Building a new deck has always been my least favorite part of playing Magic (rather determining what is available for my deck idea). EDHRec has helped with that so much, but is there something similar for standard?
Nothing that I’m aware of for Standard, I think perhaps because the card pool is smaller but that would be a really cool idea to see the different stats like synergy % within the standard set of cards only.
Just out of curiosity, how do you normally build standard decks?
The last time I built a Standard deck, was Q2 2019. I had a group come into my shop (I own a very small LGS), looking to play some magic. Since they were playing Standard, i decided to toss together something with what i had behind the counter. It was white, maybe W/U. I think it was based around [[Healer’s Hawk]].
Starting with Ikoria WOTC has had such supply issues that (which continue today, MKM’s Bundles were delayed) i stopped being able to get enough sealed product to open packs for shop singles. Then April 2023 i lost almost all of my singles to a fire in the building where the shop is (i was just effected by smoke damage).
My newest deck i started with a handful of Phyrexia Jumpstart boosters and went from there. I have not yet played that one (W/G Toxic, and i try to keep games at my shop casual) so i built a R/G dino deck with some ideas from similar decks i saw on MTG Goldfish.
First off I’m really sorry about that fire, that sucks. It sounds like you were able to recover at least which is good news.
I think what you described in building a dino deck with some ideas from mtggoldfish is pretty much how I think everyone who doesn’t netdeck builds standard decks right now. The Twitch streamer mojoe_rogue is one of the best standard brewers in my opinion, and if you watch him he starts with a card that he really likes, and builds around it. I think first familiarizing yourself with the standard cards would be the best first step, and then anything that jumps out at you as exciting you can try to build around it.
Do you have Arena installed? If so, Arena lets you limit the card selection down to certain colors, types, etc. You can filter on tons of things and it makes deck brewing a little easier I think.
Arena is the bane of an LGS owner’s existence.
And I do usually start with a card I like and go from there (love you [[Venerated Rotpriest]] ). And I used to know almost everything there was in standard because I was constantly sorting. But now that I do not do singles any longer it is harder to keep up with it.
Recovery from the fire is still ongoing but will likely cause me to close my doors in April (1 year anniversary of the fire). I am still fighting to keep things going. I am the only game shop within 60 miles, in a small rural NM College town.