Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering
Designer	Richard Garfield
Publisher	Wizards of the Coast
Release date	August 5, 1993
Type	Collectible card game
Players	2 or more
Age range	13+
Skills	Strategy, resource management, probability
Website	magic.wizards.com

Magic: The Gathering (colloquially known as Magic or MTG) is a collectible card game created by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast. It was first released on August 5, 1993, as the company's first trading card game. By February 2023, Magic had amassed approximately fifty million players. From 2008 to 2016, over twenty billion Magic cards were printed as the game grew in popularity.

Gameplay

In Magic, players take on the role of powerful wizards called "Planeswalkers", each with their own deck of cards representing magical spells, creatures, and artifacts. A typical game involves two or more players, with each starting at 20 life. The primary goal is to reduce an opponent's life total to zero, though some cards provide alternative win conditions.

Turn structure

A player's turn consists of several phases:

• Beginning phase – Untap all cards, upkeep effects, draw a card.
• Main phase – Play lands, cast spells, activate abilities.
• Combat phase – Declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage.
• Second main phase – Additional spells and abilities.
• Ending phase – End-of-turn effects, discard to hand size.

Card types

Magic features several card types, each with distinct rules:

• Creature – Summoned to attack opponents and block enemy creatures.
• Sorcery – One-time effect, cast only during your main phase.
• Instant – One-time effect, can be cast at almost any time, even during an opponent's turn.
• Enchantment – Permanent effect that remains on the battlefield.
• Artifact – Permanent object, often with reusable abilities.
• Planeswalker – Represents an ally who can be activated once per turn.
• Battle – Introduced in 2023, represents a conflict that players can protect or attack.
• Land – Resource card used to generate mana to cast other spells.

The color pie

The game revolves around five distinct colors of magic, each with its own philosophy and mechanics:

• White – Order, protection, life gain, small creatures.
• Blue – Deception, card draw, countering spells, controlling the board.
• Black – Ambition, creature destruction, graveyard manipulation, life payment.
• Red – Chaos, direct damage, fast aggression, land destruction.
• Green – Nature, large creatures, mana acceleration, creature enhancement.

History

Richard Garfield designed the original gameplay in 1991. He pitched a game to Wizards of the Coast, who suggested he create something portable to play during downtime at game conventions. The game was first published in 1993 and quickly became a phenomenon, spawning a new genre of collectible card games.

The early sets introduced the concept of "ante", where players wagered cards at the start of a match. This was soon made optional and later eliminated entirely due to legal and player concerns.

Over the decades, Magic has released hundreds of expansion sets, core sets, and compilation sets, with approximately four new sets released each year.

Set types

Magic cards are released in several types of sets:

• Core sets – Contains reprints and simple mechanics, designed for new players.
• Expansion sets – Introduces new cards, mechanics, and story elements.
• Compilation sets – Reprints popular cards from multiple expansions.
• Box sets – Fixed decks or curated collections.

Formats

Magic can be played in various formats, each with its own rules for deck construction. Formats fall into two main categories: Constructed and Limited.

Constructed

Players build decks from their collection. Popular constructed formats include:

• Standard – Uses only the most recent sets (typically the last two years).
• Modern – Allows cards from 8th Edition (2003) onward.
• Pioneer – Allows cards from Return to Ravnica (2012) onward.
• Legacy – Almost all cards are legal, with a ban list.
• Vintage – Almost all cards are legal, with restrictions.
• Commander – A casual multiplayer format with 100-card singleton decks led by a legendary creature.

Limited

Players build decks on the spot from a pool of cards. Formats include:

• Sealed – Open six booster packs and build a 40-card deck.
• Booster Draft – Players pick cards from passing booster packs to build a deck.

Digital versions

Magic is available in several digital formats:

• Magic: The Gathering Online – A pay-to-play client that replicates the paper experience, with a vast card pool.
• Magic: The Gathering Arena – A free-to-play, streamlined client with a focus on Standard and Limited play.
• Magic Duels – A discontinued series that introduced many players to digital Magic.

Organized play

The Wizards Play Network (WPN) oversees official Magic tournaments. Events include:

• Friday Night Magic – Weekly local tournaments at game stores.
• Grand Prix – Large open tournaments, sometimes drawing thousands of players.
• Pro Tour – Invitational tournaments for top players (discontinued in 2019, replaced by the Magic Pro League and Player's Tour).
• World Championship – The annual culminating event to crown the world champion.

Reception and legacy

Magic: The Gathering is widely credited with creating the collectible card game genre. It has been praised for its strategic depth, rich lore, and vibrant community. The game's secondary market has seen individual cards sell for tens of thousands of dollars. For the 2022 fiscal year, Hasbro announced that Magic had generated $1 billion in annual revenue.

See also

• Richard Garfield
• Wizards of the Coast
• List of Magic: The Gathering sets
• Magic: The Gathering formats