Your First MTG Prerelease: What to Expect

Your first Magic: The Gathering prerelease is an exciting milestone. You get to play with brand new cards before anyone else, build a deck on the fly, and compete in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Everyone at the event is learning the set together, so there's zero pressure to show up as an expert.

Here's what actually happens at a prerelease, what you'll receive, and how to prepare so you walk in confident.

A prerelease is a sealed-format event held the weekend before a new Magic set officially launches. In Sealed, you build a deck from a limited pool of cards you open at the event, rather than bringing a pre-built deck from home. This levels the playing field and nobody has an advantage before the packs are opened.

Prereleases run at Regular REL (Rules Enforcement Level), which means that the focus is on fun, learning and enjoying the new cards. The judges and organizers want you to have a good time and understand what's happening, not to catch you on technicalities.

Every player receives a prerelease kit containing 6 booster packs from the new set, a foil promo rare, and a spindown life counter. Some sets with faction or clan themes (like Secrets of Strixhaven) replace one of those booster packs with a seeded pack, a special booster designed to contain cards from your chosen faction.

The foil promo card is year-stamped so it marks exactly when you opened it. That spindown life counter is a nice keepsake, and the six boosters give you plenty of raw material to build from.

Everything else you need—basic lands, for instance, is provided by your local game store. You don't need to bring anything except yourself and maybe a notepad to jot down life totals.

Prereleases are Swiss-round events which means that you play 3–4 rounds and are paired against players with similar records. Games are best-of-one (at most stores) with a 50 minute round timer. This means your first loss doesn't eliminate you. You'll play all your matches regardless of your record, meeting opponents at roughly your skill level each round.

Most Prerelease events run anywhere from four to five hours, which includes time to build a deck, pair up with your opponents, and take breaks between rounds. Entry fees are typically $25–$35.

Prize support varies by store. Some offer boosters per win, others use a flatter payout so every player goes home with a little something. Ask your store what their structure is when you sign up.

When you arrive, you'll get your kit and time to open all six boosters and sort your cards. You'll need to create a 40-card deck using only the cards you open in the packs and basic lands (which will be provided).

The key decision is picking your two colors. In the Sealed format, you'll want to build a two-color deck. This will help you reliably cast your spells while ensuring you have enough cards to complete your deck. Start by sorting your cards by color and looking for your best rares and removal spells—those are your anchors. Then fill out your curve with creatures and utility spells. Any cards left over become your sideboard; there is no deck registration, you just need to build a Limited-legal deck (at least 40 cards) and start battling. You can also choose to change your deck between the rounds.

The deck-building time is short (usually an hour or so), and that's by design. Part of the fun is working with what you pulled, not overthinking every slot.

If you are the type of player that likes to go to the prerelease knowing what the set is about, there are a few key dates to know. The full spoiler is usually up on Friday one week before the prereleases start. That's a great time to watch draft videos or read a limited set review so you understand the key cards and strategies.

Sign up early, too. Popular stores sell out their prerelease seats weeks in advance.

Most importantly: Remember that the prerelease is about having fun and exploring the new cards, so the atmosphere is very casual and relaxed and the perfect way to get familiar with the new set. You'll meet other players, ask for help when you're unsure, and walk away with new cards for your collection. That's the real win.

After the event, if you're playing Commander or building decks from the cards you opened, browse other players' decks to see how the community is using the new cards. If you want to run a league with friends using prerelease pulls, check out how pod leagues work to track your games and keep standings.

And if you're curious about the power level of a deck you're building, the Commander bracket calculator can help you gauge where it fits in the meta.

You don't need to know the entire ruleset. You don't need a perfectly tuned deck strategy. You don't need to have played Magic for years. Everyone at a prerelease is in the same boat—learning the new set, opening fresh packs, and building something on the spot. That's the whole point. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Have fun. That's a prerelease.