Tag
mtg-basics
12 posts with this tag.
Guides
MTG Turn Phases Explained: Every Phase and Step in Order
MTG turn phases in order: beginning, first main, combat, second main and ending, with each step, when you can act, and which steps Standard cards use most.
· 10 min read
Guides
MTG Zones Explained: Every Zone and Your Board Layout
MTG zones explained: library, hand, battlefield, graveyard, stack, exile and command, which ones are hidden, and the tournament layout for your board.
· 11 min read
Guides
MTG Stack Explained: How Priority and Responses Work
The MTG stack in plain terms. Spells and abilities wait on it, the last one added resolves first, and priority decides who can respond and when.
· 8 min read
Guides
MTG Color Combinations: Names, Playstyles and How to Pick
MTG color combinations, all 26 named from Azorius to WUBRG, with what each one plays like, how many commanders it has and how to pick your own colors.
· 10 min read
Guides
MTG Mulligan Rules Explained: London Mulligan Step by Step
MTG mulligan rules: draw seven new cards, then bottom one per mulligan taken. The first mulligan is free in multiplayer and Brawl, with a hand-size table.
· 7 min read
Guides
Bury MTG Meaning: What the Old Destroy Wording Did
Bury MTG meaning: retired wording for a destroy that stops regeneration. Plus how Extort triggers on every spell and how to resolve a Discover trigger.
· 13 min read
Guides
Board Wipe in MTG: The 5 Kinds and Which Decks Play Them
A board wipe kills every creature, but destroy, damage, exile, -X/-X and bounce each miss something. 323 of 449 Standard top-32 lists run one. Real data.
· 9 min read
Guides
MTG Keyword Abilities Explained: Combat and Protection
MTG keyword abilities explained: flying, menace, deathtouch, trample, hexproof, and ward, with worked combat examples for how they actually interact.
· 7 min read
Guides
MTG Format Legality Explained: Standard vs Commander
MTG format legality explained: a card must be in the format's card pool AND not on its banned list. 2026 Standard has no rotation, 20 sets legal at once.
· 11 min read
Guides
MTG Mana Base Guide: The Land Count Formula Explained
MTG mana base guide using Frank Karsten's land count formula: 19.59 plus 1.90 times Average Mana Value. Real math, not just a flat rule of thumb.
· 10 min read
Guides
MTG Color Identity: Hybrid, Phyrexian and Reminder Text
MTG color identity counts every color in a card's mana cost and rules text. Hybrid and Phyrexian symbols count, reminder text does not. Real card examples.
· 15 min read
Guides
How to Play Magic: The Gathering: Rules and Basics
How to play Magic: The Gathering, from turn structure to color identity. Covers the five colors, mana bases, deck-building basics, and format legality.
· 8 min read