If someone in your life disappears every Friday night with a deck of cards and comes home talking about "commanders", "mana" and "that one combo", they play Magic: The Gathering®. The good news: MTG players are easy to buy for, if you know which accessories they actually use. The bad news: buying random booster packs is a lottery, and most players are fussy about what goes into their decks.
This guide sticks to Magic: The Gathering accessories, the kit every player uses every game, so your gift gets used rather than shelved.
Quick answer: the safest MTG gift
A good deck box. Almost every player owns more decks than decent boxes to put them in, a deck box never clashes with their card choices, and a great one gets used every single week. That's exactly why we built SquadPod Slim.
1. A slim Commander deck box – SquadPod Slim (£19.99)
Commander (also called EDH) is the most popular way to play MTG, and it uses 100-card decks. Those decks usually live in chunky boxes or floppy fabric pouches. SquadPod Slim is a rugged MTG deck box that holds 100 single-sleeved cards plus 10 tokens in a case only 50 mm deep, with a window at the front to show off their commander.
- Holds a full Commander deck + 10 tokens (single-sleeved)
- Front display window with a rigid toploader included
- Hinged lid with a click latch, so it stays shut in a bag
- Five colourways: Harbour, Bone, Field, Blossom and Frost
Why it's a good gift: they can't already have one, it works with whatever deck they build, and it looks like a proper present when unwrapped. Not sure which colour? Harbour (navy and white) is our hero colourway and a safe all-rounder. Read the full story in Introducing SquadPod Slim.
2. Card sleeves
Serious players sleeve every card. Sleeves wear out, split and fade, so a fresh pack or two is always welcome. The one catch: players often have a preferred size, finish and colour. Standard-size sleeves (66 × 91 mm) fit MTG cards. If you're unsure, check their current sleeves on the sly.
3. A playmat
A playmat protects cards on the table and makes a game feel like an event. There are thousands of designs, from plain to wildly artistic. It's a great gift for someone who plays at a local game store.
4. Dice and life counters
Commander players start on 40 life and track counters constantly. A set of spin-down dice, a stack of d6s for counters, or a nice life-tracker makes a cheap, useful stocking filler. More ideas in our MTG stocking fillers list.
5. Storage for the collection
Every MTG player has a "bulk" problem: shoeboxes of cards that aren't in decks. Card storage boxes, a binder for favourite cards, or a set of matching deck boxes for the decks they play most will all be appreciated. If they juggle several Commander decks, our guide on how to store multiple MTG Commander decks explains why slim boxes save a lot of shelf space.
6. A gift card for their local game store
If they're hunting one specific card, let them choose. Local game stores often run Commander nights, so a voucher doubles as an excuse for a night out.
Gift ideas by budget
- Under £10: dice, a pack of sleeves, toploaders – see stocking fillers
- Under £25: SquadPod Slim deck box, a playmat – see MTG Christmas gifts under £25
- Bigger budgets: a matching set of SquadPod boxes, one per deck, in different colourways
Buying for a player who seems to own everything already? We've got a whole guide for that. And if they also paint miniatures, our Christmas gift ideas for tabletop miniature gamers covers the hobby side.
Fabric or hard case?
If you're choosing a deck box, a hard case wins for protection. Fabric pouches are light but let cards bend when a bag gets squashed. Read fabric vs hard deck boxes for the full breakdown.
SquadPod Slim by WarSplay – £19.99
100 single-sleeved cards + 10 tokens · commander display window · hinged click lid · only 50 mm deep · five colourways
Magic: The Gathering® and MTG are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. These names are used for descriptive and compatibility purposes only. SquadPod® is a registered trade mark; WarSplay is a brand of Blubbercove Ltd. Blubbercove Ltd is an independent UK company and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or approved by Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro or any other trade mark owner named on this page. Any card artwork shown is for illustration only.