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A Commander game of Magic: The Gathering in progress, with sleeved decks, dice and cards on the table

Magic: The Gathering, explained

Find the Magic: The Gathering product that fits how you play

New players start with a Beginner Box or a Commander deck. Players who open packs or draft buy Play Boosters, and collectors chase the foils in Collector Boosters. Each guide here says what a product contains, which format it suits and where its cards are legal.

Which product to buyNew to Magic

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Magic guides by topic

All guides
A sleeved Magic: The Gathering deck with a red die and a glass token on a dark playmatCommander decks and precons
Two black gift boxes tied with white ribbon on a peach backgroundBoosters and sealed products
Rows of players at a large trading card game tournament in a hallFormats and how to playPhoto: OdinFK / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Two players in a Magic: The Gathering game at a club table, cards laid out between themGetting started with Magic

Which box is which

What each Magic product is for

Magic products are built for different jobs: learning the game, playing Commander, opening packs or collecting rare versions of cards.

  1. Learning to play

    Foundations Beginner Box

    Ten 20-card Jumpstart decks, two gameboard playmats and a guided first game for two players.

  2. A first Commander deck

    Foundations Commander decks

    A ready-to-play 100-card deck built around one color, with a foil commander and 10 tokens.

  3. Opening packs and drafting

    Play Boosters

    Reality Fracture Play Boosters hold 14 cards, including a rare or mythic rare and a foil.

  4. Rare treatments and foils

    Collector Boosters

    Reality Fracture Collector Boosters hold 15 cards, most of them foil or a special treatment.

  5. A set in one box

    Bundles

    Nine Play Boosters, 30 basic lands, a spindown life counter and a card-storage box.

How a game works

How a game of Magic: The Gathering works

A pile of colorful dice of many shapes and sizes

A game of Magic is a duel between players who each bring a deck. You play one land a turn for mana, spend that mana on creatures and spells, and attack to bring your opponent's life total to zero.

The format decides which cards you may use and how big the deck is: at least 60 cards for Standard, exactly 100 for Commander, and at least 40 for a draft or a Prerelease.

How to play Magic: The Gathering, step by step

Before you buy a sealed Magic product

  • Pick the format first: a Commander deck plays Commander out of the box, while booster packs suit drafts, Prereleases and collecting.
  • Check the set name: each set has its own Play Boosters, Collector Boosters and Bundles, and only some sets are legal in Standard.
  • Buy sealed from a trusted seller: look for factory shrink wrap and a seller with strong feedback, and avoid "repack" listings.
  • Know the box size: a Reality Fracture Play Booster box holds 30 packs and its Collector Booster box holds 12.

Commander decks and booster boxes on eBay

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Commander decks (preconstructed)

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Play Booster boxes

Shop play Booster boxes

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Gifts

Magic gifts for every kind of player

Wrapped gift boxes of different sizes on a dark wooden tableGifts for Magic: The Gathering playersGift ideas for new players, Commander fans and collectors.
A blue marbled twenty-sided die on a dark surfaceFoundations Commander decksFive one-color decks made to teach Commander.
A teal wrapped gift tied with twine and a blank tag, with warm lights behindWhat is Secret Lair?How Secret Lair drops are sold and what they contain.

Magic gift ideas by person

  • Someone who has never played: a Beginner Box, which teaches two players with a guided first game.
  • A friend who plays Commander: a sealed Commander deck, or a 100-card deck box and sleeves.
  • A collector: Collector Boosters from the newest set.

See every gift idea for Magic players

Questions Magic players ask

All guides

MTG From the Vault: Every Set in the Collector Series

What Magic: The Gathering's From the Vault series was, all ten sets from Dragons in 2008 to Transform in 2017, what each box held, and who buys them sealed.

Question

Photo: Clément Bucco-Lechat / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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