Magic: the Gathering is a fantasy-themed trading card game that appeals to two types of players – casual players who are attracted to the fantasy themes and tournament players who are serious about strategy games.

Magic is a card game, but it’s not played with a poker deck; instead, each player collects Magic: the Gathering cards, which are manufactured by Wizards of the Coast, then builds a 60-card deck from his collection and pits his deck against opponents’ decks. Other formats include sealed-deck, in which each player buys 120 random cards and has an hour to build a 40-card deck from this limited collection, and draft, in which players select cards, fantasy football-style, from booster packs.

Once their decks are built, players play as wizards in a fight to the death; each player starts with 20 life points and the last wizard standing wins the game. Cards represent spells and land – wizards can’t cast spells without first drawing the necessary mana, or magical energy, from the land they own. There are five colors of spells representing elements, such as fire and water, and five basic land types to produce the five colors of mana.

There are also several types of spells. Sorceries and instants have an immediate one-time effect, creatures can attack and block until they are killed, and enchantments and artifacts change the way the world around them works.

First-time deck builders might be overwhelmed by the possibilities, as Wizards of the Coast has printed thousands of cards to choose from. However, players quickly learn how to narrow down the possibilities.

Casual players typically narrow down the possibilities by looking at their own collection and picking one or two favorite colors. This strategy is relatively cheap, and playing Magic casually can provide a great way for a fantasy-minded gamer to have fun with friends.

Tournament players, on the other hand, typically narrow down the deck-building possibilities by finding card listVWs on the Internet for decks that have been successful in a given tournament format. Players may then test the decks using proxies – dummy cards representing the spells they want – and, once their decks are built on paper, they may buy individual cards from game stores or on eBay to replace the proxies. (Since all Magic tournaments are sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast, proxies are not allowed in tournament play.) Buying cards this way can be expensive, but a skilled player can often win enough prize money to play for free.