Magic: The GatheringHow to play
Rules reference
- Bad opening hand?
- Shuffle it back, draw 7 again, then put 1 card on the bottom. You may repeat; each time, one more goes on the bottom.
- Can I respond?
- On someone else's turn you may cast instants (and cards with flash) only.
- Paying for a spell
- The symbols in the top right corner are the cost. A number is that much mana of any color; a colored symbol is one of that color. Tap that many lands to pay. Lands untap on your next turn.
- Four players
- Attack any one opponent. Only the player being attacked may block. At 0 life you're out and every card you own leaves the table.
- Zones
- Library draw pileHand max 7 at end of turnBattlefield in playGraveyard discardExile out of the game
- Colors
- W White: protection, small creatures, lifegainU Blue: counters, card draw, flyingB Black: removal, sacrificeR Red: direct damage, speedG Green: big creatures, extra mana
- Mistakes are fine. We rewind and fix them.
Starting a game
- 1Shuffle your deck
- 2Everyone rolls. High roll goes first, then clockwise.
- 3Everyone starts at 20 life
- 4Draw 7 cards. Bad hand? See the margin.
- 5The first player skips the draw on their first turn
Your turn
- 1Untap Straighten all your cards. No spells.
- 2Draw Draw 1 card. No spells.
- 3Main Play 1 land. Cast creatures, sorceries, artifacts, enchantments. Instants OK.
- 4Combat Attack with creatures. The player you attack blocks. Instants can be cast.
- 5Second main Play remaining spells. Still only 1 land per turn.
- 6End "End of turn" effects happen. Discard down to 7.
Combat
- Attackers
- Tap creatures to attack a player or planeswalker
- Blockers
- The player being attacked assigns untapped creatures to block. Nobody else may.
- Damage
- Creatures deal damage equal to power, all at once
- Destroyed
- When damage is equal to or more than toughness
- Cleanup
- Damage clears at end of turn
What kind of card is this?
- Creature
- Fights for you. Has power/toughness (3/2). Attacks and blocks.
- Instant
- Cast any time, even on another turn. One-time effect.
- Sorcery
- Your turn, main phase only. One-time effect.
- Enchantment
- Stays on the battlefield. Ongoing effect, or an Aura on a creature.
- Artifact
- Colorless permanent. Equipment, vehicles, utility.
- Land
- Tap for mana. 1 per turn. Not a spell, can't be countered.
- Planeswalker
- Ally with loyalty abilities. Can be attacked like a player.
What does this word mean?
- +1/+1 counter
- A marker on a creature: power and toughness each go up by one.
- Counter (a spell)
- The spell is cancelled and goes to its owner's graveyard. It never happens.
- Deathtouch
- Any damage it deals to a creature destroys it.
- Dies
- "When ~ dies": goes to the graveyard from the battlefield.
- Double strike
- First strike damage, then normal damage.
- Enters
- "When ~ enters": happens once, when it arrives.
- Exile
- Removed from the game, not the graveyard.
- First strike
- Deals damage before normal creatures.
- Flash
- Cast any time, like an instant.
- Flying
- Only blocked by flying or reach.
- Haste
- Can attack or tap the turn it arrives.
- Hexproof
- Can't be targeted by opponents' spells or abilities.
- Indestructible
- Can't be destroyed by damage or "destroy" effects.
- Lifelink
- Damage dealt also gains you that much life.
- Menace
- Must be blocked by 2 or more creatures.
- Raid
- Bonus if you attacked this turn.
- Reach
- Can block flying creatures.
- Removal
- Any card whose job is to kill a creature: destroy, exile, or damage it.
- Scry X
- Look at the top X cards, put any on the bottom.
- Summoning sick
- A creature can't attack or tap the turn it arrives, unless it has haste.
- Tap / untap
- Turn sideways to use. Untap to use again.
- Token
- A creature made by a card rather than drawn. Use a token card or a coin. If it leaves the battlefield it's gone.
- Trample
- Excess damage hits the player.
- Vigilance
- Doesn't tap when attacking.
- Ward [cost]
- Opponent pays the cost or their spell is countered.