How do i play this game?
UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC IDEAS OF GAME PLAY
YOU ARE A POWERFUL WIZARD... The idea behind the game is that you are in control, you are a wizard with the magical powers and energy to bring a relentless army of creatures under your control. Each player in the game starts with 20 LIFE, and must do everything they can to reduce the life of their opponent down to 0 to win. When we looked at the elements, we explored the different types of colors, creatures, and qualities that drive the game. Now you may have a good idea of what type(s) of elements you may want to play, we need to look at the ideas behind playing the game.
YOUR DECK
Your deck consists of two parts: Main Deck and Sideboard. Main Deck contains 60 cards and Sideboard contains 15 cards. Your Main Deck is your library for the first game. During game play you will always be working with 60 cards...no more...no less. Typically a Main deck is constructed of 18-22 lands (Islands, Mountains, Forests, Plains, and Swamps) Each land applies to the elemental color discussed on the Elements Page. The rest of your deck should be split between creatures (18-22 cards) and spells (Instants, Sorceries, Artifacts, and Enchanments) also 18-22 cards.
NOTE: This is a rough guide for beginners. The more and more you play, you may find that you will want to construct your deck differently depending on the cards you use. For now...let's stick to the formula.
WHO GOES FIRST???
Players will roll a dice to choose. The player who rolls the highest number gets to choose. They can either go first or second. Each player shuffles their Main Deck, allows their opponent to cut the deck, and then draws seven cards. The player who goes first will begin player. Player 2 will draw a card when their turn starts. (Also known as a draw step). When players exhange turns they will always draw a card as their turn begins. (Unless there is a card in play that prevents this from happening.)
NOTE: Players may only possess 7 cards at a given time...no more...no less. If your opening hand of 7 cards isn't fairly balanced with lands, creatures, and spells you may mulligan. You will have to reshuffle all your cards, let your opponent cut your deck, and you draw 6 cards to start.
WHAT DO I DO ON MY TURN???
When it's your turn you will want to play your land cards (Islands, Mountains, Forests, Plains, and Swamps) depending on what type of elemental deck you are playing. When you play a land, you lay the land card face up on the table in front of you. Without lands you cannot produce MANA. Mana is the energy a land produces. Creatures, spells, and abilities on the card all require a certain amount of mana in order to be played. At the top right hand corner of all your non-land cards their will be a number AND/OR a symbol of a land...this is called the card's converted mana cost.
The converted mana cost looks like this:
NOTE: Good strategy for a beginner will be to pair up with a player and get some on the spot coaching for deck construction and playing turns. Constuctng a deck with enough mana, a fair amount of low costing and high costing mana costs, and effective spells is the key to win games. Of course you may not win right away, OR, it may take a long time to get comfortable with deck contruction, but keep learning, you WILL make progress!
I'VE PLAYED ENOUGH LANDS TO PAY FOR A SPELL, NOW WHAT???
Once you have put enough lands down to pay for a creature or spell you have drawn. You will TAP you lands to produce MANA. When you tap you rotate your land cards sideways. TAPPING will be a task you will have to do repeatedly. When you produce MANA you tap. When you ATTACK an opponent you tap.
The tapping symbol looks like this: 
SOME FINAL NOTES
The formatting of the game requires a few basic steps that one must understand in order to play the game successfully. The basic rules of the game, step by step gameplay, and a rich vocabulary are provided by the game creators Wizards of the Coast, Inc. For the OFFICIAL, Basic Rule Book for Magic the Gathering™, click H E R E
At first, it may seem that the game is intensely overwhelming. Be patient and open to feedback, because in Magic there is a lot to learn. Take the time to learn the rules and practice with an experienced player. It might help to go and observe a few games at a local card, comic, or game shop. For shops in the San Diego Area: COMMUNITY