|
| Magic: The Gathering |
 |
| The distinctive card back design has remained unchanged since
the game's introduction in 1993. |
| Players: |
21 |
| Age range: |
12 and up |
| Setup time: |
< 5 minutes |
| Playing time: |
< 30 minutes |
| Rules complexity: |
Medium |
| Strategy depth: |
High |
| Random chance: |
Some |
| Skills required: |
Card playing
Simple math |
| 1 Some casual rules allow more players. |
Magic: The Gathering (colloq. "Magic" or "MTG"), is a collectible card game created by Richard
Garfield, Ph.D. and introduced by Wizards of the Coast
in 1993. Magic inspired an entirely new game
genre, and continues to endure with an estimated six million players in over seventy
countries worldwide and on the Internet1. The game plays as a strategy contest not unlike chess, but like most standard card games, there
is an element of luck due to the random
distribution of cards during shuffling.
Magic: The Gathering cards are produced in much the same way as normal playing cards. Each Magic card has a face, which displays the card's name and rules text, as well as an
illustration and "flavor text" appropriate to the card's concept, but with no
game value. Over 7000 unique cards have been produced for the game, with 500–600 new ones added on a yearly basis. Each
player designs a deck of cards (chosen from the cards they have managed to purchase) to be
used in competition.
During play, each individual contest is called a "duel" to represent the primary
fictional setting of the game. In this setting, each player is said to be a very powerful wizard (called a "planeswalker", a powerful mage, who, with a
thought, can travel across the very planes of existence) doing battle against another. In order to win this contest and drive the
other wizard away, each wizard draws upon the power of magical spells, items, and
fantastic creatures to do battle. Though the original concept of the game drew heavily from the motifs of traditional fantasy role-playing games
such as Dungeons & Dragons, Magic bears
little resemblance to those pencil-and-paper campaigns.
Magic boasts a thriving official tournament system, in which the game is
played for cash and scholarship prizes, but is also known to be very well supported by casual gamers who only play with friends
at schools, clubs, or home. The cards themselves also have value, much like other trading cards, but in this case based on both scarcity and game play potential.
History
Role-players were enthusiastic early fans of Magic, but
the game achieved much wider popularity among strategy gamers. The commercial success of the game prompted a wave of other
collectible card games to flood the market in the
mid-1990s, although many of them were poorly designed and failed both commercially and in
popularity. Although Magic's gross card sales have been surpassed in recent years, particularly by Japanese import games based on the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! franchises, Magic's popularity continues to grow steadily.
In 1994, Magic: The Gathering won the Origins Awards for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1993 and Best Graphic Presentation
of a Boardgame of 1993, and in 1999 it was inducted alongside Richard Garfield into the Origins Hall of Fame. In 2003, after Magic: The Gathering had fulfilled the
ten-year existence required for induction, GAMES Magazine selected it
for its Games Hall of Fame, making it the 23rd game so honored.
Game play
In a game of Magic, two (or sometimes more) players play the roles of so-called planeswalkers (powerful wizards) engaging in a
magical duel to the death. Every player has 20 life points; once these reach zero (depleted by damage or by life
loss) he or she loses. In addition, if a player is unable to draw a card from his library (draw pile) when required,
that player loses. Specific cards may add other ways to win or lose the game. The last surviving player is declared the
winner.
Players fight each other by playing lands and spells from their hand. Spells are played by drawing upon mana, or magical energy, which is generated by land cards. There are thousands of
different spell cards, which come from collectible sets (hence the term collectible card game or trading card game). There are two basic types of spells: those
which create a "permanent" and those which affect the game immediately and are then put into their ownners' graveyards. The types
of cards are:
- Creatures: Summon a creature that can attack the other player or be used for defense. Creatures are "permanents"- they
remain in play until some event causes their removal (spells, abilities, death in combat, etc.).
- Artifacts: Like creatures, artifacts are permanents that remain in play until removed. Artifacts may have continuous
effects or may only take effect when activated by their owner. Artifacts may also be creatures. Artifacts are considered
colorless, and as they do not have colored mana in their cards, they can be played in combination with any colors. Artifacts
represent machines, devices, robots, magical items, and weapons.
- Enchantments: There are two forms of enchantments, local and global, which are both permanents like artifacts and
creatures. Local enchantments are attached to any player's permanent, modifying its characteristics, and are destroyed either
directly or are put into their owners' graveyards when the permanent to which they are attached leaves play or it is otherwise
illegal for it to enchant that permanent. Global enchantments affect the entire play environment. Global enchantments persist
until removed.
- Sorceries: Can only be played by the "active player", or the player who is currently taking their turn, and only
during that player's main phase if the stack is empty, that is, if there are no otherv spells or abilities that haven't resolved
yet. Sorceries are not permanent, and go to the graveyard immediately after use.
- Instants: Can be used by any player at almost any time, but, like sorceries, go to the graveyard after use. Some older
cards are of the type interrupt and mana source, however, these have been retroactively changed to become
"instants", due to rules simplifications and clarifications.
- Lands: The most basic resource of the game, lands are permanents which provide the mana needed to play spells
(sometimes in addition to other effects). A player may only play one land per turn. Lands are colorless, and are never considered
spells.
Each player has a library where cards from the deck that have not yet been drawn are kept; a hand containing cards
drawn but not yet played; an area on the table for his or her lands, creatures, etc. that are in play (objects in play are
referred to as permanents); and a graveyard where spent spells, destroyed or sacrificed permanents, or discarded
cards are placed, and a removed from the game zone where cards are placed when they are removed from the game. Players may
never look into the libraries (unless a card's ability allows you to do so) and may see their own hands only, but may view all
the other cards on the table without restriction. There are also lesser-used zones called the "phased out" zone and the
ante zone; in both cases only a few cards make use of it.
Game play is turn-based. During a turn, the active player untaps his tapped permanents (returns them to their upright
state), draws one card, plays at most one land from his or her hand, casts as many spells as he or she wants to and can afford
(with mana), and may attack another player with one or more creatures. In order for a creature to be used as an attacker, it must
have been in play before the current turn starts. The attacking player taps the creature card by turning it sideways to
indicate he or she is attacking with that creature. The defending player may declare some of his or her creatures as
blockers. Attacking creatures deal damage to their assigned blockers (equal to their power) and are likewise
damaged by them. A creature that amasses in one turn more than a specific amount of damage (its toughness) dies and goes
to its owner's graveyard. Unblocked attackers deal damage to the player they attacked, reducing that player's life total. All
damage dealt to creatures that did not die is healed at the end of the turn, during the so-called "cleanup step".
The protocol for resolving spell cards and other abilities is known as the stack, or the LIFO (Last In, First Out) rule. The stack works like this:
A player may play any number of successive spells or abilities when he or she has priority. However, none of these objects
will resolve (that is, take effect) until the player with priority passes it to the other player, and that player passes in
return. If the second player adds anything more to the stack, they go "on top" of the objects already there. When both players
pass in succession, the top object on the stack resolves. If both players pass when there are no objects on the stack, the game
moves on to the next step or phase. This protocol may sound complicated in writing, but in practice it is usually
instantaneous.
Some spells have effects that override normal game rules (e.g., allow you to play more than one land per turn). Spell effects
may contradict each other, and it is one of the more difficult aspects of gameplay to resolve these conflicts. A detailed and
thorough rulebook exists to clarify conflicts. The so-called "Golden Rule of Magic" is that if a card's text overrides a game
rule, follow the card. Because of this very few rules in the game have not been broken. There are numerous cards that change the
way combat works, allow players to play spells for free, or even forcing people to skip parts of their turn.
Deck construction
Preparation for a game as the players choose which cards to include in their decks. Beginners typically start with only a
starter deck; but, over time, more cards are added to the player's stock
through purchases or trading with other players. In casual play, the allowed card sets are agreed informally. Due to the many possibilities, two players seldom play with the
same decks.
The standard deck size for play is sixty cards, as a minimum total, counting spells, creatures, and lands. Players are
restricted to using no more than four of any named card, except that they may include any number of "basic" lands. Some standard
formats restrict further the number of allowed cards. When deciding which cards to include, it is often most beneficial to use
the minimum deck size, combined with the maximum number of card copies, so that the most useful cards are drawn more often.
The balance of land to spells is the most fundamental aspect of deck building. Most spells have a color, which means that they
require lands which will provide that color to be included in the deck. A deck also must have a large enough number of lands so
that they are drawn in a timely manner. The ratio of spells to lands is typically in the range of 2:1–3:2.
The five colors (see The colors of Magic) each have different strengths and
weaknesses. For this reason, it is often worthwhile to play two or more colors, so that the strengths of one compensate for the
vulnerabilities of the other. This complicates the interaction of all the components, but results in a more diverse deck.
The colors of Magic
The equilibrium between the five colors is one of the defining aspects of the game. The various strengths and weaknesses of
each color are attributed to the fact that each color represents a different "style" of magic. Because the trade-offs between the
abilities of each color are integral to keeping the game balanced, it is helpful to discuss the various color philosophies.
- White is the color of equality, order, law, righteousness, and light (although not necessarily "good.") Typical white
creatures include knights, soldiers,
civilians, and angels. Within the game,
white's strengths lie in healing damage; launching tactical creature assaults; removing opposing enchantments; and imposing
additional rules that all players must abide by. White's weaknesses include its difficulty in answering threats through direct
removal, and the fact that many of its most powerful spells affect all players equally.
- Blue is the color of knowledge, illusion, reason, ingenuity, and trickery. Typical blue creatures include wizards, merfolk, and air and water spirits. Blue's cards are best at letting you draw additional cards; giving you control of opposing
creatures; sending cards in play back to their owner's hands (informally called "bounce"); and canceling your opponent's spells
as they are being played. Blue's weaknesses lie in that it has by far the weakest creatures of any color and it has only limited
ways of dealing with opposing threats once they have entered play.
- Black is the color of death, darkness, plague, selfishness, and greed (although not necessarily "evil.") Typical black
creatures include undead, demons, and necromancers. Within the game, black cards are best at killing opposing creatures;
making your opponent discard cards in his hand; raising your own creatures from the dead; and giving you the option to trade your
own life points for more powerful effects. Black's weaknesses include the fact that it cannot remove opposing artifacts or
enchantments, and many of black's best cards can harm you if you are not careful.
- Red is the color of destruction, war, passion, chaos, and anger. Typical red creatures include goblins, orcs, barbarians,
and earth and fire spirits. Red is one of the best colors at destroying opposing creatures, artifacts, and lands; for
trading long-term resources for short-term power; and for playing spells that deal damage directly to your opponents. Red's
weaknesses include its inability to deal with enchantments, and the fact that it has limited options if you are trying to
interfere with your opponents' ability to play spells. Red also has the vast majority of cards that involve random chance.
- Green is the color of life, nature, growth, instinct, and interdependence. Typical green creatures include beasts, elves, plants, and druids. Green has many creatures, of all sizes; it is excellent
at being able to bring more lands in play and generate more mana; and it has ways of adding points to its life total. However,
green has difficulty removing opposing creatures from play, and has almost no strategies that are not creature-based.
The colors can be seen on the back of the cards, in a circle-like design, figuratively called the "color wheel". Starting from
the top, going clockwise, they are: white, blue, black, red, and green. The colors adjacent to each other on the wheel are
"allied" and can have similar/complementary abilities or strategic approaches. For example, blue has few efficient, playable
creatures in general, but does have a relatively large number of flying creatures. White and black, being next to it, also have
many flying creatures. Red and green are opposite blue and have very few flyers. The two non-adjacent colors to a particular
color are "enemy" colors, and are often thematically opposed. For instance, red is the color of chaos, while white is the color
of order.
A series of five articles written by Mark Rosewater describing each
color in depth can be found at the game's official site at MagicTheGathering.com (http://www.magicthegathering.com): The Great White Way (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr57), True Blue (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr84), In The Black (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr109), Seeing Red (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr133), and Its Not Easy Being Green (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr43)
Variant rules
Almost since its creation, players of the game have created alternate styles of play – from simple house rules to
completely original game mechanics. These are often created to balance out one or more problems with the basic rules, as seen by
the play groups (see section below on controversial aspects). Some casual play rules (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules/casualplayer) have been released by Wizards
of the Coast, and more are still under development, such as an updated set of multiplayer rules (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/220).
- Multiplayer — The core game rules support one-on-one play, but the most popular play variants involve more. The
simplest form is the "melee", where players sit in a circle and combat those around them to be the final surviving player. Some
melees involve attacking in one direction or the other (sometimes called "Assassin"), or can be played as a free-for-all. One
popular variant called "Rainbow" involves exactly five players, each one playing one of the colors of Magic and trying to
defeat the diametrically opposed ones. Team-based play is also extremely popular. Teams of two (often called "Two-Headed Giant
(or Ogre)" share many resources and have the common goal of defeating the other team. In "Emperor", two teams of three or more
players each play to ensure their central player (the emperor) outlasts the other.
- Alternate deck contruction — Players often like to challenge themselves by using different card selections. In
one system, players are allowed to use only one of each card instead of the usual limit of four – this is called
"Singleton" or "Highlander" ("There can be only one"). In the "Pauper's Deck" (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/jm67) or "Peasant Magic" (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/feature/58) variants, the more powerful rare
cards are not allowed, and players must construct decks using only the more commonly available cards as a way of balancing the
games away from players who have access to more resources. In "5-Color" (http://www.5-color.com) or "Prismatic Magic" (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/magiconline/prismaticprimer), players must build
very large decks (at least 250 cards) and accommodate a minimum number (about 20) cards of each color. In order to alleviate
problems with the mana resource system, some play variants include rules for building decks without lands. These often include
other compensating controls, such as restricting players to one spell per turn or in using spell cards themselves to be played as
lands and produce matching colored mana.
- Mental Magic — These variants are a popular one among long-time players. Often, a common stack of random cards
is used as decks for each player. Play is as normal except that the cards in their hand can be played as any card in the game
with the same mana cost, but each such card can only be named once per game.
Playing Magic on the Internet
- Magic Online (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/magiconline) — The official
Internet-based version of Magic, provides for play against other people connected to the Internet. It recreates Magic: The
Gathering gameplay closely, enforcing an extensive and actively updated knowledge of the game rules, provisions for social and
card trading interactions, visual presentation of the same card art as the physical cards, and near-parallel release of new card
sets both as physical and online cards. Magic Online does not charge for time online or per game played. Instead, the online
cards must be purchased. Prices for online cards are comparable to prices for physical cards, at least in the United States. Each player's purchased cards "reside" on game servers.
- Magic-League.com (http://www.magic-league.com)
— Magic can be played online free of charge through Magic-League. The software used is a freeware program called
"Apprentice". Magic-League has its own ranking system and player base.
- Generic Collectible Card
Game (http://gccg.sourceforge.net/) (in beta testing as of October 2004) — GCCG is a program
intended to support online play of multiple collectible card card games. It is a free open source program running on Linux, Mac OS and Microsoft Windows. Every player starts
with the same amount of money (not real money), that can be used to buy closed card sets or cards from other players. Players
create decks with these cards and then play against other players for money, cards or fun.
- Magic
Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com/) — This shareware
program (not affiliated with DCI or Wizards of the Coast) is a powerful tool that enables users to build decks and compete in
online play.
Organized play
- Main article: Duelists'
Convocation International
Magic: The Gathering has grown a lot since it was first introduced in 1993, and a large culture has developed around the game.
Magic tournaments are arranged almost every weekend in gaming stores. Larger
tournaments with hundreds of competitors from around the globe sponsored by Wizards of the Coast are arranged many times every
year. Large sums of money are paid out to those players who place the best in the tournament, and the winner receives sums upward
of US$30,000. A number of websites report on tournament news, give complete lists for the most currently popular decks, and
feature articles on current issues of debate about the game. The Duelists' Convocation International (or DCI) is the organizing body for professional
Magic events. The DCI is owned and operated by Wizards of the
Coast.
There are two basic types of organized play, Constructed and Limited.
Constructed
In Constructed tournaments, each player comes with a pre-built deck. Decks must consist of no fewer than 60 cards, and
no more than four of any one card (the basic land cards may be used in any quantity), just as in the standard game rules. Various
tournament formats exist which define what card sets are allowed to be used, and which specific cards are disallowed.
Additionally, a 15-card sideboard is permitted, from which a player may tweak his or her deck during a match to better
deal with their opponent's strategy. Following the first game of a best-of-three match, each player is permitted to replace any
number of cards in his or her deck with an equal number of cards from his or her sideboard. The original deck configuration is
restored at the conclusion of the match.
Limited
Limited tournaments are based on a pool of cards which the player receives at the time of the event. In sealed deck
tournaments, each player has 75 cards from which to build their deck; in drafts, 45 cards. Any number of basic lands may also be
added to the deck. The decks in limited tournaments need only be 40 cards minimum; all the unused cards function as the
sideboard.
Product information
- Main article: Magic: The Gathering
sets
The first Magic cards were printed exclusively in English, but current sets are printed in a number of other languages as
well, including French, German, Italian and Japanese.
Magic cards are released in expansions and base sets. The base sets consist entirely of reprints of cards that were originally
printed in expansion sets, the large majority of them fairly simple in function. The purpose of the base set is twofold: firstly,
it is used as a "stepping stone", giving new players a chance to learn and understand the basics of the game without having to
deal with the more complicated mechanics often used in the expansion sets. Secondly, it is used as way to keep certain staple
cards legal within the various tournament formats without the need to reprint them in the expansion sets. This also makes the
staple cards easier to acquire, lowering the barrier to entry for constructed play. The current edition of the base set
(currently 8th Edition, though 9th Edition is due to be released this summer) is always called the "Core Set."
Expansion sets are released in "blocks", with a new block released each year. Each block consists of three sets: a large
expansion of 306 cards, which is released in the fall, and two smaller follow-up expansions, each 165 cards, released in late
winter and early summer, respectively. Each block shares a common flavor, the smaller sets expanding upon the theme and mechanics
of the large set.
In 2003, the game went through the biggest visual change since its creation. A new card frame layout was developed to allow
more rules text and larger art on the cards, while reducing the thick, colored border to a minimum. Contrast and readability were
improved by using black type, a new font, and partitioned ares for the name, card type, and
attack values.
Secondary market
There is an active secondary market in individual cards among players and game shops. On eBay, for example, there are an estimated 30,000 Magic: The Gathering card auctions running at any one
time.
The game cards are published by Wizards of the Coast in varying quantities – a standard booster pack contains eleven
common cards, three uncommon cards, and one rare. The prices of individual cards vary accordingly. Common
cards rarely sell for more than a few cents. Uncommon cards and weak rares typically cost under US$1. The most expensive cards in
Standard tournament play usually cost approximately US$10-20.
The most expensive card is generally considered to be the Black Lotus,
with certain rare printings as of 2004 rising above US$1000. It, and the other
cards in the so-called "Power Nine", routinely reach
high sale prices. In 2003, after the rotation of the Extended tournament format and in combination with the first Type 1
Championships, the prices for such old, tournament-level cards underwent a large, unexpected increase.
As new sets come out, older cards are occasionally reprinted. If a card has high play value, reprinting will often increase
the original version's price, because of the higher demand among players. However, if the card is primarily attractive to
collectors, reprinting will often decrease the original version's value. To help protect the collectible value of many old cards,
Wizards of the Coast has formulated an official "Reprint Policy", which details certain cards that are unavailable to be printed
again.
Artwork
Since its inception, Magic has used exceptionally high quality art on its cards. Each card
has a fantasy-themed picture related to what the card represents. Each picture usually includes elements of the colour of the
spell, contains the background of the set it is published in, and relates to the flavor of the spell as given in the flavor text
or title. The art proved so popular that Wizards of the Coast released a book titled The Art of Magic: The Gathering
(ISBN 0786911786) in 1998. Notable
artists who have contributed art for Magic cards include John Avon, Melissa Benson, Brom, Terese
Nielsen, Mark Poole, Dan Frazier, John Coulthart, Mike Dringenberg,
Kaja Foglio, Phil Foglio,
Frank Kelly Freas, Rebecca Guay, John Howe, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ron Spencer, Bryan Talbot, Christopher Rush, Pete Venters and Michael Whelan.
Controversial aspects
Expense
Three to four new sets for the game are published each year, adding 600-700 new cards annually. Competitive players of the
game, especially those that participate in tournaments which use DCI-sanctioned format known
as Standard or Type II, must frequently adapt their constructed decks because the competitive environment changes
each time the list of allowed sets is changed. To collect the cards needed, players either purchase un-opened packs or specific
cards from stores, or trade with other players. In Standard, new sets are added shortly after the official release date,
and removed after approximately two years. Other formats, such as Extended and Vintage (formerly Type I), allow
sets to be played for much longer durations, but many older, hard-to-find, or widely-used cards increase in price dramatically
over time because they hold higher competitive value.
In Limited formats, such as sealed-deck and draft, players are provided un-opened packs at the start of the event and
must construct decks using only the cards received. Costs for individual events are relatively steady because deck preparation is
negated, but frequent play or practice does require investment in un-opened packs.
Luck vs. skill
Magic is based on a system of basic resources called lands from which mana is drawn so that spell cards
can be played. Drawing too few or too many of these resources can have a detrimental affect on the player's game — a
situation known colloquially as mana screw. Although each player is able to choose which cards to include in their deck,
because each deck is shuffled prior to the duel they cannot choose the order in which the cards are drawn. A player must
determine the optimal number of lands to include in their deck, usually by fine-tuning after a number of practice games.
A "mulligan" rule was later introduced into the game, first informally in casual
play and then in the official game rules. The "mulligan" allows players to shuffle their hand back into the deck at the start of
the game, and draw a new hand. Initially, a player was only allowed to do this if they had either no lands or all lands in their
opening hand, and only once per game. Later, the rule was changed so that a player could mulligan regardless of their hand and as
often as they wanted, but drawing one less card than the previous (the "Paris" mulligan). This action introduces a skill
component into this random element of the game, as the player can choose to mulligan a hand if it contains too few or too many
lands. An excellent source for information on the "mulligan" can be found in the article "Starting Over" (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr112b) by Mark Rosewater.
Other random factors can affect play. In "Constructed" tournaments, where
pairings are assigned randomly, players will often cite the "luck" of certain match-ups between deck archetypes. In those cases,
some decks are said to perform better against certain types than others. In "Limited" tournaments, the cards a player receives
are a random selection, and so can limit or enhance a player's performance.
While it is generally agreed that the game has elements of both skill and luck, it is the ratio of these two factors
that is often debated amongst players.
Net decking
The Internet has played an important role in competitive Magic. Strategy
discussions and tournament reports frequently include a listing of the exact contents of a deck and descriptions of its
performance against others. Known as "net decking", some players will take this information and construct a deck containing the
same, or very similar, contents – relying on the expertise and experience of other players. While this strategy is often a
good one, it is not a guarantee that the deck will repeat its earlier success. The player may be inexperienced, unfamiliar with
the operation of the deck, or they may enter an event where a large number of other players have also "net decked". Many players
advocate "Limited" formats of competitive Magic over "Constructed" formats because of this phenomenon.
Demonic themes
The Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, and Revised editions, plus some of the early expansion sets, had cards
with demonic themes (such as Demonic Tutor and Unholy Strength, which
both featured a reversed pentagram in the artwork). For reasons discussed in the
article Where Have All The Demons Gone? (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr131) by Mark Rosewater, these cards
were removed from later sets and there was a long period when all references to demons were carefully avoided. However, the game
still received criticism over its occult themes. Believing that the concept of "demons"
was becoming less controversial, Wizards of the Coast restarted printing cards with "Demonic" in the name in 2002. Although many cards have had a theme of demons, Magic: The Gathering boasts over 7,000 different cards,
most of which have no relation to a demonic theme. Themes most often used in Magic are folklore and classic fantasy.
Patent
Magic was the basis for a controversial patent obtained by Wizards of the Coast, which covers many of the game's mechanics and
concepts. See "Collectible card game" for a full
discussion of the patent issue.
Notable players
See Magic: The
Gathering World Championship and Magic:
The Gathering Pro Tour for lists of more notable players, and their accomplishments.
- Kai Budde – 1999 World Champion, three time
Pro Tour Player of the Year,
lifetime winnings leader, and lifetime Pro Points leader.
- Jon Finkel – 2000 World Champion, 1998
Player of the Year, second in lifetime winnings, and second in lifetime Pro Points. Finkel began his Magic career as part
of the Junior Pro Tour.
- Dave Williams – successful
Pro player, later became a 2004 World Series of Poker finalist.
References
External links
- MagicTheGathering.com (http://www.magicthegathering.com) Official site for Magic: The Gathering
- MTGOnline.com (http://www.mtgonline.com) Official site for Magic: The Gathering Online
- TheDCI.com (http://www.thedci.com) Official site for Wizards of the Coast organized play
- MagicCards.Info (http://www.magiccards.Info) Searchable card database in 8+ languages
- MTGSalvation.com (http://www.mtgsalvation.com) News and rumors about the game.
- The Magic Library (http://www.magiclibrary.net) Background information on ultra-rare promotional cards and other
collectible items
- Magic Online Trading League
(MOTL) (http://www.magictraders.com) Discussion board for card trading and sales
- Magic-League.com (http://www.magic-league.com/) Unofficial online magic play using Apprentice and Magic
Workstation
- Misetings.com (http://www.misetings.com/) A humor site focusing on parodies and spoofs of Magic: The
Gathering
- Phyrexia.com (http://www.phyrexia.com) Storyline site
- The Math of
Magic (http://www.kibble.net/magic/math.php) Essay on the mathematics of Magic:
The Gathering
- BrainBurst.com (http://www.brainburst.com) Strategy site (pay service)
- StarCityGames.com (http://www.starcitygames.com)
Strategy site (merchant site)
- Essential
Magic (http://www.essentialmagic.com) Site to create and view decks, combos,
and strategy.
- The Mana Drain (http://www.themanadrain.com) Strategy site that specializes in Vintage (T1).
- The Source (http://mtgthesource.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi) Strategy site that specializes in Legacy
(T1.5).
- PlanetMtg (http://www.planetmtg.de) The premier German MTG Site.
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