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Magic the Gathering - Beginner Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

A beginner-friendly Magic the Gathering cheat sheet of all the magic basics. This is includes, but is not limited to: Colors and Symbols, card Abilities, Phases and Steps of a Turn, Formats, and the anatomy of a Magic card.

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Anatomy of a Magic Card

Mana & Colors

Land Type
Mana Color Produced
Color Themes
Associated Creatures
Plains
White
Protec­tion, Wide Board State
Soldiers, Leonin
Island
Blue
Control, Mill
Wizards, Krakens
Swamp
Black
Graveyard Recursion, Creature Kill
Zombies, Vampires
Forest
Green
Big Creatures, Mana Production
Elves, Beasts
Mountain
Red
Fire to the Face, Hasty Attacks
Goblins, Devils
Wastes
Colorless
Exile
Eldrazi

How to Win

Put Opponents Life Total Down to 0
Put 10 Poison Counters on an Opponent
Put all Cards from Opponents Library into their Graveyard or Exile
Play a Card with an Activated, Triggered, or Static Ability that causes the Opponent to Lose the Game
 

Card Types

Creature

Abilities

Kinds of Abilities
Activated
Activated abilities are abilities of a card that their controller can use whenever he or she wants (providing that He/She can pay for it and barring special conditions (i.e.: Play this ability only during your turn etc.).
Triggered
Triggered Abilities are abilities that activate when certain conditions are met.
Static
A Static Ability is one that, once it is employed or put into effect, simply is always in effect until the endgame.
List of Activated Abilities
Effect
Cycling
A
Equip
Equipping is to attach a piece of Artifact Equipment to a creature, buffering it or giving it an extra ability
List of Triggered Abilities
Effect
Cumulative Upkeep
Imposes an increasing cost to keep a permanent.
Echo
Requires the affected perman­ent's controller to pay its echo cost at the beginning of that player's next upkeep.
List of Static Abilities
Effect
Buyback
Allows you to return the card to your hand when it resolves.
Daybound
If a player cast no spells during their own turn, it becomes night next turn.
Deathtouch
Any amount of damage dealt by a source with Deathtouch is enough to kill the creature receiving the damage.
Defender
This creature cannot attack.
Double Strike
A creature with Double Strike deals damage during the first combat damage step alongside creatures with first strike, then additi­onally deal damage during the second damage step along with regular creatures.
Enchant
Enchant {target} is a static ability found on Auras which defines what they can enchant. The keyword is written with a quality after it (e.g. Enchant creature) which defines what the aura can enchant.
Extort
Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B} If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.
First Strike
Creates an additional combat damage step. A creature with first strike will deal its combat damage before a creature that doesn't.
Flash
Allows the affected card to be cast at any time you could cast an instant.
Flying
The affected creature cannot be blocked except by other creatures with either flying or creatures with the static ability Reach. Creatures with flying can block other creatures with or without flying.
Haste
Allows creatures to ignore the affliction informally known as "­Sum­moning Sickne­ss". This means that they can attack and use activated abilities with the tap symbol on the same turn they enter the battle­field.
Hexproof
The affected permanent is unable to be targeted by spells or abilities your opponents control. Permanents with hexproof can still be targeted by spells or abilities you control.
Indest­ruc­tible
Any permanent that has indest­ruc­tible cannot be destroyed, and cannot die as a result of lethal damage.
Infect
This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.
Islandwalk
The affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls an Island land.
Intimidate
Restricts the types of creatures that can block a creature with intimi­date. A creature with intimidate can't be blocked, except by artifact creatures and by creatures that share a color with it.
Kicker­/Mu­lti­kicker
Allows the player to pay an optional cost when casting a spell to achieve an additional effect.
Plainswalk
The affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls a Plains land.
Menace
This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
Mounta­inwalk
The affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls a Mountain land.
Mutate
If you cast a spell for its mutate cost, put it over or under target non-Human creature you own. They mutate into the creature on top plus all abilities from under it.
Nightbound
If a player cast at least two spells during their own turn, it becomes day next turn.
Forestwalk
The affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls a Forest land.
Swampwalk
The affected creature cannot be blocked as long as the defending player controls a Swamp land.
Lifelink
a static ability that modifies the result of damage. When a card with lifelink deals damage, the controller of that card also gains an amount of life equal to the amount of damage dealt.
Protection
Grants the affected permanent the inability to be dealt damage, enchanted, blocked, or targeted by any card with the stated quality.
Reach
The affected creature can block creatures with flying.
Riot
This creature enters the battle­field with your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste.
Shadow
The affected creature can only block, or be blocked by other creatures with shadow.
Shroud
The affected permanent or player cannot be the target of any spells or abilities, including your own.
Toxic
Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get X poison counter(s)
Trample
When attacking, the affected creature assigns the remaining damage not taken by creatures blocking it to the defending player.
Vigilance
The affected creature does not tap once declared as an attacker.
This does not list ALL abilities, only the ones most commonly encoun­tered.