Common Mistakes Made by Newbs By: trouble_fish

Many new players to the game of Magic, once they learn the general rules (see Chad's article), can have trouble with learning and practicing the specifics. There are a lot of specifics to Magic. Experience is one way to learn some of them. Reading this article is another. Feel free to skip parts too complex (but come back later) and parts you already know (but are you sure you know them?).

In this article (being the non-advanced section) it is important to note that some things may seem goofy, almost childish, but these mistakes can and have happened to people. Pay attention to specifics.

Oracle

"Oracle" is the term Wizards (the company that makes Magic) uses to refer to the system where they can change the text of any card they ever printed to make more sense with the current rules. Oracle text is considered to be the actual text of the card. It is to always be used when playing the card. You can find a card's oracle text under the card picture on a Wizards cardsearch window. Newer versions of a card may have their printed text changed to match the Oracle text. Above is a good example of Oracle text in action.

Terminology

Active player refers to the player whose turn it is.

Stack is where spells are put when played and paid for but before they resolve (happen).

Keyword ability is text on a card (an ability) represented by one word, like first strike.

Ability does not mean spell. This means you cannot use counter spells to counter an ability. There are cards that counter abilities.

Permanant refers to a card in play. It does not refer to a spell, or a card that is not in the In Play zone.

A card on the stack is not "in play", and has not "come into play". It has, however, been "played".

The phrase "any time you could play an instant" or "any time you could play a sorcery" means you use the same rules as the specified card type when playing that spell or ability.

In MTG, colour (color) refers to either white, blue, black, red or green. There are no other colours in MTG. Gold, brown, grey, etc. are not colours. Colourless or artifact are not colours.

Source refers to the thing that created an ability (the thing an ability is found on). Additionally, an ability is always the colour of its source.

Regeneration

Regeneration acts like a shield. Before a creature is destroyed, you can pay the regenerate cost. If the creature is destroyed and can be regenerated, it is instead tapped and removed from combat if it's in combat. If it hasn't dealt or been dealt damage that combat yet it doesn't. Unless the regenerate cost requires tapping, you can regenerate a tapped creature. Regeneration cannot be played from a graveyard.

Phasing

Phasing means at the beginning of each players untap step, before permanants are untapped, permanants that player control with phasing are put into the Phased Out zone and "permanants" (objects) that player owns that are in the Phased Out zone are put into play under their control. Phasing in(to play) does not trigger comes into play abilities. Phasing out (of play) does trigger leaves play abilities.

Protection

Protection has multiple parts. Protection only works on permanants in play. Protection on a card that is not in play will not function. A permanant with protection from XYZ will: 1) Prevent all damage dealt to it by sources that are XYZ, 2) Cannot be targetted by spells, abilities, sources that are XYZ, 3) Cannot be enchanted by enchantments that are XYZ, and 4)If attacking, cannot be blocked by creatures that are XYZ. Note that spells that do not target will still affect the thing with protection. Also, if something says that damage can't be prevented, damage of that quality will not be prevented as normal per protection.

Cycling

Cycling on a card is an ability that only works when the card is in the player's hand. Cycling has a cost written next to it that is paid as the cost to the ability. Cycling can be played any time a player could play an instant. It is put on the stack as an ability, however. Discarding the card is part of the cost for cycling. Drawing a card is part of the effect. Abilities that trigger as a result of something being cycled are not actually the cycling ability.

Untap Step

During the untap phase all permanants the active player controls are untapped unless said otherwise on the cards.

Cleanup Step

At the beginning of the cleanup step all damage is removed from all permanants (for creatures this is not the same as regeneration) and all "Until end of turn" effects end simultaneously, without using the stack.

Targetting

Targetting on spells or abilities is often used. These spells or abilities will say "target XYZ" on them, where XYZ is a specific thing in the game. There may be conditions attached to the target. For example, target creature, target player, up to two target creatures, target creature or player, target non-creature artifact. A spell or ability can have multiple targets, but the same target cannot be chosen more than once. Things that "cannot be the target of XYZ" cannot be chosen as targets for things that are XYZ (commonly spells or abilities).

A spell or ability that targets cannot be played if has no legal targets. If it has legal targets when it is played, but then the targets become illegal or changes state (for example, a creature being destroyed is no longer a creature, it is a creature card) or zone, the spell is countered if it has no legal targets. If at least one of the targets is still legal, the spell or ability does as much as it can (this may be nothing).

Creatures with protection from something cannot be targeted by spells or abilities with the someting characteristic, or which have the something as their source (see above).

A spell or ability that does not say the word "target" does not target.

Costs

Mana cost is the ammount of mana the card says it costs, found in the upper right corner of most cards. This ammount can be 0, but will still be written as 0. Mana cost includes colour. X in a mana cost, if queried, is 0.

Converted mana cost is the total ammount of mana in the cost of a card, regardless of colour. For example, a card that costs 2G has a converted mana cost of 3, a card that costs 3UUU has a converted mana cost of 6, and a card that costs 4GGRRWW has a converted mana cost of 10. X in a converted mana cost counts for 0.

Alternative and additional costs are abilities, and not counted as mana cost. Additional costs are counted as costs and must be payed in order to play a spell. Additional costs may only be paid once. Buyback and kicker are optional additional costs. Alternative costs include things like flashback, madness, and alternative costs like those on Force of Will. If a spell or ability is played using alternative costs, its mana cost still is on the top right of the card and remains the same. The converted mana cost also remains the same.

If the cost of a spell or ability is reduced by something, the mana cost and converted mana cost of that spell remain the same.

The cost of an activated ability is listed to the left of the colon (:) on that ability and is not the cost of the source of that ability.

Obsolete Terms

Summon is an obsolete term. Summon is not a creature type. Summon means the card is a creature card, if played is a creature spell and if it comes into play it is a creature. They are not summon spells. Any card referring to a summon spell is actually referring to creature spells.

Summoning sickness refers to a creature's inability to attack or tap to pay for an activated ability the turn it comes into play (until your next upkeep) or the turn you gain control of it (until your next upkeep). It still can become tapped and can still block. This term is inconvenient but still useful as Wizards have not come up with a term to replace it.

"Can attack and tap the turn it comes into play.", "can attack and tap the turn it comes into play on your side.", and "is not affected by summoning sickness." are all obsolete terms for Haste.

Casting Cost now refers to Mana Cost

Total Casting Cost now refers to Converted Mana Cost

"Cannot be blocked except by artifact and/or black creatures" is now referred to as fear. A creature with fear can�t be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.

THE END

ANYTHING ELSE? Mail me if I missed any rules newbs commonly miss or forget.