Getting started
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:15 pm
When you are starting out playing Magic the Gathering the rules can seem to be very complicated and hard to work out.
Don’t worry, there are number of resources available to you to make it easier to get through your first couple of games and much of what you need to know is printed on the cards them selves.
For your first couple of games the only resource you will need other than the aforementioned cards is the Basic rule book which can be found here. This will go through the basic parts of every card, game zones and the basic game actions like playing cards, attacking and blocking. It also details a couple of slightly more complex things that are also very useful like targeting and the stack as well as the turn structure.
As I said earlier when you are just starting between the writing on the cards themselves and the above document you will be able to solve the vast majority of rules disputes to such an extent that you will be able to continue the game. If you want to know what the correct ruling is then come here and ask your question. There are a number of posters who frequent this forum that will be more than happy to give you guidance on how the rules cover a situation so you know how it should work out if a similar situation occurs in the future.
Once you are comfortable with the basic rules as shown above the comprehensive rules can be found here. Be warned the audience this document is aimed at are the judges that run tournaments and not the casual player. As it goes in to far more detail about the mechanics of all the game actions, steps and phases in turn and all the keywords included in the game. This document is also updated when ever a new set is released to include the rules for any new keyword abilities that have been created in the new set.
If you are looking to become a judge the two most important documents after the comprehensive rules are the Magic the Gathering Tournament rules and the Infraction Procedure guide which can be found here and here respectively. The former will give you guidance on how to set up and run your own tournaments and whilst the latter will help you out when something as gone wrong in a match and the game state needs to be corrected. It also provides penalties that should be imposed to help as a teaching/control measure to ensure the tournament runs smoothly and fairly.
More information on how to become a judge and extra resources for them can be found here
Don’t worry, there are number of resources available to you to make it easier to get through your first couple of games and much of what you need to know is printed on the cards them selves.
For your first couple of games the only resource you will need other than the aforementioned cards is the Basic rule book which can be found here. This will go through the basic parts of every card, game zones and the basic game actions like playing cards, attacking and blocking. It also details a couple of slightly more complex things that are also very useful like targeting and the stack as well as the turn structure.
As I said earlier when you are just starting between the writing on the cards themselves and the above document you will be able to solve the vast majority of rules disputes to such an extent that you will be able to continue the game. If you want to know what the correct ruling is then come here and ask your question. There are a number of posters who frequent this forum that will be more than happy to give you guidance on how the rules cover a situation so you know how it should work out if a similar situation occurs in the future.
Once you are comfortable with the basic rules as shown above the comprehensive rules can be found here. Be warned the audience this document is aimed at are the judges that run tournaments and not the casual player. As it goes in to far more detail about the mechanics of all the game actions, steps and phases in turn and all the keywords included in the game. This document is also updated when ever a new set is released to include the rules for any new keyword abilities that have been created in the new set.
If you are looking to become a judge the two most important documents after the comprehensive rules are the Magic the Gathering Tournament rules and the Infraction Procedure guide which can be found here and here respectively. The former will give you guidance on how to set up and run your own tournaments and whilst the latter will help you out when something as gone wrong in a match and the game state needs to be corrected. It also provides penalties that should be imposed to help as a teaching/control measure to ensure the tournament runs smoothly and fairly.
More information on how to become a judge and extra resources for them can be found here