Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering was the first trading card game created and was developed by Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Each game represents a battle between wizards, known as "planeswalkers", who employ spells, items, and creatures which are depicted on individual Magic cards to defeat their opponents. Each card has what is known as "rules text" explaining what that card does. There are seven major concepts one must understand before playing for the first time. The first and most important concept to understand before playing a game is building a deck of cards to play with. This deck is known as the "library" which you draw cards from to put into your hand. Each player needs a deck to play a game of Magic. In most tournament formats, decks are required to be a minimum of sixty cards, with no upper limit. Players may use no more than four copies of any named card, with the exception of "basic lands", which act as a standard resource. Deck building requires much strategy as players must choose among thousands of cards which they want to play. This requires players to evaluate the power of their cards, as well as the possible synergies between them, and their possible interactions with the cards they expect to play against. The choice of cards is usually narrowed by the player deciding which colors they want to include in the deck. This decision is a key part of creating a deck. The second concept to understand is the difference of colors. Most spells come in one of five colors. The colors are: white, blue, black, red, and green. To play a spell of a given color, at least one mana of that color is required. This mana is normally generated by a basic land; plains for white, island for blue, swamp for black, mountain for red, and forest for green. The balances and distinctions among the five colors form one of the defining aspects of the game. Each color has strengths and weaknesses based on the "style" of magic it represents. White is