You've probably noticed that Magic: the Gathering is not an easy game. There are a lot of timing rules, complicated card combinations, and enough changes to card texts and rules that no on person can possibly have the whole lot memorised. But the thing is, the game is fun. Great fun. Nothing compares to throwing fireballs, dragons and the like at your opponent. It takes all the good things of role-playing games and combines them with the thrill of collecting, the cut-and-thrust of trading, and of course, the destructive urge of combat. Over the years I have found that the best way to teach Magic is to explain it conceptually, then in game terms. The italicised text is the concept, the normal text is how that translates into game terms.
Magic conceptually pits two mages against each other. These two mages must use the lands at their disposal to summon monsters and cast spells
in an attempt to reduce the other mage to dust.
In game terms, players win the game by reducing their opponent's life total from 20 to 0. (There are other
ways, but this is the most common). They achieve this using creatures and spells from their decks, and which are cast by using the lands they have played
for mana.
Mana is a magical energy which is drawn from lands and certain monsters. It is the fuel that powers a mage's spells, and without it a mage is helpless.
However, the effort in producing resources limits the amount of lands a mage can bring into being at any given time.
When a player wants to cast a spell of any type, he must first pay its mana cost. This is written in the top right-hand corner of the card. If there's no
cost written, it's a land card. Lands are played, at the rate of one per turn, for free. Once a land is in play, it can be tapped (turned sideways) to draw
mana from it. The type and amount of mana produced will be written on the land card. There are 5 basic land types, each of which produces a single mana
of the color shown:
| Land Type | Mana produced | Mana symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Forest Swamp Plains Island | Red Green Black White Blue |     
|
Most mages rely on monsters to do their dirty work for them. When a monster is summoned, the disorientation invovled in its sudden translocation prevents it from acting for a while. However, once this has worn off, the monster will obey the mage's commands
to attack, defend, or use any of its innate abilities to further the cause of its summoner.
We'll start by looking at creature spells. As I mentioned, they can only be cast on your own turn, in your main phase. The phases will be explained later. When summoned, the creature
is unable to attack or use any abilities that have the 
symbol in their cost. They can, however, be used to block on your opponent's turn. Once a creature
has started a turn under your control, it is free to attack. An attack is always directed against a player, who may then choose to block your attacking creature(s) with any or all of his creatures. One of the most common misconceptions
is that you attack opposing creatures, as in Pokémon. In order to denote that a creature is attacking, you must tap it. It will then deal its power (the first number written in the lower right-hand
corner of the card) in damage to the opponent or blocking creature(s). A tapped creature cannot be used as a blocker.
A popular means of finishing off opposing mages is by the use of sorcery. Hundreds of spells are currently known, with more being discovered all the time. A sorcery, while harder to deal with than a monster, is of course only a one-shot tool,
and lacks the continuous nature of a monster hammering at your foe!
Sorceries are the easiest spell type to explain. They are cast, they have their effect as written on the card, then they go to the graveyard. Simple, right? Compare them to Trainers.
Mages often use the power of ancient devices to aid them in their battles. Conjured from the air, these artifacts have widely-ranging effects, which are often difficult to disrupt. Because of the nature
of the devices, many mages are unable to destroy them.
Artifacts, like creatures, become permanents when the spell resolves. This simply means that they sit in play instead of going to the graveyard. Unless they are also creautres (yes, there are artifact creatures, several of them), they can be used the
turn they are cast. Not all colours can deal with artifacts, so they are popular additions to decks. They, along with lands, have no color.
On their own, monsters can have weaknesses and drawbacks. Therefore, mages have developed ways to enchance or modify their creatures magically. Other mages, on seeing this new type of magic, created spells that enchanced or modified their artifacts,
even their lands. Then, mages found that these magics could be made to stand alone, modifying the state of the world around them.
Enchantments can be difficult, but that's only if you delve deep into the rules. On the surface, they're quite simple. There are two types of enchantments: local and global. Local enchantments are further broken down into enchant creature, enchant land,
enchant artifact, enchant enchantment, and enchant permanent. We'll start with global enchantments. Akin to artifacts, they sit in play as permanents, although they have a color. Local enchantments must have a target of the appropriate type before they can be played,
for example, an enchant creature spell must have a creature to enchant. Once in play, they are "attached" to the permanent, and have the effect stated. Compare golbal enchantments to Effects and local ones to Equipment and Weapons from Star Wars CCG.
The final method a mage has of defeating his opponent is through the use of fast, unexpected magics. These can come at any instant, even responding to other spells, and can have many powerful effects, to the extent of cancelling a spell already cast!
Instants are what caus eht emost complicated rules situations in Magic. However, these cases are fairly hard to come by. The basic rule is that you can play an instant any time you have priority. You have priority any time in your turn, after you untap, and any time in your opponent's turn
when he has passed priority to you. Confused? Read my explanation of The Stack here. Whenever a spell is played, the person who played that spell has priority to play an instant in response. Only instants can ever be played in response.
If he chooses not to do so, priority passes to the opponent. If they choose not to play a spell, the top spell in the Stack resolves. Instants, like sorceries, are played, have their effect, then go to the graveyard.
