Magic: The Gathering for Beginners

In August of 1993, Wizards of the Coast graced the world with a trading card game that quickly gained in popularity among strategy gamers. The name of this game was Magic: The Gathering. While many trading card games have come and gone, Magic: The Gathering continues to grow and remain popular among gamers. Magic: The Gathering is quite simple to understand and play, though the beginning player should know that it may take some time to develop their individual strategy.

Playing Magic: The Gathering is a relatively simple process. This game consists of at least two players. There can be as many players as you are comfortable with, but two is the minimum. Each player begins with a life total of twenty. The life total may be kept in various ways. Most players keep track of their life with dice, or a spin down life counter. Some players may keep track of their life using counters. You can even keep track of your life by using a pen and paper if you like. When a player is reduced to a life total of zero, that player loses the game.

There are numerous ways that a person may lose their life in Magic: The Gathering. There are cards such as "Drain Life", which directly affect a player's life total. Many people lose their life total if they are attacked with unblockable creatures, or creatures that affect their life total directly, and other methods are use to destroy the life total of a player.

Once you start your game of Magic: The Gathering, there are a few details, apart from life total that you need to know. The first thing that you need to know is that you will need to have a deck of at least forty cards. In your deck, you will need land, which is called "Mana" in order to cast the spells in your deck. Spells are anything in your deck that is not considered mana. You will also want to include various creatures in your deck that you can attack with, and block the attacks of others with. You may also choose to have various enchantments, sorcery cards, instants, and other things that will benefit your strategy in this trading card game.

As you begin your game, you will be required to select a hand of seven cards. There are many players that choose to implement house rules in which you can select more cards as your hand, initially, but the base selection is usually always seven cards when you play Magic: The Gathering. It is important to understand, when you are a beginner to Magic: The Gathering, that there are many rules in place that specify how the game should be played. However, there is one "Golden Rule" that Magic: The Gathering players everywhere agree on, and that is that the exception to basic rules is if the card says otherwise. The card always overrides the rules.

Normally, when a game starts, players will roll a dice and the person with either the highest or lowest roll will go first. This depends on the house rules that are applied to where you are playing at. Once the initial player has been chosen, the player to the right of them goes next, and it continues in a clockwise motion. Normally, the first player will not draw a card on their first turn. However, each player thereafter will draw a card from their deck. A player may play one land each turn, unless a card is played that states otherwise. Once a player has enough mana, or land, in play to cast something in their hand, they may do so.

When a player plays a creature for the first time, it is placed in "summoning sickness". In many games, a player will place the creature upside down in order to remember that the creature is in summoning sickness. This means that the creature may block attacks, however, it may not attack. The only exception to this rule is if the creature card specifies that it has "haste", or may attack as it comes into play.

It is important that you understand that creature spells can only be played during your turn. Enchantments, Artifacts, Land, and Sorcery cards can only be played during your turn. Of course, if you run into one of the aforementioned cards that state that they can be played at anytime, you may play them during anyone's turn. However, you may play an Instant card in anyone's turn. This is very important to know when it comes to implementing your Magic: The Gathering playing style.

There are many different "zones" that a player must understand when they play Magic: The Gathering. To be exact, there are a total of six. We have already discussed a couple of these zones. The first zone is your deck, or "library". The second zone is the "hand". This refers to the cards that you draw and are in your hand. The third zone is the "play" zone. Of course, this refers to the area on the table that you have placed your land, or mana, and other items that you have played. The fourth zone is the "graveyard". Once you are done playing certain cards, or you creatures die, they go to this zone. The fifth zone is your "stack". Many people do not play with this zone, but this is where various items go that are being played until the last is played. The last zone is referred to as the "removed". This is self explanatory. If something is "removed from the game" it goes here, and stays here. The rulebook for Magic: The Gathering states that these cards are "normally face up", however, some house rules specify to place them face down to avoid confusion when playing.

This article covers the "basics" when it comes to Magic: The Gathering. This game covers quite a broad area, but these basics will get you started and familiar with some of the beginning steps when it comes to Magic: The Gathering. Good luck and great playing!