Do You Need Dice To Play MTG?

June 20, 2022 · Your Playmat
Playing MTG With Dice

For every MTG player, the question always arises - what do you need to buy besides cards in order to play Magic: The Gathering more exciting? Firstly, we recommend that you buy card sleeves and preferably also a playmat to protect your exclusive cards even better, but this is a personal matter for everyone.

The only question is about counters and dice because they are accessories of every board game. Are they needed? If yes, then why? And what is the best choice? Are there any special dice for this kind of game? And so on.

When Would You Need Dice For MTG?

Dices And MTG Cards

There are the following situations in Magic: The Gathering for which it would be convenient to use dice:

  1. Useful counters. Any MTG player starts with 20 life. The main task is to lower the opponent's life to zero, but during the game, it is quite possible to get confused about how much life you have left. This is where dice come to the rescue, as they can help you keep tabs on your life and other changes. But there are some decks (like the white ones) that require a little more dice than others. In those cases, it's not uncommon for players to carry around a few extra sets of dice with them;
  2. Card changes. Throughout the game, you will encounter changes to your cards in one way or another. They can be divided into temporary and permanent. To make it easier and much faster to track them, Magic: The Gathering players use six-sided dice of different colors. With their help, you will always know when your cards have been affected by the enemy (for example, a loss of health or life);
  3. Generation of tokens. If you have a deck that can generate tokens (such as zombie decks), then six-sided dice probably won't go amiss here either! These can help replace your tokens quite well and have an idea of ​​the current situation on the playing field;
  4. Personal needs. Also, no one bothers you to show your imagination because each MTG game is unique in its own way. Therefore, many players use dice on their own.

How Many Dice Do You Need To Play MTG?

Pile of Dices For Trading Card Games

MTG is a card game, and you don't need to bring any additional items with you. You can play with just the cards that come with the starter deck. Still, dice can make the magic card game more practical, professional, and fun. In this way, you can avoid the tinsel with an endless recording of numbers or memorizing them, which at any moment can be lost in your head. So let's see how many dice you can bring along with you:

  • First off, we suggest bringing at least two 20-sided dice. This way, if you have any spells that let you gain more than 20 life (if you are playing white), then you will be covered. In general, this will make it easier for you to count and make the game more comfortable so that you can focus on the process itself and not on its routine;
  • Secondly, we suggest bringing some six-sided dice so that you can use them as counters for whatever deck you are running. If you are mostly playing green decks, then it may not be necessary to have many counters, but less if you use black ones. This means that even if you don't play black as often, you still want to have more dice in reserve;
  • Thirdly, your opponent can cast spells that affect your health or damage you during the game. So you also need a few extra dice. And in these cases, it would be more convenient if they differed in color. For example, green can mean positive effects, while red can mean negative ones.

Alternatives To Using Dice While Playing MTG

Alternatives To Using Dice While Playing MTG

Magic: The Gathering is a game that involves a huge number of cards that can seriously affect health, which is why you will most likely need a lot of dice counters. And if you've been playing with dice for a while, you've probably noticed that the player may need so many 20-sided dice that it would take up half their bag! This is mainly due to the widespread strategy of accumulating a large amount of health.

So instead, people have started keeping track of their health in notebooks or even just pieces of paper. It's no different than keeping track of how much damage an attack does — it's just another way of tracking how much "health" someone has left. There are also other alternatives to dice:

  • If you want to get really fancy about it, you can purchase plastic discs from any board game store that can serve as counters for different things. These are perfect for tracking damage and other counters;
  • When you need tokens, you can craft them yourself. If we check the MTG rules, we will notice that they do not have any complaints about homemade tokens. If you are not confident in your abilities, you can buy real ones. Most of them have been reissued an unlimited number of times over the years, which is why the price for them is not so high;
  • In addition to all of the above, you can use convenient applications that easily replace dice. They are available for both Android and iOS. But do not forget, they discharge a phone, so it is better to have a fallback.

Inspire Yourself To Learn To Play MTG With Brand New MTG Card Sleeves From Playmat!

We play MTG regardless of the time of year and where we are. But you can be sure about your games if you have card sleeves. They are able to keep your favorite card games from premature ageing by protecting them from a variety of possible damages, including:

  • Moisture;
  • Sticky hands;
  • Scratching;
  • Mud;
  • Sunlight.

Now you can stop nervously reacting to guests who drink and eat while playing MTG, and you can just enjoy the game and communication. The sleeves are also indispensable if you want to diversify the game. On our site, you can create universal card sleeves, which allows you to deepen the game even more. It makes the very atmosphere that you have long dreamed of and help keep your favourite games' components in perfect condition for as long as possible.

Also worth remembering:

  • Choose card sleeves according to the size of the card. The tighter it fits, the better it performs its functions. The most comfortable ones are true to size or slightly larger (up to +3 mm);
  • Card sleeves are not suitable for lamination! The card is simply inserted inside, which makes it easy to change the card sleeve if necessary. If you pass the card in the sleeve through the laminator (ironing it with an iron, applying any other high-temperature effect) - it will melt and ruin the card.

FAQ

What Are Dice For In Magic: The Gathering?

Dice makes it easier to keep track of game changes than other alternatives. This primarily concerns tokens, counters, and of course, health.

What Is Magic: The Gathering Counter?

Counter - a physical mark that lies on a permanent card or a player that indicates some kind of characteristic. For this designation, transparent pebbles or dice are used.

Do You Need A D20 For Magic: The Gathering?

The D20 is an excellent addition to playing Magic: The Gathering. It helps to count the amount of life you have.

What Dice Are Used For Magic: The Gathering?

The most common dice for MTG is D20. Also, players prefer to use D6 for card changes.