Deck Lab · learn by playing
Your first game, at hand
1. Set up the game
Two players: compatible decks, 20 life and seven cards. The starting player skips their first draw. To mulligan, shuffle and draw seven; when keeping, put one card on the bottom per mulligan taken.
Usual multiplayer Commander: 100 cards including commanders and 40 life. First mulligan free; later mulligans reduce your hand. The starting player also draws.
2. Follow the turn
| Step | Remember |
|---|---|
| Beginning | Untap → upkeep → draw. |
| Main | Normally one land per turn. Cast spells when permitted. |
| Combat | Attackers → blockers → damage, with opportunities to respond. |
| Second main | You can cast more spells; you do not gain another land play. |
| End and cleanup | End effects; normally discard to seven and remove marked damage. |
3. Three rules to avoid confusion
- A newly arrived creature normally cannot attack or activate tap abilities until you have controlled it since the start of your turn. It can block while untapped.
- Instants: when you have priority, not during another spell’s resolution. Other spells: normally in your main phase with an empty stack and priority.
- The defender chooses blockers. A blocked creature without trample normally deals no damage to the defending player.
4. Commander tracker
My life: __________ Casts of my commander from the command zone: ______
| Commander | Combat damage it has dealt me |
|---|---|
| ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________________ | ________________________________ |
| ________________________ | ________________________________ |
21 combat damage from the same commander makes you lose, even with life remaining. Do not combine different commanders or reset after gaining life. Your own commander can also count. Next tax: {2} per previous cast of that commander from the zone, not per death.