The goal of the game
Magic is called Magic: The Gathering because each player takes on the role of a powerful wizard. Every card in your hand represents a spell you can cast.
Each player starts with 20 life points. Your objective is to use your spells and creatures to reduce your opponent’s life from 20 to 0. In multiplayer games, the last player standing wins.
Mana and casting spells
Spells are cast using mana, which comes from land cards. You may play one land from your hand each turn, and once a land is on the battlefield you can turn it sideways — this is called tapping — to produce mana of the appropriate color.
Each card’s top-right corner shows its mana cost. A cost like 2 green mana means you need two mana of any type plus one green mana. Once you have enough untapped lands, you can cast the spell.
Card types
Different cards do different things. Here are the most common types you’ll see in a casual deck.
Creatures
Creatures stay on the battlefield and can attack your opponent or block incoming attackers. They have power (attack strength) and toughness (health) in the bottom-right corner.
Instants & Sorceries
These are one-time spells. Sorceries can only be cast on your turn. Instants can be cast almost any time — even during an opponent’s turn — making them great for surprises.
Enchantments
Enchantments are lasting magical effects that stay on the battlefield and change the rules in some way, such as boosting your creatures or slowing your opponent.
Artifacts
Artifacts represent magical items or machines. Many can be used by any deck regardless of color, and some can be tapped for special abilities.
Planeswalkers
Planeswalkers are powerful allies you summon to help you. They enter with loyalty counters and can be attacked directly. If their loyalty reaches zero, they leave the battlefield.
Creatures and combat
During your combat phase, you can tap your untapped creatures to attack your opponent or a planeswalker they control. Your opponent can then choose which of their untapped creatures block which attackers.
When damage is dealt, attackers with higher power than the blockers’ toughness destroy the blockers. Any unblocked damage reduces the defending player’s life total. Damage on creatures heals at the end of the turn, but life loss is permanent.
Turn structure
Each turn is divided into phases. You’ll move through them in order.
Beginning phase
Untap all your tapped permanents, draw a card for the turn, and resolve any abilities that trigger at the start of your turn.
First main phase
Play a land if you haven’t yet this turn, then cast creatures, enchantments, artifacts, or sorceries using your available mana.
Combat phase
Tap your creatures to attack. Your opponent declares blockers, and damage is assigned and resolved.
Second main phase
After combat, you have another chance to play a land and cast spells with any mana you have left.
Ending phase
The turn wraps up. Some cards have abilities that trigger during the end step, and then cleanup happens before the next player’s turn begins.
The stack
The stack is where spells and abilities wait to resolve. When a player casts a spell or activates an ability, it goes on the stack. Each player then gets a chance to respond, often with an instant or an activated ability.
Once no one wants to add anything else, the top item on the stack resolves first, then the next one down, and so on. Understanding the stack is the key to timing your counterspells and tricks correctly.