Magic: The Gathering: Difference between revisions

''Magic: The Gathering'' is a [[Collectible Card Game]], produced in 1993 by [[Wizards of the Coast]] (eventually the owners of that other great geek game, ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]''). It was the first true [[Collectible Card Game]],<ref>previous attempts mostly involved baseball cards</ref>, the [[Genre Popularizer]], and [[Long Runner|even today]] it is one of the most popular card games in the world.

At the core of each deck is a duel between god-like wizards - the players themselves, who are described in game parlance as "planeswalkers." These planeswalkers deploy a wide array of spells, creatures, artifacts, and enchantments (IE, cards) as they vie to dominate [[The Multiverse|entire realms ("planes")]]--or—or, [[Watsonian Versus Doylist|if you prefer]], to reduce the opponent's [[Hit Points|life total]] to zero. Notable gameplay elements include:

* The "Color Pie": Spells are divided into five different colors--Whitecolors—White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[Competitive Balance|with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[Tactical Rock -Paper -Scissors|complex interrelations between them]]. (For more on the colors, see our [[Useful Notes/Magic: theThe Gathering/Useful Notes|Useful Notes]] and [[Magic: theThe Gathering (Tabletop Game)/Analysis|Analysis]] pages.)

* It's "[[Collectible Card Game|collectible]]": You assemble decks out of your personal collection of cards. This gives you a chance to create a deck that no one else on earth has. (And of course, it encourages you to [[Crack Isis Cheaper|buy more cards]].)

For a more complete analysis of gameplay (which is, of course, the heart of any game), we wrote a [[Useful Notes/Magic: theThe Gathering/Useful Notes|Useful Notes page]] for your enjoyment.

* ''Magic: the Gathering'': A 1997 [[Card Battle Game]] by [[Micro ProseMicroProse]]. It contained both a free-dueling mode, allowing you to build decks and battle them against AI opponents, and a campaign mode, where you could travel across the land of Shandalar exploring, dueling enemies, collecting cards, and eventually battling a [[Big Bad]].

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on [[X BoxXbox]] Live Arcade and [[Steam]], originally released in 2009. It consists mainly of traditional ''Magic'' gameplay, in addition to a puzzle mode. A sequel (''Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'') was released in June 2011, to coincide with a new Core Set release.

* ''Magic: the Gathering: Tactics'': A 2011 [[Turn -Based Strategy]] for PC and [[Play Station 3]] inspired by ''Magic''. The gameplay bears little to no resemblance, but much of the flavor is retained.

* [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Magic:_The_Gathering_video_games The Gathering video games|...And more.]]

* [[Magic: theThe Gathering/Flavor (TabletopAnd Game)/GameplayStory Tropes|GameplayFlavor And Story Tropes]]

* [[Magic: theThe Gathering (Tabletop Game)/Flavor And Story TropesCharacters|Flavor AndIndividual StoryCharacter Tropes]]

* [[Magic: theThe Gathering (Tabletop Game)/CharactersYMMV|IndividualAudience Reactions Characterand TropesYMMV]]

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[[Category:MagicTabletop The GatheringGames]]

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