Author: Bob

In the family of long-lasting keywords, Protection has a tumultuous relationship with Magic. If Trample and Flying are our favorite siblings and Scry is our adorable younger cousin, then Protection is our uncle who is fun to have around, but he has a bad habit of making strangers uncomfortable at parties. In this article I will explain the basics, as well as the finer details, so that you can play with Protection and know how to handle any edge case the game throws at you.

Magic: the Gathering has a set of rules unlike almost any other game in existence. Its rules have to cover every conceivable interaction between every card, like a piece of software needs to be thoroughly tested to make sure its users can’t exploit a bug in the code. One of the most important rules features for keeping things comprehensible is the concept of “zones.” Zones divide the cards in a game of Magic into several areas which each have their own rules. To understand why this complicated-sounding system actually makes things simpler, we first need to understand what the system is. Let’s dive in!

Throne of Eldraine is finally here, and with it comes a whole slew of new cards that people are hyped to brew around. Some of those cards have a brand new mechanic – Adventures! An Adventure is a special kind of instant or sorcery spell which is attached to a creature card. They work a lot like split cards, but there are a few differences. Let’s jump in:

Last time on Eye of the Stack, I broke down exactly what it means to “cast a spell,” from the moment you announce it until all the costs are paid. In paper Magic, most players I know create their mana before casting their spells, and while this certainly isn’t wrong I think it comes from not knowing that they can activate mana abilities during the casting process. This time, I want to talk a little more about mana abilities, what defines them, and the implications of being a mana ability.

Casting spells is one of the essential aspects of Magic: the Gathering. It’s something that every player does in nearly every game, and it generally occurs without issue. However, few Magic players know how casting a spell actually works from beginning to end. Knowing these minutia can help to understand a wide variety of otherwise-confusing situations, so I’m going to break it down for you. Let’s get into it!