Your AI Magic: The Gathering assistant

What is MTGAI?

• How to build your first MTG deck

  A beginner-friendly framework for building your first Magic: The Gathering deck — colors, the 60-card structure and the mana base.

• Understanding the stack and priority

  How the stack, priority and responses work in Magic: The Gathering — the foundation of every interaction.

• MTG formats explained

  Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Commander and more — which Magic format is right for you.

• Commander (EDH) Rules Explained

  A clear beginner's guide to the core Commander rules: 100-card singleton decks, color identity, the command zone, 40 life, and commander tax.

• How to Play Magic: The Gathering — A Complete Beginner Guide

  Learn how to play Magic: The Gathering from scratch, including the goal of the game, your starting life total, the flow of a turn, casting spells with mana, attacking, and how to win.

• Best Commanders for Beginners

  Learn what makes a commander beginner-friendly, with example archetypes by color, so you can pick a forgiving leader and build your first deck with confidence.

How do you play Magic: The Gathering?

In Magic: The Gathering, each player starts with 20 life and a deck, then takes turns drawing cards, playing lands for mana, and casting creatures and spells. The goal is to use your cards to reduce your opponent's life total to 0 before they do the same to you.

How many cards are in an MTG deck?

A standard constructed MTG deck has a minimum of 60 cards, with no more than 4 copies of any single card (except basic lands). In the Commander format, decks are exactly 100 cards and limited to one copy of each card.

How do I start playing Magic: The Gathering?

The easiest way to start playing Magic: The Gathering is to grab a preconstructed deck (like a Starter Kit or Commander deck) so you don't have to build one yourself. Learn the basics of mana, attacking, and blocking, then play against a friend or try the free MTG Arena app to practice.

How many copies of a card can I have in a deck?

In most formats you can have up to 4 copies of any single card (counted by name). The exception is basic lands, which you can include in unlimited quantities. Some formats differ: Commander is singleton (1 copy of each nonbasic), and limited formats let you run as many as you open.

How do I build my first MTG deck?

Start with a 60-card deck and pick one or two colors so your mana stays consistent. Aim for roughly 17 lands, 24 creatures, and 19 other spells, then add cards that share a clear theme or goal. Keep it simple, build around a strategy you enjoy, and refine it as you play.

What is Commander (EDH) in Magic: The Gathering?

Commander (also called EDH) is a multiplayer Magic: The Gathering format built around a single legendary creature, your "commander," who leads a 100-card singleton deck. Games are usually free-for-all with 3-4 players, and the format is known for its social, casual, and highly creative deckbuilding.

How many cards are in a Commander deck?

A Commander deck has exactly 100 cards, including your commander. It is a singleton format, so apart from basic lands you may include only one copy of each card.

Is MTG Arena free to play?

Yes, MTG Arena is free to download and play, and you can earn cards, gold, and packs without spending money. You can optionally buy gems with real money to speed up collecting cards or enter premium events, but it isn't required to play and compete.

• How to deal with flying creatures in MTG

  Flyers running away with the game? Here’s how to block, kill and out-tempo flying creatures in Magic: The Gathering — plus the best reach cards.

• The best counterspells in MTG

  A ranked look at the best counterspells in Magic: The Gathering — what to play in control decks, on a budget and in Commander.

• The best removal spells in MTG

  Every deck needs removal. Here are the best removal spells in Magic: The Gathering and how to pick the right ones for your deck.

• Best Commander decks for beginners in 2026

  New to Commander? Here are the best precons and budget builds to learn EDH — forgiving commanders, clear game plans and upgrade paths.

• How to build a mana base in MTG

  Lands, duals, fetches and fixing — a practical guide to building a consistent mana base for Commander, Modern and 60-card decks.

• MTG mulligan guide: when to keep or ship

  The London mulligan explained with practical keep/mull heuristics for Commander, Standard and Limited.

• Best budget cards for Commander

  Powerful Commander staples under $5 — ramp, removal, card draw and win-cons that punch above their price tag.

• How to sideboard in MTG: a practical guide

  Win more game twos and threes — sideboard basics, matchup planning and what to bring in against aggro, control and combo.

• Best ramp cards for Commander

  The top mana acceleration for EDH — from Sol Ring to Cultivate, ranked by efficiency and color identity.

• How to read MTG combo lines

  Understand infinite combos and synergy chains — prerequisites, steps and how to practice combo lines in Commander.

• Standard vs Modern vs Commander: which format to play

  Compare Magic's three most popular constructed formats — deck size, rotation, power level, cost and social experience.

• Best board wipes in MTG

  Top sweepers for Commander and constructed — when to run them, how many, and the best wipes per color.

• How to draft MTG: basics for beginners

  Your first draft — pick order, signals, mana curve and the BREAD method for winning limited games.

• Best tribal decks in Commander

  Elves, zombies, dragons, merfolk — the strongest tribal commanders and how to build a cohesive 100-card tribe.

• The color pie in deckbuilding

  How white, blue, black, red and green philosophy shapes your deck — strengths, weaknesses and pairings.

Explore all MTGAI AI tools →