How to play Magic

Reading a Magic card

Every card shows the same things in the same places. Here is Serra Angel from Magic 2014: she has been in the game since the very first set in 1993.

1. Name. Top left. A deck can have up to four cards with the same name (basic lands as many as you like).
2. Mana cost. Top right: {3}{W}{W}, three mana of any colour plus two white. Her mana value is 5.
3. Type line. Creature — Angel. The type says when you can play it and what it does; the part after the dash (Angel) is its creature type.
4. Text box. Her abilities: Flying (only fliers and creatures with reach can block her) and Vigilance (attacking doesn't tap her, so she can still block). Words in italics are just flavour.
5. Set symbol and rarity. On the right of the type line. Its colour is the rarity: black common, silver uncommon, gold rare, orange-red mythic rare.
6. Power and toughness. Bottom right: 4/4. Power is the damage she deals in combat; toughness is how much damage she can take in one turn before she dies.

Every kind of card, and what it does

Lands

Your mana. Play one land a turn; tap it for one mana of its colour. The five basic lands are Plains (white), Island (blue), Swamp (black), Mountain (red) and Forest (green). About two-fifths of a deck is lands.

Creatures

They stay on the battlefield, attack and block. A new creature has "summoning sickness": it can't attack or use a tap ability until your next turn. Llanowar Elves taps for green mana, like a land.

Instants

One-shot spells you can cast at any time, even on your opponent's turn and in the middle of combat. Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.

Sorceries

One-shot spells for your own main phase only, when nothing else is happening. Divination draws two cards.

Enchantments and Auras

Lasting magic. An Aura is put on a creature: Pacifism stops the enchanted creature from attacking or blocking. Other enchantments change the whole game, like "creatures you control get +1/+1".

Artifacts and Equipment

Colourless objects most decks can use. Equipment is attached to one of your creatures by paying its equip cost: Bonesplitter gives +2/+0, and moves to another creature if that one dies.

Planeswalkers

Powerful allies with loyalty counters and an ability you can use once a turn. Your opponent's creatures can attack them. (The Arena doesn't play planeswalkers yet.)

The keywords

Short words in the text box that stand for a whole rule. These come up all the time:

Combat, step by step

1. Attack. In your combat, choose any of your untapped creatures (not ones that came in this turn) and tap them: they attack the other player.
2. Block. The defender chooses which of their untapped creatures block. Each blocker blocks one attacker; several can block the same attacker.
3. Tricks. Both players can cast instants now: a Giant Growth (+3/+3) can turn a fight around.
4. Damage. Every creature deals damage equal to its power. An unblocked attacker hits the player; blocked ones and their blockers hit each other. A creature dies when the damage on it reaches its toughness.

Damage on creatures wears off at the end of each turn, so a 4/4 that took 3 damage is as good as new on the next turn.

Building a deck

A deck is at least 60 cards, with no more than four of any card except basic lands. Most decks use one or two colours. A good starting shape:

What to look for when you collect

• Removal. Cards that destroy or damage creatures win games. Pick them up in every colour.
• Creatures with evasion. Flying and "can't be blocked" creatures keep hitting while the ground is jammed.
• Cheap creatures. Two-mana creatures get you going early and block the other side's.
• Cards that do two things. A creature that draws a card or deals damage when it enters is worth two cards.
• Stay in two colours. More colours means more often holding a card you can't pay for.

Ready to play?

1. Start right away with a practice deck. The Magic Arena deals you a free random two-colour deck from a set, with basic lands. Swap any card you don't like (♻), change the land mix, and play the computer.
2. Collect your own cards. Open your free Daily PlayPack every day. Every card goes into your PlayBinder.
3. Play with your PlayBinder. Once your cards make a full deck by themselves (about 36 creatures and spells in one or two colours, every one of them pulled in your Play Packs), the Arena builds the best deck your collection allows and adds the basic lands for free. Until then, practice with a random deck. The Arena shows how close you are.
4. Climb the ranks. Ten levels from Novice to Grandmaster. Beat one to unlock the next. Every level you beat makes your Magic streak bonus cards rarer.

The most wanted Magic cards

Over thirty years of sets have made some cards legends. A few (they can turn up in Play Packs from their sets, just rarely):

• Black LotusLimited Edition Alpha, 1993, rare

  Free to cast, sacrifice it for three mana. The most famous card in the hobby.

• Shivan DragonLimited Edition Alpha, 1993, rare

  The original big dragon: a 5/5 flier that pumps its own power with red mana.

• Serra AngelLimited Edition Alpha, 1993, uncommon

  One of the first cards ever printed, and reprinted for decades.

• Jace, the Mind SculptorWorldwake, 2010, mythic rare

  The planeswalker so strong it was banned in Standard.

• TarmogoyfFuture Sight, 2007, rare

  A two-mana creature that grows with every card type in the graveyards.

• Liliana of the VeilInnistrad, 2011, mythic rare

  Makes both players discard, every turn.

• Sheoldred, the ApocalypseDominaria United, 2022, mythic rare

  Every card your opponent draws costs them 2 life.

• Wrath of GodLimited Edition Alpha, 1993, rare

  Destroy all creatures: the classic way to start over when you're behind.

Collector prices change all the time and depend on condition. Play Packs are just for fun: your PlayBinder cards aren't real cards and can't be sold.

How the Arena plays

The Arena plays the real game: 20 life, a 60-card deck with basic lands, a 7-card opening hand with mulligans (draw 7 again, then put one card on the bottom for each mulligan), one land a turn, mana from your lands paid for you, summoning sickness, attacking with as many creatures as you like, blocking (several blockers on one attacker too), first strike and double strike, and casting instants and flash cards during combat. Each card's real mana cost, power and toughness are used, and so are flying, reach, deathtouch, lifelink, trample, vigilance, haste, menace, defender, hexproof, indestructible and prowess.

The most common card texts work too: damage, destroy and exile, returning to the hand, +X/+X until end of turn, +1/+1 counters, tokens, drawing, gaining and losing life, discard, tapping, finding a basic land, bringing creatures back from the graveyard, "enters", "dies", "attacks" and upkeep abilities, abilities you activate, Auras, Equipment and "creatures you control get +1/+1". Card text the Arena can't play yet is still shown on the card: such spells can't go in a practice deck, and such creatures play with their power, toughness and keywords. Spells resolve straight away (there's no stack), so counterspells and planeswalkers aren't played yet.