Permanent URL: https://library.spscc.edu/c.php?g=1333788
If you're looking for a resource that will teach you how to play Magic: the Gathering, a great place to start is their official how to play webpage. There are also many content creators who post tutorials and videos about a wide range of Magic: the Gathering related subjects on platforms like Youtube and Twitch.
There are many different ways (formats) to play M:tG that have different rules for how to construct your deck and what sets you can use cards from. For more information on specific formats, click the link below.
The two most popular formats are Commander and Standard.
Commander: This format requires 2+ players each with 100 card decks. Each deck chooses a commander (a legendary creature) and can only feature cards that match the color identity of their commanders Mana Cost.
Standard: This format requires 2 players each each with 60 card decks. The cards can only be used from the sets of the last four years. Every fall, the oldest four sets are rotated out to make room for the new sets. This gives you a total of 12 sets to choose from when constructing your deck.
Card Name: This is the name of the card.
Mana Cost: This is how much mana you must spend to cast the card from your hand to play it on the battlefield.
Type Line: This contains the type and subtype of the card.
Expansion symbol: This symbols represents a specific set that the card is a part of.
Card Text: This contains the text defining what the card does or can do.
Flavor text: This is usually a quote of some kind related to the character, situation, or art that provides additional "flavor" from the setting.
Power/Toughness - This defines the offensive and defensive power of creature cards.
Card Number: This is what number the card is out of all of the cards in the set.
Artist Name: The name of the artist who drew the artwork on the card.
You can find more detailed information here.
Here are some examples of the 7 most basic card types you will see in every release of M:tG
Permanents: These cards are all referred to as permanents because after they are played, they stay on the battlefield until they are removed by another card or power.
Basic land. These are resources you use to play other cards. They are associated with a specific color of mana, and you "tap" (turn sideways) them to add a mana of that color to your mana pool.
Planeswalker: These are cards that feature powerful Planeswalker characters that have abilities powered by "Loyalty" In the bottom right hand corner, you can see how many Loyalty counters the card starts with. Each ability either adds or subtracts Loyalty from that pool to use. Once it hits zero, the card goes to the graveyard.
Creatures: These cards are the front-line soldiers in your deck. They are summoned on the battlefield after you cast them. Some of them have special abilities noted in the card text, and all of them have a power and toughness rating that shows how much damage they can do and how much they can take per turn.
Artifacts: These are powerful items (or creatures) with abilities that you can usually cast using any color (or colorless) mana. Some examples include equipment, which you can equip to creature cards to give them new abilities or make them more powerful; and mana rocks (as they are colloquially referred to) which function similarly to land to generate or filter mana.
Enchantment: An enchantment is a permanent spell that bestows an effect or power onto the target (usually the player or another permanent like a creature). Sometimes these effects are continuous or they activate during a certain part of your turn or make a one-time change that is in effect so long as the card remains in play.
Non-permanents
Sorcery: A sorcery is a one-time use card that you cast to implement an effect on a given target. These can only be played during your two main phases per turn.
Instant: An instant works similar to a sorcery except that you can cast it at any time.
Sometimes cards end up having an unintended interaction in a specific format context and become too powerful. These cards are usually banned from play in those formats, and you can find more information on which cards are banned in which formats and for what reason here. You can also get more information about the legality of a specific card when looking it up in Gatherer.
If you own and operate a card shop in the community, please feel free to contact me with a request to be added to this list!
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Beginning phase - During this phase you untap all of your cards on the battlefield, you take care of any upkeep (if any abilities trigger or have ongoing costs), and you draw a card.
(Pre-combat) main phase - During this phase, you can play 1 land from your hand and any abilities that activate during your main phase activate now. You may also play non-instant cards during this time, and anything that is played (other than your land) goes onto the "stack" to be resolved.
Combat phase - The activate player attacks the defending player with any creatures they have on the battlefield. The defending player assigns blockers (if any).
(Post-combat) main phase - A continuation of the main phase.
End Phase - This is when you start wrapping up your turn/a final chance to cast any non-permanent, non-instant spells
