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Magic: The Gathering

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{

"text": "Magic: The Gathering, often called Magic or MTG, is a collectible tabletop and digital card game.

Created by Richard Garfield and released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, it was the company's first trading card game. In this game, players take on the roles of dueling wizards known as Planeswalkers. Each player uses a deck of cards to cast magical spells and battle their opponents. The goal is usually to reduce the opponent's life total to zero, often by using creatures to deal combat damage.

Richard Garfield (Spiel 2014 cropped)
Richard Garfield (Spiel 2014 cropped)

\n\nTo play spells, players must first manage a resource called mana. Mana is a form of magical energy produced by Land cards. During a turn, a player can \"tap\" a Land by rotating it 90 degrees to show it has been used. This action generates the specific color of mana needed to pay for spells. As the game progresses, more Lands enter the battlefield, allowing players to cast increasingly powerful spells.

Magic The Gathering card disection
Magic The Gathering card disection

\n\nCards in Magic are divided into two main classes: lands and spells. Lands are used to produce mana. Spells are categorized by how they behave on the battlefield. Non-permanent spells, such as \"sorceries\" and \"instants,\" have a one-time effect and then move to the \"graveyard,\" which is the discard pile. Permanent cards, however, remain in play to provide long-term advantages. These include creatures, which attack and defend; artifacts and enchantments, which provide lasting effects; and Planeswalker cards, which summon powerful allies that act like additional players.\n\nPlayers can participate in the game through various formats. In \"constructed\" formats, players build decks from their own collections. A standard constructed deck usually contains at least 60 cards. One popular version is Commander, a 100-card format where every card must be unique, except for basic lands. In Commander, players choose a \"legendary creature\" to serve as their Commander, a leader that can be played at any time. Other formats are \"limited,\" meaning players build decks spontaneously from random cards. In a \"Booster Draft,\" players open packs and take turns picking cards to pass to their neighbors.

Magic Players
Magic Players

\n\nManaging complex interactions is handled by a rule known as \"the Stack.\" Much like a stack in computer programming, this follows a \"Last In, First Out\" order. This means the very last card played onto the stack is the first one to have its effect resolved. This system allows players to react to each other, such as using a counter-spell to stop an opponent's action. This layer of complexity allows for deep strategy and unexpected turns during a match.\n\nMagic is organized around a \"Color Pie," which consists of five distinct colors.

Magic the gathering pentagon
Magic the gathering pentagon

Each color represents a different school or realm of magic with unique strengths and weaknesses. White represents order, peace, and light, often using soldiers to protect allies. Blue focuses on intellect, logic, and manipulation, often using water and air themes to control the game. Black is associated with power, death, and sacrifice, sometimes using undead creatures. Red represents chaos, fury, and warfare, often utilizing fire and strong, fast spells. Green embodies life, nature, and evolution, using massive creatures and mana generation. This system, developed by the Research and Development team, ensures that no single color becomes too powerful.\n\nThe game has seen massive global success since its debut. Between 2008 and 2016, over twenty billion Magic cards were printed. The game has amassed approximately fifty million players and generates $1 billion in annual revenue for Hasbro. Because of the rarity and utility of certain cards, a substantial resale market exists. Some individual cards can be worth anywhere from a few cents to tens of thousands of dollars.

shadowmage infiltrator
shadowmage infiltrator

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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:MagicareaEnglish.png
MagicareaEnglish.png
File:Magic The Gathering card disection.svg
Magic The Gathering card disection.svg
File:Magic the gathering pentagon.png
Magic the gathering pentagon.png
File:Magic Players.jpg
Magic Players.jpg
File:shadowmage infiltrator.jpg
shadowmage infiltrator.jpg
File:Richard Garfield (Spiel 2014 cropped).jpg
Richard Garfield (Spiel 2014 cropped).jpg
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