the 7th edition one because I still have a basic mountain kicking around from it. My favorite card was Lava Axe.
i had something like this before i even knew what magic was and wouldnt get into the game properly until years later but i do remember playing the cd-rom
The 7th Edition Starter was the first magic product that I ever bought, got me into this hobby.
The only good thing I can say about the white border is that it makes it convenient to look for certain cards in my collection that have it. Like, "Oh, I need this card, and I only have a 9th Ed. print?" It'll take less than thirty seconds to fish it out.
This was how I learned to play Magic, with the 7th edition, still have the Thorn Elemental somewhere
I have the 9thEd decks and booster pack on my shelf. Pretty sure it didn't come with a CD or decent box, as I didn't keep them.
So, this is actually how Nisei's Intro to Netrunner product works, except the additional cards aren't wrapped in foil and both players get more cards. Honestly, I think it's a pretty good way to do an intro product. "Here's the basic gameplay, so you can get the hang of it without things getting weird. Now here's some more cards that do interesting things or you use in a different way."
Why is Nappa on a magic card?
He needs some way to pay the bills until he makes it as a Hollywood director.
"i dont wanna spoil myself" - proceeds to look through the entire pack
When I was brand new to MTG and played unsleaved, I preferred white boarder. Once I started sleaving them, I thought black looked way better against the background colours of the sleeves.
Can I just point out that Wind Drake art? Tom Wanerstrand is lowkey my favorite of the old MTG artists, and that Wind Drake is a great example why. Dude just has this mastery of color that's always great to see.
Oh man, that’s what got me into Magic haha or at least whatever they made in 97.
I learned how to play from the 7th edition CD Rom. I remember the opening cut scene from the game and all of the animations from the "opponent" you play against.
I remember playing the learn to play PC game for this when I was a kid. Fond memories of putting a Blanchwood armour on a craw wurm and going to town.
That box was my intro to MTG, the PC game it came with taught me how to play lol. It was not MTGO, but a stand-alone client
This is huge nostalgia for me. I had the 7th and 8th edition versions of this set. My cousin and I would alternate between playing games of magic and yugioh while we were on vacation.
Awwwww yeah, this is how I learned MtG! Love that foil thorn elemental.
The 7th Edition "learn to play" kit would have come out BEFORE Magic: Online was even created!
I actually taught two people how to play using these kits; my then-GF in 2003 using the 8th edition set, and another friend in 2007 using the 10th ed set (this was actually near the end of my playing days).
The blue/white deck got hosed hard in this pack. They definitely should have gotten the Dancing Scimitar- which is a card I'm surprised Graham didn't know, since it was a "Core Set" staple for a long time in the 90s and 2000s.
I'm just impressed wotc managed to fit 3 whole Jon avons in that booster. Good use of space!
this was the first magic product i bought, i had played with my cousin a few times and loved it, after learning with this i bought a bunch of 50c cards for my decks from the local shop and got massive upgrades to my deck. I also thought that black bordered cards were somehow very fancy or advances, because i only had white bordered cards
I still use that copy of Blancwood Armour now and again.
I remember buying the 7th edition one as a kid. I still have the foil Thorn Elemental somewhere. I have absolutely no idea what was on the disc though.
I bought that 7th edition starter for my brother and myself. Wish I knew where it went.
Hahaha! That very product is why I got into Magic! I still have that Thorn Elemental and the play guides!
Ahh nostalgia. I started playing round this time during Odyssey block. It was so interesting and new back then. Old memories of sitting in Literature class after readings in high school playing with my friends. Thanks for this. Sub/Liked
Is there anything more mid-nineties to mid-noughties than "with CD-Rom!" badges on everything?
That 7th edition starter pack with CD was the first MtG thing that was mine. Sure, my dad had a load of cards from when he played, but he got me the starter pack. I remember the opening cinematic, which had the Thorn Elemental just wiping out a monster
if i remember correctly Thorn Elemental defeated Rhox but then Rhox used Regeneration.
i also started at 7th ed i was lucky to meet rk post and he signed my copy. on the sad note i never had the chance to meet Christopher Moeller
edit i am sure that 7th ed really started a major new player boom judging by all the comments
I played the game on the CD-rom for hours. It was great!
Oh man. That was my LITERAL first mtg product I ever bought as a kid.
The real gift is the smell of the ink from the fresh crack!
I picked up a couple of copies of the 8th edition version of this in a games shop for 50p each (so about... 75 cents, maybe?). Those ones each had a foil Elvish Champion glued to the front., which now sell for £10 to £15. Wonder what shiny they glued to the front of the 9th ed version (if any) ?
Don´ t dead open inside
Oh wow this game is how i originally got into Magic, way back when.
I remember the thorn elemental which came with it, it was great!
I got one of these for a chaos draft a few years back. It did not work well.
I had the 7th edition version when I first started playing. I swear they came with an actual booster. I could have swore I ended up getting an elvish piper in mine.
I had that 7th Edition set! IIRC, the computer "game" just kind of had several scenarios meant to teach you different mechanics (like trample or lifelink). I think there was a mode where you could play the included decks against a computer, but, like, it wasn't very good, and the decks only had *very* simple cards. And then, of course, it included wallpapers etc.
6:05 Thats Saiyan Armor on those dudes
The 2000s edition of this was my first magic product and I recognized the booster immediately. I have a sealed copy of it on my shelf.
That was THE box that my brother and I got to learn how to play MTG. Good times.
That 7th edition box was my first mtg purchase. Man that's some nostalgia.
0:55 graham: like... this.
me: blasted back to 2001
It's good to see the device that brought me to start playing magic eons ago
The 8th edition Starter came with MTG Online as well. It was my first MTG purchase before getting the 8th edition theme decks. lol
Memories!
An unboxing of those kind of starters would make an excellent content for nostalgia connoisseurs like me. Please consider it at your future Mail Time/Crack-a-Pack schedule.
... WELP...!--that demonic voice that said "don't open it" was 1: terrifying, and 2: sounded like the voice Jigsaw uses on his cassette tapes.
Gwent is a county in Wales. Not sure how it's connected to the Witcher's Gwent, but that's quite the coincidence!
1:00 , yay, I learned Magic with that box :)
Just thinking it over, I'm kinda surprised we haven't gotten a 'Telepathy' on a body; and I mean on recent cards. Like a 0/1 with flying and Telepathy.
I started with that 7th Edition kit! The CD was such a great way to learn, and it was actually a decent program! ...or at least that's what my memory tells me.
So what I'm hearing is that you need to upload those dvd features to the youtube channel.
I wonder which player is supposed to win this one-sided fight (it's almost as if the names silver player and gold player were chosen to indicate this)
It’s not that I prefer White Boarder, but I appreciate the variety it adds.
damage still gets put on the stacks as of 9th edition...in ( 2005 )
yes i'm OLD
Huh, I swear the 8th edition version of that had the exact same cards in it. The 8th Ed version did come with a CD with actual magic online on it
That guy on the pamphlet looks like if Guy Fieri and Windows Clippy had a baby
Also the most important thing is to have mismatched basic lands, some with white border, some with German card text, and random Guru land in there
The art of Holy Day is just a team of football players kneeling for their anthem.
Nice, 9th edition beginner set was the first MTG I ever played and owned
Can you make a compilation of all the coolest pulls from crack-a-pack? I'd love to see that.
Buddy has the OGs of some of those cards.
Why was the Holy Day being observed by Frieza's army? I recognize those shoulderpads.
Oh man I had the 8th Edition version of this. I think it was the first MtG product I ever bought, though I had received a Scourge-era RG Kavu deck from a friend by way of an intro gift before that
i had the 6th edition version of this. LOVED it
I got the "learn to play" thing from Portal. Still have the playmats and everything. The game wasn't completely predetermined by the way. You play the first few turns guided and by the end one player has an advantage, but either player could still win.
9th edition was when they did new art for all of the core set staple cards, right?
Gotta love those Jon Avon lands
I misheard "John Avon basic" as "Johnny von Basic" and wasn't sure what to make of it at first.
Love you guys!!!!! Yay Graham!!! You are the man! Go river bears!
Why does a product from 2005 feel so ancient? I was already out of college by then. When did things that happened during my adulthood become so long ago?