1 Life to Zero
Each player starts at 20 life. Deal damage with creatures and spells until your opponent's life total hits 0 or less — they lose the moment it does.
Games Mothership · Beginner's Guide
How to Play Magic: The Gathering
A friendly, complete walkthrough of Magic: The Gathering — from what's in your deck to swinging in for the winning blow. Perfect for first-timers pulling up a chair at the shop table.
The Basics
What's the Objective?
Two (or more) planeswalkers duel it out, each with their own 60-card deck. Play lands for mana, cast spells and creatures, and outlast your opponent before they outlast you.
2 Deck Them Out
If a player is required to draw a card from an empty library, they lose the game immediately — no card left to draw means no more turns.
3 Alternate Wins
A handful of cards print their own win condition right on the card. When one resolves, it overrides the usual life-total race entirely.
Building Blocks
Your Deck & Card Types
A legal constructed deck is at least 60 cards, built from lands and spells working together. Understanding what each card does is the fastest way to feel confident at the table.
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Lands are your mana engine — tap one for mana, and you may play one land per turn for free.
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Creatures attack and block; the numbers in the corner are power and toughness — how much damage they deal, and how much they can take.
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Instants can be cast anytime you have priority, even on your opponent's turn. Sorceries can only be cast during your own Main Phase with an empty stack.
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Artifacts and Enchantments are permanents that stay on the battlefield with an ongoing effect; Planeswalkers use loyalty counters and their own abilities each turn.
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A legal deck is 60 cards minimum, with no more than four copies of any card (basic lands are the exception).
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green
Colorless
Before You Begin
Setting Up the Table
Both players set up at the same time.
A Shuffle & Draw
Shuffle your deck and draw an opening hand of 7 cards. Not happy with it? Take a mulligan: shuffle your hand back in, draw a fresh 7, then put one card on the bottom of your library for each mulligan you've taken.
B Set Your Life
Both players start at 20 life (some formats, like Commander, start higher). Track it however you like — dice, paper, or an app.
C Decide Who Goes First
Flip a coin or roll a die. The player going first skips their very first Draw Step on turn one.
D You're Ready
An untapped library, a full hand, and an empty battlefield — turn one begins.
Gameplay Loop
01
02
03
04
05
Anatomy of a Turn
Every turn follows the same five beats. Within each Main Phase you can play a land and cast spells in almost any order.
Beginning
Untap your permanents, handle any upkeep triggers, then draw a card (skipped for the first player on turn one).
Main Phase 1
Play a land (one per turn) and cast sorcery-speed spells before combat begins.
Combat
Declare attackers, your opponent declares blockers, then damage is dealt all at once.
Main Phase 2
Play more spells, or the land you saved, now that combat has wrapped up.
End Step
Cleanup happens — discard down to seven, damage clears — then priority passes to your opponent.
Combat
Attacking, Blocking & Damage
Combat runs through five quick steps. Power and toughness do the talking once damage is on the line.
① Beginning
Any "before attackers" triggers go off, and both players get a chance to act.
② Attackers
The attacking player taps the creatures they choose and declares them as attackers.
③ Blockers
The defending player assigns any number of untapped creatures to block.
④ Damage
Attackers and blockers deal damage equal to their power, all at the same time.
⑤ End
"Until end of combat" effects wear off before Main Phase 2 begins.
Attacker
VS
Blocker
Unblocked — damage goes straight to the defending player's life total.
Blocked — attacker and blocker trade damage equal to their power.
Destroyed — damage marked equal to or greater than toughness sends a creature to the graveyard.
Card Text Shorthand
The Stack & Keywords to Know
How the Stack Works
Spells and abilities don't resolve the instant you cast them — they go on the stack first. Each new spell or ability goes on top, and the stack resolves last-in, first-out, giving both players a chance to respond before anything actually happens.
Whenever a player would get priority, everyone gets a chance to add to the stack before the top item resolves — it's how counterspells and instant-speed tricks work.
These printed keywords show up across almost every deck — learn them once and you can read any card at the table.
| Keyword | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Flying | Can only be blocked by creatures with flying or reach. |
| Trample | Excess combat damage beyond what's lethal to the blocker spills over to the defending player. |
| First Strike | Deals its combat damage before creatures without first strike do. |
| Deathtouch | Any amount of damage it deals is enough to destroy the creature it damages. |
| Lifelink | Damage it deals also gains its controller that much life. |
| Haste | Can attack or use tap abilities the turn it enters the battlefield, ignoring summoning sickness. |
The Finish Line
Three Ways to Win
Keep any one of these in sight and you're playing to win the game.
Life to Zero
Reduce your opponent's life total to 0 or less, and the game ends in your favor.
Deck Out
Force your opponent to draw from an empty library, and they lose on the spot.
Alternate Win
Resolve a card effect that says you win the game outright — rare, but it happens.
Quick Reference
Glossary for New Planeswalkers
- Mana
- The resource generated by tapping lands (or other sources) and spent to cast spells.
- Tapped / Untapped
- A tapped card is turned sideways to show it's been used, and can't be used again until it untaps.
- The Stack
- Where spells and abilities wait to resolve — last in, first out.
- Priority
- The right to cast a spell or activate an ability; both players must pass before anything on the stack resolves.
- Summoning Sickness
- A creature can't attack or use tap abilities the turn it enters, unless it has Haste.
- Mulligan
- Shuffling back an unwanted opening hand and drawing a new one, at the cost of a card to the bottom of your library.
Ready to play? Bring this guide to Games Mothership — we'll get you a starter deck and a seat at the table.
Guide built for Games Mothership · Magic: The Gathering rules summarized from official Wizards of the Coast resources. Magic: The Gathering is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC — used here for educational reference only.