60-card Pick-up

Welcome back to Casual Violence. This time I’ll be looking at the way Magic is played, and how that relates to beginners. When I first started, game play was pretty simple: Untap, upkeep, draw, main phase, combat phase, discard phase. I untap my permanents, pay upkeep costs, draw a card, play creatures, enchantments, sorceries, instants, then attack. Blockers are declared, stuff dies, and my turn ends. The sample deck that I gave last time doesn’t stray far from this style of play; for a beginning player, Fog and Fog Bank are the only cards that would have to be played during combat. Everything else could happen before combat.

The game isn’t that simple anymore, which could hinder the game for newer players. Certain things can and cannot happen during the different phases of the game. First, I’ll walk through the phases and sub-phases. Second, I’ll give some examples of how to use the cards. Third, I’ll tackle The Stack (probably the most complicated part of the game—the best players that I know, ones who could at least make it to Regionals in the tournament circuit, have trouble with The Stack). The Stack is capitalized because of its importance, and the difficulty of how things should be played on The Stack and how they resolve. It amazes me that more new players don’t quit because of The Stack. I’ve watched a lot of players, newcomers to the game and Old School players alike, sell their collections for a song because of how complicated the game is.

It doesn’t need to be difficult. It’s just hard to explain what happens when on The Stack, how it happens, and why. I’ve tried many times, sometimes successfully. Usually it ends with a deck flying across the room.

Phasing Through Walls

Here’s a rundown of the phases for those who aren’t completely familiar with them. Note: mana pools empty after each phase, except for the upkeep phase. That mana stays in the pool through the draw step.

The game consists of phases. They are, in order: Untap, upkeep, draw, main phase, combat phase (with sub-phases), second main phase, discard phase, and end-of turn. After end-of turn resolutions, it starts over for the other player.

Untap: You turn all of your horizontal permanents vertical. Unless a card states otherwise, untapping is not optional. There are cards that mess with the untap step. Winter Orb and Yosei, the Morning Star are among the most notable, but there are a number of snakes out of Kamigawa block that stop individual cards from untapping normally. This phase is important because it allows you to regain the resources on your board (permanents).

Upkeep: This phase is when you pay any additional costs for cards that have “upkeep” costs. The cards will state that in their rules texts. Also, there are effects that may only be played during the upkeep phase. An example would be the “Forecast” ability from the Azorius Guild in Dissension. This is the only time that instants cannot be played. Any other phase is fair game, though.

Draw: (This isn't really a phase, like the other parts of the turn; it is a step.) Draw a card. Pretty self-explanatory.

Main Phase: This is the first time during a player’s turn when they can play land, which may be played at any time during the player’s turn; sorceries, creatures, artifacts, and enchantments, which can only be played during your own main phase, unless the card specifically says otherwise, or another card’s effect allows it. These may only be cast if The Stack is empty. As noted above, instants may be played at any time, during any player’s turn, with that one exception.

Combat Phase: The combat phase is difficult, because there are so many steps involved. First, there is the declaration of intention to attack. This is needed, because some spells and creatures have the ability to tap permanents. This gives the opposing player the opportunity to deal with potential attackers before they are declared. If there are no effects, the attack phase is entered. Creatures designated as attackers are turned sideways in a threatening manner. Any pre-blocking effects are declared. Then, the opposing player declares blockers. It is strongly recommended that any instant-speed buffing effects (such as Giant Growth or Unchecked Growth) are played after blockers are declared. This gives you a chance to see which of your creatures, if any, are going to charge to their deaths, and which critters will push through and slap the other player in the dome. Buff spells might save a doomed creature that is being blocked (and doom the opposing creature) or get a few extra points through.

Damage has not been dealt yet, though it has been decided what creatures will be taking damage. There are effects that could change how damage is dealt at this point. Giving a creature –X/–X until the end of the turn, or sacrificing a creature for an effect could still happen. The defending player decides when damage goes on The Stack, after the attacking player resolves his or her effects. Players take their damage from unblocked creatures (if any), and creatures are dealt damage at the same time. If a player has taken lethal damage (their life total has been reduced to 0 or less), that player loses the game before the cleanup phase of combat. Once damage resolves, the cleanup phase happens, where all creatures dealt lethal damage are removed from play and put into graveyards. Although damage is dealt simultaneously, and the creatures hit the graveyard at the same time, those creatures’ controllers decide the order that they go in, and combat ends.

Unless there is an effect that states otherwise, there is only one combat phase. All attackers are declared at the same time, no matter how many players are being attacked. In multiplayer games, this is very important because there are quite a few effects and abilities that can change the way combat is resolved.

Fog, Spore Frog, and Kami of False Hope could all nullify combat damage for all creatures and players.

Second Main Phase: Once the smoke clears, there is a second main phase. It’s just like the first, except that the Orzhov Euthanist that was in your hand just got a whole lot better.

End of Turn/Discard Phase: The player announces the end of his or her turn, then discards any excessive cards in hand. Usually, that means any cards over seven, unless a spell or ability changes that.

Stack Time! (or, “How to get a good collection for free.”)

When dealing with newer players, or extremely casual players, using The Stack to your advantage is easy. To them, The Stack is overly complicated, and often looks like cheating. It looks like cheating, because, in a way, it is cheating. Using The Stack against a player who isn’t familiar with it is an unfair advantage. I’ve watched very casual players (those who play twice a month at most) quit and give away large collections because someone kept using The Stack against them without explaining how The Stack works. These people enjoyed Magic, but weren’t into it enough to know what The Stack does, why it’s there, or how to use it.

The Stack is simply a way to understand what is happening and to give each player the opportunity to use their resources to their best advantage. What it does is it gives an order to spells and abilities that each player controls. The tricky part is how to use it. Especially when “priority” gets involved.

To illustrate this, I’ll walk through a player’s turn:

All of Timmy’s permanents become untapped, he pays any upkeep costs, then draws a card. In his hand are two Monstrous Growths, a Giant Growth, and a Forgotten Ancient. On the board are eight Forests, a Transluminant, a Basking Rootwalla, a Humble Budoka and a Gruul War Plow.

Johnny is playing Black removal. He has five Swamps, all untapped, a tapped Severed Legions, and two untapped Drudge Skeletons. He has five cards in hand.

This is something that I’ve seen beginning players do. Often. Timmy begins by casting the two Monstrous Growths and the Giant Growth on the Basking Rootwalla. (Which is an illegal play—sorceries may only be cast when The Stack is empty; one of the spells has to go on The Stack first, which means that another Monstrous Growth can’t be played until the first spell resolves.) Johnny responds while those spells are still on the stack by Last Gasping the Rootwalla in response. Everything Timmy did went on the stack first, so it will resolve last (the “first on, last off” rule of The Stack). The Gasp hits the Rootwalla before the Growths resolve, and it dies as a state-based effect. It is at 0 toughness before the Growths find their target.

Johnny’s a moench, and he lets Timmy rethink the play. Instants are faster than sorceries, and resolve before the sorcery takes effect. So Johnny lets Timmy know that the best play is to hit the Rootwalla with a Monstrous Growth first. Nothing else is on The Stack, so the sorcery can be played. Johnny responds to the Growth being put on The Stack with the Last Gasp, which kills the Rootwalla before the Monstrous Growth finds its target. Next, Timmy should put the Giant Growth on The Stack in response to the Gasp. The two cancel each other out, and the Rootwalla lives. As long as no other effects are triggered, the first Growth resolves, and the Rootwalla is now a 5/5. After that exchange takes place, everything resolves and The Stack empties so that Timmy can play the other Monstrous Growthon the Rootwalla. It is now a 9/9, with trample from the Plow. Timmy attacks, assured that at least 11 points will go through unless Johnny has some way to get rid of the artifact.

Experience Necessary

The Stack is tricky because of the changes that occur during play. I was involved in one game in which I played a Red/Green/White deck against a Red/Blue/Green deck with a strong Simic Guild base. That base being four copies of Plaxcaster Frogling. Since the thing wrecks targeted removal (and it keeps you from equipping a Pariahs Shield to a Phytohydra that has taken damage), I wanted the thing gone. My opponent had a bunch of mana open, but I had a Savage Twister in hand. I Twistered for three, enough to eliminate the Frogling. That’s the first effect on The Stack. My opponent buffed the Frogling out of Twister range with something like Giant Growth. Second effect on The Stack. I responded with a Yamabushis Flame. Third effect on The Stack. Without missing a beat, he used the Frogling’s ability to make it untargetable. Fourth effect on The Stack. The untargetable ability resolved first, which meant that the Frogling couldn’t be targeted by the Flame (which resolved next). Or the Growth (which resolved third, but the Frogling was still untargetable). The Savage Twister finally resolved (first on, last off), and the board was cleared (except for the bigger, meatier Phytohydra).

He’s an experienced player. He taught me how to use The Stack. And he still fell victim to it with his own effect. Which shows how easy it is to lose track of The Stack when you’re about to be smacked. (I apologize for that sentence.) [It's OK.  ~Streetz~]

Beginning players might find it difficult to navigate The Stack. When moving up in difficulty, with more complex decks, interactions, and combos, it helps to have someone assist the new player with suggestions and hints as to the best plays. Not someone to play for them, just give advice when needed or asked for. After awhile, they’ll see how different spells work, the difference between instants and sorceries, how to Disenchant a Golgari Germination before the Wrath of God clears the board and gives your opponent a ton of token creatures, or when to Mortify the Bronze Bombshell as the Spawnbroker’s comes-into-play ability resolves.

At first, explaining The Stack seems easy—first on, last off. If the cards are set on the board and actually stacked, the top card affects the next one down, the second from the top affects the third, and so on. So it is possible to use the Selesnya Guildmage’s buffing or token-creating abilities as it gets Charred. Simple. Until you get into spots where a player responded to a Counterspell with Telling Time. It seems to create a Stack-within-The-Stack, with the Telling Time resolving while the Counterspell remains on The Stack. Throw a Swift Silence on top of all that, and there’s a mess. The Telling Time has resolved, even though the Silence’s effect hits everything on The Stack.

I’ve seen a four-times-a-week player quit after having the lifeless body of a goblin Flinged at them after the Goblin should have taken lethal damage, back in the early days of The Stack. The Stack can be confusing, and intimidating before it's understood. He started playing again, but his collection isn’t the same. After he gave all of his cards to a neighborhood kid (a few hundred, if not over 1000), he came back to the game a couple of years later. He now owns a slightly modified theme deck. About 80 cards total, including lands. He now plays two or three times a year.

Endgame

When teaching a newer player about The Stack, or bringing someone who’s unfamiliar with The Stack up to speed, it’s best to take it slow. When you’re about to do something complicated on The Stack, explain what’s happening every step of the way, and what the other player can do in response, such as using a Guildmage’s abilities before it’s turned into vapor by a Dark Banishing. Or recasting a Remanded Shock after the Remand resolves. The Stack requires time and patience, especially when your padawan insists on casting two Giant Growths and a Monstrous Growth as sorceries before the combat phase begins. Walk them through the steps of slow casting the cards, and why you’re choosing to cast a spell when you do. Don’t play for them after the first few hands—that defeats the purpose of teaching them.

Again, cheat sheets are helpful when teaching a new player. The phases of the game can get complicated, particularly the combat phase. Use as many different ways as you can to show how the phases and The Stack work. Visually, The Stack can be represented by physically stacking the cards as they are played, or making a list of the spells and effects as they are put onto The Stack. The steps of resolution are easier to keep track of that way, with the last effect resolving first, and the first effect resolving last. It gives a trail to follow for any questions, and it’s tangible.

And never be afraid to admit when you’re wrong. If you get new information after you’ve played under a misunderstood rule, suck it up and explain what was wrong, and why it was wrong.

Try different ways to explain things to your guinea pi—er—padawan. With a little work, you’ll find the way that’s fits your style of teaching, as well as the new player’s style of learning.

-Casual Violence-

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