How the different card types work in Magic: The Gathering — creatures, planeswalkers, enchantments, artifacts, and more. — 8 questions answered.
Planeswalkers enter the battlefield with loyalty counters (the number in the bottom right). On your turn, you can activate ONE loyalty ability by adding or removing counters. Opponents can attack planeswalkers instead of you — damage removes loyalty counters. When loyalty hits 0, the planeswalker dies. You can't have two of the same planeswalker.
Mechanically, enchantments are typically colored and destroyed by 'destroy enchantment' effects (like Naturalize). Artifacts are typically colorless and destroyed by 'destroy artifact' effects (like Shatter). Some cards are both (enchantment artifacts). Thematically, enchantments represent magical effects while artifacts represent physical objects.
The 'legendary rule' means you can only control one permanent with the same name at a time. If you have two, you must immediately sacrifice one. This applies per player — your opponent can have their own copy. Legendary is required for commanders. Legendary creatures, planeswalkers, artifacts, and lands all follow this rule.
Instants and sorceries are spells that have an effect and then go to the graveyard — they don't stay on the battlefield. The key difference: sorceries can only be cast during your main phase when the stack is empty. Instants can be cast at any time you have priority, including on your opponent's turn or in response to spells.
An Aura is a subtype of enchantment that attaches to (enchants) a permanent or player. When you cast an Aura, you choose a legal target. If the enchanted permanent leaves the battlefield, the Aura goes to the graveyard. Auras carry inherent risk (2-for-1 if the creature is removed) but can be very powerful.
Equipment is a subtype of artifact that attaches to creatures. Unlike Auras, Equipment stays on the battlefield when the equipped creature dies — you can re-equip it to another creature by paying the equip cost. Equip is a sorcery-speed activated ability. Equipment is generally safer than Auras because you don't lose the card.
Creature types (like Elf, Goblin, Dragon, Zombie) are subtypes that matter for tribal synergies. Many cards give bonuses to creatures of the same type — 'Elves you control get +1/+1.' The most supported tribes include Elves, Goblins, Zombies, Vampires, Merfolk, Dragons, Angels, and Humans.
MDFCs are cards with two faces — you choose which side to play when casting. Common examples are spell-lands (like Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass) where one side is a spell and the other is a land. You can only cast the face you choose; you can't transform MDFCs after they're on the battlefield.