Reddit reviews Magic: the Gathering Elspeth vs. KIORA - MTG 2015 Duel Decks Box Set - 120 Cards

If they really were stolen, I hope they get back to their owner soon.

Just an FYI, though, that those cards aren't exceptionally valuable. The Kiora and Elspeth are most likely from the Elspeth vs Kiora Duel Deck, which currently retails for $16.75 on Amazon.

The gold-border Gaea's Cradle isn't tournament legal, so it's worth very little compared to the real thing. It's from a series of commemorative decks from the 1999 World Championship. All of the cards in those decks had the players' autographs printed on the face of the cards (even the basic lands), so there isn't any sentimentality tied up in that signature. The whole deck as a collector's piece might go for a little over $100 on eBay, but I doubt much more.

If you can find the owner, awesome. If not, don't beat yourself up over it. The finder may even be telling the truth about them being in a rubbish pile if someone was quitting the game. Cheers.

If you're looking to play casually with friends, Duel Decks or Clash Packs are the way to go. They come with two good 60 card decks, and they're fun to play with. The plus side is it is two decks, so you can switch up which one you feel like playing and/or lend the second to a friend that forgot theirs. Also, they are set up so you can upgrade them over time. I recommend Elspeth vs Kiora for $17 on Amazon.

If you're playing competitive standard (if you don't know if you are, ask your friends) then an Event Deck is the way to go. The most recent one is $29 on Amazon, but I thought MSRP is $25 so you may be able to find it at that price at a local shop. Get the Battle For Zendikar event deck because it's most recent so it's still Standard Legal.

Duel decks would be the best, they are designed to play against each other out of the box with no additions. There are many available, here is a link to Elspeth vs Kiora and you can find links to others on that page: http://www.amazon.com/ELSPETH-vs-KIORA-Magic-Gathering/dp/B00RYT2DF0/

You can kill two birds with one stone and get the Elspeth vs. Kiora duel deck, which comes with arguably one of the most powerful planeswalkers printed in the last few years (Elspeth). I'm not sure how balanced the decks are against each other.

One other option is to buy pre-constructed decks. I know the Kiora deck in Elspeth vs Kiora (which can still be found for ~$20 at https://www.amazon.com/ELSPETH-vs-KIORA-Magic-Gathering/dp/B00RYT2DF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473595349&sr=8-1&keywords=elspeth+vs+kiora) is green and blue, and might give you a base to start off from. It also includes a white deck that you can play against and stuff too. If your'e looking for cards that are in the standard format, it would be better to buy singles and look up deck lists online

OP needs to get two duel decks - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RYT2DF0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UGYPO7LG3CCS&coliid=I149V7S1ZPKY8U

Get duel decks. They're built to be played against each other - for example have a copy of Elspeth vs. Kiora sitting around, ready to go to play against someone.

Others have pointed out what singles you should buy and why, and I agree with them. But to answer the question you actually asked (what sealed product to get) I would recommend a couple things.

First you mentioned being interested in planeswalkers, so the obvious place to start is the Kaladesh Nissa deck. You are guaranteed the foil nissa, and even though the card is pretty mediocre at least you can say you have one! It also has a few decent cards for the strategy you are looking to play.

Other than that I would say your next best bet for sealed product is one of the duel decks, since you say you like green and ramp strategies I would recommend either Kiora vs Elsepth or Zendikar vs Eldrazi they both have some powerful ramp spells and big creatures to play that should work well in your deck. Edit: I didn't mention it initially but feel that for completeness sake I should. Duel deck Nissa vs Ob Nixilis also guarantees you a mono green planeswaker, but the deck has much less focus on ramping out big creatures, so I thought the others would be better overall. Still you might find it to your liking.

Note that I just grabbed those links from Amazon for simplicity, you should shop around and see if you can find them for a better price or at a local store. Hope that helps!

1. Starter Kit
   
2. See above - please research before saying I'm "literally making stuff up." I'm literally not.
   
3. Like I said, equal rarity will have different costs due to power and scarcity - players are paying for both. There are $1 rares and $100 rares.
   
4. MTG is the same - Starter Deck

If you'd like to play together shoot for a duel deck. It comes with two decks meant to be played against each other, they're a great way to test the waters. They are, for all intents and purposes, geared towards beginning players.


I recommend the Elspeth vs Kiora pack. It's decently balanced and and the set mechanics aren't overwhelming. Plus the decks come with Planeswalkers which is a nice way to introduce that mechanic, too.


If you have any questions shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to answer. I started playing last August with my friends who've been playing for ~13 years and it quickly became my favorite hobby.