THE STACKMagic: The Gathering

Learn how to play Magic: The Gathering — mana colors, card types, combat, and turn structure explained visually for beginners.

Learn the 5 Colors Best Picks

What is Magic: The Gathering?

Magic is a strategy card game where two or more players battle using custom-built decks of cards. Each player starts at 20 life (40 in Commander format). You cast spells, summon creatures, and use tactics to reduce your opponent's life to zero. With over 27,000 unique cards across 30+ years, no two games are ever the same.

Win by reducing your opponent from 20 → 0 life (or 40 → 0 in Commander).

⚡ Five Colors of Mana

Mana is the magical energy that powers every spell. Each color comes from its own type of land, with unique strengths and play style. Tap (turn sideways) a land to produce one mana of its color.

W

White

🏔 Plains

Order, protection, healing. Small creatures and enchantments that grow stronger together.

U

Blue

🏔 Island

Intellect, control, illusion. Draws extra cards and counters opponents' spells.

B

Black

🏔 Swamp

Power, ambition, death. Destroys creatures, drains life, and raises the dead.

R

Red

🏔 Mountain

Freedom, chaos, fire. Fast damage with burn spells and aggressive creatures.

G

Green

🏔 Forest

Nature, growth, strength. Ramps mana and plays the biggest creatures.

Images via Scryfall

🃏 Card Types

Every Magic card has a type that determines when you can play it and how it works. Lands produce mana. Creatures attack and block. Spells have powerful one-time or ongoing effects.

Lands

Produce mana — the resource to cast everything else. One land per turn from your hand.

Creatures

Your attackers and defenders. Each has power (damage) and toughness (health).

Instants

Cast anytime — even on your opponent's turn. Resolve once and go to the graveyard.

Sorceries

Powerful one-time effects — only castable during your main phase.

Enchantments

Persist on the battlefield and modify the game's rules. Some attach to creatures.

Artifacts

Colorless permanents — equipment, mana rocks, and utility. Any deck can use them.

Images via Scryfall

🔍 Parts of a Card

Every Magic card follows the same layout. Here's how to read one:

1

Mana Cost

Top right — the mana you must pay to cast this spell. {4}{R}{R} means 4 mana of any color + 2 red mana.

2

Card Name

The unique name of the card. No two different cards share the same English name.

3

Type Line

Shows the card type (Creature, Instant, etc.) and subtype (Dragon, Elf, etc.).

4

Text Box

The card's abilities and rules text. Italic text is flavor text — story with no game effect.

5

Power / Toughness

Bottom right on creatures. Power = damage dealt. Toughness = damage needed to destroy it.

6

Set Symbol & Rarity

Which set the card is from. Color = rarity.

Rarity:

Common Uncommon Rare Mythic

✨ How to Cast a Spell

To cast a spell, pay its mana cost by tapping your lands. The cost is shown in the top-right corner of the card.

Example: Shivan Dragon costs {4}{R}{R} = 4 mana of any color + 2 red mana

4 R R = 6 total mana

1

Announce

Declare which spell you're casting. Move it from your hand to the Stack.

2

Choose Targets

Select required targets — creatures, players, etc. Targets must be legal now.

3

Pay Costs

Tap lands for mana, pay life or sacrifice costs. No going back after this.

4

Respond

Each player gets priority. Opponents may cast instants or activate abilities.

5

Resolve

Once everyone passes priority, the top Stack item resolves. Effect happens, card goes to graveyard.

💡 A countered spell goes to the graveyard — not back to your hand. Costs paid are not refunded.

⚔️ Combat — How to Attack & Block

Combat is how you win the game. During your combat phase, you choose which untapped creatures attack. Your opponent then decides which creatures to block with. Creatures can't attack the turn they enter the battlefield (summoning sickness) unless they have haste.

1

Beginning of Combat

Last chance to cast spells before attacking. After this, attacking creatures are locked in.

2

Declare Attackers

Choose which untapped creatures attack which players or planeswalkers. They tap when declared (unless vigilance).

3

Declare Blockers

Each defending player assigns untapped creatures as blockers. Multiple creatures can block one attacker.

4

Combat Damage

Each creature deals damage equal to its power. First strike resolves before normal damage. Creatures with lethal damage die.

5

End of Combat

A final chance to cast instants. Damage is removed at end of turn, but dead creatures stay dead.

Combat Example — 3 Blocking Scenarios

Your opponent attacks you with a 4/3 creature and a 2/1 creature. You have one untapped 2/2 creature available to block. What do you do?

A You Don't Block

Both creatures are unblocked. The 4/3 deals 4 damage and the 2/1 deals 2 damage — a total of 6 damage to you.

Result: You lose 6 life, but your 2/2 creature survives for a counterattack next turn.

B Block the Big Creature (4/3)

Your 2/2 blocks the 4/3. Your creature deals 2 damage to it (toughness 3, so it survives). The 4/3 deals 4 damage to your 2/2 — destroyed! The unblocked 2/1 deals 2 damage to you.

Result: You lose your creature + take 2 damage. Total damage reduced from 6 → 2.

C Block the Small Creature (2/1) ✓ Best Play

Your 2/2 blocks the 2/1. Your creature deals 2 damage — the 2/1 is destroyed (toughness 1)! The 2/1 deals 2 damage back but your 2/2 survives (toughness 2). The unblocked 4/3 deals 4 damage to you.

Result: You destroy an enemy creature, yours survives — best trade! But you take 4 damage.

📚 The Stack & Priority

The Stack & Priority — last in, first out (LIFO) How the Stack works (Rule 405): When you cast a spell, it goes on the Stack. Each player then receives priority in turn order (active player first, then clockwise). Any player with priority can respond by adding another spell or ability on top. When all players pass priority in succession without adding anything, the top item on the Stack resolves. Then priority passes again.

Concrete example: You cast Sol Ring. It goes on the Stack. Priority passes to your opponent. They cast Counterspell targeting Sol Ring — Counterspell goes on top. Priority passes again. Everyone passes. Counterspell resolves first (it was on top) and counters Sol Ring. Sol Ring never resolves — it goes directly to the graveyard.

Priority (Rule 117): Only the player with priority can cast spells or activate abilities. The active player (whose turn it is) gets priority first. Priority passes clockwise. When all players pass in sequence, the top Stack item resolves.

🔄 Turn Structure

Each turn has 5 phases in a fixed order. Combat has 5 sub-steps. Understanding this flow prevents most rules disputes.

Beginning Phase

1

Untap Step

Untap all permanents you control. No player receives priority — no spells can be cast during this step.

2

Upkeep Step

'At the beginning of your upkeep' triggers go on the stack. All players receive priority and may respond.

3

Draw Step

Draw exactly one card. This is mandatory. Players receive priority after the draw.

Main Phase 1

1

Play a Land

You may play one land from your hand. Lands don't use the stack and can't be responded to.

2

Cast Spells

Cast creatures, sorceries, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers. Each spell goes on the stack.

Combat Phase

1

Beginning of Combat

Active player announces combat. Last chance to tap/remove creatures before attackers are declared.

2

Declare Attackers

Choose which untapped creatures attack and whom. They tap when declared (unless they have vigilance).

3

Declare Blockers

Defending players assign untapped creatures as blockers. Multiple creatures can block one attacker — attacker assigns damage order.

4

Combat Damage

Each creature deals damage equal to its power simultaneously. First strike deals damage in a separate earlier step. Creatures with lethal damage are destroyed.

5

End of Combat

Final priority window while creatures are still 'attacking' or 'blocking.' Combat-related triggers resolve here.

Main Phase 2

1

Second Main

Same as Main Phase 1. Play your land here if you didn't earlier. Cast sorcery-speed spells.

Ending Phase

1

End Step

'At the beginning of your end step' triggers go on the stack. All players receive priority.

2

Cleanup Step

Discard down to maximum hand size (7). Damage is removed from creatures. No priority unless a triggered ability fires.

Images via Scryfall

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🗺️ Game Zones

Library

Your deck, face-down. Draw one card per draw step. If you must draw and cannot, you lose the game (Rule 104.3c).

Hand

Cards you've drawn — private to opponents. Maximum hand size is 7; discard excess during cleanup step.

Battlefield

Where permanents exist: lands, creatures, artifacts, enchantments, planeswalkers. All players share this zone.

Graveyard

Destroyed, discarded, or sacrificed cards go here. Face-up and visible to all players. Order can matter.

Exile

Removed from the game. Cards here usually cannot return unless an effect specifically says so.

Command Zone

In Commander, your commander starts here. Emblems and other special objects also exist in this zone.

The Stack

Where spells and abilities wait to resolve. Last in, first out — the most recently added item resolves first.

📖 Common Keyword Abilities

Many creatures have keyword abilities — single words that represent game rules. Here are the most important ones you'll encounter.

✈️

Flying

Can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach.

⚔️

First Strike

Deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.

🦶

Trample

Excess damage beyond the blocker's toughness hits the opponent.

☠️

Deathtouch

Any amount of damage this deals to a creature destroys it.

💚

Lifelink

Damage dealt by this creature also gains you that much life.

⚡

Haste

Can attack and use tap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield.

👁️

Vigilance

Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.

🛡️

Hexproof

Can't be targeted by opponents' spells or abilities.

🧱

Defender

Can't attack, but can still block.

🏹

Reach

Can block creatures with flying.

💫

Flash

Can be cast any time you could cast an instant.

💎

Indestructible

Can't be destroyed by damage or 'destroy' effects.

State-Based Actions (Rule 704)

The game automatically checks these conditions whenever a player would receive priority. No player can respond — they just happen.

Life ≤ 0

A player with 0 or less life loses the game immediately.

Lethal Damage

A creature with damage equal to or greater than its toughness is destroyed.

0 Toughness

A creature with 0 or less toughness is put into its owner's graveyard.

Legend Rule

If a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, they choose one to keep and put the rest into the graveyard.

Poison Counters

A player with 10 or more poison counters loses the game.

Empty Library Draw

A player who must draw from an empty library loses the game.

Token Cleanup

A token that has left the battlefield ceases to exist as a state-based action.

Triggered Abilities (Rule 603)

Triggered abilities start with the words 'When,' 'Whenever,' or 'At.' They trigger automatically when their condition is met and go on the stack. The controller of the triggered ability doesn't choose to trigger it — it happens automatically.

'When this creature enters the battlefield' Triggers once as the creature arrives on the battlefield.

'Whenever you cast a spell' Triggers every time you cast any spell. Multiple casts = multiple triggers.

'At the beginning of your upkeep' Triggers once per turn at the start of upkeep step.

Key Rule If multiple triggered abilities trigger at the same time, the active player puts theirs on the stack first (in any order), then each other player in turn order. The last one placed resolves first (LIFO).

👑 Commander Special Rules

Commander is the most popular multiplayer format with unique rules beyond standard Magic.

100-Card Singleton

Your deck contains exactly 100 cards including your commander. No duplicates — except basic lands.

The Command Zone

Your commander starts in the command zone, not your deck. You cast it from there at any time you could cast a creature.

Color Identity

Every card in your deck must match your commander's color identity. A blue/black commander cannot use red cards — even if they have alternate mana costs.

Starting Life: 40

All players start at 40 life (not 20). Plan your strategy across more turns. Card value is higher in long games.

Commander Damage: 21

If a single commander deals 21 or more combat damage to you across the game, you lose immediately — regardless of life total.

Commander Tax

Each time you recast your commander from the command zone (after it dies or is exiled), it costs 2 additional generic mana. This accumulates every recast.

4-Player Free-for-All

Standard Commander is 4 players. Threat assessment, timing, and table politics matter as much as raw card power.

Legend Rule

If you control two legendary permanents with the same name, you must immediately choose one and put the rest into your graveyard. This is a state-based action — no player can respond.