Planeswalker Decks acquaint players who are interested in Magic with basic strategy, the game’s settings, and characters, and include a premium foil Planeswalker card. According to Wizards of the Coast, Planeswalker Decks are the best first purchase for a new player, once they’ve learned the game through either Magic Duels or a Welcome Deck. But its features are meant to appeal to experienced players as well.
Each set features two Planeswalker Decks, each built around a different Planeswalker. Those Planeswalkers are characters relevant to that block[2] or standalone set. Each Planeswalker Deck is a 60-card deck and is packaged with two booster packs from the relevant block or set with an MSRP of $14.99. They also contain a strategy insert and a Magic learn-to-play guide. The Planeswalker Decks are released in each of the eleven languages that Magic is published in.
The decks play into mechanical themes of the block or standalone set, most often making use of a new keyword mechanic. The default is that the decks are two-color even if the Planeswalker is monocolor.
By the time of the release of Amonkhet block, Planeswalker decks were considered a commercial success. Going forward in the Three-and-One Model, they will have a stronger integration with the revamped core set, sample decks and Deck Builder’s Toolkit, allowing for an easier transition between the products.
Global Series
In 2018, Wizards of the Coast tried something new with a pair of Chinese-market-specific Planeswalker Decks featuring new Planeswalkers created particularly for China. It is Standard legal only for events held in China, otherwise is not Standard nor Modern legal.
It is as yet unclear, if the Series will be expanded upon.
Core Sets
The five Planeswalker decks from Core Set 2019 come with only one booster, and are integrated with Welcome decks. They are designed to be a bit more complex than the Welcome Decks but still a little on the simpler side than a normal Standard deck. The Planeswalker Decks tied to the core set are meant to be even easier for a first-time player than the one tied to expansions. The idea is after players see Welcome Decks, their first purchase is a Planeswalker Deck.