(I was banned from posting in the Magic subreddit for being "condescending and unhelpful" after a mod misinterpreted both my tone and Magic's rules during a discussion unrelated to this guide. This guide was originally a post on the subreddit, but was deleted by the mods. Thus, the link to this page instead.)

Magic Gift Guide

If you have a comic/game store you can go to, buy stuff there. It should be a bit cheaper and have a wider selection than big box stores.

--- CARDS ---

There are many different ways to play Magic. If you don't know much about the game or how your gift recipient plays it, the safest option is to buy them booster packs or a bundle of any of the sets listed at this website: https://whatsinstandard.com. The limiting factor here is the Standard tournament format. Legality of sets rotate out of the format over time to keep the tournament scene fresh, and some sets are never legal in Standard to start with.

If you know that your gift recipient plays the game outside of Standard tournaments, you can expand your selection to include any set/product. “Outside of Standard” can include other tournament formats as well as playing in casual settings. Standard legal sets can be used in non-Standard games as well.

• Play Boosters are the new form of the "normal" booster pack.
• Collector Boosters are more expensive than Play Boosters, and are full of shiny and/or fancier alternate versions of cards.
• Bundles contain Play Boosters (Set Boosters for older bundles), a promo card with bundle-exclusive art, a card storage box, a 20-side die for tracking life points, and a bunch of basic land cards. These make them especially useful for brand new players, but experienced players will appreciate them as well.
• Jumpstart Boosters contain a 20-card half-minideck. They are designed to be combined with another Jumpstart Booster to create a random minideck, to be played against another Jumpstart minideck. Cards in these boosters are still just normal cards and can be used in other ways.
• Starter Kits contain two beginner-level, 60-card decks.
• Commander decks contain a 100-card deck. The packaging for these are deceptive, they aren't Standard legal even if they display a Standard legal set name on them.

The following aren't being produced anymore, but old ones might still be in stock.

• Draft Boosters were the old "normal" booster pack. Their contents had a fixed rarity ratio.
• Set Boosters cost slightly more than Draft Boosters and had slightly less cards, but those cards were more likely to be rarer or alternate fancy versions.

--- GAME SUPPLIES ---

Experienced players may already have the supplies they want in the style they prefer. I'd recommend sticking to cards unless you know they want/need the stuff below.

• Card sleeves protect cards from the wear and tear of shuffling. These are a must for decks, and can be used to protect cards in storage as well. They can range from the clear budget "penny sleeves", to sleeves with solid colour backs, to sleeves with designs on the back. If you're getting a gift for a new player, be sure to include some sleeves.
• Card storage is handy, both for collections and individual decks. A plastic deck box can provide protection while transporting a deck. Collections are usually stored in specialized cardboard boxes.
• Dice are useful for keeping track of player's life points and counters placed on cards during games. A big pile of 6-sided dice, preferably in various colours, should suffice for most situations.
• Playmats can protect cards from rough and dirty playing surfaces. Personally I've never had a need for one, but others swear by them.

--- YOU! ---

Depending on your relationship with the gift recipient, they might also appreciate having you as someone to play with. I've got a guide with info for new players here: https://zandergb.neocities.org/info-for-new-magic-players.