New to the game? Read this.

[Secret Squirrel]

IF YOU HAVE AN ADDITION OR CORRECTION TO ONE OF THE SECTIONS PM MAGE MASTER, DUNJOHN OR GATSBY AND THEY WILL ADD/CORRECT IT AS NEEDED.


Beginners are prone to asking many questions. There are also many, VERY many beginners, asking many questions. Beginners are also prone to asking the same questions which the tired, experienced forum goers must answer over and over again. This (long) series of posts is meant to minimize these repeated threads.

Table of Contents:

Magic Format: Constructed (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showpost.php?p=2244133&postcount=2)
This section contains important information regarding the Constructed format.

Magic Format: Limited (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showpost.php?p=2244197&postcount=3)
This section will guide you through Limited formats such as Booster Draft and Sealed.

Magic Format: Casual (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showpost.php?p=2244262&postcount=4)
This section will introduce you to fun formats you can play in.

The Switch From Yugioh to Magic (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showpost.php?p=2244279&postcount=5)
This section helps newcomers understand the differences and similarities between Yugioh and Magic

Introduction to Collectible Card Game (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showpost.php?p=2244362&postcount=)
If Magic the Gathering is your first Collectible Card Game, this section is essential.

Post #7: Explanation of Colors. This post touches on Magic's flavor side.

Post #8: The Mana Pool and Mana Burn. A detailed explanation of one of the most complicated rules.

Post #9: Basic Mechanics. This post describes the most basic mechanics and keywords that you will encounter every day.

Post #10: Lesser Known Mechanics. This post describes every mechanic up to Saviors of Kamigawa.

Post #11: YGO and MTG: Making the Change. This post will help beginners get to know Magic when transitioning from Yugioh.

Post #12: Reserved for future use.


Finally, before we get on with the guide, here are three suggestions you should read before you venture into the forums:

We generally call a competition between two Magic players a match or a game – more importantly, not a duel. I don't feel this needs any further explanation.

If you make a thread asking one of the questions answered in this thread, the Moderators will not make an attempt to punish any users who flame you. Sorry, but we made this thread so that we wouldn't have to answer these questions, and when we have to continue to answer them, it becomes like having someone ask you what 2 + 2 is: you're bound to break at some point.

Finally, use good grammar in the forums. Whenever you don't, God kills a kitten. Think of the kitties.

[Secret Squirrel]

(Last Updated: February 29th, 2012)

Introduction to Constructed

Constructed is a format where you enter an event with deck that you have built beforehand. Your deck must contain a minimum of sixty cards with an optional fifteen-card sideboard. You cannot have more than four copies of a single card unless it is a basic land or the card states otherwise (e.g. Relentless Rats). Your deck must adhere to the ban list of the constructed format you are entering in. There are many formats in Constructed in which this guide will breakdown for you.


Block

This format restricts deck building to only cards from a given block.

List of Blocks

• Innistrad block (Innistrad, Dark Ascension, Avacyn Restored (effective May 4, 2012))
• Scars block (Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia)
• Zendikar/Rise block (Zendikar, Worldwake, Rise of the Eldrazi)
• Alara block (Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn)
• Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block (Lorwyn, Morningtide, Shadowmoor, Eventide)
• Time Spiral block (Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight)
• Ravnica block (Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, Dissension)
• Kamigawa block (Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, Saviors of Kamigawa)
• Mirrodin block (Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn)
• Onslaught block (Onslaught, Legions, Scourge)
• Odyssey block (Odyssey, Torment, Judgment)
• Invasion block (Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse)
• Masques block (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy)
• Urza block (Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny)
• Tempest block (Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus)
• Mirage block (Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight)
• Ice Age block (Ice Age, Alliances, Coldsnap)

Official Ban List (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=judge/resources/sfrblock)


Standard

A popular format that consists of the two newest blocks with the recent core set.

Current Legal Sets

• Scars of Mirrodin
• Mirrodin Besieged
• New Phyrexia
• Magic 2012
• Innistrad
• Dark Ascension
• Avacyn Restored (effective May 4, 2012)

Official Ban List (http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrstandard)


Modern

This format is composed of sets with the new card frame design.

Current Legal Sets

• Eighth Edition
• Mirrodin
• Darksteel
• Fifth Dawn
• Champions of Kamigawa
• Betrayers of Kamigawa
• Saviors of Kamigawa
• Ninth Edition
• Ravnica: City of Guilds
• Guildpact
• Dissension
• Coldsnap
• Time Spiral
• Planar Chaos
• Future Sight
• Tenth Edition
• Lorwyn
• Morningtide
• Shadowmoor
• Eventide
• Shards of Alara
• Conflux
• Alara Reborn
• Magic 2010
• Zendikar
• Worldwake
• Rise of the Eldrazi
• Magic 2011
• Scars of Mirrodin
• Mirrodin Besieged
• New Phyrexia
• Magic 2012
• Innistrad
• Dark Ascension
• Avacyn Restored (effective May 4, 2012)

Official Ban List (http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrmodern)


Legacy

This format allows you to play cards from every tournament-legal Magic set in existence, except for a handful of banned cards.

Official Ban List (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=judge/resources/sfrlegacy)


Vintage

This format is similar to Legacy but rather than banning powerful cards, it restricts them to one copy per deck.

Official Ban List (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=judge/resources/sfrvintage)

[Secret Squirrel]

Introduction to Limited

Limited is a popular format where you build a forty card deck from the cards you receive at an event. Booster Draft and Sealed are two types of format that are typically played in Limited. In this guide, you will familiarize yourself with the format and learn tips for building a good deck.


Booster Draft

Booster Draft allows players to build a deck from cards that they get to pick from three booster packs. This format is usually played with a group of eight people or any amount depending on the tournament organizer. The deck must have a minimum of forty cards and can contain any amount of a single card. The remainder of the cards you drafted goes in the sideboard in which you can exchange with cards in your main deck after the first game of a match.

Draft Procedure

At the start of the draft, you will receive three booster packs from a set/block. For this guide, we will use three Scars of Mirrodin booster packs.

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8123456782
7123456783
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Upon a signal from the judge (or whoever is in charge), each player opens their first booster (in this case, CHK), studies the cards for a few moments, picks a card and then passes the pack to the player on his or her immediate left. He or she then receives a pack from the player to his or her immediate right, chooses another card, passes left, etc. until there are no more cards remaining.

At that point, everyone opens their second booster (BoK, in this case) and picks a card, however the passing order reverses - players now pass to the right and receive from the left. Drafting continues until all cards are drafted. The third pack (SoK) is then opened and the order then reverses again, back to normal - pass left, receive right.

Once all three packs have been drafted, each player should have a pool of 45 cards. At this point, all players go into the deck building phase, which is essentially the same as Sealed Deck - min. 40-card decks, as much basic land as you need (see the tournament organizer for land), etc. At a sanctioned event, there will likely be a 30-minute time limit on deck construction. If you are just starting out with drafting and playing casual, I would advise omitting the time limit to allow new drafters time to sort things out.

Just a few 'rules of thumb' when building your deck...

1. Don't run decks larger than the 40-card minimum - by including unnecessary cards in your deck, you merely decrease your chances of drawing into your best, game-winning ones.

2. Don't run 4 and 5-color decks - this is a surefire way to lose a tournament. It's highly unlikely you will be able to draft & build a single-color deck. When you drafted, you probably got settled into a couple of main colors, so it makes sense to stick to those colors. Sometimes, you may want to make a small splash for a third color, which is OK. But don't build decks involving more than 3 colors. You should also avoid excessive numbers of spells with a double color requirement.

3. Don't forget your mana curve! You will need to determine the best ratio of lands for Color X : Color Y : Color Z, so that if you do lose a game, it was because you were outplayed and lost 20 life - not because you got manascrewed. Things to account for include how many cards of each color are in your deck, whether or not any of those cards have a double colored mana requirement and the color which your primary win condition is in. 17-18 lands combined with 22-23 creatures and spells is the generally accepted norm.

**Note: It is generally desirable to have the maximum of 8 players to draft as that is the sanctioned number, however I have casually booster drafted with as few as 4. Odd numbers also work alright and the above rules do not change.

Some General Tips...

1. It can be very tempting, but avoid raredrafting (unless, of course, the rare is good in Limited!). Sure, that Boseiju may be worth more than that Nezumi Cutthroat or Order of the Sacred Bell, but which one is more likely to win you the tournament?

2. The remaining 17-18 cards that you drafted and didn't maindeck automatically become your sideboard. Effective sideboarding can be important in Limited and can actually help you win a match you otherwise wouldn't. Sideboarding is covered in greater detail in the advanced article.

3. Since you are only allowed to view the cards you've already drafted in-between packs, it's a good idea to learn to memorize what you've drafted, so you can make smart card choices. This will also help prepare you to learn how to read signals, which I've also saved for the advanced article.


The advanced article will also offer a partial walkthrough. So when you've got the basics of booster drafting down and feel you are ready to start improving your game, go check it out.

In the meantime, I hope you found this article helpful. Good luck at your next Limited event!

-------------------------------------

The Fundamentals of Sealed Deck Play. Written by Tim Kotula.

Introduction to Sealed

Sealed Deck is a very common way of getting into Limited play. It's easier for newer players to understand than Booster Draft and the purely random card pools can improve their chances of getting good cards. It is also an excellent way to improve your evaluation of a card's usefulness. However, there is still plenty of skill involved in Sealed Deck play.

What You'll Receive

It all starts when you receive one tournament pack from the current main set (at this time, Champions of Kamigawa) and two booster packs, from the same block. The boosters will vary, depending on how much of a block has been released to that date (as of this writing, you'd receive one Betrayers of Kamigawa and one Saviors of Kamigawa). You should then have a total of 75 cards, 30 of which will be basic lands (6 of each land - they're in the tournament pack).

Building Your Deck

You should begin by separating the cards by color (piles for white, blue, black, etc.). Set your lands aside for the time being. When this is done, you should go through each pile and set aside any cards that simply are not playable - cards with major drawbacks (Hisoka, Deathcurse Ogre, Mana Seism, etc.), cards that are overcosted for their effect (Most of the Myojins, Reverse the Sands, etc.) and cards that interact with other cards you don't have (Pious Kitsune, etc.).

With the unplayables out of the picture, you can start building your deck. When you are finished, in order for your deck to be legal for play, it will need to contain at least 40 cards. To obtain this goal, you'll have to combine 22-23 playable creatures and spells with 17-18 appropriate basic lands. While your deck can contain more than 40 cards, this is not recommended - the more cards you add to your deck, the less likely it is that you will draw the cards you really need, when you desperately need them.

To begin, look for bombs - dragons, cheap and evasive creatures (Nezumi Cutthroat, etc.), efficient removal (Rend Flesh/Spirit, Yamabushi's Flame, etc.). NEVER discount the value of evasion (in the form of flying, fear, etc.) - would you rather have a vanilla 4/4 that comes out turn 5 or 6 that your opponent keeps chump blocking? Or a 2/1 fear or flier that you can play on turn 2 and keep punching through for 2 damage starting turn 3?

Of course, this is not to say that expensive spells are to be discounted. A few late-game tools are always necessary in case the game drags out for several turns. Look for things such as mass pump & evasion (Dance of Shadows, Charge Across the Araba), dragons (especially the white, blue and black ones), etc.

Removal is an important component of any Limited deck - whether it comes as a spell (Rend Flesh/Spirit, Horobi's Whisper, Yamabushi's Flame, Befoul) or on legs (Kumano, Master Yamabushi, Frostwielder, Horobi, Death's Wail). Removal helps deal with your opponent's bombs and guides you to a win - it should be used wisely, especially if your card pool is lacking it.

Always check for synergy and interactions between cards. If you're going to run a card whose abilities activate 'whenever you play a spirit or arcane spell', it makes sense to ensure that you are running enough spirit and arcane spells to make that card's inclusion worthwhile.

It is highly unlikely that you will be able to build a single-color deck. You should definately stick to a two-color deck if possible, with a possible splash for a third color being the maximum. Trying to run a four or five-color deck is a surefire way to go 0-7. I myself had to find this out the hard way. :-)


This brings us to another aspect of deck building - mana base. Since it is almost certain that you will be playing a two or three-color deck, you will need to figure out the best ratio of Color X : Color Y : Color Z for your deck. Things to consider include how many cards of each color you are running, whether or not any of those cards have a double-colored mana requirement and what color your primary win condition(s) is/are in. Since you only have 6 basic lands of each color, you'll need to see the tournament organizer to trade the lands you don’t need for the lands that you do.

A quick note on any remaining cards – the 65 or so cards you will have left after building your deck form your "sideboard". Before the second game of each match, you may "side in" any cards from your sideboard which might be useful to you, now that you’ve seen what your opponent's deck plays like. For example, if your opponent has a Cage of Hands and/or a Honden of Infinite Rage and you are playing white, you might consider siding in a Quiet Purity (if you have it) to help deal with those threats and "siding out" whatever your weakest card was in the first game. Of course, after the match is over, you would return the Quiet Purity to the sideboard and re-deck the card you sided out.

I hope you will find these general guidelines helpful. Good luck playing in your next Limited event!

[Secret Squirrel]

Under construction.

[Secret Squirrel]

The Switch from Yugioh to Magic. Written by Rare hunter 666.

So, you heard that MTG is a cool game. And you are vet of YGO. Well, I made the switch, and you can too. A few things are very different. A few things are the same. For example, the stack is like a chain in YGO. A difference is the attacking system, in which you attack the player, not his creatures.

The Similarities

Some similarities are the basic win conditions (minus Exodia), Basic Deck Types, and the Stack. In YGO and MTG, you can win by decking out, or reducing your opponent’s life to zero.

The basic deck types are Beatdown, Combo, Control, and Deck out. CC decks exist, but in far less numbers, aided by the fact there are five colors, and no staples.

The Stack is like a chain, but after a spell or ability resolves on the stack, both players have a chance to place a new one on it. Just like in YGO, the Stack follows Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) order.

You can't do certain things on your opponent's turn, like activate Sorcery Cards (the MTG equivalent of a normal spell card in YGO).

Also, an instant is like a YGO trap card.

The Differences

The major difference is the fact that in MTG, you have a resource (Lands). Unlike in YGO, you can only do so much on a turn.

Another is Summoning Sickness, which means creatures may not attack or tap to activate its ability unless it has been under your control since the beginning of the turn. Haste waives this.

Also, there is no placing anything face down unless it is a creature with morph, a mechanic introduced in Onslaught.

Another thing, is that cards are cheaper, Unless there are really new, and used a lot, most go for under five USD. Also, there are lots of reprints, causing this.


In conclusion, making the switch is not that hard, and if you use this guide for newbs, you should be ok, and ready to enjoy MTG for many years to come.

[Secret Squirrel]

Written by Dark Messenger. Edited by Brockiflower

So, this is your first Card Game? Magic the Gathering is the most successful and longest lasting TCG [Trading Card Games] in existence, so you choose wisely.

Background

Magic the Gathering was started in 1993 by Richard Garfield. He wanted a game like Chess that involved thinking and was timeless, but also wanted a game that could change with every expansion, to the keep the game fresh . Over the years, the sets shifted from popular history and folklore to an actual series that sustains itself. The story lines of Magic are linked akin to the Final Fantasy Series of Video Games. The books provide insight into characters, but do not get the books involved too much with your game or as a friend said "I don't want to kill my enemy’s Toshiro, he’s my favorite character."

Several cards I am sure you have heard if you have been around any card shops: Black Lotus (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=black+lotus&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), Moxes (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=mox&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), Wrath of God (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=wrath+of+god&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), Birds of Paradise (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=birds+of+paradise&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), and may be even Power 9. These cards are some of the oldest cards and were very famous for their effects and rarity. The reason these cards are so highly thought of is there very brokenness. Black Lotus, for example, gives you 3 mana [what you use to cast spells] of any color for the price of sacrificing this artifact that costs no mana to summon. That is like giving a person nothing and them giving you 3 dollars. Power 9 is a term to describe the best nine cards in this game: Black Lotus, the five Moxes, Ancestral Recall (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Ancestral+Recall&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) [Draw 3 cards for one Blue mana], Time Walk (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=time+walk&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) [Take another turn for 1 colorless and one Blue], and Timetwister (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=timetwister&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) [ 2 colorless and one blue to put your hand and graveyard in the deck and then draw 7 cards].

When you start you need to remember several things. First off, everyone started where you stand now. Building a Tier 1 deck should not be your primary goal, at least until you understand Tier. Tier is the term used to explain how good and/or popular a deck is. You primary goal should be to understand where this game came from and how are you going to get there, rather than building the best deck.

[B]Moving On

Well, he first thing, first. You are missing out of 11+ years of history and terms. It is okay, it is expected and no decent player will mistreat you for it. Try to find a local player to sit down and teach some of the finer points of playing Magic the Gathering. One helpful piece of technology is on the WotC main page, http://gatherer.wizards.com/ , which allows you to search for any card in almost every conceivable way, It also provides all the official rulings for all cards.

The Formats

Type 1 [Vintage] - Every card in the game is legal except for Ante [Note 1] and the Un- set [Note 2] cards.
Type 1.5 [Legacy] - The same as Vintage but with a banned and restriction list.
Type 1.X [Extended] - The most recent 7 Blocks and last three Core Sets. *
Type 2 [Standard] - Only the two most recent Blocks and most recent Core Set.
Block - Only one entire Block. No outside cards.
Draft - You are given packs [Tournament packs or conventional] and you make a deck from that. Check with your card shop to see how they do their drafts.

Note 1 - The original version of Magic had ante cards where the person bided away the top card of their deck. This was quickly outlawed.

Note 2 - Unglued and Unhinged were two sets created purely to mock Wizards of the Coast, Players, The MTG Universe, and the DCI. They are not legal in tournaments


It's recommended that you start in block, but more than likely you will play casual, which is vintage/Type 1 format. Play in drafts and try to get the commons from non drafters pack openers. As you move forward, you will learn value, and eventually acquire good cards, which you can trade or deck to make your deck better and can move into different formats.

To the Game…


The point of this game is to win through reducing your opponent life to zero [from 20], forcing them to deck out, or alternative win conditions. A straightforward beatdown [a deck that relies on creatures to attack] should be your first deck, regardless of color. Using lands to summon your creatures, you will attack your enemy. If he has creatures, he may block and then a battle pursues. This is repeated until one player is defeated. Will it be you or your opponent?

The number one skill is building a deck. When building your deck you need to remember this:

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it must contain exactly fifteen cards.

With the exception of basic land cards, a player's combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. All cards named Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest are basic.

When starting to build your deck, you want an excellent mana curve and a reliable win condition. A mana curve is basically the ability to play a card every turn, i.e. play a card on turn 1, play a card on turn 2, etc… and a win condition is a card that can win the game for you.

Here is a sample Mono Green Aggro [beatdown] decklist, with cards from 9th Edition and Kamigawa block. This is a simple and straight forward beatdown deck.

26 Creatures

[4] Northwood Ranger
[4] LLanowar Elves
[4] Sakura Tribe Elder
[4] Elvish Warrior
[4] Craw Wurm
[4] Humble Budoka
[2] Rootbreaker Wurm

14 Other Spells

[4] Giant Growth
[4] Commune with Nature
[4] Kodama’s Reach
[2] Naturalize

20 Lands

[20] Forest

This deck is also all commons, so it shouldn't be too hard to aquire these cards. AS you get better cards, you can updated this deck, or splash a new color. Red and Black are good splashes, or you can add a blue element to this. Some good cards to go after for the mono green aggro that currently out:
- Uzemawa's Jitte (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Umezawa%92s+Jitte&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0)
- Jugan, the Rising Star Dragon (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=jugan%2C+the+rising+star&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0)
- Arashi, the Sky Asunder (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Arashi%2C+the+Sky+Asunder&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0)
- Kodama of the North Tree (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Kodama+of+the+North+Tree&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0)

Those cards are only examples. All the information in this article is to help you to play this great game. Join the ranks of MTG legends, but remember this, this is a journey that only you can make. You can find help along the way, but you need to make the journey.

And now, for some parting advice for the new player:

- Pre constructed decks do in fact suck, however, they offer good cards, like Uzemawa's Jitte or Eternal Witness.
- The best cards are not always rare and almost never shiny. Just because a card is shiny, does not mean it is a good card, nor does it mean a rare card is good.
- If a competitive player puts a card in his deck, there is a good reason that it is in there.
- Never trade your best cards until you understand what you are trading for.
- Listen to advice of people not trading with you or playing against you in a casual game.
- Never be afraid to ask a question, even if it sounds stupid.

[Secret Squirrel]

The Colour Pie. Written by Ricohard1986 with additions by Gunfused.

Colour: White
Key words: Law, Order, control
Keywords: First strike, Flying, Protection
Favoured Card types: Small creatures, Enchantments, Damage Prevention
Iconic Creature types: Soldier, Cat, Samurai

Philosophy: White is the Colour of Order. This represents itself in the fact that white excels at making rules, whether they are ones that affect the game, like Word of Law, or Ones within the game worlds that lead to organisations and civilizations.

At its best White is the ideal that we should all protect each other, that rules are there to protect the weak from the strong and that we should all work together. However at its very darkest White is Totalitarianism: the idea that laws are more important than the person.

Use: White is good at life gain, as well as green. White more focuses on Preventing damage before it ever touches you though, rather than recooperating your life back. White is good at protecting you, and your creatures. White is also good at getting the appropriate land out with cycling, *which allows you to draw cards or search for land*

White gets on people's nerves because it has a lot of quick creatures like savannah lions and isamaru, hound of konda, to beat your face before you can get anything out, and when you do get something out, their creatures are usually too protected to do any harm to them.

White is often found in all colors. Here are some combos for white:

White/Black: Orzohv Guild. They specialize in evasive creatures and small aggro.

White/Red: Boros Guild. They specialize in quick creatures and direct damage like Lightning Helix. This is one of the most popular combonations.

White/Green: Selesnya Guild. I don't know a lot about this one, but others will be able to tell you.

White/Blue: Very Good at Controling your opponents and stopping them from doing anything to you.


Example characters:
- Superman- The epitome of White. A protector of the weak, defender of the law and unwilling to break his own rules even when pushed to it.

- Magneto- The white villain never believes he is doing evil. He sees himself as the misjudged protector. A man who believes that the ends justify the means despite what others might think of him.


Colour: Green
Key words: Growth, Nature, Life
Keywords: trample
Favoured Card types: large creatures, Mana producing creatures, Creature pump, both short and long term.
Iconic creature types: Beasts, Elves, Snakes

Philosophy: Green is the colour of nature. This represents itself in the fact that green covers growth in all its kinds whether through permanent creature pumping, land searching and such like.

At its best Green is the bringer of life the force of nature that gives life and beauty to the world. At its worst it is the uncaring force of destructive nature the hurricane. It is destructive and uncaring destroying everything in its path.

Use: Green is good at mana acceleration. In more simple terms, each turn you can play a land to give you 1 mana, well for green, you can get more than 1 land per turn or using some of your creatures to give you quick mana to bring out much bigger creatures. Green creatures cost a lot to play, but are somewhat quicker than most other colors, and do a lot more damage. Also, Green can regenerate, or bring out swarms of little creatures too.

Green is also good at pumping up your creatures to make them do more damage, or giving them abilities such as "Trample" Which allows them to deal damage to your opponent even if they are blocked.

Green is also good at life gain.

Example characters:
- Puck, from a midsummer nights dream. – Puck and most of the other elves and fairies from a midsummer nights dream are representative of the joyful, playful positive side of green, the part that nurtures, that doesn’t necessarily like humanity but helps them from time to time.

- Swamp Thing- A force of nature defending its home from outside invasion or destruction. This too is an epitome of green as the defender and the powerful creature.

Colour: Red
Key words: Fire, Anger, Action
Keywords: haste, First strike
Abilities: Direct Damage spells, Short term Power increases, Chance
Iconic Creature types: Goblin, Dragon, Barbarian

Philosophy: Red is the colour of emotion. This manifests itself in a fast responsive attitude. Whether destroying things by sheer anger and magical power or using that anger to make creatures more powerful. It is also a fickle colour controlling luck which in practice means that its spells can often have random targets or coin flips. It is the colour of passion in all its forms.

At its best Red is the colour of freedom and self expression. It is the colour that says do what thou wilt. That says feelings are good and healthy and should be listened to. At its worst Red is chaos and hate. A senseless destruction with no care for whom or what is destroyed simply destroying for the joy of destroying.

Use: Red is good at burning your opponents. You see, you need creatures to attack, or if not, you need spells to use that hurt your opponent directly. Those spells are called "Direct Damage" or AKA Burn Spells.

A Burn deck consists of Red Cards, like Shock, or Lightning Bolt. You tap 1 red mana, and it Does 2 - 3 Damage to a target creature or a player, your choice. Burn is a nice way to start off, it's very simple to play, and it's fun for a while.

Red is also known for destroying your opponent's lands, or bringing out quick little creatures like Goblins and the such. Red does not have a single card that can destroy enchantments.

Example characters:
- Juggernaut- Consumed by anger and hate for his brother Charles Xavier. Juggernaut is the epitome of red strength and power controlled even overwhelmed by hate.


Colour: Black
Key words: Greed, Power, Selfishness
Keywords: Fear, Shadow
Abilities: Trading Life for Power, Reducing toughness
Iconic Creature Types: Zombie, Demon, Vampire

Philosophy: Black is the colour of greed and selfishness. This is represented by the fact that black is willing to sacrifice anything, its creatures, even its own life to gain power.

At its best Black is the colour of self determination of going your own way, of being the best person you can be. Yes you may use underhand methods to get what you want but they fall as they do. At its worst Black is pure unabated evil willing to sacrifice anything for its own ends, No matter how many innocents may get in their way. Black will kill any that it believes stand against it though assassination or other underhand methods. Black will never meet in a fair fight unless it has too.

Use: Black is like a Death Color, for Swamps. It has some simularities to green, such as mana acceleration, however, Black's mana acceleration usually comes with a price and it's only temporary. Black is quite technical at times, and uses a lot of combos.

Black is good at killing Creatures, Sometimes Land destruction, even burn. It's also good at slipping in damage that is hard to prevent. It uses enchantments like Underworld Dreams, or Megrim, that make your opponents take damage each time they draw or discard cards. Black Combos very well with any color depending on what strategy you wish to use.

Example characters:
-Emperor Palpatine- A man who used every evil trick and power he has to subvert and gain power the very epitome of a black villain.
-Frederick Nietzsche- the idea that people can only reach their best when they rise above others as ubermensch is very in keeping with the black philosophy

Colour: Blue
Key words: Wisdom, structure, collected
Keywords: flying
Abilities: Counter spells, Bounce, (Draw Cards)
Iconic Creature Types: Wizard, Spirit, Merfolk

Philosophy: Blue is the colour of scholarly pursuits. It is the colour of science and reason. This represents itself in the fact that Blue is the best colour for drawing cards as well as manipulating the ether itself, which manifests itself in counter spelling and creature bounce.

At its best blue protects and educates teaching people how to live better and how to better understand their world. At its worst Blue hoards knowledge, destroys nature to make way for its creations and enslaves people to the soulless pursuit of knowledge without limitations.

Use: This is the most technical color to play. There's so much you can do really. This combos well with most any color, and is good at so many things.

Blue is known for countering spells, and making sure your opponent has nothing left to use against you. It is also good at getting rid of your opponent's board (What they have out in play).

Blue is also really good at Drawing Cards.

Example characters:
- Merlin- Master of magic Merlin is representative of blue. The advisor and councillor.

- Robert Oppenheimer. - Inventor of the atomic bomb. Can be said to represent Blue as the scientist whose knowledge leads to power which is applied destructively.

[Secret Squirrel]

The Mana Pool and Mana Burn. Written by papercut. Editing by Secret Squirrel.


-The Mana pool is where mana goes when you use a "mana source" (Lands, Artifacts, Creatures etc.) to produce mana.

-Mana are not lands. Mana is the product of lands. Imagine that Mana is like money. Lands work to get some money so you can spend it to play abilities or spells.

(Forest actually reads "Add G to your mana pool" Llanowar Elves, Chrome Mox acts just as lands.)

-Mana Burn occurs when you switch from a phase to another with mana in your pool. For example, you play Dark Ritual [Instant-B-add BBB to your mana pool] and play something that cost BB in your main phase. Then you want to attack and declare the attack step, however, since you still have B in your mana pool you lose 1 life due to mana burn. (Also you cannot just get rid of mana because you don't want it; a spell or ability has to use it.)

-Mana Burn is not damage; you're just losing life, so you can't prevent it. I hope that clear all the doubts regarding mana.

-The above on Mana Burn may be disregarded. Thanks to the new rules instilled by Magic 2010 (M10), Mana Burn no longer exists. Still, saving that section for historical accuracy (because I don't wanna have to write it again in the future). -Eternity

[Secret Squirrel]

Basic Mechanics. Written by Aburame Shino

When you first get started playing Magic, it can be hard to remember all of the rules. One of the harder things to remember when you're beginning the game is all of the keyworded terms and abilities. Some are easy to understand such as flying, some are harder such as Banding. But I am confident that by the time you finish reading this article you will have full understanding of most of the abilities.

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Flying:
(This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying.)

This mechanic is one of the easiest ones to remember. What flying means is that it can only become blocked by another creature with Flying. But this does not mean a creature with flying is unable to block a creature without flying.

Example - My Suntail Hawk (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=suntail+hawk&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) would be allowed to block your attacking Eager Cadet (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=eager+cadet&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), but the same Eager Cadet could not block my attacking Suntail Hawk.

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Haste:
(This creature may attack the turn it comes under your control.)

In the game of Magic, Creatures are not allowed to attack or use any tap abilities the turn they come into play. This is called "Summoning Sickness". Haste override the Summoning Sickness, allowing it to attack the turn they come into play. Also, you can tap it the turn it comes into play for any abilities it may have.

Example - If you were to summon an Emperor Crocodile (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Emperor+Crocodile&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), it would not be allowed to attack the turn it came into play. You would have to wait until your next turn. However, if you were to summon a Raging Goblin (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=raging+goblin&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), since it has haste, it could attack right away.

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First Strike:
(This creature deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.)

I had problems understanding this when I first got started with Magic. Simply put, if a creature with first strike battles with another creature, the creature with First Strike would deal it's combat damage first instead of at the same time.

Example 1 - I attack with Tundra Wolves (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=tundra+wolves&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and you block with Coral Eel (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=coral+eel&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Combat begins. Since my Tundra Wolves have first strike, it would deal it's one damage to your Coral Eel before the two damage from Coral Eel is even being prepared to be dealt. So my Tundra Wolves would destroy your Coral Eel, and no damage would be dealt to my Tundra Wolves

Example 2 - I attack with Tundra Wolves and you block with Master Decoy (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=master+decoy&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Just like in Example 1, my Tundra Wolves would deal it's one damage to your Master Decoy. But since your Master Decoy is not destroyed by the one damage dealt by my Tundra Wolves, it would be able to deal it's one damage to my Tundra Wolves, destroying it in the process.

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Fear:
(This creature cannot be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)

Another easy to understand mechanic. A creature with fear cannot be blocked by red, green, blue, or white creatures, but it can be blocked by an artifact or black creature.

Example - I attack with Severed Legion (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Severed+Legion&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and your only creature is a Thorn Elemental (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=thorn+elemental&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Since Thorn Elemental is a green creature, it cannot block the Severed Legion. However, if you also controlled a Beast of Burden (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=beast+of+burden&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), you would be able to block the Severed Legion, but only with the Beast of Burden.

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Landwalk:
(This creature is unblockable if defending player controls a Land)

This is another easy mechanic to remember. If a creature has landwalk, then it is unblockable if the defending player controls a land of that type. So a creature with Swampwalk will be unblockable if the defending player controls a Swamp.

Example - I attack with Canyon Wildcat (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=canyon+wildcat&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and one of your lands in play is a mountain. Since you control a mountain, you are unable to block my Canyon Wildcat. However, if you do not control a mountain, you are allowed to block the Canyon Wildcat if you want to.

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Trample:
(If a creature with trample deals more combat damage to a creature blocking it than is needed to destroy the blocker, the excess damage is dealt to the defending player.)

Trample confuses some new players, although it becomes easier to understand as they gain experience. Normally all damage dealt in combat by an attacking creature is dealt to the defending creature. This is not the case with trample. A creature with trample will only deal enough damage to the defending creature to destroy it, then the rest of the damage is dealt to the defending player.

Example - I attack you with a Body of Jukai (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Body+of+Jukai&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and you block with a Steel Wall (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=steel+wall&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Instead of my Body of Jukai dealing all eight damage to your Steel Wall, it instead deals four damage to the Steel Wall, destroying it, and four damage to you.

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Regenerate:
(If this creature would be destroyed this turn, tap it instead of destroying it.)

*IMPORTANT NOTE*
Regenerate does NOT mean "Return a creature from your graveyard to play.". The above meaning is what it means, and don't question otherwise.

Regeneration is probably the most confusing term for a new player to understand, since it doesn't have any reminder text in the Core Set like the other mechanics. Let's say one of your creatures is going to be destroyed either in combat or by a card effect. You use either an ability or a spell to regenerate that creature. Instead of it going to the graveyard, all combat damage that is dealt to the creature is removed, and it becomes tapped. The creature never touches the graveyard and stays in play.

Example 1 - I attack with Eager Cadet and you block with Drudge Skeletons (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Drudge+Skeletons&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). You pay the one black mana to regenerate your creature. Instead of your Drudge Skeletons being sent to the graveyard from the combat damage dealt to it, all the damage is removed from your Drudge Skeletons and it becomes tapped. The one damage from your Skeletons would still destroy my Eager Cadet since it has one toughness.

Example 2 - I cast Chastise (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Chastise&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) on your attacking Horned Troll (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=horned+troll&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and you decide to Regenerate the Troll. The Troll is tapped and Chastise does not destroy the Troll. But since your Troll was regenerated before it could deal it's combat damage, I would not lose any life from the attack.

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Protection from ____:
(This creature cannot be blocked by ____ creatures; All damage dealt to this creature by ____ sources is reduced to 0; This creature cannot be the target of ____ spells, abilities, enchantments, or equipment.)

Three words have never keyworded so much stuff. That's why it often confuses new players. Let's say you control a creature that has Protection from Black. That creature cannot be damaged by black sources, it can't be targeted or enchanted by black cards, and it can't be blocked by black creatures. However, Protection does not stop world-wide abilities. So if a creature you control has protection from White and your opponent uses Wrath of God, the creature's protection will not keep it from being destroyed.

Example - I attack you with a Tel-Jilad Chosen (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Tel-Jilad+Chosen&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and your only creature is a Cathodion (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Cathodion&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). The Cathodion would not be allowed to block my Tel-Jilad Chosen. Also, if you attacked with Cathodion and my only creature is a Tel-Jilad Chosen, I would be able to block your Cathodion. The Cathodion would be in combat with my Chosen, but since my Chosen has Pro-Artifacts, the 3 damage from Cathodion would be reduced to 0, and the 2 damage from my Chosen would still be dealt to your Cathodion.

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Defender:
(This creature can't attack.)

If you can't figure out how this ability works, then you should not be playing this game. All defender means is that the creature cannot attack. That's it. You can use it to block, but you can't attack with it.

Example - I control a Minamo Scrollkeeper (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Minamo+Scrollkeeper&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). He sits out there and twiddles his thumbs, waiting for something to block.

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Vigilance:
(Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.)

This is a great ability if you want to use a creature to attack yet not lose a blocker. You can attack with a creature as many times as you want, and it'll never tap, thus letting you block with it.

Example - I attack you with Ardent Miltia (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Ardent+Militia&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Since he has Vigilance, he does not become tapped, thus letting me block with him if you decide to attack me.

---

And that is all. These are the first mechanics that you should learn when you start the game. When you become more experienced with the game, you can begin to learn the rest of the mechanics, which will be explained in Section 10. This has been Aburame Shino, have a nice day.

[Secret Squirrel]

Lesser Known Mechanics. By Aburame Shino. (Convoke --> Transmutate addition by olibuhero22)

Alright. Now that you are finished learning the basic keywords of the game, now I'm going to teach you about every other card mechanic ever printed in the game. There are a total of 35 set-based keywords in the game of Magic (with the exception of Cycling, which is in both Urza and Onslaught block, and Equipment which exists in both Mirrodin and Kamigawa block), which can be hard for you to remember if you are just getting started. If you are only planning on playing Standard (see Section #2)

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Flanking:
(Whenever a creature without flanking blocks this creature, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.)

Flanking is a neat combat trick you can use if you know the opponent doesn't have any Flanking creatures in their deck. It can make opposing creatures weak enough for your creature to destroy them. Of course, Flanking doesn't work on other Flanking creatures, but chances are your opponent won't be running any creatures with that ability.

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Shadow:
(This creature may block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.)

Shadow is probably one of the most annoying evasion mechanics in the game. Unlike flying and fear, which are pretty rampant throughout the entire game of Magic, shadow only exists in the tempest block. Even though a creature with Shadow is pretty much guaranteed to hit the opponent, the main downside with the ability is that creatures with Shadow cannot block non-shadow creatures. So if you decide to use creatures with Shadow, don't use too many or you won't be able to stop the opponent's attacks.

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Banding:
(You may band this creature with other creatures with banding. If you do, those creatures attack in a group instead of alone.)

Banding is quite possibly the most confusing keyworded ability in the entire game of magic. I never bothered to learn every last detail about Banding, but it basically allows your creatures to attack in a clump and combine their power during combat. For example, if you have three Benalish Heroes (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Benalish+Hero&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) banded together and your opponent blocks one of them with a Rogue Elephant (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Rogue+Elephant&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), instead of the one damage from one of the Benalish Hero being dealt to the Rogue Elephant, all three damage from all of the Heroes is dealt to the Rogue Elephant.

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Rampage X:
(Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first.)

I never was a big fan of Rampage. Basically, the more blockers you use to block an attacking creature, the stronger the Rampage creature gets. More times than not though, if you're attacking with a Rampage creature, if it's big enough, your opponent will only be blocking with one creature anyway. And since Rampage requires more than one creature to block the creature, it does not trigger and the Rampage creature doesn't get a boost.

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Cumulative Upkeep X:
(At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay X for each age counter on it.)

Cumulative Upkeep is a nifty ability that lets cards stay in play only as long as you can keep paying the Cumulative Upkeep as it gets higher and higher. Some cards use abilities depending on how many Age counters are on it from Cumulative Upkeep, while in other cases it's used to make sure you have to pay in order to keep a card in play for an excess amount of time. Either way, a card with Cumulative Upkeep can be annoying to both the player using the card and to that player's opponent.

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Phasing:
(At the beginning of your turn, if this card is in play, phase out this creature. At the beginning of your turn, if this card is phased out, phase it back in.)

Phasing is a really goofy mechanic for people who want to have a fun game. At the beginning of your turn, if you control any cards with phasing, you are forced to remove them from the game, also known as "phasing them out". Also at the beginning of your turn, if you have any cards phased out, you have to return them to play. One of the key differences between phasing out a creature and removing it from the game is that a creature that phases out is not affected by summoning sickness when it returns to play. For example, you play a Breezekeeper (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=breezekeeper&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). During your next turn, Breezekeeper phases out. Then during the turn after that, Breezekeeper phases in and you are allowed to attack with it.

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Buyback:
(You may pay this spell's buyback cost in addition to any other costs as you play this spell. If you do, put this spell into your hand instead of your graveyard as part of its resolution.)

Buyback is a great way to reuse a card over and over again without having to get rid of it. Most buyback costs are quite high compared to the actual cost of the spell (Example, Whispers of the Muse (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=whispers+of+the+muse&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0)), but if you can produce enough mana to properly use Buyback, then I suggest you use it as much as you can. Your opponent may know what's in your hand, but if you're playing the game well enough, it shouldn't matter.

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Horsemanship:
(This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with Horsemanship.)

Horsemanship is the exact same thing as Flying. The only difference is that Horsemanship only exists in Portal 3 Kingdoms. But since you probably understand flying, I see no reason to get into detail about Horsemanship.

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Cycling:
(Discard this card from your hand: Draw a card.)

I like to call Cycling "Trash for Treasure" since you can get rid of a card that you don't need (trash) in order to get a brand new card (treasure). Cycling is a great way to mill through your deck by getting rid of cards that you will not need during the game. That way you do not get stuck having a useless card in your hand where any other card would be helpful.

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Echo:
(At the beginning of your next upkeep after this permanent comes under your control, sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost.)

Echo is just like playing for a spell twice. Once when you summon it, then again the turn after you play it. Most cards with Echo have bigger stats or bigger abilities than a creature of it's cost would normally have. For example, a 2/2 creature for 1 mana would usually have a huge downside which would make it unplayable like Goblin Cohort (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Goblin+Cohort&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). However, if you give the card Echo like with Pouncing Jaguar (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Pouncing+Jaguar&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), you don't have to worry about any huge downsides.

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Fading X:
(This creature comes into play with X fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)

Tick, tock, tick, tock. What's that sound? That's the sound of your creature's existance fading away. Fading is kinda like a countdown. As long as there's a Fade counter on the card, it can stay in play. Then, after it runs out of counters, it goes to the graveyard. This makes sure cards with powerful abilities, such as Blastoderm (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Blastoderm&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), cannot stay in play for a long amount of time.

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Kicker:
(You may pay this spell's kicker cost in addition to any other costs as you play this spell.)

The kicker cost doesn't do anything with just the kicker cost. The Kicker cost is made to add on to the spell's ability to give you a much better ability or add on to an existing ability. For example, a Kavu Titan (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=kavu+titan&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) alone is a bear (a 2/2 creature for 2). However, if you pay the kicker cost of 2G, you get to turn it from a 2/2 creature to a 5/5 creature with trample.

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Flashback:
(You may play this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then remove it from the game.)

If you want to pull a sneaky trick on your opponent, Flashback is one of the best ways to do that. Most nonexperienced people don't expect you to play a spell from the graveyard, so if the opponent tries to attack you when your hand is empty, flashback that Moment's Peace (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=moment%27s+peace&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and save your life. That'll also prepare you to strike back on them.

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Threshold:
(You have threshold as long as you have seven or more cards in your graveyard)

Just like Kicker, Threshold is built to make sure you get more bang for your buck. Only diffence is that you don't have to pay any Threshold costs and just happens. All you have to do is have seven or more cards in your graveyard, which isn't incredibly hard to do.

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Madness:
(You may play this card for its madness cost at the time you discard it.)

Hand Disruption's worst enemy. If you discard a card with Madness and you have the mana to pay it's Madness cost, you get to play the card just like you could if you were to hardcast it. The only difference is that you can play the Madness cost anytime you could play an instant. So if you discard a Basking Rootwalla (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=basking+rootwalla&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) to a Wild Mongrel (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=wild+mongrel&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) during your opponent's turn, you can pay the 0 mana for it's Madness cost and put it into play as an instant.

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Morph:
(You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Morph allows you to play normally unusable creatures face-down as blank 2/2 creatures for three mana. The good thing about this is your deck could have nothing but green mana in it and still be able to play an Exalted Angel (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=exalted+angel&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) or a Blistering Firecat (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=blistering+firecat&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) face-down. The only problem with doing that is you wouldn't be able to flip either of those creatures face-up because you don't have the proper mana to do so.

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Amplify X:
(As this creature comes into play, put X +1/+1 counter on it for each creature card you reveal in your hand that shares a creature type with this creature.)

Amplify is a great way to give your creatures a powerup for running other creatures that share a creature-type with it. Cards such as Ghastly Remains (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=ghastly+remains&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) are useless unless they are used specifically in a Zombie deck, and Amplify makes sure you can summon the Remains without it dying with it's 0 power and toughness.

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Double Strike:
(This creature deals both first strike and regular combat damage.)

If you thought First Strike was a powerful ability, just wait until you deal with a creature that has Double Strike. Not only does it deal it's first strike damage, but it will also deal regular combat damage. So if a creature with double strike has a power of 4, if it deals combat damage to a creature or an opponent, it deals 8 damage instead of 4. Also, if a creature with double strike attacks, is blocked by opposing creature, and the first strike damage is enough to destroy the other creature, the regular combat damage will be dealt to the opponent's life. For example, my 3/3 Double Striking creature attacks and is blocked by a 2/1 creature. The 3 first strike damage from my Double Striking creature would destroy the blocking creature, then the 3 regular combat damage is dealt to the opponent.

Correction: From Saturday School, "If one creature blocks a double striker, and that creature dies to the first strike, then nothing happens with the normal damage (there's no one to assign it to-- having trample would let you assign the extra damage to the defending player though)." -chaoslord

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Provoke:
(When this attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.)

If you've ever played Yu-gi-oh!, you'd know that you choose what creatures to attack on the opponent's side of the field, then if their field is clear, you get to attack directly. Provoke is basically the exact same thing as that, forcing your opponent to block with a creature of your choice. One key thing to note about Provoke is that a creature does not have to be tapped in order to trigger Provoke's ability. You can have an untapped creature block a provoker just as easily as a tapped creature.

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Storm:
(When you play this spell, copy it for each spell played before it this turn.)

Ever wish that when you casted a spell you could get multiple copies of it at once? Storm is a great way to do that. For each other spell that is played that turn, Storm makes another copy of that spell. For example, let's say you play three spells then you cast a Mind's Desire (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=mind%27s+desire&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). You'd get the regular copy of Mind's Desire, then you'd get three more copies of Mind's Desire on the stack. So instead of removing one card, you instead get to remove four cards.

---

Landcycling:
(Discard this card: Search your library for a Land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)

Landcycling works exactly the same way as regular Cycling does. The only difference is that instead of drawing, you get to search your library for the appropriate land card and put it into your hand. For example, if you decide to use Eternal Dragon's (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=eternal+dragon&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) Plainscycling, you discard Eternal Dragon from your hand then search your library for a plains card and put it into your hand. This is a great way to keep you from getting mana screwed during the game.

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Affinity for ____:
(This spell costs 1 less to play for each ____ you control.)

Affinity is quite possible the most broken creature ability ever made. For more cards of the appropriate type that you control, the spell costs 1 colorless mana less to play. For example, let's say you control four artifacts and have a Frogmite in hand. Instead of having to pay four colorless mana in order to cast Frogmite (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=frogmite&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), since it has Affinity for Artifacts and you control four artifacts, Frogmite costs absolutely nothing to play.

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Entwine:
(Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

During the Mirrodin block, they printed twenty-four different cards that had two abilities that you chose one of to use. However, those spells also had an ability called Entwine, where if you pay the Entwine cost, you get to use both abilities instead of one of them. For example, let's say you play Tooth and Nail with the Entwine. You would be able to search your library for two creature cards and put them into your hand, then you'd get to choose two creature cards in your hand and put them into play.

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Equip X:
(X: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)

I'm sure you know about Enchant Creature cards, which lets you put them on a creature in play in order to make them stronger, make them weaker, or give them a special ability. Also during the Mirrodin block, the game got a new type of "Enchant Creature" card, in the form of artifacts called equipment. By paying the equip cost on the artifact, you are allowed to attach the equipment to one of your creatures just like you could an Enchant Creature. One of the key differences between equipment and Enchant Creature cards is that if you pay the Equip cost of an equipment while it is already attached to a creature, you can attach it to another creature. Also, if the equipped creature leaves play, the equipment stays in play instead of going to the graveyard along with the creature.

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Imprint:
(The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.)

Cards with Imprint usually cannot do anything by themselves. But if you imprint a card onto the artifact with Imprint, that artifact gains other abilities. For example, you can play an Isochron Scepter (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Isochron+Scepter&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) without any cards imprinted on it, but that would be silly. To make it usable in any way, when you put it into play, you get to remove an instant with Converted Mana Cost 2 or less in your hand from the game and imprint it on that artifact. So whenever you use the Scepter's ability, you get to play a copy of the imprinted card. Each card has a different imprint ability, and gains different powers depending on what's imprinted on it.

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Modular X:
(This comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it. When it's put into a graveyard, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.)

Modular is a great way for a creature to donate it's strength to another creature when it is destroyed. When a creature with Modular dies, it gives away it's +1/+1 counters to another artifact creature. For example, let's say you control an Arcbound Overseer (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Arcbound+Overseer&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) with eight +1/+1 counters on it and it gets put into the graveyard. Let's also say you control a wimpy Alpha Myr (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=alpha+myr&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). When the Overseer is destroyed, it can give away all eight of it's counters to the Alpha Myr, turning the weak 2/1 creature into a massive 10/9 creature. However, if that same Alpha Myr is destroyed, since it does not have Modular, it cannot give away it's newly acquired counters.

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Indestructible:
("Destroy" effects and lethal damage don't destroy this card.)

The strength of the most powerful spells are brushed off by this ability. A 14/14 creature is coming at you? Normally that'd cost you a creature. However, you control an 1/1 Indestructible creature. And because of that, you can block with him and he will not be destroyed. The only way to get an Indestructible creature off of the field is to return it to the owner's hand, sacrifice it, or remove it from the game entirely.

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Scry X:
(Look at the top X cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)

I like to think of Scrying as legel deck stacking. Did you just cast that Condescend (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Condescend&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and scry'd to see two lands on top of your deck? If you want to, you can put both of those cards on the bottom of your deck and probably won't see them for the rest of the game. Also, let's say you Condescend and have two powerful cards on top of your deck, but you don't want them in that order. If you want to, you can switch the position of them, or you can put one on the top and one on the bottom of your deck. Either way, you're certain that your next draw will not be a disappointment.

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Sunburst:
(This comes into play with a counter on it for each color of mana used to pay its cost.)

This card is a great way to promote using as many of the five colors of mana as you can, even though it's normally a really bad idea to run all five colors in one deck. Sunburst was used on a collection of Artifacts and Artifact Creatures to help promote multiple color use, making your cards stronger for each color of mana you spend on the card. for example, if I play a Suntouched Myr (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Suntouched+Myr&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) playing three green mana to cast it, it'll only get one +1/+1 counter. However, if you play one black, one white, and one green mana on the Myr, it'll come into play with three +1/+1 counters.


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Bushido X:
(When this blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn.)

This is what Rampage should've been when it was first printed. Not only does Bushido trigger when the opponent blocks with two creatures, but it'll trigger if your opponent blocks with just one creature. This makes it much harder to destroy a creature as a result of combat. For example, most one-drop creatures have a power and toughness of one, making it easy for it to destroy another one-drop creature. However, this is not the case with Devoted Retainer (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Devoted+Retainer&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0), which when combined with it's bushido can take down more one-drop creatures without being destroyed.

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Soulshift X:
(When this is put into a graveyard from play, you may return target Spirit card with converted mana cost X or less from your graveyard to your hand.)

Just because a creature is destroyed does not mean it cannot come back to life. Soulshift is a good example of this fact of Magic. If your creature goes to the graveyard, if it has soulshift, you get to return another weaker spirit card from your graveyard to your hand to be replayed. One key thing to remember about this ability is that if a creature has a Soulshift greater than or equal to it's own converted mana cost, the creature is allowed to return itself to your hand.

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Splice onto Arcane:
(As you play an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.)

Arcane is a keyword that was given to Instants and Sorcerys during the Kamigawa block. At first nobody saw a reason for this, then they were introduced to cards that had Splice onto Arcane. By paying a spell's Splice cost and revealing the card from your hand, you are allowed to add it's effect to another Arcane card that you have played. For example, if you have two Glacial Rays (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=glacial+ray&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) in your hand and you decide to play one, as you cast that spell, you are allowed to pay the other Ray's splice cost and reveal it from your hand to add it's effect to the other Glacial Ray. So instead of having one instance of the "Deals 2 damage" ability, it would have two instances, so you could deal 4 damage to a creature or player or you could deal 2 damage to two different targets.

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Creature Offering:
(You may play this card any time you could play an instant by sacrificing a creature and paying the difference in mana costs between this and the sacrificed creature. Mana cost includes color.)

There were only five cards printed with the Creature Offering ability, but they are all powerful in their own way. By sacrificing a creature of the proper type and paying the difference in mana cost, you get to play the creature as an instant. For example, I control a Sosuke, Son of Seshiro (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Sosuke%2C+Son+of+Seshiro&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and I sacrifice it to summon a Patron of the Orochi (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Patron+of+the+Orochi&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Since Sosuke costs 2GG and Patron of the Orochi costs 6GG, I would have to pay four colorless mana to cast the Patron.

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Ninjutsu X:
(X, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card into play from your hand tapped and attacking.)

Ninjutsu is a great way to screw your opponent for letting even the weakest creatures get an attack through. By paying the Ninjutsu cost and returning an unblocked attacker to the owner's hand, you are allowed to play the Ninja in your hand tapped and attacking. Quick note that a creature that has been Ninjutsu'd into play cannot be blocked. Also, creatures played through their Ninjutsu cost are basically unaffected by Summoning Sickness since they will lose their summoning sickness during your next turn. For example, if I play a Ninja of the Deep Hours (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Ninja+of+the+Deep+Hours&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) through it's Ninjutsu cost. My opponent would not be able to block it since the Declare Blockers step has been passed. Also, I would be able to attack with Ninja of the Deep Hours during my next turn.

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Channel:
(Discard this card: *Insert effect here*)

Channel is yet another ability similar to Cycling. The difference between actual Cycling and Channeling is that instead of getting to draw a card, you get a different ability. For example, I decide to Channel my Ghost-Lit Redeemer (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Ghost-Lit+Redeemer&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0). Instead of getting to draw a card like I would if I were to Cycle a card, I would gain four life from Ghost-Lit Redeemer.

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Sweep:
(Return any number of ____ cards you control to their owner's hand. *Insert effect here*)

I felt that this was a waste of a mechanic, since they only printed four cards with this ability name when they didn't need to. Each card with Sweep makes you have to return a different kind of land to your hand. And for each land you return, the ability gets stronger. For example, I play Sink into Takenuma (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=Sink+into+Takenuma&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) and return three swamps to my hand. My opponent would be forced to discard three cards from his or her hand. But if I returned zero swamps to my hand, my opponent would not have to discard any cards.

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Epic:
(For the rest of the game, you can't play spells. At the beginning of each of your upkeeps, copy this spell except for its epic ability.)

By casting a spell with Epic, you will have just gained a power that most people would not want to gain. By surrendering the ability to play anymore spells for the rest of the game, you get to play a copy of the Epic spell during each of your upkeeps. Now this can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on the moment that you play the Epic spell. For example, if you cast a Neverending Torment (http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?first=1&last=100&term=neverending+torment&Field_Name=on&Field_Rules=on&Field_Type=on&setfilter=Allsets&colorfilter=All&output=summary&sort=name&x=0&y=0) when you have one card in your hand, you won't be getting any use out of the Epic spell for a while. However, if you were to have six or seven cards in your hand, you would be able to remove your opponent's entire deck from the game within a matter of a couple turns.

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Convoke:
(Each creature you tap while playing this spell reduces its cost by 1 colorless mana or by one mana of that creature’s color.)

A very useful ability mostly found in green and white cards. This ability lets you tap creatures for (technically) mana, which in turn lets you play high cost (and low cost) creatures, instants, and sorceries (i.e. Autochthon Wurn, Scatter the Seeds, Overwhelm, etc.).

Example - You want to play the instant Scatter the Seeds (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=scatter_the_seeds) (Mana Cost: 3 colorless, 2 Forests), but you only have 3 mana (1 Forests and 2 Plains), but you also have 2 green creatures and a white creature in play. Since you don't have enough mana, but you do have creatures you can use to reduce the spells cost, you an tap all your mana and any two of your three creatures, and you will be able to sucessfully play Scatter the Seeds (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=scatter_the_seeds) .

Ruling Issues on Convoke:

Example - Your in the same scenerio as above except you have five creatures, and you tap out all your mana and two of your creature and your opponent counters it with Mana Leak (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=NinthEdition&name=mana_leak) . Now, you CANNOT tap your three remaining creatures to counter Mana Leak. I know this sounds silly, but I have had younger players try and do this.

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Dredge X
(If you would draw a card, instead you may put exactly X cards from the top of your library into your graveyard. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Otherwise, draw a card.)

The concept of Dredge can be kind of tricky, but for more experienced players, they can just read the rule for Dredge and completly understand it. Now, you can choose that instead of you drawing for your turn, you pick up (NOT DRAW) X amount of cards, depending on what number Dredge it is (i.e. Dredge 2, Dredge 3, etc.), and put those cards in your graveyard and return a card with Dredge X back to your hand. You can use Dredge whenever you draw a card.

Example - You have a Golgari Brownscale (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=golgari_brownscale) in your graveyard. You enter your Draw Step and choose that instead of drawing a card this turn, you would rather use the cards ability to Dredge 2. So, you pick up the top two cards of your library, place them in your graveyard, and return Golgari Brownscale (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=golgari_brownscale) to your hand.

Example 2 - Your opponent has the land Mikokoro, Center of the Sea (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=SaviorsofKamigawa&name=mikokoro,_center_of_the_sea) in play and during their turn, they use the cards ability that has them tap two mana and Mikokoro so each player draws a card. This is also an opportunity to use the Dredge ability. Say you want to get Golgari Brownscale (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=golgari_brownscale) back again, you would just pick up the first two cards of your library, place them into your graveyard, and put Golgari Brownscale (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=golgari_brownscale) into your hand, all during your opponent's turn!

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Transmute X
(X, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as this card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play only as a sorcery.)

Transmute is a very nifty ability. It allows you to play a certain mana cost, discard the card that your paying the Transmute cost for, and search your library for a card with the exact same converted mana cost and put it in your hand. A setback, but not a huge one, is that you can only play this ability as a sorcery (only during your turn).

Example - You have the card Drift of Phantasms (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=drift_of_phantasms) in your hand. You can pay 2 blue mana and any other mana to use the ability Transmute. Now that you have payed the Transmute cost, you discard Drift of Phantasms (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=drift_of_phantasms) and search your library for a card with the same CMC (Converted Mana Cost) as Drift of Phantasms (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=drift_of_phantasms) like Dimir Doppelganger (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=dimir_doppelganger) , Dimir Cutpurse (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=dimir_cutpurse) , etc.


Radiance:
(Target creature and each other creature that shares a color with target creature _______.)

This mechanic is very fun, and is used in the Boros Guild. This mechanic is used many different ways. The list of Boros cards with radiance if you want to check them out are: Rally the Righteous (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=rally_the_righteous), Brightflame (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=brightflame) , Cleansing Beam (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=cleansing_beam), Incite Hysteria (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=incite_hysteria), Surge of Zeal (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=surge_of_zeal), and Wojek Embermage (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=wojek_embermage)

Example:
You are running a Boros Deck using Red and White cards and you play the card Rally the Righteous (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=rally_the_righteous) on one of your red creatures, now this untaps all of your red creatures, and all of your creatures that have red in their casting cost (gold creatures), and gives them all +2/+0 until the end of your turn.

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And there you have it. You have just seen every mechanic ever made within the game of Magic the Gathering. This may be a lot for you to take in at once, but as you play the game more and more, you will slowly be able to remember all of these abilities without even thinking about it. This has been Aburame Shino, have a nice day.

[Secret Squirrel]

Continued from last post:

Bloodthirst X:
(If an opponent was dealt damage this turn, this creature comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it.)

A very powerful mechanic that allows your creatures to get stronger as they come into play. As powerful as this mechanic is, it is also very easy to understand. The first thing you must do is deal damage to your opponent. This could be done several different ways: You could use a burn spell on your opponent, you could attack your opponent and deal damage with creatures. After you deal damage, you can play a creature with the mechanic Bloodthurst X and it will come into play with a specified number of +1/+1 counters.

Example - Your turn. You draw a Scab-Clan Mauler (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=scab-clan_mauler). You play a burn spell (any spell that can deal damage to a creature or player) and target the player). You have now dealt damage to your opponent, now you can play Scab-Clan Mauler (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=scab-clan_mauler). Now since it has Bloodthirst 2, Scab-Clan Mauler (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=scab-clan_mauler) will come into play with 2 +1/+1 counters, hence making it a 3/3 with Trample.

Example 2 - Lets look at the card Petrified Wood-Kin (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=petrified_wood-kin). You draw it and realize it has Bloodthirst X (this means that the amount of +1/+1 counters it gets when it comes into play is equal to the toal amount of damage you do to you opponent before you play it). Lets keep things simple and say that you play Lava Spike (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=ChampionsofKamigawa&name=lava_spike), it deals three damage to your opponent. Now you play Petrified Wood-Kin. Since you dealt three damage to it, it comes into play with 3 +1/+1 counters, making it a 6/6 with Protection from Instants.

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Haunt:
(When this card is put into a graveyard from play, remove it from the game haunting target creature).

A very interesting mechanic, Haunt allows you to do some pretty interesting things, from discarding to gaining and losing life, etc. The thing with Haunt is that the Haunt mechanic never really activates until it hits the graveyard. When the card with Haunt hits the graveyard, you remove it from the game and choose a creature (doesn't have to be your own) to be "Haunted". Now, when the creature that is haunted is put into a graveyard, the ability of the creature that was used to Haunt the creature that now goes into the graveyard goes off. That may have been a little confusing, read below in the example for a better understanding.

Example - Your Turn. You draw a Blind Hunter (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=blind_hunter). You play Blind Hunter, its ability goes off. After Blind Hunter's ability goes off, your opponent plays Last Gasp (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=RavnicaCityofGuilds&name=last_gasp), targeting Blind Hunter and sending it to the graveyard (after giving it -3/-3). Since Blind Hunter was put into the graveyard, the Haunt ability goes off. You remove Blind Hunter from the game haunting target creature, lets say you have a Frostling (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=BetrayersofKamigawa&name=frostling)
in play. You target Frostling (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=BetrayersofKamigawa&name=frostling) for the Haunt, and Frostling (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=BetrayersofKamigawa&name=frostling)
is now haunted. Later on in the game, you sacrifice Frostling (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=BetrayersofKamigawa&name=frostling)
for one reason or another. When Frostling (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=BetrayersofKamigawa&name=frostling)
hits the graveyard, the Haunt ability goes off. That means that your opponent would lose 2 life and you would gain to life, according to Blind Hunter's (http://gatherer.wizards.com/gathererlookup.asp?set=Guildpact&name=blind_hunter) effect.

Reminder!: When a creature you control that has the Haunt ability is put in a graveyard, you must remove the creature from the game and haunt a creature, assuming that there is a possible target.

[Lance DeVrai]

YGO and MTG: Making the Change
Originally written by a-slice-of-cake, posted for your benefit by Anrui

Hey, with all the YGO crossovers wanting to know about MTG, I figured I'd give a rundown of things you'll be familiar with. I plan on going a bit more in-depth than the "Newbie Guide", so mods, please don't lock this! Thanks!

New crossovers: Read the "Pojo's Guide to Magic for Newbies". Here's a link. (http://www.pojo.com/magic/Featured%20Writers/Newbies/index.shtml) It'll get you covered on the basics like mana, colors, etc.

Decks
In YGO, you have to have 40-60 cards. This means, in actuality, you have to have 40-43 cards, plus your 15-card sideboard. MTG works the same way: 60+ cards (aka 60-62 cards) plus a 15-card sideboard. However, at least 20 of these should be lands (these rarely serve a purpose other than producing mana), so in the end, you'll be hovering around 40 cards that actually do things.

Here's the kicker: In MTG, you can play 4 of any card. And in many formats, the banlist is very small.

"But ASOC, how much money will my awesome splendiferous Magic deck cost?"

That all depends on what format you plan on playing in; the older formats, especially "Legacy" and "Vintage", cost quite a bit of money. Standard is probably where you'll start, though, and in the format this is written in, one of the most proven, competitive decks (Blightning Aggro) can be made for about $100. Don't worry; the highest price you'll see on a MTG card is usually around $30, and that's extremely rare. Sure beats those $120 DAD's, huh?

That's all I want to cover for now.

Mana
Mana is the biggest thing in this game, to be honest. Mana is life. If you don't get lands, you are simply going to lose.

Of course, getting 12 lands in a row is a good way to start losing, too. This is why you need to find a balance between the amount of lands you have in your deck and your spells. In a typical 60-card deck, 23-26 land is about right. Oh yeah, some terminology: "Spells" are pretty much anything that isn't a land. "Sorceries" are much more like the Spell cards you think of in YGO.

That leads us to one of the most significant sections:

Timing
Any YGO player worth his salt is familiar with Spell Speeds and Chains. In MTG, we just use one mega-chain called the Stack where both creature abilities and spells go.

The Stack functions much as the Chains in YGO do: Whatever was put on last goes on top, and you resolve from top to bottom. So far so good, right?

Okay, here's the kicker. You can target any spell on the stack, and in between resolutions, you can add more spells or abilities to the stack. Now THAT'S different, huh?

So, let's say you have 4 mana and a couple of 2-mana counterspells that say, "Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2 life", and your opponent is at 3 life. He's about to kill you with his Fireball. You play this counterspell to get rid of his Fireball, but, because he wants to see your toasty corpse, he pays the 2 life, bringing himself down to 1. In YGO, this is where you'd be done for, right?

But not anymore! After the first counterspell resolves, you play your second copy of it and add that above his fireball to the stack. Obviously, he can't pay 2 life again while he's at 1, so he weeps as his spell goes *poof*.

Or something even funnier. Let's say you have 3 mana open and still have a copy of the counterspell, but your other card is Shock (deals 2 damage to a creature or player for a red mana). You play the counterspell, and he pays himself down to 1, thinking you dead in the water. Then, after resolution, you play Shock! He goes to -1 and dies before the spell ever gets to you, and you survive by the hair of your chinny-chin-chin (whenever a player's life is 0 or less after a spell resolves, even if the stack isn't clear, that person loses).

In Magic, there are only 2 Spell Speeds: "Sorcery Speed" (similar to speed I in YGO), and everything else. Stacks can get really big, really fast sometimes, especially in multiplayer games (yes, Magic can support 6-player free-for-alls. Fun times). Here's a breakdown of the card and ability types and speeds associated with them.

Sorcery: Similar to a normal spell in that it can only be played when the stack is clear, during your main phase.

Creature: The act of playing a creature must be done at sorcery speed. For abilities that creature might have, see "Activated Abilities" and "Triggered Abilities", below.

Artifact: Sorcery speed to play; for abilities see below.

Enchantment: Sorcery speed to play, for abilities see below.

__________________________________________________ _______

Instant: Similar to Quick-play spells, except you can always play an instant from your hand, no matter what (remember, we don't really have an equivalent to "traps" here at MTG). There's only one exception, but that's from a specific block (cycle of 3 sets) that you probably won't see for a while. Whenever priority gets passed to you, you can play an instant.

SIDENOTE: Priority isn't the goofy thing here it is in YGO. If a person plays a spell or ends a phase, you get priority. Because creatures are also "spells", there's no silly "Call priority on X-Force, kill you dude before you Trap Hole." And you probably thought MTG was going to be complicated, huh?

Activated Abilities: If you control a permanent that has an activated ability, you can play it anytime you could play an instant, provided you can pay whatever cost there is. That's right; all your creatures' "effects" can be played on your opponents' turn, during combat... whatever. You can tell if an ability is an activated ability if it reads along the lines of this template:
Cost: Do something.
Do know that some activated abilities can only be played at sorcery speed. However, they'll tell you outright if that's the case.

Triggered Abilities: These abilities automatically go on the stack whenever their condition occurs. For example, Hissing Iguanar, one of my favorite commons, says, "Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may have Hissing Iguanar deal 1 damage to target player." Let's say you manage to kill 2 opposing creatures and 1 of your own in combat (I'll cover this later on, as it's the biggest difference). You'd usually think that only one iteration would occur because they all hit simultaneously, so the other two miss the timing, right?
NO! Missing the timing is incredibly rare in MTG. 3 copies of Iguanar's effect are put on the stack, and you smack your opponent with 3 damage to the dome (unless you forget, since it says "may", or for some strange reason you target yourself).

To be updated!