(I was banned from posting in the Magic subreddit for being "condescending and unhelpful" after a mod misinterpreted both my tone and Magic's rules during a discussion unrelated to this guide. This guide was originally a post on the subreddit, but was deleted by the mods. Thus, the link to this page instead.)

Info for New Magic Players

• Your First Purchase
• Learning The Rules
• Rules For Individual Cards
• Casual Play
• Tournament Play
• Protect Your Cards
• Use The Subreddit's Card Bot
• Frequently Asked Questions - Deck Building
• Frequently Asked Questions - Gameplay
• Frequently Asked Questions - Other

--- YOUR FIRST PURCHASE ---

If you want to learn the game hands-on, you'll first need to get some cards. Here's a few recommendations:

• Any of the Starter Kits (https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/2-Player_Starter_Set) you can find on store shelves. You'll get two premade 60-card decks that you can learn the game with.
• The Beginner Box from the Foundations set contains 10 different premade, Jumpstart-style half-decks (see the Casual Play section below for more info), for a total of 200 cards. These can be mixed together in different ways for quick, but variable, games. Two of these half-decks have an optional pre-determined deck order that you can use to be guided step-by-step through the first five turns of a game.
• The Starter Collection from the Foundations set doesn't have any premade decks, but does give you a fixed list of MORE than enough cards (387!) to build a variety of decks on your own.

With the popularity of the Commander format and the wide range of premade Commander decks available, many people instead recommend one of those decks as a starting purchase. I disagree, but the choice is up to you. The Commander format is a variant of normal gameplay, and it'd be better to learn the base game before needing to figure out all the Commander-specific rules changes. Premade Commander decks also pull their cards from a wider range of Magic's history and have more varied and complex game mechanics. On the other hand, if your future opponents only play Commander and you want a quick start into their games, a Starter Kit alone won't fulfill the deck requirements of Commander.

If you want to try the game out before spending any money, download Magic Arena.

--- LEARNING THE RULES ---

Magic has an excellent list of Comprehensive Rules for understanding the complete details of the game (https://magic.wizards.com/en/rules). However, nowadays their basic rulebooks for new players are lacking in a lot of areas. Here's some alternatives:

• This video is funny and goes over the basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZixWqaGJVQs (the "free sample deck" bit is outdated).
• Magic Arena has a interactive tutorial and allows you to play the game online for free. However it has a misleading flaw: Arena displays marked damage as reducing a creature's toughness. This is a visual shortcut for keeping track of when damage becomes lethal, but it's not how the game actually works, in real life or in Arena. Damage does not reduce toughness. Damage is marked on a creature and is constantly compared to its toughness.

If you have a question about the rules, you should first look it up in... the rules. You can use your browser's Find function (ctrl + f) to search through the official Comprehensive Rules, or you can try the unofficial Magic Wiki (https://mtg.fandom.com), which references the Comprehensive Rules.

There are additional Tournament Rules (https://wpn.wizards.com/en/rules-documents) that apply only for sanctioned tournament gameplay.

--- RULES FOR INDIVIDUAL CARDS ---

If you have a question about a specific card, first look up the card on the official Gatherer database (https://gatherer.wizards.com). Scryfall (https://scryfall.com) is a better, unofficial database site that pulls its info from Gatherer.

Any card's official wording is its Oracle text, which can be found in the card's Gatherer entry. This allows for errata to update cards as the rules and terms are updated, and to correct the rare mistake. No matter what version of a card you play, it always behaves the same way.

A card's Gatherer entry will also list its format legalities, and any specific rulings it may have been given. These individual card rulings do not add anything to the game's rules, they just explain what is already present in the Comprehensive/Tournament rules in way that's easier to find/understand.

--- CASUAL PLAY ---

For casual play you are free to use any cards from any sets, with some exceptions.

• Joke cards (silver border or acorn stamp) and test cards (indicated at bottom of card) should not be used in casual games unless everyone playing agrees to them. These cards contain silly and/or experimental mechanics that are not covered by the Comprehensive Rules. Joke cards are found in the Un- sets. Test cards are found in the Mystery Booster sets.
• Ante cards should not be used in casual games unless everyone playing agrees to them. Playing for ante has players gambling for the ownership of a random card in their decks. Ante cards stopped being printed in 1995.
• Cards with the Conspiracy card type only function in draft games, and can't be put in decks. Conspiracy-type cards are found in the Conspiracy sets.
• A small list of cards are banned in Commander games (https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list). This list can be ignored if everyone playing agrees to it.

Casual play includes, but is not limited to:

Normal: Decks must be at least 60 cards. You may optionally also have a separate sideboard of 15 cards. A sideboard allows you to switch out cards between rounds if you're playing a match. Except for basic lands, you can't have more than 4 cards with the same name in your deck and sideboard combined.

Note: The word "standard" has a specific meaning in Magic. Standard is a tournament format that uses normal 60-card decks, but not all normal 60-card decks are Standard. See the Tournament Play section for more info.

Commander: Decks must be exactly 100 cards. Except for basic lands, you can't have any name duplicates at all. Each player starts with 40 life rather than the usual 20. You must have a legendary creature that acts as your commander. Your commander starts the game in the command zone, and can be cast from there. You can return your commander to command zone when it leaves the battlefield, and it can be recast for a higher cost. Your commander's colour identity determines the colour identity restriction for the rest of your deck. There are more alternate rules for this gameplay variant you'll have to look up yourself.

Jumpstart: Jumpstart Boosters contain a random 20-card half-mini-deck. Each player combines two half-decks together to form their 40-card mini-deck. Gameplay is otherwise unchanged from a normal game. While these cards come packaged with a specific usage in mind, they're still just regular cards and can also be used in other ways.

Planechase: Planechase adds oversized Plane and Phenomenon cards to the game, each providing different effects. A planar die is rolled to travel from plane to plane and to trigger their chaos abilities. Any type of casual game can have Planechase added on to it, as long as everyone agrees to it.

Archenemy: Archenemy adds oversized Scheme cards that help only one player, the Archenemy. The rest of the players team up to defeat that person. Any type of casual game can have Archenemy added on to it, as long as everyone agrees to it.

--- TOURNAMENT PLAY ---

Constructed

In constructed tournaments, you bring a normal 60-card deck (like above) built out of your existing collection. However, what cards you may use depends on the format. Each format has a list of allowed sets (https://magic.wizards.com/en/formats) and banned cards (https://magic.wizards.com/en/banned-restricted-list).

With one group of exceptions, as long as a card is legal in the played format, you may use any version of that card from any set. For example, the card Naturalize was printed in the Magic 2010 set, which is Modern legal; and the Onslaught set, which is not Modern legal. You may use the Onslaught version of Naturalize in a Modern deck.

The exception to the above are card prints from commemorative reprint sets. You can't use cards from Collectors' Edition (1993), Pro Tour Collector Set, World Championship Decks, or 30th Anniversary Edition in tournaments. These have a modified card back stating what commemorative set they're from, and a gold border on their front or back. Commemorative reprint cards are relatively rare, so it probably won't be an issue for you.

Constructed has six major formats.

• Standard: Includes the most recent regular sets. Unlike other formats, Standard is a rotating format. Groups of older sets leave as newer ones join, changing the available card pool. What counts as a "Standard set" and what doesn't can be confusing. https://whatsinstandard.com is a handy website for checking legal sets.
• Pioneer: Includes all the sets that have been in Standard from Return to Ravnica (2012) to now.
• Modern: Includes all the sets that have been in Standard from 8th Edition (2003) to now, plus a handful of sets that haven't (https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Modern#Straight-to-Modern).

Note: A set may be legal in Standard/Pioneer/Modern, but its accompanying Commander deck products are a separate set that are not legal in those formats.

The next three formats are Eternal formats. Eternal formats include every set, even those that were never in Standard. Joke, test, ante, and Conspiracy-type cards aren't allowed in any Eternal format.

• Legacy: Legacy has more banned cards than Vintage.
• Vintage: Vintage has fewer banned cards than Legacy, and limits some powerful cards to 1 per deck instead of banning them outright.
• Pauper: Only cards that have been printed at the common rarity are allowed. Similar to the Onslaught/Magic 2010 example above, you may use a non-common printing of a card if it was printed as a common in another set.

Limited

In limited tournaments you build a deck out of cards you purchase and open right then and there, plus basic lands. Decks must be at least 40 cards. Your sideboard includes all the cards you opened that aren't in your deck.  There is no limit to the number of card copies you may use.

• Sealed: Players each open 6 booster packs. This is the format usually used at set release events.
• Draft: Players each open 3 booster packs, taking one card at a time before passing the pack to the next player. This produces a smaller card pool for building a deck, but allows some choice in what cards you have. Some places do "rare redrafts", where everyone's rare cards are gathered after the tournament and claimed in the order in the final standings. Before joining a draft at a new location, ask the organizer if they rare redraft.

--- PROTECT YOUR CARDS ---

Card sleeves protect your cards from the wear and tear of shuffling. At the very least, you should sleeve your deck.

A deck box will protect your deck as you bring it to places.

Don't store your cards in a ringed binder. It's very easy to accidentally dent cards on the rings.

--- USE THE SUBREDDIT'S CARD BOT ---

When discussing cards on subreddit, put card names in two square brackets, like this [[Lightning Bolt]]. A bot will respond to your post with Scryfall links to the cards, making it easier for others to look them up and see their current wordings and rulings. The bot doesn't detect anything in post titles or post edits.

--- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - DECK BUILDING ---

- Can I mix cards from different sets/products in my deck? Can I use crossover cards (Warhammer, Lord of the Rings, etc) with non-crossover cards? Can crossover cards be played against non-crossover cards?

In general, yes, yes, and yes. For tournament games it depends on those sets being allowed in the played format to start with.

- I have a token/emblem, how do I use it?

Some cards have abilities that create new game objects out of thin air. Depending on the ability, these are tokens or emblems. Tokens and emblems are not put into your deck, keep them off to the side until you need them. Tokens and emblems are not considered cards by the rules.

- Do I need to use official tokens/emblems?

You can use nearly anything to represent a token or an emblem. It doesn't have to be an official print from Magic. Some don't even have official prints. You can make your own! For tokens, you must be able to show if it's tapped or not.

- I have a double-sided card! How do I use this in a deck?

You can either use card sleeves with opaque backs, or keep the double-sided card off to the side and put a substitute card in your deck. There are official substitute cards with blank spaces to write down what it's subbing for. For casual games, you can make your own substitute card by crossing out the information on a spare basic land and writing in your own.

Double-sided cards are always their front side while in your deck, never their back side.

- How many lands/creatures/other spells should I include in a custom deck?

Different ratios work better for different decks. A good general starting point is 40% creatures, 20% other spells, and 40% lands. For a 60-card deck, that's 24 creatures, 12 other spells, and 24 lands.

- What are all the cards that can do this, or that, or have (insert quality here)?

Both Gatherer and Scryfall have advanced search functions. Learn how to use them!

- I'm just starting out and I want to focus on just one format. Which do I choose?

Well, what you imagine you'll be playing the most? Or more accurately, what do the people you'll be playing with play the most?

- I bought a Commander deck. Can I turn it into a deck for normal gameplay?

Yes. Technically it's already a normal deck, just a large one. It's a good idea to trim it down to 60 cards. Now, if you want to turn it into a Standard deck, then the answer's no. Most of the cards in Commander products are not Standard-legal.

- Can I, for example, include a white card in an otherwise red/green normal deck?

Yes. Colour identity restrictions only apply for Commander decks.

- Can I include a card specifically made for Commander in a normal deck?

A handful of cards have effects that reference aspects of gameplay variants. When used outside of that variant gameplay, those effects simply don't function. However, you can still include those cards in your deck. Some of these cards have other utility outside of their variant use, while others are completely useless outside of that variant.

• Effects that reference commanders and color identity only function in Commander games. Cards with these abilities are found in Commander sets.
• Effects that reference drafting only function in draft games. Cards with these abilities are found in the Conspiracy sets.
• Effects that reference planeswalking (not to be confused with planeswalkers), chaos ensuing, and the planar die only function in Planechase games. Cards with these abilities are found in Planechase-related sets.

--- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - GAMEPLAY ---

- A card tells me to "Add ". Do I search my deck for a mana/land card?

No. There are no mana cards. Mana are imaginary points used to pay for costs. Lands are cards that, usually, produce mana. Each basic land subtype (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest) gives the land it's on an ability that taps for the appropriate colour of mana, even if that ability isn't printed on the card. All Forests have ": Add ." When a card says to "Add mana", it simply produces mana just like a basic land does. If a card wants you to search your library for a land, it will explicitly state that.

- Do I use counters for all power/toughness changes?

If a card wants you to use any type of counters, it will explicitly say so. There are two main groups of exceptions:

• Planeswalker cards use loyalty counters and Battle cards use defense counters. This is part of the rules for those card types.
• Some keyworded abilities, such as the Toxic ability, say to use counters in their full game rules. Some cards may simply say "Toxic 1" as a space-saving shortcut, with the understanding that you know how the ability actually works. If you don't, you can look it up in the rules.

For any other effect that grants a non-counter change to power/toughness, you just remember that effect is applied without using counters to represent it. This is important as some other effects may care if counters are actually present or not.

- What counts as an activated or triggered ability?

Activated abilities are formatted as [Cost]: [Effect]. Look for the colon (:).

Triggered abilities start with the words "At", "When", or "Whenever".

- Two activated abilities have the same cost. Can I use a single cost payment to get both effects?

No. If a store has two chocolate bars that cost $1 each, and you only have $1, you can only buy one chocolate bar.

- What's the mana value of a card with in its cost?

While on the stack, equals what it was set it to. Anywhere else, it equals zero.

- How do I handle a mana cost with multiple s in it?

If the cost is and you want the Xs in the card's effects to be 2, then you set the cost to be . That equals .

--- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - OTHER ---

- I want to get a Magic player a present/There are all these different products. What should I get?

https://zandergb.neocities.org/magic-gift-guide

- Why did I get a card from a different set in my booster pack?

It's not a mistake, it's an intentional feature. You got a card from The List (https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/The_List), and/or a card from a related subset.

- I bought a premade Commander deck. What's the thicker, second copy of the commander?

Premade Commander decks used to come with an oversized version of the deck's commander, along with the normal card version of it. These oversized cards were later replaced with "display commanders", printed on thicker cardstock but otherwise the same size as regular cards. Both oversized and display commander cards aren't deck-legal cards, they're just a fun, fancier, alternate way to display the commander on the table in casual games. Use the normal card when making a deck. Newer Commander decks have stopped including display commander cards.

- I want a specific card. What products should I buy to have the cheapest chance of getting it?

None. If you want to get a specific card, the cheapest way to get it is to buy it secondhand. There are countless physical and online stores that sell singles.

- What version of this card do I have?

Search for the card on Scryfall. Click on "View all prints". Compare your card to the results.

- How can I identify a foreign language card?

Go to Scryfall's advanced search and fill in the details of the card. For newer cards, the set code and collector's number at the bottom of the card should be all you need. Otherwise, depending on the card, you can use the card's mana cost, artist, print year, set symbol (https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Set#List_of_Magic_expansions_and_sets), rarity, and P/T (if any) to narrow down your search. If the card doesn't have P/T, you can also exclude creatures from your search results.

- Why does my foil card have a shooting star in the text box? Is it special?

That's just part of the design of retro border foils.