• Introduction
• Card Info
• Card Types
• Magic Resources

Basic Guide to Magic the Gathering: Card Types

There are six basic types, and each of them may have subtypes:

1. Land
• Lands are one of the most important aspects of the game: they provide "mana" that is used play almost every other type of card in the game. There are two different categories:
• Basic Land
• These are one of the few cards that you can have unlimited copies of in your deck- most other cards are limited to four copies or less, except for specific, individual cards, such as Relentless Rats. There are five colors for basic lands: red from Mountains, green from Forests, white from Plains, blue from Islands, and black from Swamps.

• Nonbasic Land
• These lands do not say "Basic Land" and you can only have up to four copies, provided that there isn't an additional limitation on the official banlist. These lands often have extra effects or give extra options, such as being multi-colored. As such, many cannot be used the turn they are played- the text will say "enters the battlefield tapped." A "tapped" land cannot be used (unless the text or a different card specifies othewise). Tapped cards are indicated by turning them sideways or at an angle. An example is Temple of Malady, which is a black and green dual land, meaning it can be used for either black or green mana.

2. Creature
• Creatures are the only cards that can attack and block, and they all have a power and toughness. A common way to win is to use your creatures to attack and lower your oppoent's life total to zero. There are a total of 255 creature subtypes to choose from, including angels, dragons, demons, vampires, and mefolk to name a few.
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3. Enchantment
• Like creatures, enchantments stay on the field until removed by their own conditions or by another card. Most have continuous effects or triggered abilities. Enchantments almost never tap to activate, but they can provide other cards the ability to tap.
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• Aura
• Auras are a subcategory of enchantments that specifically target and attatch to specific cards or players. Their text box will start with "Enchant" followed by a card type or player. For example, Unholy Indenture is a black aura enchantment that targets one creature. When a creature with an aura attached to it dies, the aura goes to the graveyard with it.

4. Artifact
• Artifacts are generally colorless and do not require specific colors of mana to be played. They stay on the field until removed. Many of them tap or require mana to tap for special effects, such as Sol Ring, which taps to provide two colorless mana.
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• Artifact - Equipment
• Equipments are a subcategory of artifacts that are summoned to the battlefield and then equiped to creatures by paying the equip cost. They often provide extra benefits to equiped creatures, such as boosted power and/or toughness or special abilities. Equipments can be moved from creature to creature by paying the equip cost. Unlike auras, equipments are unequiped when the equiped creature dies and remain on the battlefield until removed.

• Artifact Creature
• Artifact creatures also fall under creatures, and are often colorless. Additionally, any card that affects either creatures or artifacts will affect artifact creatures.

5. Instant
• Instants are nonpermanent and can be played during any player's turn as long as the one playing it has priority. These are cast and sent straight to the graveyard upon resolving. They are often used during combat or just before a turn ends to gain an advantage, such as buffing creatures, countering other spells, or destroying opponent cards.
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6. Sorcery
• Sorceries are like instants, but they can only be used on the player's own turn during their main phases. Sorceries go to the graveyard upon resolving.
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