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'''''Magic: The Gathering''''', also '''''Magic''''' or '''''MTG''''', is a [[strategy]] [[TCG|card game]] created by [[Richard Garfield]] in 1993, and published by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/238b|The Creation of Magic: The Gathering|[[Richard Garfield]]|March 12, 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/41g|A Magic History of Time|[[Michael G. Ryan]]|June 01, 2009}}</ref>  Garfield introduced three ideas that made the game very succesful: the concept of the [[TCG|trading card game]], the [[color wheel]], and the [[mana]] system. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr231|As Good As It Gets|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 05, 2006}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/28|Magic Design Seminar: Looking Within|[[Mark Rosewater]]|March 02, 2009}}</ref>  
'''''Magic: The Gathering''''', also '''''Magic''''' or '''''MTG''''', is a [[strategy]] [[TCG|card game]] created by [[Richard Garfield]] in 1993, and published by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/238b|The Creation of Magic: The Gathering|[[Richard Garfield]]|March 12, 2013}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/41g|A Magic History of Time|[[Michael G. Ryan]]|June 01, 2009}}</ref>  Garfield introduced three ideas that made the game very succesful: the concept of the [[TCG|trading card game]], the [[color wheel]], and the [[mana]] system. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr231|As Good As It Gets|[[Mark Rosewater]]|June 05, 2006}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/28|Magic Design Seminar: Looking Within|[[Mark Rosewater]]|March 02, 2009}}</ref>  


''Magic'' holds the title of "Most Played Trading Card Game." <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/798|World Records|[[Monty Ashley]]|September 14, 2011}}</ref> The game is currently being printed in the following languages: English, French, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Japanese. It is available for sale in the Asian, European and North America countries. The players base is mostly male, but women are catching up. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/225d|The LPS and Creating Play Groups|Jennifer Robles|December 11, 2012}}</ref>
''Magic'' holds the title of "Most Played Trading Card Game." <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/798|World Records|[[Monty Ashley]]|September 14, 2011}}</ref> The game is currently being printed in the following languages: English, French, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Japanese. It is available for sale in the Asian, European and North America countries. The players base is mostly male, but women are catching up. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/225d|The LPS and Creating Play Groups|[[Jennifer Robles]]|December 11, 2012}}</ref>


[[File:Magic card back.jpg|200px|right]]
[[File:Magic card back.jpg|200px|right]]
==General==
==General==
Within the game of ''Magic'', each [[player]] is supposed to be a [[planeswalker]], a powerful being. <ref>{{MTGref|jc20|The Original Magic Rulebook|John Carter|December 25, 2004}}</ref>   
Within the game of ''Magic'', each [[player]] is supposed to be a [[planeswalker]], a powerful being. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/jc20|The Original Magic Rulebook|[[John Carter]]|December 25, 2004}}</ref>   


The game is commonly played with 2 players, but can be played [[multiplayer|with more]]. Each player uses their own [[deck]], which is [[constructed]] from [[card]]s they own.  Players start the game with 20 [[life]]. There are several ways of [[Winning and losing|winning the game]], the most common being reducing your opponent to 0 life. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/academy/44|Playing the Game|Jeff Cunningham|June 30, 2007}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/academy/49|Lessons Learned|Jeff Cunningham|August 04, 2007}}</ref>
The game is commonly played with 2 players, but can be played [[multiplayer|with more]]. Each player uses their own [[deck]], which is [[constructed]] from [[card]]s they own.  Players start the game with 20 [[life]]. There are several ways of [[Winning and losing|winning the game]], the most common being reducing your opponent to 0 life. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/academy/44|Playing the Game|[[Jeff Cunningham]]|June 30, 2007}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/academy/49|Lessons Learned|Jeff Cunningham|August 04, 2007}}</ref>


There are currently roughly 12,000 unique Magic cards. The cards are sold in [[booster pack]]s, [[preconstructed theme deck]]s and several other packages. Because ''Magic'' keeps adding new cards, it keeps shifting what matters. The discovery process that takes days or weeks or months at another game takes an eternity in ''Magic''. You never truly figure the game out because it keeps changing. The modular nature of trading card games means that each player has a nearly infinite number of options. It allows each player to design what kind of game experience he or she is going to have. The [[metagame]] is a major component of what makes ''Magic'' the game it is, there is are an organized play system, online resources, a library of material, and numerous communities.  
There are currently roughly 12,000 unique Magic cards. The cards are sold in [[booster pack]]s, [[preconstructed theme deck]]s and several other packages. Because ''Magic'' keeps adding new cards, it keeps shifting what matters. The discovery process that takes days or weeks or months at another game takes an eternity in ''Magic''. You never truly figure the game out because it keeps changing. The modular nature of trading card games means that each player has a nearly infinite number of options. It allows each player to design what kind of game experience he or she is going to have. The [[metagame]] is a major component of what makes ''Magic'' the game it is, there is are an organized play system, online resources, a library of material, and numerous communities.  
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The first magic [[core set]] called ''[[Alpha]]'' was created by Dr. Richard Garfield and bought by Wizards of the Coast and released in 1993. Three core sets (''[[Beta]]'', ''[[Unlimited]]'', and ''[[Revised]]'') were released shortly after the ''Alpha'' release in order to satisfy the growing demand for the card game. The first [[expansion]] set, ''[[Arabian Nights]]'', was released December 1993. It was based off of the Arabic compilation of Stories One Thousand and One Nights, and offered quotes from various stories in the compilation. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/52a|The Expanding Worlds of Magic|[[Richard Garfield]]|August 17, 2009}}</ref> At one point in time, it was discussed that each expansion should have their name printed on the [[card back|backs of the cards]] along with "Magic: The Gathering;" however, this idea quickly fell by the wayside in order to provide card uniformity. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/26|25 Random Things About Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February 16, 2009}}</ref> Shortly afterward, the second expansion set, ''[[Antiquities]]'', was released in the spring of 1994. Many expansion followed. ''[[Ice Age]]'' was the first large expansion, starting the typical [[block]] (originally called cycle) of one [[large expansion]] and two smaller expansions. In 2008, Wizards made a big push towards acquisition. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr321|Assume the Acquisition|[[Mark Rosewater]]|March 03, 2008}}</ref> A sixty-fifth expansion, ''[[Khans of Tarkir]]'', is scheduled to be released in September, 2014.
The first magic [[core set]] called ''[[Alpha]]'' was created by Dr. Richard Garfield and bought by Wizards of the Coast and released in 1993. Three core sets (''[[Beta]]'', ''[[Unlimited]]'', and ''[[Revised]]'') were released shortly after the ''Alpha'' release in order to satisfy the growing demand for the card game. The first [[expansion]] set, ''[[Arabian Nights]]'', was released December 1993. It was based off of the Arabic compilation of Stories One Thousand and One Nights, and offered quotes from various stories in the compilation. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/52a|The Expanding Worlds of Magic|[[Richard Garfield]]|August 17, 2009}}</ref> At one point in time, it was discussed that each expansion should have their name printed on the [[card back|backs of the cards]] along with "Magic: The Gathering;" however, this idea quickly fell by the wayside in order to provide card uniformity. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/26|25 Random Things About Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February 16, 2009}}</ref> Shortly afterward, the second expansion set, ''[[Antiquities]]'', was released in the spring of 1994. Many expansion followed. ''[[Ice Age]]'' was the first large expansion, starting the typical [[block]] (originally called cycle) of one [[large expansion]] and two smaller expansions. In 2008, Wizards made a big push towards acquisition. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr321|Assume the Acquisition|[[Mark Rosewater]]|March 03, 2008}}</ref> A sixty-fifth expansion, ''[[Khans of Tarkir]]'', is scheduled to be released in September, 2014.


Through the years ''Magic'' has gone through several rules changes. With each change, there was always the worry that this new thing was going to be the thing that finally killed the game. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/41c|Simple Rules are the Holy Grail of Magic|Dan Gray|June 01, 2009}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/259|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2013}}</ref>
Through the years ''Magic'' has gone through several rules changes. With each change, there was always the worry that this new thing was going to be the thing that finally killed the game. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/feature/41c|Simple Rules are the Holy Grail of Magic|[[Dan Gray]]|June 01, 2009}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/mm/259|Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 05, 2013}}</ref>


==DCI==
==DCI==
Line 47: Line 47:
===Constructed===
===Constructed===
Most games of ''[[Magic]]'', especially [[casual]] ones, are played with [[constructed]] [[deck]]s, made by the players before they arrive at game. There are also multiple [[format]]s that are played with constructed decks in [[DCI]]-sanctioned [[tournament]]s:
Most games of ''[[Magic]]'', especially [[casual]] ones, are played with [[constructed]] [[deck]]s, made by the players before they arrive at game. There are also multiple [[format]]s that are played with constructed decks in [[DCI]]-sanctioned [[tournament]]s:
* In [[Block Constructed|block constructed]], players may play any unbanned cards from a single block. <ref>[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrblock Block Format Deck Construction]</ref>
* In [[Block Constructed|block constructed]], players may play any unbanned cards from a single block. <ref>Wizards of the Coast. (April 28, 2014.)[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrblock Block Format Deck Construction]</ref>
* In the [[Standard]] format, players play with a deck of at least 60 cards from the most recent [[core set]], the most recent fully released block, and the block that is currently being released. <ref>[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrstandard Standard Format Deck Construction]</ref>
* In the [[Standard]] format, players play with a deck of at least 60 cards from the most recent [[core set]], the most recent fully released block, and the block that is currently being released. <ref>Wizards of the Coast. (April 28, 2014.) [http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Resources.aspx?x=judge/resources/sfrstandard Standard Format Deck Construction Block Format Deck Construction]</ref>
* [[Vintage]] is the oldest format in the game, simply because it allows players the ability to use almost any card from any black or white [[border]]ed set.  
* [[Vintage]] is the oldest format in the game, simply because it allows players the ability to use almost any card from any black or white [[border]]ed set.  
* In the [[legacy]] format, cards from all sets are playable, though many of the cards which are [[Restricted cards|restricted]] in vintage are banned in legacy.  
* In the [[legacy]] format, cards from all sets are playable, though many of the cards which are [[Restricted cards|restricted]] in vintage are banned in legacy.  

Revision as of 12:15, 2 September 2014

Magic: The Gathering, also Magic or MTG, is a strategy card game created by Richard Garfield in 1993, and published by Wizards of the Coast. [1] [2] Garfield introduced three ideas that made the game very succesful: the concept of the trading card game, the color wheel, and the mana system. [3] [4]

Magic holds the title of "Most Played Trading Card Game." [5] The game is currently being printed in the following languages: English, French, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean and Japanese. It is available for sale in the Asian, European and North America countries. The players base is mostly male, but women are catching up. [6]

General

Within the game of Magic, each player is supposed to be a planeswalker, a powerful being. [7]

The game is commonly played with 2 players, but can be played with more. Each player uses their own deck, which is constructed from cards they own. Players start the game with 20 life. There are several ways of winning the game, the most common being reducing your opponent to 0 life. [8] [9]

There are currently roughly 12,000 unique Magic cards. The cards are sold in booster packs, preconstructed theme decks and several other packages. Because Magic keeps adding new cards, it keeps shifting what matters. The discovery process that takes days or weeks or months at another game takes an eternity in Magic. You never truly figure the game out because it keeps changing. The modular nature of trading card games means that each player has a nearly infinite number of options. It allows each player to design what kind of game experience he or she is going to have. The metagame is a major component of what makes Magic the game it is, there is are an organized play system, online resources, a library of material, and numerous communities.

Magic was conceived as a game of hidden information, as opposed to a game like chess where all of the information to make every decision is on the board at all times. [10] Players are required to use what limited information they have available to them, and use that to make the best decisions possible. This, combined with the inherent randomness in the way the game is played, means that there won't ever really be a certain correct way to play. [11]

The game may ask several skills from a player: strategic thinking, Looking for opportunities, patience, thinking ahead, factoring in variance, considering hidden information and focus. [12]

Trading card game

Magic is a trading card game (TCG), also called a collectible card game or customizable card game (CCG). It was the first of its kind, played using specially designed sets of cards.[13] While trading cards have been around for longer, CCGs combine the appeal of collecting with strategic gameplay. [14]

The colors of Magic

The "Color Wheel". © Wizards of the Coast.

Most Magic cards are one or more of five colors: White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. The majority of artifacts don't require any specific color to cast and as such are colorless. Each color has its own philosophy and strategy. The "Color Pie" (a.k.a. "Color Wheel") is a representation of these colors, their mechanics and philosophies. [15]

Multicolored (or gold) cards require more than one color to cast. Multicolored cards show the strengths among the colors of the card. Hybrid cards have a split mana cost and can be cast using either of the two types of mana in the split symbol.

Mana system

Mana is the primary resource for playing spells. Mana is typically drawn from lands (like the nasic lands Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain and Forest) but it an also be generated by non-land permanents and spells. Players choose whatever cards they want. In order for that to work, the game needs some way to make as many cards as possible matter. By making spells have a cost, the designers are able to make different cards important at different parts of the game. Because of this, each card now has a different reason to be considered for a deck. This diversity of card usage is a key factor in making the entire trading card game work. [16]

Card types

A card type is a characteristic that each Magic: the Gathering card has. Each card type has its own rules for how they are played. The main card types are: artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land. planeswalker and sorcery. Some objects may have more than one card type (e.g., artifact creature). Additionally, cards may have supertypes or subtypes.

History

The first magic core set called Alpha was created by Dr. Richard Garfield and bought by Wizards of the Coast and released in 1993. Three core sets (Beta, Unlimited, and Revised) were released shortly after the Alpha release in order to satisfy the growing demand for the card game. The first expansion set, Arabian Nights, was released December 1993. It was based off of the Arabic compilation of Stories One Thousand and One Nights, and offered quotes from various stories in the compilation. [17] At one point in time, it was discussed that each expansion should have their name printed on the backs of the cards along with "Magic: The Gathering;" however, this idea quickly fell by the wayside in order to provide card uniformity. [18] Shortly afterward, the second expansion set, Antiquities, was released in the spring of 1994. Many expansion followed. Ice Age was the first large expansion, starting the typical block (originally called cycle) of one large expansion and two smaller expansions. In 2008, Wizards made a big push towards acquisition. [19] A sixty-fifth expansion, Khans of Tarkir, is scheduled to be released in September, 2014.

Through the years Magic has gone through several rules changes. With each change, there was always the worry that this new thing was going to be the thing that finally killed the game. [20] [21]

DCI

The DCI (formerly, Duelists' Convocation International) is the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic: The Gathering. The DCI provides game rules, tournament operating procedures, and other materials to private tournament organizers and players. It also operates a judge certification program to provide consistent rules enforcement and promote fair play. Wizards of the Coast and the DCI control the list of banned and restricted cards, which are considered too strong in particular tournaments.

In order to play in sanctioned events, players must register for a free membership and receive a DCI number. The DCI maintains a global player ratings database using the ELO rating system (Planeswalker points) and members have access to their entire tournament history online. If a member commits frequent or flagrant rules infractions, his or her membership can be suspended for variable amounts of time depending on the severity, from one month to a lifetime.

Decks and Tournaments

Tournament decks in general must have at least 60 cards. A deck may have no more than 4 copies of an individual card, besides basic lands which it may have any number. If a sideboard is used, it may contain no more than 15 cards.

Constructed

Most games of Magic, especially casual ones, are played with constructed decks, made by the players before they arrive at game. There are also multiple formats that are played with constructed decks in DCI-sanctioned tournaments:

  • In block constructed, players may play any unbanned cards from a single block. [22]
  • In the Standard format, players play with a deck of at least 60 cards from the most recent core set, the most recent fully released block, and the block that is currently being released. [23]
  • Vintage is the oldest format in the game, simply because it allows players the ability to use almost any card from any black or white bordered set.
  • In the legacy format, cards from all sets are playable, though many of the cards which are restricted in vintage are banned in legacy.
  • Modern is currently the newest eternal format in the game and bridges the gap between standard and legacy. The cardpool in this format is much smaller compared to either legacy, or vintage. The cardpool in this format encompasses all set from Eighth Edition on.

Limited

In the limited format, players do not play with decks they built ahead of time, but play with decks of cards from sealed booster packs, which are built at the beginning of a limited tournament before play begins. In limited formats, the minimum deck size is 40 cards.Generally, 17-19 lands and 21-23 spells are played, but there is some variance in this aspect. This format is favored by some, as it allows all players, no matter the size of their collection, to have an equal chance at doing well in a tournament.

  • In the draft format, each participating player is seated around a table, usually of 8 players, and is given 3 sealed booster packs. Each player opens the first of their packs, chooses a card from it, and places the chosen card face-down on the table in front of them. The remaining cards in the pack are passed to the left, and players repeat this process with the pack just passed to them, until all the cards are chosen. The same is done with the second pack, this time passing to the right, and with the third pack, passing left again. Each player then builds a deck using the 45 cards they chose from the booster packs. Sanctioned drafts can be run with any number of boosters from any set, as long as each drafter receives the same product. The most common drafts are from the most recent block.
  • In Sealed deck is a common format used at prerelease tournaments. Everyone is given the same amount of product, e.g. 6 booster packs. From that pool of cards, and adding in as many basic land as desired, each player must build a deck of at least 40 cards. Any opened cards not put in the main deck count as part of the sideboard. In sealed deck, the skill is making the best out of what you're given. [24]

Conventions

Magic are yearly featured a several conventions:

  • Gen Con (July)
  • San Diego Comic-Con (August): big reveals about the fall set
  • PAX (September): additional spoilers for the fall set, focused on the creative elements.

Online

WotC's online convention, Uncon, featured several Magic tournaments and contests. [25]

Awards

Magic is listed on the Games Magazine Hall of Fame. [26]

References

  1. ↑ Richard Garfield (March 12, 2013). "The Creation of Magic: The Gathering". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Michael G. Ryan (June 01, 2009). "A Magic History of Time". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 05, 2006). "As Good As It Gets". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 02, 2009). "Magic Design Seminar: Looking Within". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Monty Ashley (September 14, 2011). "World Records". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Jennifer Robles (December 11, 2012). "The LPS and Creating Play Groups". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ John Carter (December 25, 2004). "The Original Magic Rulebook". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Jeff Cunningham (June 30, 2007). "Playing the Game". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Jeff Cunningham (August 04, 2007). "Lessons Learned". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Sam Stoddard (March 22, 2013). "The Nature of Secrecy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Sam Stoddard (September 13, 2013). "Decisions, Decisions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Template:NewRef
  13. ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 05, 2006). "As Good As It Gets". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 26, 2004). "Collecting My Thoughts". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 18, 2003). "The Value of Pie". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 30, 2011). "Mana Action". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Richard Garfield (August 17, 2009). "The Expanding Worlds of Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 16, 2009). "25 Random Things About Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 03, 2008). "Assume the Acquisition". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Dan Gray (June 01, 2009). "Simple Rules are the Holy Grail of Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (April 28, 2014.)Block Format Deck Construction
  23. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (April 28, 2014.) Standard Format Deck Construction Block Format Deck Construction
  24. ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 09, 2007). "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  25. ↑ Magic Arcana (September 18, 2003). "Uncon 2003 Prize Sketches". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ Magic Arcana (November 12, 2003). "Magic: The Gathering Inducted into Games Magazine Hall of Fame". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

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