What is Magic: The Gathering?
By Justin Bretschneider
The time is morning, early enough that the birds have not even begun to stir. The place is
the edge of a forest, a rocky clearing opposite. Suddenly a ring of fire appears in the clearing; it
grows into a six foot tall pillar and then begins to fade. As it fades a hooded figure stands for a
moment and then marches towards the forest. As the figure approaches the forest a large savage
looking man with an ax on his back appears from the forest. “What do you seek here walker?” the
wild man asks. The figure drops its hood revealing an undeniably female face and flowing brown
hair, “What I seek is none of your concern, leave me be and no harm will befall you” the woman
says. The wild man shakes his head disappointedly, “Then I cannot let you pass.” The wild man
raises his hand and a rhino charges at the woman from the forest. She simply smirks and the rhino
is engulfed in flame. Her hair is now glowing red like fire, power coursing through her. Raising her
hands she summons her army of elementals, fire dancing across her fingers, ready to burn all that
stands in her way. The wild man snarls, drawing the power of the forest in to him, as he pulls the ax
from his back and charges, soon followed by swarms of ferocious forest creatures including sixteenfoot-tall behemoths. So begins a duel of Planeswalkers.
This is of course pure fantasy, but it is a fantasy that countless people share every day. They
do this not through video games but through an eighteen-year-old card game called Magic: The
Gathering. This was the first of what are now called trading card games. In the game the player
takes the roll of a powerful mage called a Planeswalker; they use their powers to summon up
armies of creatures, cast powerful magic, and defeat their opponents. Despite being eighteen years
old and the first of its kind Magic, is still going strong, gaining new fans every day. It is hoped that
by the end of my paper you will understand why that is, and perhaps you will be one of those new
fans.
1
The origin of any game starts with someone having an original, innovative, or simply fun
idea and building on that. In the case of Magic: The Gathering (Magic or MTG) that man was
Richard Garfield. Originally Garfield approached the publisher Wizards of the Coast’s (WotC),
then CEO Peter Adkison, with an idea for a board game called RoboRally. Adkison told Garfield
that at the moment WotC did not have the resources to produce a board game. In response
Garfield asked what kind of game they were interested in making. Adkison gave Garfield lose
parameters for a fantasy card game that could be played quickly during the frequent
downtimes at game conventions. Garfield returned a week later with the general outline for a
type of game called a Trading Card Game (TCG). In this type of game players collect cards from
booster packs and trade for ones they want or do not have, similar to how sports cards are
collected and traded. The difference is that after collecting these cards they could then be used
in a game.1
Up until that point, most games came in single boxes with fixed contents and fixed rules,
you bought the game and that was it. Some games were less fixed and even had expansions
made for them. The game Cosmic Encounters was like that, and Garfield cites it as one of the
biggest influences on Magic. In the game Cosmic Encounters, players take on alien identities
each of which can change the basic game rules due to their racial ability. Garfield took two
main things from Cosmic Encounters. First was that sometimes it is okay for something to
override the basic rules of the game. In Magic, one of the last but most important rules taught
to players is that if a card contradicts the rules the card takes precedence. The second big thing
that Garfield took from Cosmic Encounters is the organic quality of the game created by the
1
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/41a
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rotating components of the game and the fact that no two sessions of the game would be the
same. Cosmic Encounters was expanded by nine different packages of alien races, as well as
other game components that modified rules as they were played. There was also a sense of the
evolving play to the game. These ideas combined with the collectable aspect similar to sports
cards, certain cards being rarer than others, made for a good enough idea for WotC to green
light it. And so development began.
The name was developed along with the game. During game play development the
game did not have an official name and people simply called it Magic. When they were told
that Magic was too generic to be copyrighted they changed the name to Mana Clash. But the
continued use of the name Magic by the testers caused the name to eventually be named as
Magic: The Gathering.
As the game evolved and expanded it gained a fiction, an expanding story, all of its own.
It was not strictly based on any existing storyline but instead created its own mythos. In the
universe, or more accurately multiverse, of Magic there are many different realms of existence
or planes. Although the mythos of Magic is not based on any specific work, it takes inspiration
from many sources. For instance the first expansion was called Arabian Nights and is based on
the collection of stories of the same name. While the sets have specific themes (such as the
recent Inistrad expansion set having a gothic horror theme) the characters, places, and stories
are often unique to the Magic mythos.
Each expansion, or new set of cards, for the game takes place in a different plane, or at
least at different times in the same plane if a story can’t be told in a single expansion. This is
made more interesting by the fact that in these stories a handful of characters have the ability
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to “Planeswalk” or move between the planes, they are called Planeswalkers. Planeswalkers are
generally strong mages that have their own agenda; such as discovering new knowledge,
ridding themselves of daemon masters, or trying to save a plane of existence from a diabolic
threat. Few Planeswalkers can truly be called good or evil, it is more accurate to call them
lawful or chaotic but even then they can defy these labels as well. This is appropriate because in
the game the player is referred to as a Planeswalker; this adds an element of role-playing
similar to other fantasy games. None of the Planeswalkers is set as the “bad guy”, everyone is
simply out for themselves. However, because of these Planeswalkers the stories from past sets
can be brought up again. Say two Planeswalkers had a fight in one of the stories, which happens
quite often, and these two meet in a later story, the events that led up to that fight might have
some sway in the current story.
When the Magic game was released it had one set of cards called Alpha, this was
because it was the first set of cards. The next set was called Beta and had some minor changes
in cards. This could be viewed as a game being released and then rereleased with some fixes.
But now things start to get interesting. The next set to be released was called Arabian Nights;
this was unique for the game because it was a set of all new cards. We can still draw a parallel
between this and other games as it can be seen as a simple expansion. The key difference
between this expansion for Magic and expansions for other games are twofold. First, this set
came out a mere two months after Beta; second, another set called Antiquities came out three
months after Arabian Nights, and sets kept coming. What makes Magic, and the trading card
game style in general, different from other games is the fact that new sets come out on a very
regular basis. This is the reason why people have been playing Magic since its release in 1993.
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With the 1995 releases the “block” format was settled upon as the basic way the game would
be expanded. A block is three sets of card releases that form a continuous storyline. The release
schedule for Magic sets has followed the pattern that a new block is released each year and a
“core” set is released between each block during the summer. A core set is one full of simpler
cards that form the building blocks for new and experienced players alike. Unlike block sets, a
core set is not concerned with a specific storyline, just establishing a new base set of cards for
players.
Now that you know some basics about where the game comes from, it is time to get in
to how to actually play the game. First and foremost you should understand that within the
limits of this paper we can’t explain all the rules of Magic, the basic rules for the game are 36
pages long and the comprehensive rules are 214 pages of size 10 font and read like legal
legislation. If you want to learn, it is generally recommended that you visit your local card shop
and ask someone who works there or just another player to teach you the game. What this
paper will give a basic overview and explain a little of the terminology.2
Name
Mana Cost
Card Type
2
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=magic/rules
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One of the first things most people notice about Magic cards is that the borders have
different colors. This is because in Magic there are five sources of power, represented by the
colors, also called mana. Mana is the life force of a world. It is the essence of a raging volcano. It
is the life force of a forest. It is the tranquility of an open plain. It is the mystery of the oceans. It
is the corruption of a swamp. Planeswalkers draw mana from these various sources to cast
spells. Different types of mana are drawn from different sources and are categorized into five
basic colors. These five colors are red, green, white, blue, and black. Each color has its own
theme and feel to it, its own strengths and weaknesses.
Red mana is drawn from mountains ranges, rocky crags, and fiery volcanoes and is the
color of rage and raw emotion. Red mages harness the power of fire, lightning, and stone. Their
allies include hordes of goblins and barbarians as well as powerful elementals and mighty
dragons. At best a red mage is unbound, dynamic, and passionate; at worst they are
shortsighted, temperamental and destructive.
Green mana is drawn from forests and is the color of nature and brute force. Green
mages harness the power of nature and call on the power of all living things be those small
birds or ten-storey tall behemoths. Their allies include elves, treefolk and any number of large
beasts. At best a green mage is instinctual and adaptive; at worst they are unthinking, savage,
and predatory.
White mana is drawn from sprawling plains and windswept meadows and is the color of
virtue, light, and law. White mages call upon holy powers as well as powerful defensive
enchantments. Their allies include steadfast soldiers and righteous angels. White mages are
righteous defenders of the weak although they are not always necessarily on the side of
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“good”. At best a white mage is self-sacrificing and moral; at their worst they are uncreative
and even authoritarian.
Blue mana is drawn from islands and is the color of knowledge, deception, the wind, and
the waves. Blue mages harness the power of the mind as well as the elemental forces of water
and air, and their allies include minor wizards, shapeshifters, leviathans, elementals, and
drakes. At best a blue mage is inventive and progressive; at worst they are manipulative and
treacherous.
Black mana is drawn from dark, decaying places such as swamps, and is the color of
death, ambition, and darkness. Black mages use necromancy and life-stealing magic, and their
allies include zombies, vampires, demons, cultists, and assassins. At their best black mages are
ambitious and unashamed; at their worst they are enslaving and devouring. Black mages,
although not always “evil”, believe in one simple thing: “power, at ANY price”.3
After reading the last part it is hoped that you have an idea about what kind of colors
you might want to play. If you don’t know yet then don’t worry, it’s not like you’re committed
to one color.
Besides the five colors, cards are also divided into six basic types; land, creatures,
sorceries, instants, enchantments, and artifacts. Land cards are what allow a player to generate
mana which allows them to play their other cards. Almost all decks require some amount of
land (and those that don’t are overly complex and silly). Land cards are put in to the play area
and remain until another card removes them somehow.
3
http://www.wizards.com/magic/Multiverse/Colors.aspx
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The creature type of card is the heart of most games. These are the monsters, soldiers,
and other things that will form an army with which to destroy their opponent or to stop them
from killing them. Creatures are played in to a zone on the table called the battlefield and
remain there until destroyed. All creatures have two numbers in the lower right of the card.
These are the creature’s power and toughness, the power is the damage it can deal in combat
and the toughness is how much damage it can take before it dies. Creatures are capable of
attacking a player’s opponent and blocking attacks from their opponent, they are a player’s
army. Many creatures also have abilities that they can use, ranging from combat oriented
abilities such as first strike, haste, and flying, which modify a creature’s combat prowess, to
more utility abilities such as drawing more cards.
Card type --- Creature Type
Ability box
Power/Toughness
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The next type of card is actually more like what we think of when someone says magic,
and is composed of two types: sorceries and instants. These cards “disappear” after their effect
is done, in game terms this is called resolving. Effects include such things as dealing damage,
drawing cards, killing creatures, healing life, and a multitude of other outcomes. Once played an
instant or sorcery is put in to the discard pile, also called the graveyard, the do not remain in
pay like creatures. The difference between sorceries and instants is that sorceries can only be
cast on the respective player’s turn and not in response to anything while they can cast an
instant whenever they want. Some effects only appear on instant spells because they would be
useless on the player’s turn.
Enchantments are the most complex card type to understand. Enchantments are played
to the field much like creatures; however once they are in play they start changing some part of
the basic rules of the game. An example could be that the enchantment doubles all damage or
increases the power of the player’s creatures. Something to remember is: before you do
something check to see if an enchantment changes what you thought you would do.
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The final card type is artifact. Artifacts are just what someone might expect: ancient
devices, and other types of machines. These can be simple devices that act similarly to
enchantments, changing the rules of the game, or have effects that can only be activated
occasionally, but they can also be artifact creatures! Artifact creatures act just like other
creatures except that they are affected by cards that affect artifacts as well as cards that affect
creatures. A common reaction here is “if the artifact creature is more vulnerable why would I
play it?” The answer is that most artifacts are what is called “colorless”, or unaligned to any of
the five colors, meaning they can be played in any deck regardless of what colors are used in
that deck.
No colored
mana cost
Gray border
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There are a few more card types but these are the basics. Any more would be too
complex to explain here and wouldn’t really help you understand the game. These other card
types are largely variations on the basics anyway.
Now that you know a bit about the colors and cards it’s time to get to how a game is
played.
Set up is simple; each player shuffles his/her deck and then offers for the opponent to
“cut” the deck. Cutting the deck is allowing the opponent to further randomize the player’s
deck to ensure neither player stacked their deck. At the start of the game no cards are in play,
but that changes rather quickly. Each player starts with a hand of seven cards and these are the
cards available for them to use at the start. If a player’s starting hand is unsatisfactory, too
many or too few of a certain type of card, then they are allowed to “mulligan”. Taking a
mulligan means reshuffling your hand into your deck and drawing a fresh hand. But players
must be careful, because each time they mulligan they draw one fewer card for their starting
hand.
On each turn a player is allowed to play one land. A land represents a place of power
that they can tap into in order to cast their spells. These lands are “tapped”, or temporarily
turned sideways to indicate use on this turn, in order to generate mana. After a card has been
tapped it can no longer be activated this turn, however constant effects such as those on
enchantments are still in effect. Mana is used to pay for the playing of all the other cards in
Magic. Because of this, players can’t simply play their biggest creature on turn one. Each card
has numbers and symbols in circles in the top right of the card. The symbols correspond to the
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type of mana needed, and the number to an amount of generic mana that can be of any type.
This is the amount and type of mana that must be spent for each card.
Now that you know how to play cards you must be wondering “how do I get back my
lands after using them?” Its part of a cycle that happens for each player at the start of their
turn.
Each turn, players go through a specific set of actions called the turn order. It goes like
this:
Untap: Refresh cards
Upkeep: Pay recurring costs
Draw: Get new cards
Main Phase 1: Play cards
Combat Phase: Attack with creatures
Main Phase 2: Play more cards
End Phase: Pass play to next player
Untap, upkeep, and draw are setup for the players turn, the other phases are where the
action happens. Let’s review each in detail.
Untap: untap all cards you control. This renews all the cards you have in play so that
they can be used again. Some cards come into play tapped, forcing you to wait a turn to use
them. Some cards also do not untap during this part of the turn usually having some condition
to be untapped. Just remember to read each card carefully before using it.
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Upkeep: some cards refer to an effect that happens during the upkeep, which is when
the effects happen. These effects range significantly but the most common is what is called an
upkeep cost. This is some cost that must be paid during the upkeep in order to keep the card.
Costs range from more mana, to sacrificing creatures, to paying some amount of life. Although
upkeep costs are the most common type of upkeep effect others do exist such as drawing extra
cards, gaining life, or other stranger effects.
Draw: Each turn the active player draws one card from the top of their deck. The
exception is on the start player’s first turn, which is the handicap for going first.
Main Phase 1: This is where you play most of your cards for your turn. The main phase
is the only time you can play land, creatures, enchantments, artifacts, and sorceries, unless of
course the card itself or some other card says otherwise. You can also play instants during your
main phase but most instants are more effective if played in response to things, such as
someone trying to kill your creature.
Combat Phase: During this phase the active player declares which creatures will be
attacking and each attacking creature becomes tapped. Once these attacks are declared the
defending player has an opportunity to block with their own creatures and play spells to defend
them self. An important note is that tapped creatures can’t block and that blocking does not
tap a creature. Another important note is that, unlike some other games, in Magic you only
attack other players; you can’t force a creature to block. After blocks are declared and spells are
played combat occurs. Each creature deals damage equal to its power to whatever it is fighting,
be that another creature or the defending player. Various effects can modify the damage and
even dictate when this damage is done, but that falls under the golden rule that cards
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supersede the basic rules. If a creature has taken damage equal to or greater than its toughness
then it dies and is put into the graveyard.
Main Phase 2: Exactly the same as Main Phase 1 except it is after combat, and as such
you might play cards that were unwise to play before, such as a revival spell.
End Phase: This is a clean-up phase when some effects end. After this phase play passes
to the next player who then goes through this turn order as well.
Those are the phases of a turn in a nutshell. However you must remember the golden rule of
Magic, if a card contradicts the basic rules, the card takes precedence. Each player starts with
20 life and a player loses when either they run out of life or cards to draw.
Now that you know the basics of how to play the game it is time to explain some of the
things players consider when it comes to constructing a deck. When you construct a deck it is a
process that can take hours and usually is done at home long days or weeks before you even
intend to play with the deck. These decks can be used again and again and players often
improve upon decks they have already created. Many Magic players have multiple decks for
casual play, competitive play, and just so that they can have different strategies to play in one
day. In the basic rules of Magic decks are a minimum of 60 cards. The second rule is that
players may have only four copies of any given card in their deck except for basic lands.
However, as with playing the game, the golden rule still applies and if a card tells you to ignore
a deck construction rule then you can ignore it in the case of that card. As with learning the
game, it is generally better to learn deck building from another player, as a lot of nuance is
involved in high level deck building. But if you just want to make your cat-bear deck and have a
good time then go ahead and do that.
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With a basic understanding of the game and its mechanics, you can start to appreciate
the difficult task of developing this ongoing, living card game. A primary concern to expanding
the game is maintaining the game’s balance. Balance is a game term that means that no single
game element is blatantly stronger than the others. For instance in a game like Chess both
players start with the same pieces in the same relative positions. With the exception of the
Queen, no piece is radically stronger than the others – they specialize in unique abilities, but
the play is balanced by both players having the exact same pieces. The King is not very strong
but is important. The Queen is undeniably the strongest piece but you only get one of it, and its
locked behind pawns. The pawn is also the weakest piece with very limited movement, but you
have more of them than any other piece and if one is ignored for too long it can turn the tide of
the game. In this way chess is a very balanced game. So how do you balance a game in which
both sides are not mirror images of each other?
In Magic balance is primarily maintained through the mana cost of each card. Low cost
cards, generally costing between one and three mana, have limited effects or are powerful with
strong drawbacks, such as an inability to block, untap, and similar restrictions. Medium cost
cards, costing between four and five mana, have less restrictions on ability and start to have
exciting effects. High cost cards, typically six mana or greater, have game changing results when
played. The balance comes in to play when cards are compared to others of similar cost. Design
of a card dictates that the stronger it is allowed to become the more it should cost. This is
because higher cost cards can’t be played until later in the game. Also the chances of even
being able to play the card at all decrease with a higher cost.
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But game balance involved much more than this. With a game as large as Magic the
creators must be willing to “roll the dice”, trying out new mechanics and strategies with new
sets of cards. Each time they do this they make sure to include counter measures to deal with
these situations. For example in a set with a strong artifact theme they print more cards
capable of defending against artifacts. If one strategy begins to take over in tournament
settings, then cards can be and often are printed to help counter this strategy. But this is
difficult because set design for Magic starts years ahead of the set being released. Last minute
cards can be added but the designers try to avoid this in order avoid invalidating testing of the
set that has taken months as well. New cards may cause bigger problems than they were
intended to solve.
Players must start with a deck of cards, typically one they didn’t create themselves.
Many card shops have starter decks, provide by Wizards of the Coast for new players, that are
given out for free or for a low cost. These are very basic decks and good for learning the basics,
but not much else. Wizards of the Coast also sells better made and more competitive preconstructed decks. These typically cost about $12 and are ready to play straight out of the
packaging. More recently these pre-constructed decks have also included a booster pack of
cards. Normally, booster packs cost $4 each and include 15 random cards. Booster packs are a
common way for players to acquire new cards.
Cards have a rarity associated with them; the four types of rarity are common,
uncommon, rare, and mythic rare. Each booster pack is guaranteed to contain at least 11
commons, 3 uncommons, and one rare of the normal or mythic variety. Also occasionally
included in a pack is a foil version of a card which is specially treated to be shinny simply for the
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sake of looking nice. These foil cards replace rarity slot that they would normally take, if the
card is a rare it is the only rare in the pack, if it was a common you get one less common.
While buying booster packs is the main way that most players expand their collection of
cards, this method is random and many players when constructing a deck choose to buy
specific cards from card shops or trade with other players for the cards they want. Singletons
(single cards sold by shops) are, from a mathematical standpoint, cheaper than buying packs to
get a card you want. Let’s say you want a rare that appears about once every 10 packs. Unless
that card costs $40 or more, buying the individual card will be cheaper and faster. On the flip
side, with the pack method you also get lots of other cards and the chance of getting that rare
in the first pack, while slim, does exist. However, generally speaking, if you have a card in mind
that you want for a deck buying the card itself is generally the better bet. In the above example
you might open 20 packs and still not get the card. But let’s say you don’t want to pay upwards
of $20 for a single card that might not work in the deck you are making. The way around this is
called proxying. Proxying is saying that card X represents card Y for the game. It was a method
used by tournament players to try their deck against an opponent’s deck even before facing
them. However, in casual formats proxying is generally allowed in order to test cards or simply
as a money saving tool for those without the budget to buy the cards otherwise.
For those interested in Magic the Gathering who don’t have a place to go and play,
there is also Magic online. Magic online is exactly as it sounds, an online service that lets you
play Magic: The Gathering on your computer against other players on their computers. A basic
account costs $9.99 and gets you some starting decks, a booster pack, and two virtual “tickets”.
Tickets are Magic online’s virtual currency you use to enter events and to trade to other players
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for cards. Booster packs and theme decks are available from the online store for cash. Playing
online is just like normal Magic except for a few differences. First, you won’t meet the other
players in person making it easier for some shy people to interact; second, you can play at any
time; and third, you won’t have a collection of cards cluttering your home.4
In addition to online play, there are many formats or variations on the basic game to
play in the game of Magic. The classic form is called casual where players are allowed to use
any card you want. Then there is modern where players are only allowed to use cards from the
last few years, also this format has cards within that timeframe that Wizards of the coast has
designated as banned from play, usually because they make play one-sided when used
alongside other cards that are fine otherwise. Next we have standard where players can only
use the most recent couple of sets. Both modern and standard are tournament styles of play,
meaning Wizards of the Coast organizes large tournaments with cash prizes throughout the
year using these specific deck construction rules. Yes, cash prizes. These prizes have reached
$45,000. There are professional Magic players just like in golf and tennis; they just don’t always
exercise as much.
But these formats only affect deck construction not game play. Two people can play
one-on-one matches, but when three or more players become involved it is called multiplayer.
In this case it is often a free-for-all match with some team variations. Another style of play is
called Commander, or more commonly Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH), in which you select a
card to be your “commander” and build the rest of your deck around that card. This would not
seem unusual except that instead of making a 60 card deck you construct a 100 card deck and
4
http://www.wizards.com/magic/digital/magiconline.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/download
18
you can only have a single copy of each card in the deck. In addition to these changes in deck
construction the EDH format uses some extra rules such as an additional win condition
involving your commander and higher starting life totals.
These types of play are all called “constructed play” styles. Another style of play called
“sealed” involves opening booster packs and constructing a deck based on what you open.
Sealed formats offer a good way to expand your collection and have some fun but it is not
recommended for new players who are not familiar with the game mechanics or making their
own decks.
Magic: The Gathering has a strong community, as you might imagine, and Wizards of
the Coast supports this with an entire Magic website. On this site they post many helpful, fun,
and insightful articles. One semi-famous article talked about what are called the “psychographic
profiles” of magic players. These profiles are the typical mind sets of the people that play Magic
and looking at them will help explain some of the success Magic has had over the years. The
three main types are Timmy, Johnny, and Spike.5
Timmy is the guy who likes to play the big spell; he likes to make the big play of the
game even if he doesn’t win. Timmy also falls into a few subtypes: Power Gamers, Social
Gamers, and Adrenalin Gamers. The first Timmy subtype is the Power Gamer; this player plays
cards with big effects. Whether they be big creatures, giant fireballs, or an overwhelming army,
the power gamer goes for the biggest impact on the game. Next is the Social Gamer; this
variant of Timmy plays with his friends and enjoys the interactions inherent in Magic. Most of
the time this type of gamer likes big games with lots of his/her friends. The final type of Timmy
5
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr220b
19
that will be discussed here is the Adrenalin Gamer. This type of Timmy likes high tension
situations and random chance cards because they don’t know what will happen and they want
to be on the edge of their seat all game.
Next up is Johnny. While Timmy is about the game itself being fun Johnny focuses on
the deck building aspect; finding fun, offbeat, creative, or just plain silly things to do with their
decks. As with Timmy, Johnny has a few subtypes: Combo Players, Deck Artists, and Uber
Johnnys. The Combo Player likes figuring out how different cards can interact in interesting
ways and building a deck to express this. This is different from Social Gamers because Social
Gamers like player interaction while Combo Players like card interactions. The next type of
Johnny is the Deck Artist; the Deck Artist views deck building as a way of expressing their
individual taste or style. They may design a deck that tells a story or one that causes a specific
feel to the game. Deck Artists use deck building to express something specific. The Final type of
Johnny that will be discussed here is called the Uber Johnny; the Uber Johnny is the one who
finds the cards that others called useless and finds ways to make them good. One key example
of this is a card called “one with nothing” that makes you discard your hand. Just that, no other
effect, why on earth would you want to discard your hand? After some Johnnies started looking
at it and proved its worth, many pro tournament players started using this seemingly useless
card.
Next up is the Spike. If Johnny looks to the beginning and Timmy looks to the middle of
the game then Spike looks to the end. Generally speaking, Spike wants to win. This is not to say
that Timmy and Johnny don’t want to win but for them other things are more fun or important.
For a Spike, winning is everything. If they lose, even by a small margin, it is a failure on their
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part. And as with the others there are several subtypes to Spikes: the Innovator, the Tuner, the
Analyst, and the Nuts and Bolts Spikes. The first of these subtypes is called the Innovator; the
Innovator looks at the cards in whatever format they play in and tries to find the next winning
strategy. This is similar to a Johnny, except Johnny is different for the sake of being different
whereas Spike is different in order to win. The innovator comes up with new strategies because
no one knows how to counter them yet. The next type of Spike is called a Tuner. The Tuner
doesn’t make their own deck but instead optimizes other decks being used in the format. The
third type of Spike is the Analyst; the Analyst focuses not on being the best version of their deck
but instead using the deck that beats the competition. To put it in simplified terms, if you did
research and discovered that people are more likely to choose paper in Rock-Paper-Scissors
then if you always choose scissors then you are more likely to win. This is how the Analyst
thinks. The final type of Spike is called the Nuts and Bolts Spike; the Nuts and Bolts Spike
doesn’t focus on what deck they or anyone else is playing but instead focuses on improving
their play. This is like a chess player, because the chess player can’t improve their pieces. They
have to improve how they play and that is the thinking of the Nuts and Bolts Spike.
Magic is more than a simple card game to some people; a few have had their lives
changed by this game. One of the obvious examples is the pro players. These players have
created a career that would have been impossible without this game. However, this is not as
surprising as one might think; Star Craft is a competitive real time strategy war game based in a
sci-fi space setting. National competitions in South Korea have created professional Star Craft
players. In Japan traditional games like Go have schools founded around them where players
become professionals as well.
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Even if a person is not a professional player the game can still change their life. A case in
point is the socially awkward individual. Usually they are afraid of meeting new people because
they fear not being liked. A community developed around Magic: The Gathering, composed of
many people that share similar interests even outside of the game, becomes a refuge for these
otherwise lonely people. Because of this many people that play Magic find that the game
makes them better able to meet new people, establish new friendships, because the game
gives them a shared background.
I am one of the people that have been helped in this way by Magic. I played Magic at a
young age and the interest has stayed with me for most of my life. In school I had a hard time
meeting new people. In middle school I was a social outcast, but not alone because I had the
other Magic players. In high school I was still a bit of a loner with few friends. One day I was
reading a fantasy book based on Magic that was recognized by another Magic player. We
became friends and he introduced me to some other friends who were my core group of
buddies through my high school years.
Even in college I was afraid to go out on a limb and immediately make friends. But upon
meeting other Magic players at Cogswell Polytechnic I quickly found a large group of friends
and now am better prepared to meet new people, even if they don’t play Magic.
It’s funny that an activity based on destroying someone can create such lasting
friendships.
-0-
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The edges of the forest are burnt to a crisp, fires rage in the distance. The earth is
broken where towering behemoths have trampled over the ground. The pyromancer stands
victorious, the primal mage kneels before her. She looks down at him.
“I guess this means I may continue on my journey?” she asks with a smirk on her face.
The mage stagers to his feet, his axe broken. “Yes. But I must warn you, if you continue
on this road you will continue to find stronger opponents.” With this he steps out of the
pyromancer’s way.
She grins as she walks past him. “Good, I am looking for a challenge to test my skills.”
With that she disappears in to the forest.
-0-
I hope that after reading this paper you will have a better appreciation of the game
Magic: The Gathering. It is my hope that you will have found a new game that you will enjoy
for years to come. Even if you do not end up playing this game you now have insight on: how
the game came to be, how the game is played, something about game design, and additional
thoughts about the mindsets of the players. In my years of playing this game I have grown as a
person, I have gained new insight in analytical thinking, and I have made good friends. I believe
that anyone willing to learn to play this game can have a good time. Perhaps you will just find
fun in making interesting (to you) decks, perhaps you want to see your opponents face when
you play that insanely huge creature, perhaps you want to play in tournaments, or perhaps you
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just want to collect some cool looking art. No matter how you approach it, you may find fun
playing Magic.
Now if you will excuse me, my inner pyromancer needs to test her skills.
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Bibliography
“In the Beginning” Last modified June 1, 2009, last viewed April 30, 2012
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/41a
“Magic Online” Last viewed April 30, 2012
http://www.wizards.com/magic/digital/magiconline.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/do
wnload
“Magic: The Gathering Rules” Last modified May 1, 2012, last viewed April 30, 2012
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=magic/rules
“Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited” Last modified March 20, 2006, Last viewed April 30, 2012
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr220b
“The colors of Magic” Last viewed April 30, 2012
http://www.wizards.com/magic/Multiverse/Colors.aspx
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