Magic: The Gathering glossary
Terms:
Ante - The stakes gambled on the match. Typically this
is one card taken from the top of each deck before the
games begins.
Artifact - a magically powered object; also one of the
basic spell types. Mages who build Artifacts are called
Artificers.
Banned List - A list of cards banned during official tourna-
ments.
Basic Land – Plains (white), Islands (blue), Mountains
(red), Forests (green), and Swamps (black).
Dominia - The multiverse where Magic: The Gathering
takes place.
Enchant - One of the basic spell types. Enchantments are
permanent until destroyed (or the card they are enchanting
is destroyed). Only cast during the Main phase of a turn.
Expansion Set - A limited edition run of Magic cards
(typically 90 to 310), printed with a black border.
First Strike - A creature with first strike will not take any
damage if the creature they are fighting takes a lethal
amount of damage during the exchange. Two first strike
creatures are considered to attack each other
simultaneously.
Flying – Attacks by flying creatures can’t be blocked by
non-flying creatures.
Graveyard - Where cards go when killed, used, discarded,
or removed from play. Some cards will allow you to later
bring cards back from the Graveyard. Any player may, at
any time, look through anyone’s graveyard.
Interrupt - One of the basic spell types, it can be cast at
any time. Also, the only way a fast effect may be
countered.
Land - Land is a special card type, which may only be
played during your main phase, and only once per turn.
There are basic lands and more exotic, special lands.
Mana - A term for magical energy, used to cast spells and
cause special effects. The most common source of Mana
is tapping lands.
Mana Burn - Damage taken from unspent mana at the
end of any phase or attack. Each point of unspent mana
causes one point of damage. This damage is considered
colorless.
Mana Pool - The amount of mana you have available at
any given time.
Permanent - any card that remains in play after being
used, such as Lands, Artifacts, Enchantments, and Crea-
tures.
Poison - Some creatures will poison a player during battle.
When any player has 10 (or more) poison counters, they
lose the game.
Regeneration - Creatures on the way to the Graveyard
may be regenerated under special circumstances. They
return to play with their enchantments intact. Creatures
become tapped when regenerated.
Sorcery - One of the basic spell types. They take effect
immediately after being cast, but can only be cast during
your Main phase.
Spells - There are six basic spell types: Artifact, Enchant,
Instant, Interrupt, Sorcery, and. Summon.
 Magic: The Gathering glossary
Starter Deck - A pack of 60 Magic cards, including a
small rulebook with everything you need to know. Typically
includes 2 Rares, 13 Uncommons, and 45 Commons.
Summon - One of the basic spell types.
Tapping - Turning a card sideways or sticking a marker
on it to show that it’s in use. Also, the term used to ex-
plain when something is being used. “I tapped my mana,”
means both that you physically turned them and that they
are in use.
Weenie Deck - A term for decks composed primarily of
creatures that take two or less mana points to summon.
The best defenses against a Weenie Deck are cards which
can destroy lots of small creatures in one shot.
Colors:
Black - Black magic is the magic of death, and gains its
power from Swamps and Bogs. Its traditional enemies are
Green and White.
Blue - Blue magic is the magic of the mind, and gains its
power from Islands. Blue magicians are often adept at
deceiving others and casting illusions. Air and water are
also strongly associated with Blue. Its traditional enemies
are Green and Red.
Green - Green magic is the magic of life and peace, and
draws its energies from forests. Its traditional enemies are
Blue and Black.
Red - Red magic is the magic of destruction, chaos, and
war. It is also associated with earth and fire. Red magic
derives its powers from mountains. Its traditional enemies
are White and Blue.
White - White magic is the magic of healing and protec-
tion, and draws its energies from the plains. Its traditional
enemies are Black and Red.
Phases:
Untap Phase - The first phase of your turn, when tapped
cards are untapped. All cards are considered untapped
simultaneously and no one can take any actions while
untapping is happening.
Upkeep Phase - The second phase of your turn, when
upkeep costs are paid such as paying mana, or sacrificing
cards.
Draw Phase – The third phase of your turn. Draw one
card from your deck.
Main Phase - The fourth phase of your turn. During this
phase you cast sorceries, enchantments, artifacts, play
land cards (one per turn), and attack your opponent (one
per turn).
Discard Phase - The fifth phase of your turn. If you are
holding more than seven cards at this point, you must dis-
card to the graveyard until you have exactly seven cards.
End Phase - The sixth phase of your turn. This is the
phase where you let your opponent know you are finished.
Heal Creatures Phase - The seventh and final phase of
your turn. This is the phase where all damage to creatures
is healed.