Dry-Erase Tokens

This is my favorite gift in this category. This is a deck of cards that you can draw on with a dry-erase marker. Magic often asks the player to use “Tokens” to represent special objects in the game. I won’t go into the gameplay mechanics here. But suffice it to say, it can bring a bit of fun to a game of Magic when someone draws their tokens! Apostrophe and Infinitokens are good options here.

Custom Sleeves and Playmat

We already discussed sleeves previously. But, for a little extra, you can get custom designs printed on sleeves! Dragon Shield offers a great service that lets you bring a personal touch to a set of sleeves. I bought my fiancé a set with her pet snake!

Playmats are another important part of the game. Mats protect cards when we play with them. They come in a wide range of designs. Some are popular and can be purchased anywhere. Some artists produce unique artwork and put them on mats. Inked Gaming has a great selection. They also let you upload your own pictures to make a custom mat!

Alternatively, you can also get the playmats from Three for One Trading.

Binders

A binder stores and protect cards that are not in use. Many players will use a binder to store cards they intend to sell. It provides protection and a way to display a collection. Binders come in all shapes and sizes.

• Larger binders fit 16 cards per page, this is bigger than an A4 page.
• Smaller binder would fit four cards per page. Picture an A5 notebook.

Nine card binders are around A4 size and are the most common. There is no wrong answer here but if you know your friend likes to travel light, consider a small binder. Ultimate Guard and Ultra Pro come to mind when I think of binders.

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go is my favorite board game hands down.

Here’s the idea, you are at a conveyor-belt sushi bar trying to assemble the best meal you can as it passes you by! In Sushi Go, everyone is dealt a hand of cards featuring adorable sushi. You take one card on your turn. Everyone then reveals what they chose. The remaining cards are then passed to the person beside you.

As the game goes on, you begin to see what sushi the rest of the table is looking for. Once all the cards are used up, count up your points. This happens over three rounds to decide the winner. Magic players will recognize this as a “draft”. Sushi Go comes in a regular and travel-size version too for those who game on the go!

Ascension

Ascension is another fantastic board game for Magic players. It’s designed by Magic Pro players Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and Brian Kibbler!

This is a “deck building” game. Everyone begins with a small, weak deck. At the center of the table is a deck containing monsters and heroes. Six cards are dealt out on the table, like in Texas-Hold’Em. On your turn, you can fight monsters, or buy heroes from the center.

• Defeating monsters will earn you points towards winning the game.
• Buying heroes will improve your deck in the long run.

They can help you defeat bigger monsters for bigger rewards. This game has you balancing new heroes and defeating monsters. If you keep buying new cards, you’ll never fight any monsters. But if you never buy new heroes, you won’t be able to defeat the big monsters. It is a balancing act. Ascension also has plenty of expansions to keep you on your toes. If you ever get bored with the base game, add-in an expansion for a whole host of new strategies!

Tournament Entry

Paying for someone’s entry to a tournament isn’t just a great gift, it’s a chance to make memories with your friends. Some of my fondest memories are prerelease. Getting the train into the city, meeting my friends from across the country, and jamming games!

If your city has a tournament scene, or conventions, even better! Don’t just buy them a ticket, make it a nice day. If travel is involved, plan out the route so they have nothing to worry about. If it’s a city you have never been to, find a nice place to grab lunch. Make it an occasion they’ll remember!

Altered Art

Getting custom art on one of their favorite cards is an awesome way to personalize a deck. I put this in the €50 tier, but prices will vary a lot. Force of Will is a €50 card on its own. Paying the artist is going to cost even more!

Another factor is the level of change to the altered original card. A popular style of alter is to make a card borderless. These are some of my favorites. It’s hard to tell where the original card ends and the paint begins. These borderless transitions are gorgeous!

Other alters will completely change the card. They will paint over entire sections, or even the whole card! They treat it as a tiny canvas. There are some incredibly unique pieces in this category. They go above and beyond to turn this card into something new!

Special thanks to fluffytrexalters on Instagram for these gorgeous alters for my partner!

Booster Box

A booster box is another opportunity to make some awesome memories with friends. Booster boxes of Standard legal sets are usually €100–€150. More exotic sets like Modern Horizons will break the €200–€300 range. Then, if you want something special, you could buy a box of something much older. The sky is the limit here. Some sets are a couple of hundreds, while others can go into the thousands!

Regardless of what set you pick, make some memories with it! Organize a sealed/draft night. Order some food and have an awesome night, opening the box and sharing the experience.

My favorite set is Conspiracy. Opening that box with my fiancé, and some close friends was one of the best nights of Magic I ever had! It wasn’t about drafting money cards. It was getting to draft a unique set with some good company!

That One Card

Magic is an expensive hobby. Sometimes players just don’t have the cash to get everything they need for a deck. Try to find out what cards they are missing. Whether it’s Modern, Pauper, or Commander, there is likely something needed.

If you cannot find an exact card they are missing, try buying format staples. Lands are a safe option as they will always find a home. You can mix and match here. Splash out for a fancy foil, or buy several lower-cost cards. The following lands are a safe option that everyone will always be grateful to have more of:

1. Surveil Lands
2. Ravnica Shock Lands
3. Fetchlands

Undercity Sewers (€25), Watery Grave (€15), and Polluted Delta (€15) come in at €55 depending on which editions you buy! Their white/green alternatives go for around €25 altogether!

Build Your Own Draft

Even better than a booster box, design your own draft. There are lots of ways to do this. Three for One Trading makes two Advent calendars featuring packs to draft over the holiday season. There’s a premium version too for an extra special gift! Whether you go for the base or premium versions, you’re going to have a one-of-a-kind draft!

The base version is €125. It comes with 24 packs. The full list is at the link below. But some highlights are:

• Time Spiral Remastered
• Modern Horizons 3
• Mystery Booster Convention Edition
• Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (one of my favorite draft sets)

The premium version costs €200. The packs here are worth the upgrade! Of note:

• Mystery Booster 2
• Original Modern Masters
• Double Masters
• Ravnica Remastered

Chaos drafts are a lot of fun. You never know what you’re going to get! Whichever edition you decide to buy, be sure to share the experience. Drafting with some close friends over the holiday season and have fun!

Art

Magic has so much beautiful art. Players have a favorite card, set, or artist. Many artists will offer prints and canvases of their iconic pieces. Price here can vary based on the artist, and size. With that said, this is a beautiful way to incorporate Magic into a person’s life outside of game pieces, and accessories.

The quiet scenes of Sarah Finnegan are beautiful both on a card and on a wall. I am particularly fond of her Mossfire Valley, and Glacial Floodplain. The former speaks to a hard-fought battle that is now over. The blade is still coated in blood. It guides the eye down to the flowers beneath it. The background features softer pinks in the mountain. A distant sun is setting. We are at peace after a hard-fought battle.

Glacial Floodplain continues this somber tone. The floodplain is shrouded in darkness, but there is a hint of sunlight coming from out of frame. At the center, we see a raised mound. A cairn of stones, and a ring. Perhaps someone important is buried here. The viewer is approaching to say one last goodbye.

The artwork of Magic is breathtaking. It makes for a beautiful gift and supports the artists that make this game what it is.

You can also make your own art. I am not well versed with a pencil or paintbrush, but I can assemble a scene! I gifted my partner a framed collection of art cards from Commander Masters.

This featured the side profile art of several legends in a collage. This was a great homage to some of her favorite artists, and legendary creatures. You could go big and frame an entire set worth of art cards, or curate the perfect selection of favorites! Or get creative and come up with your ideas!

Pro Player Coaching Session

This is the next step up from the Patreon membership we discussed before.

Many Pro players offer coaching sessions. For players who love competition, this is a great way to let them grow. Or if you know someone who is getting back into the game and wants to catch up on the meta, this is a great choice.

Out of everything on this list, coaching needs the most work to get right. With that said, it is a fantastic gift for someone looking to improve. I reached out to several professional players to offer their insights here. Check out the table below to learn more.

Speaking to these players and reviewing their services, one kept coming up. Coaching is not just for top players. It is for anyone who wants to improve at Magic! Brian Coval described it best:

“Having someone who can assess where you are as a player and give you information it would take hundreds of games to figure out for yourself is a cheat code for improving quickly.”