Recently, the popularity of computer KKI (collection card games) has been growing rapidly. Success Hearthstone from Blizzard prompted other developers to try their forces in this genre. True, the results are ambiguous. Closed beta testing "Gwint" from CD Projekt Red it started very worthy, and the project is already causing a lively interest to the public, but here The Elder Scrolls: Legends prospects, apparently, are not rainbow. Company Wargaming And I had to abandon my card game with tanks and soldiers. The KKI region extends widely, and the competition in it is harsh. But what is standing at the source of the genre?
Answer – Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast , abbreviated MTG, or "magic". But many interested ones simply do not know which side to approach MTG. Difficult, troublesome, and in general you saw how many rules are there?
But not as terrible "magic" as it is seen.
Hello from the last century
The first issue of Magic: The Gathering saw the light at the end of the summer of 1993, and the next year the game will celebrate the twenty-five. Strictly speaking, before the "magic" of collectible card games there were no at all. Timid attempts to create something similar were observed, but the usual features of KKI gained only with the advent of MTG. It is she who is rightfully considered the founder of the genre, and it was in it that the authors of all subsequent projects drew inspiration.
The creator of the game, mathematician Richard Garfield, in his youth was carried away by the development of concepts of board games. First of all, he was looking for a publisher for Roborally, a table of combat robots using miniatures, but then the management of then a modest company Wizards of the Coast showed greater interest in the prototype of the card game, since it is easier to implement in print.
Left – the name map of the creator of the game from the 2004 Unhinded Joking Sit. On the right are two more cards from the same issue depicting the tormented editor and the enthusiastic player.
The initial concept, under the working name Five Magics, combined Garfield with the format of baseball cards popular in the United States. So the Mana Clash project appeared, approved by the publishing house. After a little improvement and change of name, the world saw Magic: The Gathering. The design of the card shirt since 1993 has not changed: on the reverse side we see the same stylized cover of the magic folio.
Since then, each year has been released on several plot-films, bringing new maps and mechanics. Over the entire existence of the game, more than sixteen thousand cards have been created. Official tournaments are held in more than a hundred countries. The score of the participants goes to thousands, and the bill of prizes – for millions of dollars. No more KKI today can boast of such results. The first representative of the genre still does not lose ground.
The basics of studying magic
MTG basics simply master, but a complete publication of the rules with all additions and explanations is an impressive volume. You can figure it out quickly, however, in order to achieve visual awards, you will have to get up. Poprazing Suvorov: easy in teaching, hard in battle.
In the upper right corner, the cost of a card for mana glasses is written. In the center of the card, its type is indicated: creature, magic, spell, earth or artifact. And the creatures in the lower right corner have their indicator of strength and resistance.
In Magic, players act as powerful wizards who can travel through different worlds, create spells and call creates from other worlds. As a rule, two fights in the party. Everyone has 20 points of life at the start, and your goal is to kill the enemy before he gets you. The game also ends if one of the players dies all cards in the deck.
In the usual format of the game, decks consist of at least sixty cards, while cards of the same type can be repeated up to four times. With the exception of basic lands: the number of the player sets them aside.
There are five types of lands: green forests, blue islands, red mountains, white plains and black swamps. Each of the cards gives mana a certain color. You will need it to play other cards. If the number of the card costs indicates the number in the gray circle, then for the draw you can use mana of any color.
Full -size maps of basic lands of all five colors from the set "Battle for Zendikar".
The order of moves
– Step of the turn (returning to the starting position of the previously used cards);
-a step of support (a cunning stage, during it the abilities of certain cards may work if any of your cards use this phase);
– the advice of one card from the deck;
– the first main phase (you can lay out one map of the Earth, play all types of cards for their cost, use cards)
– the phase of the battle (if the player wants to attack creatures in his move, he declares a battle; in this phase, you cannot enter new cards into the game, except for instantaneous ones, but you can use the abilities of existing ones on the battlefield);
– the second main phase (after the battle you can also play any available cards, and if there was no battle, then both main phases merge into one);
– the final step (some cards can work on the same principle as in the step of support);
– The cleaning step (all damage is removed from the surviving creatures, and the player sends extra cards at his choice in the cemetery, if he has more than seven).
The cost of the Pima rider card is four points of mana, and two of them should be green. And for the conclusion on the cloud scouts battlefield, five mana points need to be spent, but one blue and one white will be needed.
Difficult, but beautiful!
Yes, MTG is not easy, especially if you compare the paper version with computer KKI, where the interface, as a rule, suggests what is possible and what is impossible. In reality, cards make you think hard, keeping all the nuances of the rules in your memory. At the same time, the visual component of the game organically complements the gameplay and allows not only to win, but to win beautifully.
Maps from a private collection, with illustrations and signature of the artist John Avon, one of the most popular among authors' players.
Magic: The Gathering is a truly collectible game where cards have, in addition to game functions, special artistic value. Hundreds of authors from around the world work on the design of unique illustrations, filling the game worlds with the most incredible images.
In addition, cards are divided into ordinary, unusual, rare and mythical, as well as premium versions with a holographic coating – “foyle” (from English. Foil – foil). Maps with the signature of the artist or an alternative illustration are especially valued. You can only get these at competitions and conventions.
Collectors also highly value cards with typographic shortcomings. Well, some of the most valuable cards are those that developers forbidden to use in tournaments. Sometimes it is not possible to fully calculate the influence of the card on the balance in the game, and if it turns out to be too strong, it can be “disqualified”.
Reading is useful
The plot in MTG branch and dynamic. Every year, two new sets come out, where the action is transferred to a new or already well -familiar setting. Several times, the game returned to the worlds of Zendikar, equalnik and Innistra, and the world of living metal Mirrodin was transformed into a desecrated new Firekxia.
The dimensionless Firacians attacked the measurement with metallized forms of flora and fauna, whose native world was destroyed. They brought with them a severe infection – Firexian oil, which, beyond recognition, transformed creatures encountered with him. In 2016, players in tournaments were given a choice-for which of the parties to play: for resisting Aborigines or for attacking Firekisians. As a result, Mirrodin fell and became a new house for invaders.
Illustration of the map "Fair of Inventions", during which the events of the last addition are unfolding.
And the action of the last renewal, called "Ether riot", takes place in the world of Kaladesh, where eastern aesthetics and steampunk are combined, but instead of the usual couple – a certain ether.
The fair invites inventors!
To understand the MTG mechanics and nuances, we will consider two ready -made Planeswalker’s decks, which were released in the latest “Eter Riot” update for the release of “Kaladesh”. Planeswalker’ami (Miro -Roaders) in the MTG universe is called magicians and heroes who have the ability to move between the worlds of multiverse and call for forces from other dimensions.
Such a beautiful set sent us to the editor. In stores, the deck of Tezeret and Ajani are sold separately.
Currently, the game of the game is unfolding in the world of Kaladesh; Its peculiarity is cunning inventions based on the strength of the ether. A similar to the lion of Ajani and the insidious Tezzer look at us from the covers of the decks. They are both – immigrants from the same world, Alara, but they arrived in the world of Kaladesh with different purposes.
Each set consists of sixty cards, as well as two booster (sets of fifteen random cards), a name box for storage and instructions. The deck of the valiant adjani is based on a combination of two colors – white and green. This combination is best suited to a friendly and decisive Leonin, ready for a lot to protect the weak. White color in MTG traditionally means mechanics associated with honor, fidelity, bright beliefs and treatment (Hello Paladinas!), and green – with a riot of nature and rebellious elves (hello scya’taeli!).
The deck of the Tezeret consists of blue maps – the embodiment of intelligence and science, and black, allowing the use of dishonest techniques and calling for the most disgusting creatures. But the core of the deck of the Vladyka Metal – colorless artifacts, all kinds of mechanisms that can affect the outcome of the battle.
The Map of the Peace of the Tezeret and the cover of the deck under his leadership.
The abilities of the thesis are tied precisely on these artifacts. In the lower right corner, the number 5 is indicated – this is the basic number of fidelity points of the world driver. The same number reflects the number of heroes of the hero's life. Each move the player can use one of three abilities, increasing or decreasing the number of fidelity glasses.
For example, you can play a map of Tezzeret, and then – three strokes in a row to activate his first skill. This will allow you to find three artifact cards in turn, as well as raise the number of trowel fidelity points to eight. Now you can use the strongest, third, ability and intercept control over all the creatures and artifacts of the opponent. Typically, the third skill is able to turn the course of the game, because the enemy who lost the army is unlikely to be able to rectify the situation.
The second abilities, as a rule, are used less often the first and third: they can save you in a certain situation, but they will not give a huge advantage.
Brave Adjani – representative of the race of the lion -like Leonins.
The first and third abilities of Adjani, a valiant defender, make it possible to strengthen your creatures, and the second will help you find and take a creature map in your hand. But the talents of Tezeret and Ajani presented in these decks are not the only! In other plot issues, there are modified maps of the same world drives.
Combat support from all sides
Mirrotsy indirectly associated with other cards in the deck. For example, the spell “Touch of Thezzeret” makes it possible to enchant a subject artifact and turn it into a creature with force and endurance 5/5. And the magic of the “betrayal of the Tezeret” will allow you to destroy any creature on the battlefield, and will also help to find a map of the metal magician in the deck or in the cemetery and take it in the hand. On the illustrations of these spells, the Tezzeret itself is depicted during the battle. And here is the map of the “Simulakr The Tezzeret” – a revived golem: it becomes stronger if there is a gentleman on the battlefield.
After the draw, the spell remains on the battlefield and have a constant effect, and cards of the “Magic” type immediately after use are sent to the cemetery. Creatures marked “Artifact” fight the same way as other types of creatures, but can give bonuses to other cards working in conjunction with artifacts.
For Ajani, a valiant defender, there are similar spells, they will help to find a world -gun in a discharge or in a deck. And if you sacrifice a map of such magic, it will block the damage from one chosen creature. The "elven comrade -in -arms" Adjani intensifies every battle, where she fought side by side with Leoninsky Hero. Similarly, one can once strengthen all its creatures with magic “inspiring roar”, in the illustration of this map, Adjani inspires a powerful roar to his comrades.
I want to start playing!
If after reading our material you had a desire to play, know: the first batch of Magic is free! It is enough to come to the nearest Wizards of the Coast Game club, take a free initial deck and ask one of the employees to play with you. The decks for beginners are very simple: they have only 60 cards, and there are much less possible combinations and a mechanic than in other sets. But you will get a good idea of the game.
Five heroes from among the most famous in the game universe look at us from the covers of the introductory free decks: Nissa Revein, Chandra Nalaar, Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren and Liliana Wess. They personify a certain color of magic, but there are no world drivers themselves in the free deck – their cards are too rare and expensive.
If you like it, then the next step is simple: buy one of the finished decks. They already correspond to a full -fledged format, balanced and play well against each other. With them you can even try to participate in competitions for beginners.
In a word, "magic" is very diverse. Would you just want to play a couple of parties with friends in the evening, are you going to collect rare cards, or decided to try good luck in a tournament battle – in this multi -senior there is a place for everyone.