The best Magic: The Gathering gifts for Christmas 2022

Topdeck the halls.

Best Games by Jason Coles Contributor

Published on Dec. 6, 2022

Magic: The Gathering has had a truly banner year, at least in terms of quantity, which means you could suddenly find yourself with a new MTG fan to buy for when it comes to the holidays. That can be a daunting task for anyone - even long-time MTG players themselves - so we’ve decided to hunt around for the best Magic: The Gathering gift ideas.

Best Magic: The Gathering gifts 2022

Jumpstart 2022
Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks
Pinfinity augmented reality pins
Ultra Pro MTG card binder
Dragon Shield matte card sleeves
Custom playmat
LCD writing pad
TCG store gift cards

You can definitely just go and order whatever set you think is most affordable, but MTG players can be awkward to buy gifts for because they tend to want things immediately - which means you can’t rely on them waiting for whatever you want to get them. As such, you’re often better off buying them things that have a longer-lasting value, or just some good accessories.

It’d be easy to just recommend some booster packs from the most recent sets but, realistically, a lot of Magic: The Gathering fans will already have the cards they want from those. Instead, we’ve tried to think a little outside the box here to make sure these MTG gifts should hit home no matter what level of fan you’re buying for.

1. Jumpstart 2022

Jumpstart is a fun, friendly way to jump into the card game by shuffling together two booster packs to form a complete deck - making it the ideal gift for MTG fans who are just starting out. *Image: Wizards of the Coast*

Jumpstart 2022 is the latest Magic: The Gathering set and an update to the original Jumpstart released in 2020. However, it essentially has nothing to do with the new Jumpstart boosters you might find in MTG’s other recent expansion, The Brothers’ War. It’s confusing, because MTG publisher Wizards of the Coast can’t seem to help itself at the moment, but in essence, these sets have a load of cool cards to play with, both new and old.

If you're looking to learn how to play MTG, start with our video guide

Jumpstart offers a unique gameplay experience by allowing you to open up two booster packs and then mix them together for a deck to use. They’re not only good for older players, but also a great way to get into the game as a whole, which means you can use them to learn how to play MTG yourself - and there’s really no greater gift than showing an interest in someone’s hobbies.

Buy Jumpstart 2022 on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

2. Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks

If you're looking to buy a gift for someone who likes both MTG and Warhammer, look no further. *Image: Wizards of the Coast*

While many MTG sets might lose their value or not be what people want, the new Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks are, undoubtedly, incredible. Each one has 100 cards for players to use in a multiplayer battle, can be customised as people want and are chock-full of cool Warhammer 40,0000 references.

Not only that, but a lot of the unique cards in these preconstructed decks are worth a pretty penny, and the set itself is quite pricey, which comfortably puts it into the range of “I want it but can’t justify it” - making them excellent gifts for MTG fans.

Buy Magic: The Gathering's Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

3. Pinfinity augmented reality pins

Each pin badge can be scanned using a free mobile app to unlock augmented reality features. It's pretty cool! *Image: Pinfinity*

Here’s something we’d be willing to bet the vast majority of Magic: The Gathering fans don’t have, but would love. Pinfinity is a company that creates awesome augmented reality pins for a range of different popular things, including the likes of Dungeons & Dragons and Street Fighter, but also Magic: The Gathering.

There are loads of cool pins to choose from, and each one comes with fun features like special animations and music to experience when you use Pinfinity’s AR app. They’re little novelties that help show someone’s love of MTG, without it being the kind of thing many people are likely to get themselves.

Buy Magic: The Gathering Pinfinity pin badges from Pinfinity.

4. Ultra Pro MTG card binder

Ultra Pro offers card binders in a variety of colours and featuring artwork from some of the biggest MTG sets, such as this year's Dominaria United. *Image: Ultra Pro*

Given that most Magic players already have a wealth of cards to deal with, buying them something that can help keep things tidy is always a great idea. There are lots of ways to do that, but for most people, what they want is a nice card binder.

The Ultra Pro Eclipse binder is an excellent nine-pocket binder that’s designed to look fairly sleek, can hold up to 360 sleeved cards as standard and will help people show off their collections as they please. It’s a great gift for any Magic: The Gathering fan, especially for those who love to collect cards and traders.

Buy Ultra Pro Eclipse card binder on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

5. Dragon Shield matte card sleeves

Dragon Shield's card sleeves come in an array of colours, and the non-slip matte finish is one of the best around. *Image: Dragon Shield*

The other thing that every MTG player needs more of - and it is a constant and sometimes aggravating need - is sleeves. Keeping cards in good condition isn’t just important for those who like to play around with the secondary market, but also people who just want their cardboard to last.

If you're looking to buy someone a different TCG, we've rounded up some of the best

Dragon Shield's sleeves are some of the best on the market in terms of quality, quantity and feel, and the matte finish is far less slippery than other options. It means they’ll feel good coming out of the pack, and they should last more than long enough for most players.

Buy Dragon Shield matte card sleeves on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

6. Custom playmat

You can customise the playmat to make it the perfect gift for your recipient, whether they'd prefer a meaningful family photo or a cute, kitty twist on some classic Magic: The Gathering cards. *Image: CatsAndCantrips via Etsy*

A good Magic: The Gathering playmat is the kind of thing that players will take with them everywhere. It helps show off a love for a specific card or character, and great custom ones can go even further than that. You can find playmats in a lot of places, but a good first stop for more niche options is Etsy.

We recommend finding out about their favourite characters beforehand, but you can find plenty of options here that aren’t MTG-specific and will still perform the role admirably. It’s always nice to show off your love of cats, for example, or you could even get a special one created from a family photo or something.

Buy custom Magic: The Gathering playmats on Etsy.

7. LCD writing pad

LCD writing tablets are a great way to keep track of your life, tokens and other things during Magic: The Gathering matches - or to just doodle a bear, if you prefer.

This one may seem like a bit of an outlier, but bear with us. Magic: The Gathering is a game with a lot of numbers involved. You have to track your own life total, your opponent’s life total and any extra tokens you’ve both made, along with any cards they may have revealed.

While paper can help you do this, an LCD writing pad is actually a lot more efficient, and means using less paper too. There are plenty of options out there, but the ones we’ve chosen are fairly cheap, not too big and should be easy to get before the Christmas rush hits.

Buy a LCD writing tablet on Amazon US and Amazon UK.

8. TCG store gift cards

Online trading card game stores such as TCGplayer offer gift cards so your recipient can get exactly what they want. *Image: TCGplayer*

Finally, how about gift cards? If the person you’re trying to buy for always buys their own cards, and they’ve already got everything on this list, then getting them a gift card for an online TCG store such as Magic Madhouse in the UK or TCGplayer over in the US - or, ideally, their friendly local game store, is an excellent way to make sure they’ll be happy, but still shows you’ve put some thought into things.

It just means they can pay for event entry, or specific singles as they want them, rather than anybody trying to figure out the perfect gift ahead of time. This is definitely one of the safer options on the list, but it’s still a good one.