Uchon Elementary School English Magic The Gathering Club
Uchon Elementary School English Magic: The Gathering Club
What is Magic: The Gathering? • Magic is a collectible card game • Its design is based on science fiction and fantasy • It’s a great way for students to learn: • English, • strategy, • creativity, • critical thinking, • and social skills.
How do you play Magic: The Gathering? • You and your opponent are planeswalkers (like wizards) • You start with 20 life points • You have to use your creatures and magic spells to bring your opponents life to 0 • You need magic power, called mana, to use your creatures and spells. • Mana comes from your land
The Basics • Most cards come in 5 basic colours • • • White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green
The Colours • White • Order, light and healing • Knights, soldiers, priests and angels • Uses plains for mana • Allies with blue and green • Enemies with red and black
The Colours • Blue • Trickery and manipulation • Wizards, strange beasts from the ocean and sky • Uses islands for mana • Allies with white and black • Enemies with green and red
The Colours • Black • Death, disease, power, selfishness • Minions, zombies, demons, the undead • Uses swamps for mana • Allies with red and blue • Enemies with green and white
The Colours • Red • Fire, chaos, storms, rocks and lava, madness • Dragons, goblins, pyromancers • Uses mountains for mana • Allies with black and green • Enemies with blue and white
The Colours • Green • Life, nature, large creatures • Beasts, ferocious animals, elves, druids • Uses mountains for mana • Allies with white and red • Enemies with blue and black
The Colours • Colorless • Some cards have no colour • Most common colourless cards = artifacts • Any colour mana can be used to cast these spells
Card Types • Land • Creatures • Instants • Sorceries • Artifacts • Enchantments
Card Types • Land • Two types: • Basic • Non-basic • Give mana • Play 1 per turn • Are a permanent (Stay on the battlefield)
Why do we need mana? • All cards (except lands) have a casting cost • We use mana to pay this
Card Types • Creatures • Can attack and block • Have power and toughness • Are a permanent • Can’t attack first turn
Card Types • Instants • Spell • Are not permanent • Go to the graveyard after they are cast • Can be played on your opponent’s turn
Card Types • Sorceries • Spell • Are not permanent • Go to the graveyard after they are cast • Can only be played on your turn
Card Types • Artifacts • Are colorless • Are permanent • Some can be equipped to creatures • Some ARE creatures
Card Types • Enchantments • Spells that stay around • (are permanent) • Some can be enchanted ON creatures
Tapping • Tapping is one of the most important actions in the game. • It shows a card has been used. • You must tap lands to get mana from them. • You must tap creatures to attack. • To tap, turn the card sideways. • Tapped cards can’t be used again • Tapped creatures can’t block
Tapping
Abilities and Keywords • Creatures and other permanents can have special abilities • Keywords describe these abilities • Let’s learn the most basic ones:
Abilities and Keywords • Flying • Cannot be blocked by creatures without flying • Can block creatures without flying
Abilities and Keywords • Haste • Most creatures CANNOT attack the first turn they come into the game • This is called summoning sickness • Haste creatures can attack on their first turn
Abilities and Keywords • First strike • Normally, creatures deal damage to each other at the same time • First strike creatures deal damage first
Abilities and Keywords • Trample • Normally, if a creature is blocked it doesn’t damage a player • Trample creatures can destroy a blocking creature AND deal damage to the player
Abilities and Keywords • Deathtouch • In combat, ANY AMOUNT of damage kills the other creature
Abilities and Keywords • Reach • This creature can block flying creatures • It’s not a flier - regular creatures can still block IT
Abilities and Keywords • Hexproof • This creature can’t be targeted by any spells or effects
Abilities and Keywords • Vigilance • You do not have to tap this creature when you attack
BLOCK ATTACK
Abilities and Keywords • Indestructible • For creatures and other permanents • Cannot be destroyed by spells or in combat
Abilities and Keywords • Lifelink • When a creature deals damage, you gain that much life
-2 life +4 life
Phases 1. Untap 1. Untap all your permanents 2. Upkeep 1. Pay upkeep mana costs 3. Draw 1. Draw one card 1. Play sorceries, creatures and other permanents 4. Main Phase 1 5. Combat 1. 2. Attacking and blocking Dealing damage 6. Main Phase 2 1. Play sorceries, creatures and other permanents 7. End 1. Pass the turn to the other player.
THE BATTLEFIELD Combat Zone Main Zone Exile Zone Library Land Zone Graveyard
Starting the Game • Shuffle your deck • Cut your opponent’s deck • Roll a dice. Highest roll plays first. • Each player draws 7 cards. • The first player doesn’t draw another card on the first turn • After that, each player draws one card on their turn
- Slides: 55