Hmm... I'm trying to figure out if a product advertised at the game store as "just arrived" contains new cards my nephew won't have, or if it's just a rehash of old stuff.
It's something called "Modern Masters"
Do they release new cards under new names like that? (or did they used to?)
Okay, it's a weird thing. Modern Masters is a reprint of cards from older sets, bringing the old cards back into current legal use (tournaments only allow the use of recently-published cards, to keep you buying them). It's more expensive for fewer cards than a normal set.
If he's really casual, his decks might not be valid for Friday Night Magic and you'd do well to provide him with.... hey, yanno what? How about making that the gift: take him to the store and say "X$, kid, buy yourself out."
Gift certificate and a written pledge to take him to the store?
He buys himself a legal deck if he wants to play in the officiated game and doesn't have a deck with the proper cards, or otherwise he goes to town on whatever.
Hrm. Maybe you could get him a d20. Do they still use Magic-branded d20s to track health?
hmm. [thinks about own RPG experience and materials]
I'm very basic: I laminated the map from the back of the DMG, used Crayola window markers to draw on it, and bought a little whiteboard and some magnets to track things.
When I went, ten years ago, I had to fill out a form so they'd be able to have me on file as a statistic, and then I had to buy a deck because none of mine were less than like three years old.
Then we just played elimination rounds. It was casual but there was a progression and a referee in case of rules disputes.
It's not a store thing, it's a Wizards of the Coast thing; they sponsor the FNM and make the rules.
And at the end they gave away free cards to the winner, the most inventive deck, the best sport (usually the youngest player), and a few other categories.
