Sampler

Sample decks, samplers, or demogame packs are decks given away as a free product to advertise Magic: The Gathering. They are handed out at conventions and distributed to stores to potential new players. Since 2013, sample decks are also used at the yearly Magic Celebration event. Since 2016, they have been advertised as Welcome Decks.

Portal

Portal Demogame boosters contained 24 cards. In these boosters, six cards were printed with either flavor or reminder text different than their booster pack counterparts. Those cards are: Armored Pegasus, Bull Hippo, Cloud Pirates, Feral Shadow, Snapping Drake, and Storm Crow.

Portal Second Age

Portal Second Age Demogame boosters contained 24 cards and a tip card.

Starter 1999

Starter Demogame boosters contained 24 cards, including 8 cards from the Starter Game Box that weren't available in regular boosters. Also included were a tip card, a rebate card, and an instruction sheet. Everything two players needed to play their first Magic game.

Starter 2000

The Starter 2000 set came with both 24-card Demogame boosters and 10-card sampler packs. Cards in the sampler are:

Seventh Edition

Each Seventh Edition 10-card sampler contains:

Eighth Edition

Eighth Edition set came with both 24-card Demogame boosters and 10-card sampler packs.

Ninth Edition

Ninth Edition set came with both 24-card Demogame boosters and 10-card sampler packs.

Tenth Edition

Tenth Edition was the first core set that came with 10 preconstructed theme decks with just thirty basic lands, commons and uncommons.

Main article: 10th Edition/Sample decks

Magic 2011 until Magic Origins

From Magic 2011 on, each core set came with the preconstructed decks first seen in Tenth Edition. ^[1] Initially there were ten decklists and from Magic 2013 onwards five. They mostly contain cards from the relevant core set, although there might be a few cards sprinkled in from recent blocks ^[2].

Main article: Magic 2011/Sample decks

Main article: Magic 2012/Sample decks

Main article: Magic 2013/Sample decks

Main article: Magic 2014/Sample decks

Main article: Magic 2015/Sample decks

Main article: Magic Origins/Sample decks

Welcome decks

June 16, 2016 five monocolored ready-to-play decks became available as free sample decks at Wizards Play Network locations around the world.^[3] These were also available in Booster Battle Packs. The Welcome were each year renewed.

Other than featuring cards from recent blocks, each welcome deck also contains a selected range of reprinted cards from older sets. Those cards have unique expansion symbols and code, and are considered as a part of the set right before(after) the release in terms of Standard's rotation.

Main article: Welcome Deck 2016/Sample decks

Main article: Welcome Deck 2017/Sample decks

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

With each copy of Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 a six card sampler (or "promo pack") could be obtained by redeeming a unique code on the official Wizards Duels of the Planeswalkers site. Five cards were random Magic 2013, the sixth was an Alternate Art promo card (dependant on which system the game was purchased).^[4]