How to Play Magic (MTG): An Expert Guide on Key Rules

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Learn how to summon creatures and cast powerful spells
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Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that combines strategy, luck, fantasy, and combat. The premise is this: you are a powerful wizard, called a planeswalker, who summons creatures, spells, and weapons to aid you in your destruction of other planeswalkers. Magic can be enjoyed alone as a collectible hobby or with friends as a sophisticated strategy game. To help explain the core rules of the game, we talked to MTG expert and game shop owner Jason Garvin to get the professional take on what you need to know before you can start slinging spells.

Basic Game Rules

  • Players start with 20 life and 7 cards. Each turn, players can play 1 land, cast creatures or spells, and attack their opponent.
  • Lands generate the colored mana you use to cast cards.
  • The turn order is key to understanding the game. The phases are: untap, draw, main, combat, second main, and end step.
  • You win by dealing enough damage to your opponent to bring their life point total to 0.
Section 1 of 5:

The Basics

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  1. In MTG, two players face off as powerful wizards who cast spells and summon creatures to defeat one another. You can play games where you fight against more than two players, but the most common way to play is by squaring off against a single player. [1]
    • There are two exceptions: Draft formats (like Cube , or Limited) can have 4-16 players. Games of Commander (EDH) require 4 players.
      • Garvin actually suggests starting with Commander if you aren’t hyper-competitive. “Commander is generally much more casual—it’s multiplayer, so you’re usually playing with two to three other people, maybe more. Because it’s multiplayer and everyone kind of keeps each other in check, it’s not nearly as competitive as one-on-one formats.”
  2. Assemble 60 cards that you want to play to make a deck . Your deck is like your army, your arsenal, and your spellbook all wound up into one. In a constructed deck —a deck you build ahead of time— the minimum number of cards is 60 (with no upper limit). Players, however, usually choose to stick to the minimum of 60 cards. In a limited deck —a deck you build out of cards you draft—the deck size is a minimum of 40. [2]
    • A player's 60- or 40-card deck is called their library . Any card that refers to the library is referring to your remaining deck of cards.
    • Unless a card says otherwise (like Rat Colony ) or it is a basic land, you cannot put more than 4 copies of the same card in your deck.
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  3. During the course of a game, a player can gain or lose life. Generally, having more life is better than having less life, but you do not lose the game until your life total reaches 0 or less. [3]
    • Players deal damage to both creatures and to each other. Damage is dealt either by creatures or by spells. Damage is measured by the number of hit points it causes.
    • If player one deals 4 damage to player two, player two loses 4 life. If player two started out with 20 life, they now have only 16 life. (20 - 4 = 16)
    • In Commander (EDH), players start with 40 life instead of 20 life.
  4. Poison is a specific mechanic that only comes up once in a while, so don’t worry about memorizing the 10 poison rule right now. Here are the four ways, though:
    • When a player's life total is at or below 0 , that player has lost.
    • When, at the beginning of their turn, a player can no longer draw any cards from his or her library , that player has lost.
    • When a player has received 10 poison counters , that player has lost.
    • When a card that says you lose the game has its condition met . Examples of cards that have a lose the game condition include cards like Chance For Glory , Demonic Pact , and Nefarious Lich .
  5. The five colors in magic are White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. There are also colorless cards, but they do not have the same core identity or mechanics as the normal colored cards. [4]
    • White is the color of protection, community, and truth. The symbol of white is a white sun. White's strengths are a host of small creatures that collectively become powerful, life-gaining, or evasive. They might reduce the powers of opposing creatures or equalize games by killing large numbers of creatures at once.
    • Blue is the color of deceit, intellect, and knowledge. The symbol of blue is a blue water drop. Blue's strengths are drawing cards, taking control of opponents' cards, countering (negating opponents' spells), and flying creatures or creatures that cannot be blocked.
    • Black is the color of death, greed, and individualism. The symbol of black is a black skull. Black's strengths are destroying creatures, forcing opponents to discard cards, making players lose life, and returning creatures from graveyards.
    • Red is the color of fury, chaos, and passion. The symbol of red is a red fireball. Red's strengths are sacrificing resources for great power, dealing direct damage to players or creatures, and destroying artifacts and lands.
    • Green is the color of life, nature, and independence. The symbol of green is a green tree. Green's strengths are powerful creatures with trample, the ability to regenerate creatures (or bring them back from the graveyard), and getting lands faster (called ramping).
  6. These 7 cards compose a player's hand. At the beginning of each turn, a player draws one card and adds that card to their hand. [5]
    • When a player discards a card, uses a card, or when a creature dies or a spell is destroyed, that card is put in a player's graveyard. The graveyard is a face-up pile that players usually place adjacent to their library.
    • Mulligan rules, as explained by an expert: Garvin explains what happens if you don’t like your opening hand: “You draw your first 7 cards, you hate them, and you need a new hand. So, you shuffle all the cards back into your library, you draw a new 7, and then you put a number of cards from your hand on the bottom of your library once you decide to keep the hand. The number of cards you put on the bottom equals the number of times you've mulliganed. So, if you mulligan twice, you put 2 cards on the bottom. If you mulligan once, you put 1 card on the bottom.”
  7. 7
    Creatures can attack a player, but not a specific opposing creature. One of the core rules of Magic that a lot of newer players seem to struggle with is how combat works. When it’s your turn, you get to attack (if you want to) with your creatures. However, you can only attack a player (or planeswalker). You cannot choose to deal damage to an opposing player’s creature in combat—they have to block a creature for damage to be dealt.
    • As an example: Nick and Sara are playing. Nick has a V ampire Nighthawk and Sara has a Kor Skyfisher . Nick can attack Sara, but he cannot say, My Nighthawk attacks your Skyfisher. The only way for the Nighthawk to kill the Skyfisher is if Sara blocks Nick’s Nighthawk with it, or if Sara attacks with the Skyfisher and Nick blocks with the Nighthawk.
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Section 2 of 5:

Card Types You Need to Know

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  1. Lands are one type of card and are the building blocks of spells. There are five basic lands, each associated with a color. Lands produce magical energy, or mana, which is the fuel used to cast other spells. [6]
    • The five basic lands are as follows:
      • White lands, or Plains, which produce white mana
      • Blue lands, or Islands, which produce blue mana
      • Black lands, or Swamps, which produce black mana
      • Red lands, or Mountains, which produce red mana
      • Green lands, or Forests, which produce green mana
    • There are also different kinds of lands (dual-lands and tri-lands, for example), but the most a beginner needs to know is that basic lands produce mana of one color only, and that multicolor lands can produce mana of two or more colors.
  2. Sorceries are magical incantations that you can only cast during your own turn. You cannot cast a sorcery in response to another spell (you'll learn about this idea later). Sorceries usually go directly into the graveyard after they resolve. [7]
  3. . Instants are like sorceries, except you can cast them during the other player's turn (in addition to your own) and you can cast them in response to a spell. Instants usually go directly into the graveyard after they resolve. [8]
    • Instants and sorceries are basically the same thing; the only difference is that you get to cast instants basically at any point in the game.
  4. Enchantments are like stable manifestations of magical effects that do not go away. Enchantments come in two flavors: either they are attached to a creature, affecting only that one card, in which case they are called an Aura ; or they sit around the battlefield, close to lands, unattached to any card in particular, but affecting the game in some way for you. [9]
    • Enchantments are permanents , meaning that they stay on the battlefield unless they are destroyed. Permanents do not immediately go to the graveyard right after they are cast. Other permanents include lands, enchantments, and creatures.
    • If a creature with an aura is destroyed, the aura goes to the graveyard with the creature.
  5. Artifacts are magical items, and also permanents. Artifacts are colorless most of the time, which means they don't need to be summoned by a particular mana type. [10] There are three basic kinds of artifacts:
    • Normal artifacts : these artifacts are similar to enchantments. The just hang out on the battlefield (and provide an ability or offer a permanent effect).
    • Equipment : these cards can be attached to creatures, giving them extra abilities. If the creature leaves the battlefield, the equipment stays on the battlefield; it doesn't follow the creature into the graveyard, even if it was attached to it.
    • Artifact creatures : these cards are creatures and artifacts at the same time. They are just like creatures, except they usually don't take specific mana to summon: you can summon them with any mana you want. Because they are often colorless, most are also immune to certain spells that affect specific colors.
  6. Creatures are one of the main building blocks of Magic. Creatures are permanents, meaning they stay on the battlefield until they are destroyed or otherwise removed from the game. The main feature of creatures is that they can attack and block. The two numbers in the bottom right hand corner (4/5, for example) help you determine a creature's attacking and blocking strength, respectively. [11]
    • Creatures enter the battlefield with what's called summoning sickness . Summoning sickness means that a creature cannot tap or attack on the same turn it was brought into play. This means it cannot attack or use certain abilities that cause the creature to tap. On the other hand, the creature is allowed to block; blocking is not affected by summoning sickness.
      • Garvin explains a fun trick with flash creatures: “Some creatures have flash, which allows you to play them on your opponent’s turn. If you play them on your opponent’s end step, the summoning sickness wears off right away at the start of your turn.”
    • Many creatures have special abilities (called keywords ), such as flying, vigilance, or trample, that we'll learn more about later.
  7. A planeswalker is a powerful ally that functions kind of like a supercharged creature. They are much rarer than other card types, and they don't always make appearances in games, and they change the fundamentals of the game slightly when in play. [12]
    • Each planeswalker enters the battlefield with a certain number of loyalty counters on it, which represent the planeswalker’s health. You can activate one ability of a planeswalker you control once a turn, but only during a main phase when you would cast a sorcery.
    • Planeswalkers can be attacked by your opponent's creatures and spells. You can block the incoming attack on the planeswalker with your creatures and spells. In the case that your opponent deals damage to a planeswalker, it removes as many loyalty counters as points of damage dealt. When a planeswalker has no loyalty counters on them, they are put into the graveyard.
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Section 3 of 5:

Game Mechanics

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  1. You summon a creature by looking at its casting cost, which is usually a circled number followed by a specific color of mana—either white, blue, black, red, or green. In order to summon a creature, you need to produce mana equivalent to the card's casting cost. [13]
    • Take a look at the card above. You'll notice a 1 followed by a white mana symbol—the white sun. In order to summon this particular card, you need to have enough lands to produce one mana of any color, along with one white mana.
    • Skill check: How much do these cards cost? See if you can't figure out how many mana total, and which specific kinds, it takes to summon the following card:
    • The Answer: The first card, ( Sylvan Bounty ), costs 5 generic mana—mana of any kind you want — along with one green mana—mana produced by a forest, for a total of six mana. The second card ( Angelic Shield ) costs one white mana, mana produced by a plains, along with one blue mana, which comes from an island.
  2. Tapping is how you generate mana from lands. You also have to tap a creature to attack with it (unless the creature has some other kind of ability that prevents that from happening). “Tap” is denoted by the little right arrow sign. In order to tap a card, you turn it sideways at a 90-degree angle. [14]
    • You cannot use any activated abilities that require tapping if the creature is already tapped. In other words, Elvish Mystic cannot generate more than one mana a turn unless some other card causes it to untap.
    • Cards that are tapped do not untap until that player’s next untap step.
    • You cannot block with a creature that is tapped. When a creature is tapped, it is ineligible to block.
  3. Creatures have one number for power and another number for defense. The following creature, Phyrexian Broodlings , has a power of 2 and a defense of 2. It's a 2/2. [15]
    • Power is the number of points a creature can deal in combat. If a creature has a power of 5, it deals 5 damage to any creature who chooses to block it in combat. If that creature goes unblocked in combat, it deals 5 damage directly to the opponent, who subtracts that number from their total life.
    • Defense is the number of points a creature can withstand in combat before it dies and is sent to the graveyard. A creature with a defense of 4 can withstand 3 points of damage in combat without dying. Once it is dealt 4 points of damage, the creature goes into that player's graveyard.
  4. 4
    Damage assignment[endbold. When a player chooses to attack another player in combat, attackers and blockers are declared. Attacking creatures are declared first. The defending player then gets to choose which of their creatures they wish to use as blockers, along with which attacking creatures they want to block. [16]
    • Let's say that Anathemancer is attacking and Arboreal Grazer is blocking. Anathemancer has a power of 2 and a defense of 2. It's a 2/2. The Grazer has a power of 0 and a defense of 3. It's a 0/3. What happens when they square up for battle?
    • The Anathemancer deals 2 damage to the Grazer, while the Grazer deals 0 damage to the Anathemancer.
    • The 2 damage that the Anathemancer deals to the Grazer isn't enough to kill it. The Grazer can withstand 3 damage before it gets put in the graveyard. On the flip side, the 0 damage the Grazer deals to the Anathemancer isn't enough to kill it. The Anathemancer can withstand 2 before it gets put in the graveyard. Both creatures survive.
  5. Much of the time, creatures come with abilities that players get to activate. Using these abilities is much like summoning the creature, in that you need to pay a cost, in mana, to use them. Look at the following example. [17]
    • Icatian Crier comes with an ability that says: Put two 1/1 white Citizen creature tokens into play. But there are also some mana signs and text before it. That's the mana cost it takes in order to activate this ability.
    • In order to activate this ability, tap one basic land of any color (that's for the 1 generic mana), as well as one Plains (that's for the one white mana). Now, tap the card itself to pay for the activated ability cost (that's the little tap sign after the mana requirements, but before the colon). Finally, discard a card from your hand—any card will do, but you probably want to discard your least valuable card. Now you get to put two 1/1 Citizen tokens into play. These function as basic 1/1 creatures.
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Section 4 of 5:

The Phases of a Turn

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  1. Each player's turn has five central phases, or steps. Understanding what these five phases are and how they work is an essential part of understanding gameplay. In order, the five phases are: [18]
  2. The beginning phase is actually 3 different phases in a trenchcoat pretending to be one phase. Players often group these 3 together because players rarely take action independently during any of these steps, but it can (and will) happen on occasion (for example, a player may want to cast Vendilion Clique on their opponent during the draw step to see what they drew). The 3 parts of the beginning phase are:
    • Untap step : the active player untaps all his cards unless that card stays tapped during Untap.
    • Upkeep step : not usually used, but sometimes a player has to pay mana—i.e. tap lands—during this step.
    • Draw step : the active player draws one card.
  3. During this phase, a player may put down one land from his or her hand. Also, during this phase, a player may choose to play a card from his or her hand by tapping lands to produce mana. [19]
  4. Like the beginning phase, combat actually contains 5 steps. Garvin explains: “There’s the beginning of combat step, where effects take place, then the declare attackers step, followed by the declare blockers step, and finally the damage step. At events like prereleases, where newer players face experienced ones, I see new players get surprised by all the different opportunities to interact during combat. For example, blocking isn’t as simple as it seems—you can double or even triple-block a creature.” Players usually just skip a few of these steps and go straight to blockers and damage assignment because there isn’t anything for them to do. The 5 steps are:
    • Beginning of combat (moving to attacks): this is where the player first declares an attack. The defender may play spells after the attack has been declared.
    • Declare attackers : after attack has been declared, the attacking player chooses which creatures he wishes to attack with. The attacking player cannot choose which defending creatures he wishes to attack.
    • Declare blockers : the defending player chooses which, if any, attacking creatures s/he wishes to block. Multiple blockers can be assigned to a single attacker.
    • Assign damage : creatures deal damage to one another during this step. Attacking creatures with equal (or higher) power to the blocking creature’s defense will cause the blocking creature to die. If the blocking creature’s power is equal to (or higher than) the attacking creature’s defense, the attacking creature dies.
    • End of combat : nothing much happens during this phase; both players are given the opportunity to cast instants.
  5. After combat, there is a second main phase, identical to the first, in which the player can cast spells and summon creatures. [20]
    • Which main phase you use is super important. New players tend to ignore the second main phase and cast all of their stuff during the first main phase. By holding on to other cards you want to play, you can mess with your opponent’s blocks during combat! They may think you’re holding a crucial spell or waiting for you to block the way they’re expected to.
  6. During this phase, any abilities or spells that trigger take place. This is a player's last chance to cast instants. [21]
    • If you enter this phase with 8 or more cards, the active player discards cards until their hand is 7 cards again.
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Section 5 of 5:

Common Creature Keywords

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  1. Creatures with flying cannot be blocked by creatures without flying (or an ability like reach, which allows a card to block flyers). In other words, if a creature has flying, it can only be blocked by another creature with flying. [22]
    • Creatures with flying, however, can block creatures without flying.
  2. When one creature is attacking and a player chooses to defend that attack with a blocker, you measure their strengths and toughness against one another. The strength of one is measured against the toughness of the other, and vice versa. First strike changes the order of this process: [23]
    • Usually, damage is assigned at the same time. So, if the attacking creature's strength overpowers the defending creature's toughness, and the defending creature's strength overpowers the attacking creature's toughness, both creatures die.
    • If, however, one creature has first strike, that creature is given a first chance shot at knocking the other creature out with impunity: if the creature with first strike can kill the defending creature, the defending creature dies immediately, even if the defending creature would otherwise kill the attacking creature. The attacking creature stays alive.
    • For example, if an Elite Inquisitor (a 2/2 with first strike) blocks a Grizzly Bear (a 2/2 with no abilities), the Inquisitor deals damage before the Bear can, so the Bears dies and the Inquisitor survives
  3. Vigilance is the ability to attack without tapping. If a creature has vigilance, it can attack without tapping. Normally, attacking means that you need to tap your creature. [24]
    • Vigilance means that a creature can attack and block in successive turns. Normally, if a creature attacks, it cannot block the next turn. With vigilance, a creature can attack and then block the next turn because it isn't tapped.
  4. Haste is the ability to tap and attack the very same turn a creature gets into play. Normally, creatures must wait a turn to tap and attack; this is called summoning sickness. Summoning sickness does not apply to creatures with haste. [25]
  5. Creatures with the trample ability deal the “extra” damage to opponents when they’re blocked by a creature smaller than them. Normally, if a creature is blocked, the attacking creature only deals damage to that blocking creature. With trample, the difference between the trampling creature's strength and the blocking creature's toughness is dealt to the opponent. [26]
    • For example, let's say that Kavu Mauler is attacking and Bonethorn Valesk decides to block it. The Mauler is a 4/4 with trample, while the Valesk is a 4/2. The Mauler deals 4 damage to the Valesk, while the Valesk deals 4 damage back to the Mauler. Both creatures die, but the Mauler manages to sneak in 2 damage to the opponent. Why? Because the Valesk's toughness is only 2, and the Mauler has trample, which means 2 of its 4 damage gets dealt to the Valesk, and 2 gets dealt to the opponent.
  6. 6
    Deathtouch A creature dealt damage by a creature with deathtouch dies, no matter how much damage that is. [27]
    • For example, a Frost Titan (a 6/6 creature) blocking a Typhoid Rats (a 1/1 creature with deathtouch) will die. The Rats will also die.
    • Garvin breaks down a fun combo: “This gets interesting with effects like First Strike. A creature with both First Strike and Death Touch can deal damage before the opposing creature gets a chance to attack back. It just deals one point of damage, and the other creature dies without retaliating.”
  7. 7
    Double strike Double strike is like first strike, in that the creature with double strike deals damage first. Then it attacks again... before the defending creature has a chance to defend the first strike. Then, the turn proceeds as usual, where the second strike's attack damage is resolved at the same time as the defender's damage (as in normal combat). [28]
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  • Question
    Do I need to tap land to produce mana?
    Community Answer
    Not always. Many cards, such as artifacts and creatures, can tap for mana just as a land can. In addition, some cards may give you mana for the short time of one use.
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  • Question
    After a creature battles but survives, does the life of the creature reset on the next turn?
    Community Answer
    Yes, the life of the surviving creature heals at the end of the turn. So if your blocking creature survives an attack from your opponent, it will be at full health when you attack your opponent during your turn.
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  • Question
    Does each plot of land count as one mana?
    Community Answer
    Each basic land card produces one mana of its color every time that land is tapped. Then there are non-basic lands that will give you specific numbers, such as mizzium blast furnace which gives you two red each time you tap it.
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      • It takes practice, if you don't understand it or get it the first time, keep working at it. The game becomes super fun when you know what to do.
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      • Try to have as many cards of the same mana as you can, to allow faster access to spells and creatures.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      2. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      3. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      4. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      5. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      6. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      7. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      8. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      9. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      1. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      2. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      3. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      4. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      5. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      6. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      7. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      8. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      9. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/tcg/resources/rules/MagicCompRules_21031101.pdf
      10. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      11. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      12. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/images/magic/resources/rules/EN_MTGM14_PrintedRulebook_LR.pdf
      13. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      14. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      15. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      16. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      17. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      18. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary
      19. ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/keyword-glossary

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      Magic the Gathering is a 2-player trading card game where players use the cards in their deck to battle with their opponent. If a player’s life total reaches 0 points, they lose. Players use creatures, spells, enchantments, and other types of cards to lower their opponent’s life total and defend themselves from attack. To play Magic the Gathering, each player needs a deck of 60 cards designed specifically for the game. At the beginning of the game, each player draws 7 cards from their deck. On a player’s turn, they can play cards from their hand face-up on the table to use them in battle. In order to play a card, a player must have enough mana. The mana needed to play a card is shown on the top right corner of the card. To get mana, players must tap special cards called land cards. There are 5 different types of land cards, each with its own color and symbol. Players can play one land card from their hand per turn. Then, players can tap their face-up land cards to get mana, which they can then use to play other cards in their hand. To tap a card, players turn the card sideways. Players receive one mana per land card they tap, and the mana only lasts for that turn, although players can tap the same land cards for more mana in subsequent turns. The main type of cards that players use mana to play are called creature cards. Creature cards can be used to attack your opponent and lower their life total. Each creature card has a certain number of power and toughness. Power and toughness are displayed in the bottom right corner of a creature card. Power is on the left, and toughness is on the right. Power is what a creature uses to attack with, and toughness is what a creature defends with. When a player summons a creature, they must wait until their following turn before they can attack with it. Then, on their next turn, they can choose to attack their opponent with that creature. Players can attack with multiple creatures at once. To attack with a creature, players must tap the creature and turn that card sideways. If a player is attacked and doesn’t have any creatures on the field to block with, or any special cards in their hand to defend themselves with, they subtract the attacking creature’s power from their life total. For example, if player 1 attacks player 2 with a creature that has 5 power, and player 2 has nothing to block or defend with, player 2 would subtract 5 from their life total. However, if a defending player has a creature on the field, they can choose to block with that creature. Players can block with more than one creature if they have multiple creatures on the field. When a player blocks with a creature, that creature defends with its toughness. If it’s toughness is lower than the attacking creature’s power, the blocking creature is destroyed and removed from the playing field. If the blocking creature’s toughness is higher than the attacking creature’s power, it survives but is damaged. The attacking creature’s power is subtracted from the blocking creatures toughness. If a creature’s toughness reaches 0, it is destroyed. Either way, the defending player does not lose any points from their life total. An attacking creature must also defend from a blocking creature’s power in the same way. There are other types of cards that players can play, including sorcery and enchantment cards. Each of these cards has a different special ability, which is explained on the card, that players can use when attacking or defending from their opponent. Sorcery and enchantment cards also cost mana to play. If a player has a card that says “instant” on it, they can play that card at any point in the game, even if it’s not their turn. After a player is done attacking their opponent and playing cards from their hand, their turn is over. Then, the other player has the opportunity to do the same. At the beginning of a player’s turn, they draw 1 card from their face-down deck. All of the cards they tapped from the previous round are untapped. Play continues back and forth like this until one player’s life total has reached 0. For more on how to play Magic: The Gathering, including how to put together a winning deck, read on!

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        Oct 8, 2019

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