Skip to main content
  • UK Based
  • Ships in 2 business days

Spell duel · 2 or more players

Start playing Magic

Play lands, spend their mana on creatures and spells, and reduce your opponent from 20 life to zero. The basic loop is simple; the card pool is where the depth lives.

Start with guided 40-card decks, then choose 60-card Magic or social Commander.

Players
2+ players
First game
20–40 min
Deck
60+ cards

01 · The basics

Know what you are trying to do

The objective

Lands produce mana. Mana pays for creatures and spells. Attack with your creatures and use your cards to bring the opposing player from 20 life to zero.

Ways the game ends

  • Reduce an opponent to zero life.
  • An opponent must draw from an empty library.
  • A card effect says that you win or an opponent loses.

02 · What to buy

Start with one complete experience

A legal, balanced starting point teaches more than a handful of random products.

Best first purchase

A current Beginner Box or Starter Kit

Choose a box made for two new players. Beginner Boxes use guided 40-card decks; Starter Kits provide two ready 60-card decks. Both avoid the deck-building problem on night one.

Browse the catalogue

Your night-one checklist

  • One two-player Beginner Box or Starter Kit
  • The included play guides and life counters
  • A clear table with room for two rows of cards

Skip for now: Skip Collector Boosters and a first Commander deck unless an experienced group is teaching you. They are valid products, but poor substitutes for a scripted first game.

03 · First match

Set up, take a turn, then play

Keep the first game open-handed. Explain each choice as it happens; save edge cases for match two.

Set up the table

  1. 01

    Start at 20 life

    For a normal two-player game, each player begins at 20 life and shuffles their own deck.

  2. 02

    Draw seven cards

    Keep a hand with lands and spells you can cast. The guided product will show you when to take a new hand.

  3. 03

    Choose who starts

    Randomly choose the first player, then follow the tutorial deck or quick-reference card.

What a turn feels like

  1. 01

    Beginning

    Untap your cards, handle upkeep effects and draw for the turn.

  2. 02

    Main phase

    Play one land for the turn and cast creatures or other spells by tapping lands for mana.

  3. 03

    Combat and close

    Choose attackers, let the opponent choose blockers, deal damage, then take a second main phase before ending the turn.

Your first-night plan

  1. 01

    0–15 minutes

    Play the ordered tutorial decks exactly as packed. Learn land, mana, creature, spell, attack and block.

  2. 02

    15–40 minutes

    Shuffle and replay with the same decks. Watch how an unscripted hand changes your decisions.

  3. 03

    After the game

    Try two different colours or half-decks. Colours are the fastest way to discover the style of Magic you enjoy.

04 · Go further

Build confidence before complexity

  1. 01

    Use MTG Arena

    Arena has a free tutorial, practice against an AI opponent and clear prompts for legal timing.

  2. 02

    Choose a format

    Stay with 60-card one-on-one play for the cleanest learning curve. Try 100-card Commander when you want a longer social multiplayer game.

  3. 03

    Find a local game store

    Ask for a learn-to-play or Magic Academy session. Store staff can also tell you which format their regular community plays.

Words you will hear

Library
Your draw deck.
Mana
The resource used to pay card costs, most often produced by lands.
Permanent
A card that remains on the battlefield, such as a creature, land or enchantment.
Tap
Turn a card sideways to show it has been used.
Stack
The waiting area where spells and abilities resolve in reverse order.
Graveyard
The face-up discard pile for used, destroyed or discarded cards.

Common first questions

Should I begin with Commander?

Commander is excellent with a welcoming group, but it adds multiplayer politics, 100 unique cards and more card text. A guided two-player game teaches the engine faster.

Can cards from different sets play together?

Usually, but legality depends on the format. Casual players can agree on a card pool; organised play follows a named format such as Standard.

What mistake do new players make most?

Casting everything before combat. Keep options open, attack first when appropriate, then use the second main phase.

Help