How to Play Magic: The Gathering

Each player shuffles their deck and places it face down in front of them, then draws a HAND of seven cards from their LIBRARY. If a player is unhappy with their hand, they may take a MULLIGAN.

Choose a way to TRACK YOUR LIFE, then decide which player goes first. Whoever goes first will skip drawing their first card. Don’t lose track of life totals—to win the game, you must reduce your opponent’s life to zero!

To cast a spell, you must pay MANA equal to the symbols in the top right corner of the card. GENERIC MANA costs are represented by a number.

To generate mana, you must TAP a land. Lands produce a color of mana indicated on the card. Land cards are not spells. You may play one during each of your turns for free.

Once cast, PERMANENT spells like creatures, artifacts, and enchantments stay on the BATTLEFIELD.

Once cast, instants and sorceries go to the GRAVEYARD after you resolve their effect.

Beginning Phase- UNTAP your cards, resolve any UPKEEP effects, then DRAW a card.

First Main Phase- You may play a land card and cast any spells you can afford in your hand.

Combat Phase- This is when you ATTACK your opponent. Section 4 will explain how combat works.

Second Main Phase- This works the same as the first. If you played a land during your first main phase, you can’t play one now.

End Step- Remove any damage from creatures still in play. Resolve any end-of-turn effects, then pass the turn to your opponent.

Declare attackers- Choose which of your creatures you’d like to attack your opponent with. Tap them.

Declare blockers- The defending player may choose any number of untapped creatures they control to BLOCK attacking creatures.

Calculate damage- Attackers and blockers DAMAGE each other, and unblocked creatures damage the player being attacked. Creatures that have taken damage equal to or greater than their TOUGHNESS die and are sent to the graveyard.