New to Magic

You can learn this in 5–10 minutes. 2–6 players, one shared deck.

The table

• One face-down deck in the middle. Everyone draws from it.
• Each player has a hand of cards, kept private.
• Used, destroyed, and discarded cards go into one shared face-up pile. That pile is the graveyard.

The shared deck and the graveyard sit in the middle. Each hand stays private.

• Ignore the symbols in the top-right corner, and any cost written in the text. You can always pay them. Read everything else.
• A creature has two numbers at the bottom, like Honey Mammoth's 6/6. The first is power: how much damage it deals. The second is toughness: it dies if it has taken that much damage.
• Turn a card sideways when it attacks or is used. That means it is tapped. At the start of your turn, turn your cards upright again.
• A card you play is yours. Put it on the table in front of you.

Name: Honey Mammoth, at the top left.
Mana symbols: {4}{G}{G} in the top right. Ignore them. You can always pay.
Rules text: “When this creature enters, you gain 4 life.” Playing Honey Mammoth gives you 4 life.
Power: 6, the first number. It deals 6 damage.
Toughness: 6, the second number. It dies after taking 6 damage.

Name: Rise Again, at the top left.
Mana symbols: {4}{B} in the top right. Ignore them. You can always pay.
Type: Sorcery. Play it on your turn. Then it goes to the graveyard.
Rules text: “Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.” Choose a creature card in the graveyard and put it into play.

Name: Telepathy, at the top left.
Mana symbols: {U} in the top right. Ignore it. You can always pay.
Type: Enchantment. It stays in play.
Rules text: “Your opponents play with their hands revealed.” The other players show their hands.

Name: Arcane Encyclopedia, at the top left.
Mana symbols: {3} in the top right. Ignore it. You can always pay.
Type: Artifact — Book. It stays in play.
Rules text: “{3}, {T}: Draw a card.” Turn it sideways to draw a card. The {3} is a cost written in the text, and you can always pay that.

Name: Cancel, at the top left.
Mana symbols: {1}{U}{U} in the top right. Ignore them. You can always pay.
Type: Instant. You can play it on anyone’s turn. Then it goes to the graveyard.
Rules text: “Counter target spell.” It stops a spell. That spell goes to the graveyard and does nothing.

Card images and Oracle text from Scryfall.

1
Shuffle the Big Deck and put it face-down in the middle of the table.
2
Each player draws 7 cards.
3
Choose who goes first. The first player draws on their turn, same as everyone else.
4
Everyone starts at 20 life. Track it with a phone, dice, or scrap paper. A player at 0 life is out. The last player left wins.

1
Untap. Turn your cards upright.
2
Draw. Take one card from the Big Deck.
3
Attack with creatures that were already in play, and play one card from your hand. In either order.
4
End. If you have more than 7 cards, discard down to 7.

• On your turn, you may play one card.
• On each other player's turn, you may play one instant, if you have one.
• If someone responds to a spell, the last response happens first.
• A card that says "counter target spell" stops that spell. The stopped spell goes to the graveyard and does nothing.

• A creature cannot attack on the turn it comes into play.
• A creature dies when the damage on it reaches its toughness. That damage wears off at the end of the turn.

Creature. Honey Mammoth stays in play. It can attack and block. When it enters, you gain 4 life. It is a 6/6.
Sorcery. Rise Again is a one-shot on your turn. It returns a creature card from the graveyard to play, then goes to the graveyard.
Enchantment. Telepathy stays in play. Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
Artifact. Arcane Encyclopedia stays in play. Turn it sideways to draw a card.
Instant. Cancel is a one-shot you can play on anyone's turn. It counters a spell, then goes to the graveyard.

If a card uses a word you don't know, read the explanation printed on it. If there is none, ask the table.