How to play Magic The Gathering?

is a strategy card game where players assume the roles of powerful wizards called planeswalkers, battling each other using spells, creatures, and artifacts. The objective is to reduce your opponent’s life total from 20 to 0 or achieve victory through other card-specific means.

Basic Overview

  • Players: 2 or more.

    Starting Life Total: 20 (40 in Commander format).

    Deck Size: Minimum 60 cards (100 in Commander format).

  • Win Conditions:

    • Reduce your opponent’s life total to 0.
    • Force your opponent to draw from an empty library (deck).
    • Fulfill alternate win conditions defined by certain cards (e.g., Laboratory Maniac).

Setup:

  • Shuffle Your Deck: Each player shuffles their deck thoroughly.

( Note: For basic under deck building, Continue to "Deck Building & Strategy Development" )

  • Determine First Player: Randomly decide who goes first. The first player skips their draw step on their first turn.

  • Draw Opening Hand: Each player draws 7 cards.

  • Place Starting Lands: Players begin with no lands on the battlefield.

Card Types:

  • There are several types of cards in MTG:

  • Lands:

    Produce mana to cast spells (e.g., Forest, Mountain).

  • Creatures:

    Attack opponents and block their creatures.

  • Instants:

    Playable at any time to perform an effect.

  • Sorceries:

    Powerful one-time effects, playable only on your turn.

  • Enchantments:

    Persistent effects or buffs.

  • Artifacts:

    Magical items with ongoing effects.

  • Planeswalkers:

    Ally wizards that provide abilities and can be attacked.

Turn Structure:

A turn has five main phases:

1. Beginning Phase

  • Untap Step: Untap all tapped permanents (lands, creatures, etc.).
  • Upkeep Step: Perform effects that occur during upkeep (indicated on specific cards).
  • Draw Step: Draw one card (first player skips this on their first turn).

2. Main Phase (Pre-Combat)

  • Play one land (if you haven’t already this turn).
  • Cast spells (creatures, enchantments, artifacts, etc.) by tapping lands for mana.

3. Combat Phase

  • Declare Attackers: Choose which creatures attack and declare your target (player or planeswalker).
  • Declare Blockers: Defending player chooses creatures to block attackers.
  • Combat Damage: Attacking and blocking creatures deal damage to each other simultaneously. Unblocked attackers deal damage to the opponent or their planeswalker.

4. Main Phase (Post-Combat)

  • Play additional spells or lands, if possible.

5. Ending Phase

  • End Step: Resolve end-of-turn effects.
  • Cleanup Step: Discard down to your hand size limit (usually 7 cards) and end your turn.

Casting Spells:

  • To cast a spell:

  • Tap Lands for Mana:

    Use lands (or other mana sources) to generate the mana required by the spell’s cost.

  • Pay Costs:

    Spend the mana to cast the spell.

  • Place the Spell on the Stack:

    The spell goes on the “stack,” where players can respond with other spells or abilities.

  • Resolve the Spell:

    If no one counters or responds, the spell’s effects occur.

Combat Example:

  • 1. A Player Declares Attack:

    • The attacking player taps creatures they wish to attack with.

  • 2.The Defending player Declares Block

    • The defending player chooses which creatures block the attacking creature or allow the attacking player deal direct combat damage the defending player.

  • Combat Damage:

    • Damage is dealt simultaneously by attackers and blockers. Creatures with damage equal to or greater than their toughness are destroyed.

Example Below

1.Attacking:
The "4" in the gold box on the lower right side of the example photo below, is the creature card's "Power Level" (Used for attacking.)
2. Defending:
The "5" in the gold box on the lower right side of the example photo below, is the creature card's "toughness Level" (Used for blocking attacks.)

Key Concepts:

  • Mana:

    The resource used to cast spells, generated by lands.

  • The Stack:

    A system where spells and abilities resolve in reverse order of play (last-in, first-out).

  • Tapping:

    Rotating a card sideways to show it has been used (e.g., for mana production or attacking).

  • Permanents:

    Cards that stay on the battlefield (e.g., lands, creatures, artifacts).

  • Graveyard:

    A discard pile for used spells and destroyed cards.

Tips for New Players:

Start with a Preconstructed Deck: These are balanced and designed for new players.

Learn the Phases: Understanding the flow of the turn helps plan your actions.

Focus on Synergies: Build decks where cards complement each other.

Practice: Play with friends or use digital platforms like MTG Arena for practice.

Example Turn

You untap your lands and draw a card.

Play a Forest and tap it to cast a Llanowar Elves.

In the next turn, you tap Llanowar Elves and another Forest to cast a Craw Wurm.

On your combat phase, you attack with Craw Wurm.

Your opponent blocks with a smaller creature, which is destroyed in combat.

That’s the essence of MTG!

  • The game’s depth comes from deckbuilding, strategy, and the interactions between thousands of cards.