19 May Magic: the Gathering for Beginners
Magic: the Gathering – an enigmatic card game to some, a competitive sport for others. Have you been wanting to learn how to play? Well, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we’ll go over some basic rules of Magic: The Gathering, including important terms, turn steps, mana usage, and the basics of spell cards.
Don’t forget, Teen Central still has one last Magic: the Gathering tournament for the school year on May 23rd! It’s beginner-friendly, and standard decks are provided!
Important Terms
Battlefield
The space where your spells, creatures, and lands will be deployed.
Color
Every card has a color (or multiple). There are 5 in total: White, Red, Blue, Green, and Black. Colors coordinate with lands and mana.
Graveyard
Where spells, creatures, and otherwise used cards go after they are finished.
Hand
The cards that you use to play during your turn. Unless otherwise stated, you start with 7 cards in your hand, drawn from your library.
Lands
Lands are how you gain mana during a game. There are 5 in total, correlating to the 5 colors: White – Plains, Red – Mountains, Blue – Islands, Green – Forests, and Black – Swamps. Unless otherwise stated, you can only place 1 land per turn.
Library
Also known as your deck. The pile of cards that you draw your hand from.
Mana Cost
Every card, except basic lands, has a cost. In the upper right-hand corner of the card, you will see the “cost” of the card (example below). Mana comes from the lands on your battlefield.
Spells
Spells are a type of card you can play. Creatures, Instants, Enchantments, and Sorceries count as spells.
Tap/Untap
Tapping is the action of causing a card to attack/use its action, usually denoted by turning the card to differentiate it from unused cards. Untapping is the action of turning the card back to its original state, usually done at the start of your next turn.
Turn
Every player has a turn. After finishing your turn, the next player will start their turn. See how turns work below.
Turn Steps
Every turn follows the same steps, no matter where in the game you are.
Beginning/Upkeep
- Draw a card.
- If this is NOT your first turn, make sure to “untap” your used cards from your last turn.
- If this is NOT your first turn, your creatures will heal any damage they took during your opponent’s turn.
Main Phase
- Place down a land. (Remember, you can only place 1 down per turn!)
- If you have the mana available, play any spells that you would like to use.
Combat
- Declare which creatures will be attacking your opponent.
- Your opponent will declare which creatures, if any, will block your creatures.
- Damage is dealt.
Second Main Phase
- Play a land if you did not play one during your first main phase.
- If you have the mana available, play any spells you would like to use.
End
- If you have more than 7 cards in your hand, discard into your graveyard until you have 7 again.
- Pass the turn to your opponent.
Examples of Cards
-written by Ajax T, Teen Central Library Assistant
