[nova707]

when i playtest a deck, what should i look for or what should i be doing while playtesting to help my decks?

[bgb8987]

assuming u have a partner i like to choose 2 decks your going to playtest, than do 4 games (alternating who goes first) without SB and than 6 games (still alternating) with SB, or 2 and 4 if you have a lot of decks to play test,

it helps to have an idea of what cards in your deck are absolute necessities and what are "possible open slots", and as you play against other decks evaluate how useful those possible open slot cards were and what you might have rather drawn in most match ups

another thing to look at is how often you are short of lands, mana flooded, or have the wrong lands out, like for my doran deck i found myself burning myself a lot with painlands, so i removed a lot of them for lands like gilt-leaf palace

i also like to list what my strategy is for beating diferent decks as i playtest against them, mainly aggro, midrange, and control, and also list what cards are useful for each kind of match up, to evaluate if certain cards are only useful in one and maybe can be switched out for a more multipurpose card

those are just a few of the steps i prefer to take when playtesting and evaluating a deck, im sure some of the more experienced players will have some better advice

[MN Nick]

Okay, this is a great question, I'll answer with my method:

First, I like to run through and goldfish any deck i build to see what kind of synergy I am getting out of the hands. If It isnt pulling well, I look to see what I liked to see and what I did not. I cut back on what I didnt like, and emphasize what I did.

I then will take that deck and playtest it against a sure fire winning deck that i have laying around. You can do this yourself, just be impartial. It isnt the best way to do it, but it is autonomous and you arent looking to break it against another player. You are simply looking to see if the deck can consistently hold up against a deck you know wins.

Then it's time for the playtest. Run it in 3 game spurts, see what you liked, what you wish you had more and less of. Then simply nip and tuck until you can split games with your opponent consistently. I don't like to beat my playtest partner consistently, because that means I've made a deck that is strong against his style. I find that losing a few games during playtesting is a good way to see that you have a deck that isn't specific to beating a certain person. Plus, my logic is that you learn more about what your deck can do in a loss than a win, because you are searching for more answers along the way. You will see more solutions, more synergy, and see more ways to improve it as you go.

It also helps to try it against several different styles of decks.

Also, do not discount the sideboard. I know a lot when I play, people groan because I'll hit the sideboard for home games. Well...how do you know if the cards you have in the board are good? Use them!

Finally, play a LOT. The major difference between good players and average players is how often they use their deck. It's next to impossible to know everything an opponent will play, but it is possible to know your deck so well that you can calculate odds on pulling certain cards in your head. A good poker player will know what the odds of a card coming up are based on what is presented to them. You have the same options. If you've seen only 1 Wrath of God and you have 30 cards left in the library, odds spike for you to see that card soon. Of course, this isnt poker, and there are tutors to help us. (Imagine how much a poker player would pay for a tutor during a tourney haha)

The old adage holds true friend: Repetition is the key to perfection.

[Chopperdave]

Play alot against REAL people, human interaction is a big part of magic.....also share information with your partner that you wouldnt normally share like asking him if that was the right play or what he would have done or what you would have done in any given situation during games, this should help minimize your mistakes during tourney play.

Also play with people better than you.

[GuildMaster]

From a noob standpoint, all of the answers were informative and had good advice.  My style of thinking is very much aligned with MN Nick.  It is very Spokian {Logical system based}. 

Although I havn't use any of the game engines myself yet, I assume running a program on your computer would also give you a way to playtest.  I am assuming they can be set up to serve such a purpose...

[fmfisdead]

So far the information in this thread is awesome and I've used some of it. I only wish there were some more people chiming in here.

[Infinite_Bob]

Thinking of Playtesting I would think playing a bunch of different people instead of one would be more beneficial. Certain people can take different strategies. I know playing against one of my friends I can anticipate what he is going to to do, it's how he plays.

Another thing, An idea grab a bunch of people and have a playtesting tourney! Make sure to have lots of....

Thank you, Infinite_Bob.

[Wolfstalker]

when i playtested before my the PTQ i was gonna do, i used Magic workstation, look it up on google.  its free and u can play against other ppl.  when u make a game call it somethin like "PTQ testing" or something like that and be sure to name the format.  this helped me a lot as i was able to play against many of the leading decks in the format.  Also i met ppl on there that helped me make my deck better and give suggestions.

as said before, its much better if u can play ppl face to face, but if not magic workstation is a great tool to use alone or as a supplement as well.

[birdsofzombie8]

thanks for the info and alot of what everyone said was true, i playtest my decks but i never built them wit sb's but one of them. but that deck aint done but its close to being done but its a deck iface my friends wit. and its good. and thanks wolfstalker for the magic workstation!

[mikey k159]

my one advice for you

test most of your games sideboarded, cause sideboards are what matter most in magic

[imachampion]

When we test we go through a series of changes.

1. First of all we play very loose with the rules for a few games...often showing hands and asking each other for advice. This gives each of us double sided information and helps us play the deck better. We also use a free mulligan rule.

2. After we understand the deck that we are playing...we switch decks. Same loose rules as before except...this shows us what cards look like from the other side of the table. Maybe the card that you think is a bomb...really isn't that relevant...by playing against it...you see this and can adjust your own playstyle when piloting the deck.

3. Once we have a fair understanding of how the decks are played...we tighten rules and play tournament magic. We don't use sideboarding at this stage of testing.

4. Once again we switch decks. We use the same strict rules as above.

5. We play sideboarded.

6. Once we have a firm understanding of how the deck works and we are confidant with the deck...we force mulligans and create bad positions to test bad positions and what to do. This is a step that many people don't do. When you are testing against Faeries...you must prepare for a T1 Thoughtseize and a T2 Bitterblossom. Rather than hoping that we will run into this during testing...so we force it.

These are just some examples of ways that we do things. Some of the steps may not be needed but...we do them so that we are prepared and know what to do when we mulligan to 5 and face down a God Hand on the other side of the table. Just some tips to think about.

[contra-coup]

Whatever is putting information into your head works.  The more, the better.  The more games you play, the better.  The more players you have access to, the better.  The more skilled players you have access to, the better.  The more decks, the better.  Make sure you grind out plenty of pre-sb games and of course, lots of sideboarded matches.  Evaluate every card choice as you go (same for land count, color and removal balance).  Take note of your win percentage to get a feel for the match ups.

Less general stuff:
I like to enforce all the rules (especially mulligan) except for open discussion.  Open discussion about what's going on in the match-ups is vital for you and your partners.  Friendly reminders about the rules keeps everyone sharp.