Starting The Game:

– Each player starts with 20 life. Once a player’s life total reaches 0 (or less), or they run out of cards in their library, they are out of the game.
– Players must have at least 60 cards in their deck (but you are not limited to that, but 60 is the best statistically for consistency). You are not allowed to have more than 4 of the same card in your deck except for Basic Lands (which you can have as many as you want, but 20-24 is recommended).
– Shuffle your deck and cut decks.
– Roll dice (preferably a D20 – Twenty sided), whoever has the highest roll determines who goes first, and play is clockwise. After the first game is over, the losing player determines who goes first.
– Each player starts by drawing 7 cards for their hand and they can look at it. If a player doesn’t like their hand, they can do what’s called a Mulligan (shuffle their hand into their deck and redraw with one less card consecutively for each Mulligan). When taking a Mulligan, draw one additional card after drawing your hand and decide whether that card goes on top of bottom of your library (this action is called a Scry). The first Mulligan is usually free if more than 2 people are playing together, but based on house rules.
– The starting player that does not draw from their library on their first turn as they benefit from starting first.

Your Turn:

1. Begin / Upkeep
– Untap Cards (Turn your cards upright if they were tapped).
– Perform effects from active cards in play that affect your Beginning / Upkeep Phase.
– Draw A Card (Unless it’s starting players first turn).

2. Main Phase (1)
– Play a land (Optional and only once per turn unless an active card in play that states you can play more than one).
– Cast creatures and other spells.

3. Combat
– Declare attackers by tapping creatures. Attackers decide if they are attacking Players or Planeswalkers (If they are active on the Battlefield), but not creatures (unless an active card on in play states otherwise).
– Your opponent declares blockers against attackers. Only untapped creatures can block. You don’t have to tap creatures to block with them. You can use multiple defending creatures to block one attacking creature.
– Combat damage is dealt.

4. Main Phase (2)
– Play a land (Optional and only if you haven’t already played a land this turn).
– Cast creatures and other spells.

5. End
– Creatures heal from damage.
– Perform effects from active cards in play that affect your End Phase.
– Pass the turn to the next player.

Casting Cards:

At the top right you will see the mana cost of each card, such as . For this example, this means you must tap 1 Swamp Land (black) and 3 of any other type of Land cards to cast that card. Some cards require multiple land types such as . For this example, this means you must tap 1 Forest Land (green), 1 Mountain Land (red), and 1 of any other type of Land card to cast that card. Sometimes cards are even colorless and just have , and in this example you can play 2 Lands of any color to cast that card.

Card Types:

Creature Cards – When creatures are cast to the battlefield for the first time, they have summoning sickness for that turn (unless they have an ability such as Haste that states otherwise). Creatures with summoning sickness can defend (unless it states on the card that they can’t block), but they can’t attack or tap for active abilities until their next turn when they are untapped.

Instant Cards – Can be played anytime (Your turn, opponents turn, any phase, before and after attackers and blockers are declared, etc).

Sorcery Cards – Can only be played on your turn and only during your Main Phases (not during the Combat Phase), and only while the stack is empty (no other spell is actively being used and unresolved – such as creatures, instants, etc).

Artifacts, Enchantments, Equipment – Can only be played on your turn during either Main Phases and when the stack is empty (unless the card states otherwise). Note that you can only equip creatures during either Main Phases.

Planeswalkers – Life of a Planeswalker is based on Loyalty Counters, which is on bottom right-hand corner of card. You can play one ability per turn (including the same turn they are cast to the battlefield as they don’t have summoning sickness) and you add or subtract from their loyalty counter total based on the ability used. You must have the required loyalty counters available to use abilities (Can’t use a -2 ability if only 1 Loyalty Counter is available on the Planeswalker). Once a Planeswalker has 0 Loyalty Counters, it is removed from the Battlefield and sent to your graveyard. Also, opponents decide whether to attack you or the Planeswalker during combat, and damage to the Planeswalker removes Loyalty Counters.

Creature Activated Abilities – Treat a creatures activated abilities the same as Instants (Can be played anytime, even during an opponent’s turn). Sometimes they just cost mana to play them (and can be cast repeatedly as long as you have the available mana), or the creature will need to be tapped, (signified by the tapped symbol next to the ability ), sometimes it will require both mana and the creature to be tapped to play the ability. Note that you can’t tap to attack with a creature and tap for a creature’s ability at the same time, you can only choose one or the other. Tapping a creature for an ability does not initiate a player into the combat phase during their turn.

Common Creature Abilities:

There are many creature abilities, but I’m going to list most of the common ones.

Deathtouch: Whenever a creature with Deathtouch deals any (nonzero – creature must have at least 1 power) amount of damage to another creature, it is enough to destroy it, regardless of the other creature’s toughness. Also note that Deathtouch will not destroy Indestructible creatures.

Defender: Creatures with Defender can’t attack (unless they have another ability or a card is in play that states otherwise). These creatures usually have high toughness.

First strike: Creatures with First Strike deal their combat damage before creatures without it. So, if you attack or block with a creature that has First Strike, that creature will deal damage first and will not take into consideration any damage being dealt by the opposing creature (including effects such as Deathtouch). If two creatures have the same power and toughness, the creature with first strike will destroy the other before it has a change to hit back. If both creatures have First Strike, damage will be dealt at the same time as if they didn’t have First Strike.

Double strike: A creature with Double Strike will deal combat damage twice. First, it will deal combat damage before all other creatures (as if it had First Strike). Then it will deal its damage again along with all other creatures the second time. So, if you attack or block with a creature that has Double Strike, that creature will deal damage first and will not take into consideration any damage being dealt by the opposing creature. If two creatures have the same power and toughness, the creature with double strike will destroy the other before it has a change to hit back on the first strike. Note: If counters are to be added due to combat, you add them after each combat strike.

Flash: Artifacts, creatures or enchantments with Flash may be played any time their controller could play an Instant.

Flying: A creature with Flying can’t be blocked by creatures without Flying (unless the blocking creature has an ability such as Reach which allows them to). Flying creatures can and block other creatures with flying. They can also “swoop down” and block creatures without Flying.

Haste: Creatures with Haste do not have summoning sickness and can attack and use their abilities the same turn they come under your control on the battlefield.

Hexproof: A player or creature with Hexproof cannot be the target of spells or abilities controlled by an opponent. However, it does not deny the player (or his or her allies) the ability to target his or her own Hexproof creatures or permanents with spells or abilities.

Indestructible: A creature with Indestructible cannot be destroyed by effects that say “Destroy” or by lethal damage by another creature. However, they can be countered, exiled, returned to the hand or library, sacrificed, or killed with effects that lower their toughness to zero (called “shrinking”).

Landfall: An ability that triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control. Strategically, if you have a creature or permanent with the Landfall ability, you would want to play them before playing a land on the battlefield if possible on your turn to trigger the ability.

Lifelink: Creatures with Lifelink cause their controller to gain life whenever they deal damage equal to the amount of damage dealt (total power) by that creature. For example, if you attack (or defend) with a 5/4 creature with Lifelink and the opposing creature is a 2/3, your creature still does 5 damage, and you would gain 5 life.

Menace: A creature with Menace can only be blocked by two or more creatures.

Protection: An ability that protects a creature from certain kinds of spells and abilities. A creature with Protection will read “protection from _______”. What’s in the blank is what the creature is protected from meaning it will not take damage from the source. It might be protection from red, for example, or protection from white. It also can’t be enchanted, blocked by creatures, or be the target of spells or abilities of what it is protected from. Protection isn’t always tied to a color. For example, a creature could have “protection from artifacts” or “protection from Goblins”.

Reach: Creatures with Reach have the ability to block flying creatures.

Regeneration: Regeneration helps keep creatures from being destroyed. Regeneration effects work like shields. Once the regeneration spell or ability resolves, the effect hangs around waiting for the creature to be destroyed. If the creature would be destroyed, the effect saves the creature. (Regeneration is a replacement effect). When a creature regenerates, it remains in play, along with any Auras, Equipment and Counters on it. If a creature is regenerated, it becomes tapped, if in combat – removed from combat, and all damage is removed.

Trample: When a creature with Trample is blocked, any remaining damage greater than the defending creature (or creatures, if multiple are defending against it) toughness after being destroyed will be assigned to the defending player (or Planeswalker if targeted).

Vigilance: Creatures with Vigilance don’t tap to attack. If you choose to attack with a creature that has Vigilance, since that creature doesn’t become tapped during combat, you can use it as a blocker on your opponent’s next turn.

Guide By: Robert Scarcella Jr.