MTG Prerelease Guide: What to Know Before Your First One
Everything you need to know about MTG prereleases — how they work, how to sign up, building your sealed deck, and why it is the best event for new players.
Prereleases are the most fun events in Magic: The Gathering. You get to play with cards before they're officially released, build a deck from a sealed kit, and compete in a relaxed environment where everyone is learning the new set together. If you've never been to one, this is the event to start with.
What Is a Prerelease?
A prerelease is a sealed-format event held the weekend before a new Magic set officially launches. Every player receives a prerelease kit containing 6 booster packs from the new set, a foil promo rare, and a spindown life counter. You open your packs, build a 40-card deck from what you opened (plus basic lands provided by the store), and play rounds against other attendees.
Because everyone is building from random packs, the playing field is remarkably even. Experienced players have a small edge in deckbuilding, but the variance of sealed pools means anyone can win. It's the most level Magic event you'll find.
How to Sign Up
Prereleases are hosted at WPN (Wizards Play Network) stores. Your local card shop will announce prerelease dates and registration as soon as they're announced by Wizards. Popular stores sell out — sign up early. Entry fees are typically $25–$35, which covers your prerelease kit.
Most stores run multiple prerelease events over the weekend — Friday night midnight (for the die-hards), Saturday afternoon (the most popular), and Sunday (usually the most casual). Pick the time that works for you.
What to Bring
Bring sleeves (enough for 40+ cards), dice, a life counter or pen and paper, and cash for the entry fee and any extras. Don't bring a constructed deck — you'll build from your sealed pool. Do bring a good attitude and patience, because building takes time and you're working with unfamiliar cards.
Building Your Sealed Deck
Open your six packs. Sort cards by color. Look for your strongest color pair — two colors with the most powerful creatures and removal spells. Build a 40-card deck using roughly 17 lands and 23 spells. Prioritize creatures and removal over everything else. Fancy combos rarely work in sealed — solid creatures and ways to kill your opponent's creatures win games.
Don't stress about building the perfect deck. Everyone is experimenting with new cards they've never played before. Build something reasonable, learn from your games, and adjust between rounds if you need to.
During the Event
Prereleases are Swiss-round events — 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. Between rounds, you can rebuild your deck, trade with other players, or just chat about the new set.
Ask rules questions freely — judges are there to help, and prerelease is explicitly a casual learning event. Nobody will judge you for not knowing what a new card does.
Prizes and After
Prizes are typically distributed as booster packs based on your record. Even going 1–3 or 0–4 is a perfectly valid prerelease experience — you got a prerelease kit, played with new cards first, and spent an evening with the Magic community. The cards you opened are yours to keep regardless of results.
Why Prereleases Are the Best Starting Event
If you've never played Magic at a store, prerelease is the event to try. The format is inherently fair (sealed pool), the atmosphere is relaxed, experienced players are patient with newcomers, and you walk away with new cards and a story. Many lifelong Magic players trace their love of the game back to their first prerelease.
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Find a prerelease near you
Search our directory for shops that host MTG prereleases and other sealed events.