Looking for new ways to have fun? With these fantastic resources, you can get started with Magic: The Gathering and dive into the rules and mechanics!
- BASIC TOPICS
1. Game Actions
- ADVANCED TOPICS
1. Targeting
2. The Stack
3. Parts of the Turn
GAME ACTIONS
This section describes the actions you’ll perform during a game, such as tapping your cards, casting spells, and attacking and blocking with combat creatures.
TAPPING AND UNTAPPING
Tapping a card means turning it sideways to indicate that it has been used for the turn. When you use a land to make mana, when you attack with a creature, or when you use an ability that has the symbol as part of its cost, you do this ( means “tap this permanent”). When you tap a permanent, you can’t tap it again until it’s untapped (turned back upright). Untap your tapped cards as your turn begins so you can use them again.
- CASTING SPELLS
To cast a spell, you must first pay its mana cost (located in the upper right corner of the card) by tapping lands (or other permanents) to make the amount and Game Actions type of mana required by that spell. For instance, if you were casting Serra Angel, which costs, you could pay with three basic lands of any type plus two Plains.
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To cast a spell, you must first pay its mana cost (located in the upper right corner of the card) by tapping lands (or other permanents) to make the amount and Game Actions type of mana required by that spell. For instance, if you were casting Serra Angel, which costs, you could pay with three basic lands of any type plus two Plains.
Permanents are cards that are on the battlefield as opposed to instants and sorceries, which are never on the battlefield.
- ATTACKING AND BLOCKING
Attacking with your creatures is the most common way to win the game. If a creature attacking an opponent is not blocked, it deals damage to that opponent equal to its power.
The combat phase occurs in the middle of each turn. You choose which of your creatures will attack and which opponents they will attack during your combat phase. Tap to indicate that your creatures are attacking. Your opponents then decide which of their creatures, if any, will block. Blockers cannot be declared while a creature is tapped.
Once all blockers have been selected, each creature—both attackers and blockers—deals damage equal to its power at the same time (the number on the left side of the slash in the lower right corner of the card).
And what would happen if the first Titanic Growth was cast?
The Shock would be stacked on top of Titanic Growth, implying that it would resolve first this time. Shock would still deal 2 damage to Eager Construct, but this time the damage would be dealt before Titanic Growth could resolve and take effect—so 2 damage is sufficient to destroy Eager Construct!
- PARTS OF THE TURN
Each turn follows the same pattern. Any triggered abilities that occur during that step or phase trigger and are added to the stack whenever you enter a new step or phase. The active player (the player whose turn it is) is the first to begin casting spells and activating abilities, followed by each other player in turn order. When all players decline to do anything else and there is nothing on the stack awaiting resolution, the game will proceed to the next step.
- BEGINNING PHASE
. Untap step
All of your tapped permanents are untapped. You don’t have any permanents on the first turn of the game, so you just skip this step. During this step, no one can cast spells or activate abilities.
. Upkeep step
Instants and abilities can be cast by players. A number of cards mention this part of the turn. If something is only supposed to happen once per turn, right at the start, an ability will trigger “at the start of your upkeep.”
. Draw step
Even if you don’t want to, you must draw a card from your library. In a two-player game, the player who goes first skips the draw step on their first turn to compensate for the advantage of going first. Players can then use instants and abilities.
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- SECOND MAIN PHASE
Your second major phase is identical to your first major phase. You have the ability to cast any type of spell and activate abilities, whereas your opponent can only cast instant spells and activate abilities. If you didn’t play a land during your first main phase, you can play one now.
- ENDING PHASE
. End step
Abilities that trigger “at the start of your end step” are added to the stack. Instants and abilities can be cast by players.
- Cleanup step
If you have more than seven cards, choose and discard cards until you only have seven. Following that, all creature damage is removed, and all “until end of turn” effects are terminated. Unless an ability triggers during this step, no one can cast instants or activate abilities.
