OreosZAI started playing in early 95 buying booster packs and starter decks(just big boosters with random cards) The precons etc came later on and most things like planeswalker decks came while I was taking a long break from the game. That said, I'd have killed to not have to buy 30 packs etc to make a reasonable deck back in the day.
These are good for starters to get a feel for the game, begin a little collection or just looking to play at the kitchen table casually. (Not a shill I swear.) I also like the Deck builder toolkits, they come with a good amount of land, pre-set cards and some pack assortment. Either of those products is probably a good way to look into the game IMO.
OreosZAFollow up after using them for this. I am teaching someone to play with the decks. We have covered most of the non deck building level concepts really well. Watching a new player stabilize at 3 life and win is really good.