Everything new players need to know about Magic: The Gathering — from how to play to what to buy first. — 10 questions answered.
Each player starts with 20 life and a deck of at least 60 cards. Players take turns drawing cards, playing lands for mana, and casting spells to reduce the opponent's life to 0. A turn has phases: untap, upkeep, draw, main (play lands/spells), combat (attack/block), second main, and end step. See our phases of a turn guide for the full breakdown.
Start with a Starter Kit ($15-20) which includes two ready-to-play decks and a learn-to-play guide. Alternatively, download MTG Arena for free to learn the rules digitally. Once comfortable, pick up a Commander preconstructed deck ($40-50) — Commander is the most popular casual format.
It depends on the format. In Standard, Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy, decks must have a minimum of 60 cards (plus up to 15 sideboard cards). In Commander/EDH, decks are exactly 100 cards including your commander. In Limited (Draft/Sealed), decks are 40 cards minimum.
A typical 60-card deck runs 22-26 lands, depending on the deck's mana curve. Aggressive decks with low curves run 20-22 lands. Midrange decks run 23-25. Control decks run 25-27. The general rule is about 40% of your deck should be lands.
Most Commander decks run 35-38 lands out of 100 cards. Add 8-12 mana rocks and ramp spells on top of that. Three-color decks need more fixing (37-38 lands), while mono-color decks can get away with 33-35. Always count your mana rocks as partial land equivalents.
The five colors are White (W), Blue (U), Black (B), Red (R), and Green (G). White represents order and protection. Blue represents knowledge and control. Black represents power and ambition. Red represents freedom and emotion. Green represents nature and growth. Each color has distinct strengths and weaknesses.
The basics are learnable in 30 minutes — play lands, tap for mana, cast spells, attack and block. The depth comes from 20,000+ unique cards with different interactions. Start with simple decks and you'll pick up advanced rules naturally. MTG Arena's tutorial is the easiest way to learn.
MTG Arena is free. Paper Magic ranges from $15 (Starter Kit) to $500+ (competitive Modern/Legacy). Commander precons ($40-50) are the best value for casual paper play. Budget decks in Standard can be built for $20-50. The cost depends entirely on your format and competitiveness.
Commander (EDH) is the most popular format by a wide margin. It's a multiplayer format where you build a 100-card singleton deck led by a legendary creature. Standard is the most popular competitive format, and Draft is the most popular limited format.
Yes, most formats are designed for 2 players (Standard, Modern, Pioneer, Legacy, Draft). Commander is typically 4 players but works with 2. Two-Headed Giant is a team format with 2v2. You need at least 2 players, but the game supports groups of any size.