Best MTG budget holiday gifts for all players

Gifts for Magic: The Gathering players are abundant for the 2023 holiday season, from collectibles to Starter Decks for beginners. 

Finding a gift for a Magic player is challenging when the gift bearer doesn’t play. I know this first-hand as I’m the only individual in my family who plays. This MTG holiday gift guide is for all players and collectors, showcasing a wide range of gift ideas that can fit within a reasonable budget. But first, an honorable mention: All card game players are always in need of at least two items—a way to store their cards and a playmat. 

Best MTG budget gifts 

Buying booster packs is a great stocking stuffer idea. But which packs are the best? Play booster packs are taking over in 2024, removing Draft and set booster packs. Many Draft booster packs from older Standard-legal sets like Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Crimson Vow are priced at around $3 on TCGPlayer.  

Commander players won’t get excited about Standard-legal booster packs, though, as they will typically want a collector booster pack from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth or Commander Masters. These booster packs are typically priced higher than Standard-legal ones. And then there are always the go-to stocking stuffers like playmats, binders, and travel deck boxes. 

Best MTG gifts for kids and new players

For new players, Jumpstart packs are a great stocking stuffer that fits the shopper who’s on a budget. To play Jumpstart, a player needs two packs. Shuffle them together and they can play with someone else who’s cracked two Jumpstart packs. The most popular Jumpstart product in 2023 was Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth (LTR), with a full box of 18 packs priced at around $80 and a two-pack of Jumpstart LTR packs priced at around $20 on TCGPlayer.  

A cheaper product that can provide just as much enjoyment as a set of Jumpstart booster packs is a Starter deck. The 2023 Starter deck box, priced at around $20, contains solid cards and gameplay strategies. There is also an LTR Starter deck box that is priced the same and contains a wider variety of cards. And the 2022 MTG Starter deck box is only around $10 on Amazon. 

Best MTG gifts for Commander players

Commander players, especially veteran ones, might be finicky about MTG gifts. They often already own playmats and deck boxes, and unless you know the singles they are missing in their newest deck build, buying singles off the secondary market is typically a bad idea. 

All Commander players in MTG like preconstructed decks made by WotC, especially through sets like Commander Masters. But those tend to cost more than a budget gift would. Amazon, however, has a few good deals heading into the holidays on Commander Precon decks that any veteran player will be happy to pull singles from. For newer or casual players, a preconstructed deck is a great starting point. And they can even hold up at local game store events. 

• March of the Machine Divine Convocation Commander Precon: On sale for around $30
• Brother’s War Mishra’s Burnished Banner Commander Precon: On sale for around $32
• March of the Machine Tinker Time Commander Precon: On sale for around $28
• Wilds of Eldraine Virtue and Valor Commander Precon: On sale for around $30
• Phyrexia All Will Be One Rebellion Rising Commander Precon: On sale for around $30

For the Commander players in your life who you are willing to drop a few bucks on, there are bundle deals through Amazon too, like both of The Brother’s War Commander decks that are priced at around $70

Gifts for MTG Arena players

The MTG digital platform, MTG Arena, is sadly not set up for exchanging and presenting gifts. For many players, though, Arena is the only way they play. The digital platform is free-to-play, but for those who enjoy Limited formats or climbing the Standard ladder, investing money into the card game goes a long way—especially for players who don’t have the time to grind five or more games a day. 

But fear not, because you can gift MTG Arena players with a prepaid gift card that will allow them to use the money in a way that best suits them. Money is converted into gems on MTG Arena. A $10 prepaid gift card is a budget-friendly holiday gift while $20 covers a bunch more. And for those who want the attention of the gift receiver, there’s a $100 gem option as well.