I’m proud to introduce you to my first guest blogger: our oldest son! Since we always talk about writing about what you love, here he is explaining his favorite card game, Magic The Gathering. And without further ado, I give you K…

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I am here to teach you how to play my favorite card game Magic The Gathering. I first learned how to play from one of my friends at school. First, I will teach you about creatures. Creatures are the cards that represent your army. In the picture below, it shows the top of a creature card. On the top left is the name of the creature card and on the top right is the amount lands or mana the card costs to cast to the battlefield.

Above it shows the middle part of a land card. Lands are the cards you use to cast creatures, and almost any other type of card in Magic The Gathering. On any card in Magic other than lands there is a mana cost you need to pay in order to cast that card. The mana cost is either a ball with a number in it or a symbol, a fireball, a water drop, a tree, a sun, or a skull or it is combination of both . If it is a ball with a number in it you can use any type of land to pay it or if it is a symbol then use the the land the symbol stands for. Fireball=mountain, water drop=island, tree=forest, sun=plains, and skull=swamp.When you use mana you tap or turn sideways the land card.Tapped cards can not be used.

Below is a picture of the bottom of a creature card in Magic the Gathering. On the bottom of a creature card there is the creature’s power and toughness. Power is the amount of damage a creature can do in combat. Toughness is the amount of damage a creature can absorb. Right now I am going to teach you how to battle. Creatures cannot attack on the turn they are cast unless they have haste. At the beginning of your battle phase if it is your turn you will choose if you want to attack or not if you want to choose which creatures you want to attack with. After you have told your opponent which creatures you are attacking with your opponent will choose what he want to block what. In battle creatures both deal their power to each others toughness. Example:A 1/1 fought a 2/2 the 2/2 would win because 2 power beats 1 toughness and 1 power does not beat 2 toughness. If a creature attacked it becomes tapped if it does not have vigilance. Tapped creatures can not block. Blocking does not cause creatures to tap.

Here is the middle and bottom of a instant. Instants can empower your creatures,weaken your enemies creatures,and can do almost anything you can think of. Instants can be played during your turn or your opponents turn. Instants are considered spells.

Below is a picture of the lower portion of a sorcery card in Magic. A sorcery is the same as a instant except you can only cast them during your turn.

Above are two different types of enchantments. The first enchantment is a enchantment that affects something on the field. The second type which is called a aura affects one creature. Enchantments can only be cast on your turn.

Below is a artifact. There are two types of artifacts one type is not shown. Like enchantments the first one affects the field and the second type is called a equipment and affects one creature. Artifacts can only be cast during your turn.

Below it shows a card called a planeswalker. Like all other cards in Magic they have a mana cost. At the bottom are it’s loyalty counters. In the middle section are some actions it can do +1 means you add 1 to it’s loyalty. If you do not want to take damage a planeswalker on your side can take the damage for you by removing loyalty counters equivalent to the damage. If a planeswalker’s loyalty falls to 0 or less put it into the discard pile. SETUP

Each player starts with 20 life, a 40-60 card deck, and a 6 card hand.

TURN SEQUENCE

Untap Phase: Untap all of your cards.

Draw Phase: Draw 1 card

Upkeep Phase: Activate any cards that say during the upkeep

Main Phase 1: Play lands, sorceries, instants, and cast creatures

Battle Phase: Attack and block( Instants may be played during battle phase)

Main Phase 2: Do anything you could do in main phase 1 except play a land card

End Phase: Activate cards that say during your end phase

SPECIAL POWERS

Trample: Battle damage done by a creature with trample not absorbed by a blocker’s toughness is dealt to the defending player.

Vigilance: Creatures with vigilance do not tap after attacking.

Flying: Creatures with flying can only be blocked by creatures with flying and creatures with reach.

Reach: Creatures with reach can block creatures flying.

Morbid: Creatures and spells with morbid get stronger if a creature died the turn it was cast.

Exalted: Creatures that attack alone get +1/+1 until end of turn

War Cry: If a creature with war cry attack and then creatures attack after them the creatures that attacked after the creature with war cry get a bonus.