History TabletopGame / MagicTheGathering

''You are a planeswalker...''

* MagicTheGathering/FactionTropes

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on [[{{PS3}} The Playstation Store]], XBox Live Arcade and {{Steam}}, originally released in 2009. It has received {{Numbered Sequel}}s in June of '11, '12 and '13, coinciding with new Core Set releases, and Wizards are [[InvokedTrope deliberately]] positioning it as their GatewaySeries to new players.

''You are a planeswalker''

* The {{Mana}} system: To play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana, gained from land cards. More-powerful spells [[AwesomeButImpractical cost lots of mana]], and decks that try to stuff in spells of every color risk drawing the wrong lands and being unable to play any of their cards.

''Magic: The Gathering'' is a CollectibleCardGame, produced in 1993 by WizardsOfTheCoast (eventually the owners of that other great geek game, ''DungeonsAndDragons''). It was the first true {{Collectible Card Game}}[[hottip:*:previous attempts mostly involved baseball cards]], the GenrePopularizer, and [[LongRunner even today]] it is one of the most popular card games in the world.

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on [[{{PS3}} The Playstation Store]], XBox Live Arcade and {{Steam}}, originally released in 2009. It has received {{Numbered Sequel}}s in June of '11 and '12, coinciding with new Core Set releases, and Wizards are [[InvokedTrope deliberately]] positioning it as their GatewaySeries to new players.

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox Live Arcade and {{Steam}}, originally released in 2009. It has received {{Numbered Sequel}}s in June of '11 and '12, coinciding with new Core Set releases, and Wizards are [[InvokedTrope deliberately]] positioning it as their GatewaySeries to new players.

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox Live Arcade and {{Steam}}, originally released in 2009. It has received {{Numbered Sequel}}s in June of '11 and '12, coinciding with new Core Set releases, and has transitioned into their "gateway" game, so new players wanting to try the game should start here.

* The "[[FactionCalculus Color Pie]]": Spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages.)

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox 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, and another sequel is due for June 2012, creatively called ''Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013''.

!!''MagicTheGathering'' is the TropeNamer or inspired the name for:
* BobFromAccounting
* ProtectionFromEditors

Due to [[TropeOverdosed length]], the trope list for this work has been split across several pages:

* The "Color Pie": Spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages.)

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox 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. Another sequel is due for June 2012, creativly called Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013.

* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox 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.

* It's "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 [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]].)

* The {{Mana}} system: To play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana, gained from land cards. More-powerful spells [[AwesomeButImpractical cost lots of mana]], and decks that try to stuff in spells of every color risk drawing the wrong lands and being unable to play any of their cards. Together, Color and Mana reward players who accept CripplingOverspecialization instead of trying to JackOfAllStats it.
* It's "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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own the most efficient cards and have to make substitutions. It's also a good business model since it encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]].

* The "Color Pie": Spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. This limits on how many gameplay features you can fit into a single deck. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages.)
* The {{Mana}} system: To play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana, gained from land cards. This creates a [[AwesomeButImpractical natural restriction]] on more powerful spells (they generally cost lots of mana) and on decks that try to stuff in spells of every color (they risk drawing the wrong color of mana and being unable to play any of their cards).
* It's "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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own all the cards you need to make your deck work right and have to make substitutions. Plus, it encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]] (which Wizards ain't complaining about).

* The color system: spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. This limits on how many gameplay features you can fit into a single deck. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages. They were started to contain all the tropes that used to be here.)
* The {{Mana}} system: to play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana (gained from land cards), which imposes a [[AwesomeButImpractical natural restriction]] on more powerful spells (they generally cost lots of mana), encourages players to either focus their deck on specific colors or risk not having the right mana to play their spells, and helps keep the game from stalemate as each player gradually gains more mana.
* It's "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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own all the cards you need to make your deck work right and have to make substitutions. ''This'' encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]] (which Wizards ain't complaining about), especially because the contents of a booster pack are random, and no one can guarantee what you'll get.

* ''[[MagicTheGatheringTactics Magic: the Gathering: Tactics]]'': A 2011 TurnBasedStrategy for PC and PlayStation3 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 ...And many more.]]

* It's "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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own all the cards you need to make your deck work right and have to make substitutions. ''This'' encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]] (which Wizards ain't complaining about)... especially because the contents of a pack are random, and no one can guarantee what you'll get.

* The {{Mana}} system: to play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana (gained from land cards), which imposes a [[AwesomeButImpractical natural restriction]] on more powerful spells (they cost lots of mana!), encourages players to either focus their deck on specific colors or risk not having the right mana to play their spells, and helps keep the game from stalemate as each player gradually gains more mana.
* The "collectible card game" thing: 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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own all the cards you need to make your deck work right and have to make substitutions. ''This'' encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]] (which Wizards ain't complaining about)... especially because the contents of a pack are random, and no one can guarantee what you'll get.

* The color system: spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. Depending on what color or colors you choose to play, your deck will be capable of doing different things. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages. They were started to contain all the tropes that used to be here.)

[[redirect:TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering]]

[[quoteright:275:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MagicCardBack.jpg]]
[-[[caption-width-right:275:The standard ''Magic'' card back. Its design is meant to represent the cover of a SpellBook.]]-]

''Magic: The Gathering'' is a CollectibleCardGame, produced in 1993 by WizardsOfTheCoast (eventually the owners of that other great geek game, ''DungeonsAndDragons''). It was the first true {{Collectible Card Game}}[[hottip:*:previous attempts mostly involved baseball cards]], the GenrePopularizer, and [[LongRunner 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 [[TheMultiverse entire realms ("planes")]]--or, [[WatsonianVersusDoylist if you prefer]], to reduce the opponent's [[HitPoints life total]] to zero. Notable gameplay elements include:

* The color system: spells are divided into five different colors--White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. Each represents a different philosophy or ideology [[CompetitiveBalance with their own strengths and weaknesses]], and there are [[TacticalRockPaperScissors complex interrelations between them]]. Depending on what color or colors you choose to play, your deck will be capable of doing different things. (For more on the colors, see our [[UsefulNotes/MagicTheGathering Useful Notes]] and [[Analysis/MagicTheGathering Analysis]] pages. They were started to contain all the tropes that used to be here.)
* The {{Mana}} system: to play their cards, players need the correct amount and color of mana (gained from land cards), which imposes a [[AwesomeButImpractical natural restriction]] on more powerful spells (they cost lots of mana!), encourages players to either focus their deck on specific colors or risk not having the right mana to play their spells, and helps keep the game from stalemate as each player gradually gains more mana.
* The "collectible card game" thing: 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--by trying a completely new strategy, by [[SeriousBusiness copying a strategy from the Internet]] but trying it with a twist, or even just because you don't own all the cards you need to make your deck work right and have to make substitutions. ''This'' encourages you to [[CrackIsCheaper buy more cards]] (which Wizards ain't complaining about)... especially because the contents of a pack are random, and no one can guarantee what you'll get.

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

The game spawned several VideoGame adaptations. Some of the more prominent ones:

* ''Magic: the Gathering'': A 1997 CardBattleGame by {{MicroProse}}. 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 BigBad.
* ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'': A more modern adaptation available on XBox 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.
* ''[[MagicTheGatheringTactics Magic: the Gathering: Tactics]]'': A 2011 TurnBasedStrategy for PC and PlayStation3 inspired by ''Magic''. The gameplay bears little to no resemblance, but much of the flavor is retained.
* ''Magic: the Gathering Online'': The official program for playing the game online.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering_video_games ...And many more.]]

The official ''Magic'' website can be found [[http://www.dailymtg.com here]].
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Due to [[TropeOverdosed length]], the trope list for this work has been split across several pages:
[[index]]
* MagicTheGathering/GameplayTropes
* MagicTheGathering/FlavorAndStoryTropes
* [[Characters.MagicTheGathering Individual Character Tropes]]
* [[YMMV.MagicTheGathering Audience Reactions and YMMV]]
* Additionally, the pages for individual ''Magic'' novels and comics can be found [[Recap/MagicTheGathering here]].
[[/index]]
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[[redirect:MagicTheGathering]]