Card type
Land
Not a spell. Tap for mana. One land per turn is the usual rule.
- What it does
- Your mana source. Lands are how you pay for everything else.
- When you play it
- Once on each of your turns, during a main phase, when the stack is empty. Some cards let you cheat extra lands.
- Beginner trap
- Treating a land like a spell you cast, or forgetting to play one because you were busy attacking.
Lands do not use the stack the way a Lightning Bolt does. You play one. It sits there. You tap it for mana of the color it makes.
Basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest) are the teaching set. Nonbasics have extra rules and are why Commander boxes look expensive.
If you miss a land drop, the rest of your hand gets stuck. A beginner deck wants something like 24 lands in 60, or 36–38 in a 100-card Commander list. Count before you sit down.
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More card types
Creature
Attacks and blocks. Power / toughness is the bottom-right box.
Instant
A one-shot you can cast on either turn, as long as you have priority.
Sorcery
A one-shot that waits for your main phase. Bigger effects, slower door.
Artifact
A permanent, usually colorless. Equipment, rocks, and machines.
Enchantment
A lasting spell on the table — a rule that stays, or an Aura on one thing.
Planeswalker
A legendary ally with loyalty. You may activate one ability on your turn.