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Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering (colloq. "Magic" or "MTG"), is a collectible card game created by Richard Garfield, Ph.D. and introduced by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. Magic inspired an entirely new game genre, and continues to endure with an estimated six million players in over seventy countries worldwide and on the Internet. The game plays as a strategy contest not unlike chess, but like most standard card games, there is an element of luck due to the random distribution of cards during shuffling. Magic: The Gathering cards are produced in much the same way as normal playing cards. Each Magic card, 89*66 mm in size, has a face, which displays the card's name and rules text, as well as an illustration and "flavor text" appropriate to the card's concept, but with no game value. Over 7000 unique cards have been produced for the game, with 500–600 new ones added on a yearly basis. Each player designs a deck of cards (chosen from the cards they have managed to purchase) to be used in competition. During play, each individual contest is called a "duel" to represent the primary fictional setting of the game. In this setting, each player is said to be a very powerful wizard (called a "planeswalker", a powerful mage, who, with a thought, can travel across the very planes of existence) doing battle against another. In order to win this contest and drive the other wizard away, each wizard draws upon the power of magical spells, items, and fantastic creatures to do battle. Though the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic bears little resemblance to those pencil-and-paper campaigns. Magic boasts a thriving official tournament system, in which the game is played for cash and scholarship prizes, but is also known to be very well supported by casual gamers who only play with friends at schools, clubs, or home. The cards themselves also have value, much like other trading cards, but in this case based on both scarcity and game play potential.
HistoryRole-players were enthusiastic early fans of Magic, but the game achieved much wider popularity among strategy gamers. The commercial success of the game prompted a wave of other collectible card games to flood the market in the mid-1990s, although many of them were poorly designed and failed both commercially and in popularity. Although Magic's gross card sales have been surpassed in recent years, particularly by Japanese import games based on the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! franchises, Magic's popularity continues to grow steadily. In 1994, Magic: The Gathering won the Origins Awards for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1993 and Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame of 1993, and in 1999 it was inducted alongside Richard Garfield into the Origins Hall of Fame. In 2003, after Magic: The Gathering had fulfilled the ten-year existence required for induction, GAMES Magazine selected it for its Games Hall of Fame, making it the 23rd game so honored. Game play In a game of Magic, two players play the roles of powerful wizards (planeswalkers) engaging in a magical duel to the death. A player starts the game with twenty life points and seven cards in their hand. If a player is reduced to zero life points, that player loses the game. The object of Magic is to be the last surviving player. Players fight each other by casting spell cards by drawing upon mana, or magical energy, from Land cards. There are two basic types of spells: those which create a "permanent", which stay on the table once they have been played, and those which affect the game immediately and are then discarded. The types of cards are:
Each player has a library where cards from the deck that have not yet been drawn are kept; a hand containing cards drawn but not yet played; an area on the table for his or her lands, creatures, etc. that are in play (cards in play are referred to as permanents); and a graveyard where spent spells or destroyed permanent cards are discarded. Players may never look into the libraries (unless a card's ability allows you to do so) and may see their own hands only, but may normally view all the other cards on the table without restriction. Game play is turn-based. During a turn, the active player untaps his tapped cards (returns them to their upright state), draws one card, plays at most one land from his or her hand, casts as many spells as he or she wants to and can afford (with mana), and may attack another player with one or more creatures. In order for a creature to be used as an attacker, it must have been in play before the current turn starts. The attacking player taps the creature card by turning it sideways to indicate he or she is attacking with that creature. The defending player may declare some of his or her creatures as blockers. Attacking creatures deal damage to their assigned blockers (equal to their power) and are likewise damaged by them. A creature that amasses in one turn more than a specific amount of damage (its toughness) dies and goes to its owner's graveyard. Unblocked attackers deal damage to the player they attacked, reducing that player's life points. All damage dealt to creatures that did not die is healed at the end of the turn. The protocol for resolving spell cards and other abilities is known as the stack, or the LIFO (Last In, First Out) rule. The stack works like this: A player may play any number of successive spells or abilities when he or she has priority. However, none of these actions will resolve (that is, take effect) until the player with priority passes it to the other player, and that player passes in return. If the second player adds anything more to the stack, they go "on top" of the actions already there. When both players pass in succession, the top action on the stack resolves. If both players pass when there are no actions on the stack, the game moves on to the next phase. This protocol may sound complicated in writing, but in practice it is usually instantaneous. Some spells have effects that override normal game rules (e.g., allow you to play more than one land per turn). Spell effects may contradict each other, and it is one of the more difficult aspects of gameplay to resolve these conflicts. A detailed and thorough rulebook exists to clarify conflicts. The so-called "Golden Rule of Magic" is that if a card's text overrides a game rule, follow the card. Because of this very few rules in the game have not been broken. There are numerous cards that change the way combat works, allow players to play spells for free, or even force people to skip parts of their turn. Deck constructionA player needs a deck ready before he can play a game of Magic. Beginners typically start with only a starter deck; but, over time, more cards are added to the player's stock through purchases or trading with other players. Due to the many possibilities, two players seldom play with the same decks. Normally, decks are required to be at least sixty cards. Players may use no more than four of any named card, with the exception of the "basic land" (staples of Magic). When deciding which cards to include, it is often most beneficial to use the minimum deck size, combined with the maximum number of card copies, so that the most useful cards are drawn more often. The balance of land to spells is the most fundamental aspect of deck building. A deck must have a large enough number of lands so that they are drawn in a timely manner. The ratio of spells to lands is typically in the range of 2:1–3:2. Spells come in five colors: white, blue, black, red, and green. Mana comes in the same five colors. To play a spell of one color, mana of the corresponding color is always required. Most Lands only produce one color of mana. It helps to play two or fewer colors in a deck, so that the color of spells drawn will always match the color of mana available. The five colors each have different strengths and weaknesses. For this reason, it helps to play two or more colors in a deck, so that the strengths of one color can compensate for the vulnerabilities of another. The colors of MagicThe equilibrium between the five colors is one of the defining aspects of the game. The various strengths and weaknesses of each color are attributed to the fact that each color represents a different "style" of magic. Because the trade-offs between the abilities of each color are integral to keeping the game balanced, it is helpful to discuss the various color philosophies.
The colors can be seen on the back of the cards, in a circle-like design, figuratively called the "color wheel". Starting from the top, going clockwise, they are: white, blue, black, red, and green. The colors adjacent to each other on the wheel are "allied" and can have similar/complementary abilities or strategic approaches. For example, blue has few efficient, playable creatures in general, but does have a relatively large number of flying creatures. White and black, being next to it, also have many flying creatures. Red and green are opposite blue and have very few flyers. The two non-adjacent colors to a particular color are "enemy" colors, and are often thematically opposed. For instance, red is the color of chaos, while white is the color of order. A series of five articles written by Mark Rosewater describing each color in depth can be found at the game's official site at MagicTheGathering.com: The Great White Way, True Blue, In The Black, Seeing Red, and Its Not Easy Being Green Variant rulesAlmost since its creation, players of the game have created alternate styles of play – from simple house rules to completely original game mechanics. These are often created to balance out one or more problems with the basic rules, as seen by the play groups (see section below on controversial aspects). Some casual play rules have been released by Wizards of the Coast, and more are still under development, such as an updated set of multiplayer rules.
Playing Magic on the Internet
Organized play
Magic: The Gathering has grown a lot since it was first introduced in 1993, and a large culture has developed around the game. Magic tournaments are arranged almost every weekend in gaming stores. Larger tournaments with hundreds of competitors from around the globe sponsored by Wizards of the Coast are arranged many times every year. Large sums of money are paid out to those players who place the best in the tournament, and the winner receives sums upward of US$30,000. A number of websites report on tournament news, give complete lists for the most currently popular decks, and feature articles on current issues of debate about the game. The Duelists' Convocation International (or DCI) is the organizing body for professional Magic events. The DCI is owned and operated by Wizards of the Coast. There are two basic types of organized play, Constructed and Limited. ConstructedIn Constructed tournaments, each player comes with a pre-built deck. Decks must consist of no fewer than 60 cards, and no more than four of any one card (the basic land cards may be used in any quantity), just as in the standard game rules. Various tournament formats exist which define what card sets are allowed to be used, and which specific cards are disallowed. Additionally, a 15-card sideboard is permitted, from which a player may tweak his or her deck during a match to better deal with their opponent's strategy. Following the first game of a best-of-three match, each player is permitted to replace any number of cards in his or her deck with an equal number of cards from his or her sideboard. The original deck configuration is restored at the conclusion of the match. LimitedLimited tournaments are based on a pool of cards which the player receives at the time of the event. In sealed deck tournaments, each player has 75 cards from which to build their deck; in drafts, 45 cards. Any number of basic lands may also be added to the deck. The decks in limited tournaments need only be 40 cards minimum; all the unused cards function as the sideboard. Product information
The first Magic cards were printed exclusively in English, but current sets are printed in a number of other languages as well, including French, German, Italian and Japanese. Magic cards are released in expansions and base sets. The base sets consist entirely of reprints of cards that were originally printed in expansion sets, the large majority of them fairly simple in function. The purpose of the base set is twofold: firstly, it is used as a "stepping stone", giving new players a chance to learn and understand the basics of the game without having to deal with the more complicated mechanics often used in the expansion sets. Secondly, it is used as way to keep certain staple cards legal within the various tournament formats without the need to reprint them in the expansion sets. This also makes the staple cards easier to acquire, lowering the barrier to entry for constructed play. The current edition of the base set (currently 8th Edition, though 9th Edition is due to be released this summer) is always called the "Core Set." Expansion sets are released in "blocks", with a new block released each year. Each block consists of three sets: a large expansion of 306 cards, which is released in the fall, and two smaller follow-up expansions, each 165 cards, released in late winter and early summer, respectively. Each block shares a common flavor, the smaller sets expanding upon the theme and mechanics of the large set.
Secondary marketThere is an active secondary market in individual cards among players and game shops. On eBay, for example, there are an estimated 30,000 Magic: The Gathering card auctions running at any one time. The game cards are published by Wizards of the Coast in varying quantities – a standard booster pack contains eleven common cards, three uncommon cards, and one rare. The prices of individual cards vary accordingly. Common cards rarely sell for more than a few cents. Uncommon cards and weak rares typically cost under US$1. The most expensive cards in Standard tournament play usually cost approximately US$10-20. The most expensive card is generally considered to be the Black Lotus, with certain rare printings as of 2004 rising above US$1000. It, and the other cards in the so-called "Power Nine", routinely reach high sale prices. In 2003, after the rotation of the Extended tournament format and in combination with the first Type 1 Championships, the prices for such old, tournament-level cards underwent a large, unexpected increase. As new sets come out, older cards are occasionally reprinted. If a card has high play value, reprinting will often increase the original version's price, because of the higher demand among players. However, if the card is primarily attractive to collectors, reprinting will often decrease the original version's value. To help protect the collectible value of many old cards, Wizards of the Coast has formulated an official "Reprint Policy", which details certain cards that are unavailable to be printed again. ArtworkSince its inception, Magic has used exceptionally high-quality art on its cards. Each card has a fantasy-themed picture related to what the card represents. Each picture usually includes elements of the colour of the spell, contains the background of the set it is published in, and relates to the flavor of the spell as given in the flavor text or title. The art proved so popular that Wizards of the Coast released a book titled The Art of Magic: The Gathering (ISBN 0786911786) in 1998. Notable artists who have contributed art for Magic cards include John Avon, Melissa Benson , Brom, Terese Nielsen , Mark Poole , Dan Frazier , John Coulthart, Mike Dringenberg, Kaja Foglio, Phil Foglio, Frank Kelly Freas, Rebecca Guay, John Howe, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ron Spencer, Bryan Talbot, Christopher Rush , Pete Venters and Michael Whelan. Controversial aspectsExpenseThree to four new sets for the game are published each year, adding 600-700 new cards annually. Competitive players of the game, especially those that participate in tournaments which use DCI-sanctioned format known as Standard or Type II, must frequently adapt their constructed decks because the competitive environment changes each time the list of allowed sets is changed. To collect the cards needed, players either purchase un-opened packs or specific cards from stores, or trade with other players. In Standard, new sets are added shortly after the official release date, and removed after approximately two years. Other formats, such as Extended and Vintage (formerly Type I), allow sets to be played for much longer durations, but many older, hard-to-find, or widely-used cards increase in price dramatically over time because they hold higher competitive value. In Limited formats, such as sealed-deck and draft, players are provided un-opened packs at the start of the event and must construct decks using only the cards received. Costs for individual events are relatively steady because deck preparation is negated, but frequent play or practice does require investment in un-opened packs. Luck vs. skillMagic is based on a system of basic resources called lands from which mana is drawn so that spell cards can be played. Drawing too few or too many of these resources can have a detrimental affect on the player's game — a situation known colloquially as mana screw. Although each player is able to choose which cards to include in their deck, because each deck is shuffled prior to the duel they cannot choose the order in which the cards are drawn. A player must determine the optimal number of lands to include in their deck, usually by fine-tuning after a number of practice games. A "mulligan" rule was later introduced into the game, first informally in casual play and then in the official game rules. The "mulligan" allows players to shuffle their hand back into the deck at the start of the game, and draw a new hand. Initially, a player was only allowed to do this if they had either no lands or all lands in their opening hand, and only once per game. Later, the rule was changed so that a player could mulligan regardless of their hand and as often as they wanted, but drawing one less card than the previous (the "Paris" mulligan). This action introduces a skill component into this random element of the game, as the player can choose to mulligan a hand if it contains too few or too many lands. An excellent source for information on the "mulligan" can be found in the article "Starting Over" by Mark Rosewater. Other random factors can affect play. In "Constructed" tournaments, where pairings are assigned randomly, players will often cite the "luck" of certain match-ups between deck archetypes. In those cases, some decks are said to perform better against certain types than others. In "Limited" tournaments, the cards a player receives are a random selection, and so can limit or enhance a player's performance. While it is generally agreed that the game has elements of both skill and luck, it is the ratio of these two factors that is often debated amongst players. Net deckingThe Internet has played an important role in competitive Magic. Strategy discussions and tournament reports frequently include a listing of the exact contents of a deck and descriptions of its performance against others. Known as "net decking", some players will take this information and construct a deck containing the same, or very similar, contents – relying on the expertise and experience of other players. While this strategy is often a good one, it is not a guarantee that the deck will repeat its earlier success. The player may be inexperienced, unfamiliar with the operation of the deck, or they may enter an event where a large number of other players have also "net decked". Many players advocate "Limited" formats of competitive Magic over "Constructed" formats because of this phenomenon. Demonic themesThe Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, and Revised editions, plus some of the early expansion sets, had cards with demonic themes (such as Demonic Tutor and Unholy Strength, which both featured a reversed pentagram in the artwork). For reasons discussed in the article Where Have All The Demons Gone? by Mark Rosewater, these cards were removed from later sets and there was a long period when all references to demons were carefully avoided. However, the game still received criticism over its occult themes. Believing that the concept of "demons" was becoming less controversial, Wizards of the Coast restarted printing cards with "Demonic" in the name in 2002. Although many cards have had a theme of demons, Magic: The Gathering boasts over 7,000 different cards, most of which have no relation to a demonic theme. Themes most often used in Magic are folklore and classic fantasy. PatentMagic was the basis for a controversial patent obtained by Wizards of the Coast, which covers many of the game's mechanics and concepts. See "Collectible card game" for a full discussion of the patent issue.
Notable playersSee Magic: The Gathering World Championship and Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour for lists of more notable players, and their accomplishments.
References
See also
External links
The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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