Coming up next- How to build an effective village on Clash of Clans!
Monday, February 29, 2016
The Eucharist- The Sacrament of Sacraments
The Eucharist is the source and summit of all Christian life. However, the Eucharist is also the most confusing and the most complicated of all sacraments. This article will only go over and review the basics of the Eucharist.
The first thing that Catholics must understand is that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. The Sacrament of Eucharist does not represent any symbols but it is truly and really the Body and Blood of Christ but just in the form of bread and wine. In the Eucharist they have become Christ- body and blood, soul and divinity. Jesus himself told us that, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh for the life of the world." (John 6:51)
He went on to say, "Unless you have eaten the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." (John 6:53-55)
As Catholics, we believe that the celebration of the Eucharist makes present to us the sacrifice Jesus offered once and for all on the cross. At the Eucharist, we remember Good Friday not merely as a story or an event from the past, but the sacrifice of Jesus is a mystery; it is more than words can say. It is a mystery we remember and make present each time we celebrate the Eucharist.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Math- How to Simplify and Solve Radicals and Square Roots
Roots" (or "radicals") are the "opposite" operation of applying exponents; you can "undo" a power with a radical, and a radical can "undo" a power. For instance, if you square 2, you get 4, and if you "take the square root of 4", you get 2; if you square 3, you get 9, and if you "take the square root of 9", you get 3: Copyright © Elizabeth Stapel 1999-2011 All Rights Reserved
The "
" symbol is called the "radical"symbol. (Technically, just the "check mark" part of the symbol is the radical; the line across the top is called the "vinculum".) The expression " ![sqrt[9]](http://www.purplemath.com/modules/radicals/rad001.gif)
" is read as "root nine", "radical nine", or "the square root of nine".You can raise numbers to powers other than just 2; you can cube things, raise them to the fourth power, raise them to the 100th power, and so forth. In the same way, you can take the cube root of a number, the fourth root, the 100th root, and so forth. To indicate some root other than a square root, you use the same radical symbol, but you insert a number into the radical, tucking it into the "check mark" part. For instance:
The "3" in the above is the "index" of the radical; the "64" is "the argument of the radical", also called "the radicand". Since most radicals you see are square roots, the index is not included on square roots. While " 
" would be technically correct, I've never seen it used.
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- a square (second) root is written as
- a cube (third) root is written as
- a fourth root is written as
- a fifth root is written as:
, the square root of three. There is no nice neat number that squares to 3, so cannot be simplified as a nice whole number. You can deal with in either of two ways: If you are doing a word problem and are trying to find, say, the rate of speed, then you would grab your calculator and find the decimal approximation of :
".
Thursday, February 25, 2016
The Basics about GPS and Trilateration
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. Typically, we use it to mean both a GPS receivers- or small units that transmit directions, coordinates, and time- and the large network of satellites that orbit Earth and transmit signals to those receivers. The Global Positioning System was originally conceived and operated by the United States military. It used encrypted signals to broadcast location. It was employed extensively during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Then in 1995, the U.S. government opened up the Global Positioning System for civilians’ use. This move allowed nonmilitary people to find directions and locations.
The United States government owns a constellation of 27 satellites that orbit Earth, making up the Global Positioning System. Of this number, 24 satellites are actually in use, while the rest are held back just in case the system fails.
These satellites weigh about 2,000 pounds each. They orbit Earth at a rate of 7,000 miles an hour, which allows each satellite to completely circle the Earth twice in a 24 hour period. Each of the 24 satellites move in a mixed orbit so that it keeps it from crashing into another satellite and allows its position to be known at all times.
What is a Trilateration?
The method of identification, known as trilateration, is very similar to the way that GPS maps locations- although the satellite system works much more quickly. The biggest difference between the map method and the way the GPS works is that the map method is 2 dimensional, trilateration. This means that you are working with flat surfaces rather than with solid and objects that have some solidness in its properties. GPS receivers use 3 dimensional trilateration to find people or objects.
3-D trilateration works very similarly to the 2-D trilateration. However, instead of just using circles, they use spheres, the 3-D way of circles with more texture. Just like how you determine the lateration of the map, you have to draw out circles or spheres and have to line up and to find the lateration, find where all the circles/spheres meet and that is where they determine the location of the place or the person
Monday, February 22, 2016
Introduction to Magic the Gathering
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| Jace Beleren |
ABOUT THE GAME
In Magic: The Gathering, you are counted among the elite spellcasters of the Multiverse—the Planeswalkers. Your deck of cards represents your weapons, containing the spells you know and the creatures you can summon to fight for you. Games are played by two or more players, each of whom has a customized deck of Magic cards. Each player starts at 20 life. When you reduce your opponent to 0 life by attacking with creatures and playing spells, you win!
THE COLORS OF MAGIC
INTRODUCTION
WHITE
BLUE- Blue magic relies on trickery and manipulation. Islands provide blue mana, the color of the deep sea and the endless sky. You work behind the scenes, controlling your environment completely before making a move.
BLACK- Black magic is about death, disease, and power at any cost. Black mana comes from dank Swamps, where things fester and rot. You are as selfish and twisted as the undead creatures and unspeakable horrors you command.
RED- Red magic erupts with fire, frenzy, and storms of rock and lava. Red mana comes from Mountains and volcanoes. You act quickly and recklessly, channeling your wild emotions to summon mighty dragons or crush the ground your enemies walk on.
GREEN- Green magic is about growth, life, and brute force. The Forests overflow with green mana, which represents the pulse of nature. You empower your creatures with the predatory might of nature and dominate through sheer size.
DECKBUILDING
Deckbuilding is as big a part of Magic as the game itself. With thousands of cards to choose from, and two players bringing their own decks to each game, there is never a game which is exactly like any other. Learn more about building your own decks to battle against your friends!
HISTORY OF THE GAME
Learn more about the history of Magic: The Gathering! Learn how Magic invented the TCG market after being created by Dr. Richard Garfield. It’s now being played in eleven languages around the world.
In Magic: The Gathering, you are counted among the elite spellcasters of the Multiverse—the Planeswalkers. Your deck of cards represents your weapons, containing the spells you know and the creatures you can summon to fight for you. Games are played by two or more players, each of whom has a customized deck of Magic cards. Each player starts at 20 life. When you reduce your opponent to 0 life by attacking with creatures and playing spells, you win!
DEFEAT YOUR OPPONENT
Each player starts the game with 20 life. Knock your opponent down to 0 life, and you win. The most common way to do this is to summon creatures and attack with them.
Creature cards are the most important part of many Magic decks. They’re really easy to spot—just look at the lower right of a card. If you see a pair of numbers separated by a slash, you’ve got a creature card. Once it’s on the battlefield, a creature continues to attack and defend for you until your opponent can find a way to take it out.
Most games become a race to see who can deal the most damage first. Summoning the best creatures will help you win that race every time. Check out the section on casting creature spells.
BUILD RESOURCES
Casting spells is at the heart of all Magic games. Some creatures are small and fast, while others are powerful monstrosities of epic proportions. So how does it all balance out? That’s where mana comes in.
Mana is the basic resource in Magic. Each card costs a certain amount of mana, and the more mana a card costs, the more powerful it usually is. Mana comes from land cards.
Land cards have a distinctive look to them—you can see some here. You’ll want a lot of them in your Magic decks since they give you the mana to summon your creatures and cast other powerful spells. You can only play one land card per turn, and that’s where the balance comes in—the more epic the creature is, the longer it will take to summon!\
COOL SPELLS
Creature cards may be the rock stars of most Magic decks, but there are plenty of supporting players. Since creatures attack while on the battlefield, your opponent can adjust their strategy to counter them. Other spells, like sorceries and enchantments, can affect the game in powerful ways. And instant spells have the advantage of surprise. When cast at the right time, they can really put your opponent on the defensive.
For example, say you’re attacking with a small creature, while your opponent has a large creature ready to block it. Normally, the larger creature would obliterate your smaller attacker. But you’ve got a trick up your sleeve: an instant spell called “Giant Growth.” As its name implies, it turns your little attacker into a force to be reckoned with, and now your opponent’s blocking creature is in serious trouble!
GATHER YOUR ALLIES
During a game of Magic, you take on the role of a Planeswalker, with an arsenal of powerful creatures and crushing spells at your disposal. But where would you be without allies?
Over its 20 years, Magic’s storyline has crossed dozens of planes of existence, each one an entire world with its own heroes, villains, and struggles. Players have seen a host of Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies push humanity to the brink in Innistrad, ninja and samurai waging war in Kamigawa, and even a war between rival brothers push reality to the brink of disaster in Urza's Saga. Some of the most iconic characters, like the Planeswalkers Jace Beleren and Chandra Nalaar, have their own cards you can include in your duels. These cards are hard to find, but once you cast them, they can often turn the tide of a game. That’s what friends are for!
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: AURAS
You’ve assembled an army of creatures. Now you need an arsenal of weapons. Magic’s got you covered, from Aura and Equipment cards that buff one of your creatures, to enchantment cards that can affect the entire battlefield.
Auras are special cards that you attach to one of your creatures, and they usually give that creature a size boost or new abilities. For example, Flight gives a creature flying, while Trollhide makes a creature much bigger and much harder to kill. There are even some sneaky Auras you can attach to your opponent’s creatures to weaken them. Auras stay on a creature until it dies or something takes the Aura out.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE: EQUIPMENT
Equipment cards are very similar to Auras, but they have the benefit of staying on the battlefield if the creature carrying them dies. You can even move them from creature to creature as you see fit—a great way to keep your opponent guessing. Give one of your creatures an Accorder's Shield and watch it charge into battle unscathed, or let it wield a Fireshrieker to devastate any creature it battles!
Enchantment cards are another way to alter the rules of the game. You don’t attach them to anything, they simply stay out on the battlefield. Into the Wilds can give you extra lands each turn, while Dismiss into Dream turns your opponent’s creatures into brittle Illusions.
ATTACK WITH CREATURES
Summoning a seething horde of creatures is only half the task. If you want to win Magic games, you’ve got to attack!
Your opponent starts the game with 20 life, so you’ll need to attack again and again over time to seal your victory. This is why creatures are such a good deal: they can potentially deal a ton of damage over time if left unchecked.
It’s important to note that in combat, you can’t attack your opponent’s creatures directly. You always attack your opponent, and it’s up to him or her to decide how, or even if, to block. This means it’s a good idea to check the table before you attack and ask yourself how you would block if you were in your opponent’s seat.
Since your opponent can block any way they see fit, there will always be a bit of mystery to how an attack will play out. That’s OK, just remember one simple rule: When in doubt, attack!
BLOCKING THE ATTACK
Once you’ve decided to attack, your opponent gets to choose how to block your attack. Sometimes you’ll get off easy and your attack will go undefended. When that happens, your opponent will lose some life. Other times, your attack will run straight into a block by an opponent’s creature. And then the vicious creature-against-creature battle begins!
You get several opportunities during combat to be tricky by casting instant spells or activating abilities: before attackers are chosen, just after attackers are chosen, or even after blockers are chosen. Casting an instant spell to boost your creature’s power or to take out a key opponent’s creature in the middle of combat can really wreck their plans. But keep in mind: they can do the same to you!
DEALING DAMAGE
Attacking and blocking creatures have been declared, and you and your opponent have used any nasty tricks you had up your sleeves. Now, it’s time to deal damage.
Attacking creatures that didn’t get blocked will deal damage directly to your opponent—you’re that much closer to victory! If a creature was blocked, it deals damage to its blocker instead of your opponent. Blocking creatures deal their damage back to the creatures they blocked.
If a creature is dealt damage at least equal to its toughness, it’s destroyed and sent to the ominous-sounding graveyard. (You may know it simply as the discard pile, but “graveyard” sounds so much cooler.)
AFTER COMBAT
After combat ends, any creatures that survive remain on the battlefield to fight another day. That’s one of the reasons that creatures are such a popular way to achieve victory: they remain a powerful force on the battlefield until they’re destroyed.
But don’t worry about keeping track of damage for too long—creatures heal at the end of every turn. If you have spells or other ways to deal damage, you can finish off wounded creatures before the end of the turn.
CASTING SPELLS
During your Magic games, you’re going to be summoning creatures, sending them into battle, flinging spells back and forth—all while doing your best to thwart your opponent. The action will get intense from time to time, and that’s part of the fun! But knowing when you can cast something and when you can’t is important, and that’s where the parts of the turn come in.
Magic’s turn sequence breaks down each player’s turn into phases to add order to the chaos. The phases always follow the same sequence, so you’ll get used to them after only a few games.
The main phase is where you’ll do most of your dirty work, playing lands and casting spells. In fact, it’s such an important phase that you get two of them every turn. One happens before you attack with creatures, and the other happens right after combat.
THE REST OF THE TURN, PT. 1
Now that you’ve learned all about combat and the main phase, let’s check out the rest of the turn.
Your turn always starts with the beginning phase, broken down into three steps. First, during the untap step, you’ll untap (straighten out) any tapped cards you have. Usually nothing happens during the next step, the upkeep step, but some cards have abilities that happen then. Finally, at the beginning of the draw step, you’ll draw a card from your library (your deck). You can also cast instant spells or activate abilities during your upkeep and draw steps.
Next up is the main phase. We’ve already covered this in another section. The quick version is that the main phase allows you to play a land card from your hand or cast spells.
THE REST OF THE TURN, PT. 2
The combat phase comes next, and this is when you’ll attack your opponent with your creatures. A creature can’t attack the first turn it’s on the battlefield, but if you had that creature when your turn began, it can attack!
After combat, you’ll get a second main phase. If you didn’t play a land during your first main phase, you can do so now. You can also cast spells during this phase. It’s often a good idea to cast creature spells during your second main phase and not your first. This keeps your opponent working on as little information as possible—if you drop a large creature before your combat phase, it may change how they decide to block. And since you can’t attack with a creature on the first turn it’s on the battlefield, it’s often better to wait until the second main phase to cast that creature spell.
THE REST OF THE TURN, PT. 3
Finally, there’s the ending phase, and as its name implies, here is where the turn wraps up. There are two steps here. The end step is your last opportunity for anyone to cast instant spells or activate abilities before the turn ends. Often, if you have an instant spell you want to cast during your opponent’s turn, you’ll cast it during the end step to give them the least amount of time to react. Finally, there’s the cleanup step, where a little bit of housekeeping takes place. Creatures with lingering damage heal, and any abilities that say “until the end of the turn” end. Once you’re done with your ending phase, let your opponent know it’s time for their turn.
That’s it! These five phases ensure that the turn flows smoothly, and the action is always moving forward. Give it a quick try with Duels of the Planeswalkers!
TRICKS AND RESPONSES, PT. 1
One of Magic’s strongest components, and a key to its high level of strategy, is that you always get a chance to respond to what your opponent is doing. Every spell they want to cast, every ability they want to use, you get the chance to jump in and mess with their plans. Of course, they can do the same to you, and you can even respond to their response!
So how is all this handled? That’s where the stack comes in.
TRICKS AND RESPONSE, PT. 2
The stack is Magic’s way of keeping track of what happens when. Even though your main phase is where you’ll do most of your spell-slinging, there are a ton of spells and abilities that can appear during either player’s turn, and the stack keeps it all in order.
Whenever you or your opponent does anything—like cast a creature spell—that card doesn’t go directly to the battlefield. Instead, it goes to the stack. Imagine the stack as a holding cell: the spell waits there until each player has had an opportunity to respond by casting instant spells or activating abilities. If it’s your turn, you have the first chance to respond to your own spells and abilities.
TRICKS AND RESPONSES, PT. 3
Once no one wants to add any more spells or abilities to the stack, the spells and abilities there start to resolve, starting with the most recent response. So say you cast a spell, then your opponent responds with an instant spell, and then you respond to that with an ability. Once no player wants to respond, your ability resolves first, then your opponent’s spell will resolve, and finally your original spell. The last spell or ability to go on the stack is the first one that will resolve. Magic is a game of threats, answers, and answers to those answers!
Duels of the Planeswalkers is hands-down the best way to learn about the stack. For now just keep in mind that whenever your opponent does something, you can say, “Hang on, I’ve got a response.”
SET UP THE TABLE
Once you’re ready to start a game, it helps to know how most players organize the battlefield.
Start with your library (your deck). Give it a good series of shuffles and let your opponent cut it, if they wish. Then place it off to the side, with enough space near it for your graveyard.
Many players put lands nearest them on the table, with other cards closer to your opponent. This way, both you and your opponent can clearly see what cards are on the battlefield, and your creatures are at the center of the action. Other cards on the battlefield, like artifacts or enchantments, are usually placed off to the side of your creatures.
READING THE CARDS
Your cards hold all the information you’ll need to use them in the game. Let’s take a look at how that information is laid out.
1. The name of the card can be found at the top of the card. Whenever you cast a spell, tell your opponent which card it is.
2. Next to the card’s name is its mana cost. This tells you how much mana it costs to cast that card.
3. In the middle, you’ll find the card type. When in doubt, take a look at the middle of the card to find out what type of card (creature, sorcery, enchantment, etc.) you’re dealing with.
4. That symbol on the right side of the middle bar is the card’s expansion symbol. Magic has released over 60 expansion sets in its 20-year history, and the expansion symbol tells you which set the card is from. The color of the expansion symbol tells you how rare the card is. Black expansion symbols are fairly common, while gold symbols are rare.
5. The box covering most of the bottom half of the card contains the card’s abilities. This is where you’ll learn what the card does in the game. Some cards have italicized flavor text, a look into the characters and worlds of Magic.
6. If the card is a creature, it will have two numbers near the bottom. The number before the slash is its power, or how much damage it deals in combat. The number after the slash is its toughness, how much damage must be dealt to it in a single turn to destroy it.
7. Finally, the very bottom of the card contains collector information. You’ll see the card’s collector number and illustration credit.
This tour of a Magic card concludes with a few examples.
SPEED AND AGGRESSION
One of the most rewarding and fun parts of Magic happens when you’re not even at the table: building your deck. Since you get to choose which cards go in your deck, you have complete control over the strategy you want to use and the way you like to play.
One popular strategy is ruthless aggression, also known as aggro. Aggro is all about attacking early and attacking often. It’s a simple strategy—put the pressure on your opponent early to keep them off balance, and relieve them of their 20 life before they know what’s hit them.
To play aggro, fill your deck with low-cost creatures, maximizing the chance you can cast one every turn. Add in spells that take out your opponent’s creatures to clear the path for your attacking army. You’ll often have little opposition in the early part of the game. Take advantage of that by attacking as much as possible!
CONTROL YOUR OPPONENT
Another popular deck style is control. Your strategy with a control deck is to survive, disrupting your opponent’s strategy, and taking over in the late game. The idea is to use spells that remove opposing creatures, or keep them from hitting the battlefield in the first place. Knock their battle plan off-balance by making them discard cards from their hand or stalling their army on the table.
You’ll want to pack your deck with some early game defense, since control decks are often more about the late game. The rest of the deck should give you ways to handle the various threats your opponent may sling at you. Be sure to include a few heavy hitters to seal the deal once you’re in control of the game.
EFFICIENCY
Midrange decks combine elements of both aggro and control decks. These decks are efficient and agile, able to adopt an offensive or defensive posture at a moment’s notice. A mid range deck’s creatures are typically durable, often requiring the opponent to devote multiple cards to overcoming them. Instead of focusing on a single strategy, midrange decks are equipped to read the battlefield and adjust to any situation. To build a quality midrange deck, you’ll want a variety of weapons and answers, both for the early and late games.
COOL COMBINATIONS
Whatever kind of deck you want to build, it’s always good to look for cards that combine well together. There are tons of different cards, and many of them have abilities that when combined are much greater than the sum of their parts.
Let’s take a look at a couple of creature cards and how they interact. The first is Gnawing Zombie:
Gnawing Zombie has a pretty strong ability. It keeps your life total comfortably high, it eats away at your opponent’s life total, and usually the creatures you sacrifice were about to die anyway.
If you’ve got this in your deck, you definitely want to add expendable creatures. Ones with abilities that trigger when they die are especially good. But even better than those is a creature that you can sacrifice multiple times. Enter Tenacious Dead:
This creature’s ability to repeatedly come back from the dead is a perfect combo with Gnawing Zombie. You can use it to block an opposing attacker, sacrifice it for a quick life swing, and repeat this over and over again for a huge advantage. Magic is truly a game of discovery and synergy.
This is just one example—there are lots of exciting and powerful card combos you’ll discover and build on along the way!
YOUR UNIQUE CREATION
One of the coolest aspects of Magic is its unlimited freedom. With so many cards and combinations to explore, a huge part of the fun is discovering your own decks and using them to confound your opponents. Fewer things are more satisfying than playing a deck that nobody’s ever seen before, especially when you win with it!
Exploring Magic through the various combinations and strategies is your next step to mastering Magic. Your only limit is your imagination.
CHOOSE COLORS WISELY
The first choice you’ll make when you build a deck is which colors you’ll include. Magic’s cards span five different colors, and each color has its own strengths, weaknesses, and personality. It’ll be up to you to choose the colors that will put your chosen strategy into action on the table.
While you can play all five colors if you wish, it’s generally better to focus on one or two. The more colors you have, the less consistent your deck will play, so by focusing down to a couple of colors, you increase your chances of pulling off your deck’s strategy successfully.
Take a look at each of the colors. Once you have a good idea of what each color is about, focus on your favorite two colors for your first few decks.
WHITE: PROTECTION AND ARMIES
White is the color of order, protection, and light. White magic heals and defends, but it can also cleanse the battlefield with a wave of purifying light. It has access to vast armies of angels, knights, and champions to help you control the battlefield.
When you play white, you’ll be able to summon a vast army and protect it from harm with powerful spells and abilities. You’ll be able to gain life, nullifying your opponent’s efforts while you send your forces in for the kill. Your creatures are better able to defend you, so you don’t have to worry as much about your opponent’s creatures attacking you.
White may be the color of defense, but it packs a huge punch!
BLUE: TRICKERY AND MANIPULATION
Blue is the color of deceit, logic, and illusion. Blue magic evades and tricks, but it can also be the source of unending knowledge. It can summon huge creatures from the depths of the oceans or a flying army from the clouds.
When you play blue, you’ll be able to manipulate both your own and your opponent’s decks to your advantage. You’ll be drawing a lot of extra cards. You’ll be able to cancel out your opponent’s creatures before they ever hit the table, and make sure their spells fizzle. You’ll rule the skies by summoning all manner of flying creatures, and since they’re much harder for your opponent to block, you’ll be able to glide over their defenders to victory.
Blue is all about messing with your opponent’s plans while fueling your own path to victory.
BLACK: DEATH AND POWER
Black is the color of death, ambition, and darkness. Black magic can reanimate the dead, cause insanity, and drain the life from the living. It can summon vampires, zombies, demons, and a host of other foul and dark beings to do its bidding.
When you play black, you’ll be destroying your opponent’s creatures and sometimes bringing them back from the dead to fight on your side. You’ll be making your opponent discard cards from their hand, wiping out their threats before they can use them against you. Your army will have a mix of hard-to-kill undead and hard-to-block horrors, as well as any creatures you’ve dug up from your own or your opponent’s graveyard.
Black magic will do anything to gain power, no matter the cost.
RED: FIRE AND EMOTION
Red is the color of freedom, emotion, and impulse. It uses fire and lightning to obliterate its enemies, and earthquakes to tear the very lands apart. Red’s army can be fast and reckless, but it also has access to huge dragons that can fly overhead and devour foes.
When you play red, you’ll be dealing out damage to whatever is in your way: enemy creatures, enemy Planeswalkers, even your opponent directly. You’ll be able to break their artifacts and shred their lands. You’ll summon a lightning-fast horde of goblins or darken the skies with massive dragons.
Red magic isn’t subtle and it’s not clean. It’s just raw power.
GREEN: NATURE AND LIFE
Green is the color of growth, instinct, and nature. Green magic can make huge creatures out of small ones, flood the battlefield with mana, and hunt down enemy creatures. Green’s army is filled with ferocious predators, mighty beasts, and other denizens of the forest.
When you play green, you’ll always have access to the mana you’ll need to fuel your plans. Your spells will buff up your creatures and keep them in the battlefield even when it looks like they’re lost. Your army will be filled with beefy, hard-to-kill monstrosities that will hit your opponent even when they’re blocked.
Green magic harnesses the forces of nature and throws them at your opponent.
MIX YOUR MANA COSTS
When choosing cards for your new deck, always look at their mana costs. The more mana a card costs, the more powerful it is—but it also means you won’t be able to use it until later in the game. This means you’ll want to make sure your deck has a variety of mana costs in it.
An easy way to think of mana cost is in game turns: A card’s mana cost is roughly the number of turns it will be before you can use it. So a dragon that costs six mana won’t be any use to you until your sixth turn, while the lowly one mana goblin can be used right away.
This means that you can fill your deck with six-cost cards, but if you do, you’ll have nothing to do for the first five turns of the game. If your opponent has been casting spells and summoning creatures during that time, you’ll probably be in trouble even if you do manage to summon your huge creature.
Similarly, a deck filled with one-cost cards can be very aggressive, but in the late game your cheap spells won’t compare to your opponent’s heavy hitters. Mixing it up is really the best way to go.
To make sure you’ve got an effective mix, it helps to lay out the cards you’ve chosen into piles of mana costs: All of your cards that cost one mana in one pile, then the two-cost cards, and so on.
Once you’ve done that, it should be pretty apparent if you have too many high-cost cards. As a general rule of thumb, your cards that cost one to four mana should outnumber cards that cost five or more. While some decks may get away with ignoring this rule, it’s generally a good start.
If you find your deck is too “top heavy,” take a look at your most expensive cards and decide if they really should be in the deck. Sometimes, the best call you’ll make will be about what not to include.
WHAT CARDS CAN I USE?
One of the most fun parts of playing Magic happens when you finally test your newly-built deck against other Magic players. To make sure that everyone’s on a level playing field, a standardized set of deck building rules has been developed. Most players use these rules whether they’re building a deck for fun or for competition.
The first rule is that your deck must include at least 60 cards. You can have as many cards as you want in your deck, but you must have at least 60. From a strategy standpoint, you’ll want to try and keep your deck as close to that 60 card minimum as possible, since that increases your deck’s consistency.
The second rule is that you can never have more than four of any single card in your deck. This means that if you’ve got a Krosan Tusker in your deck, you can add three more, but once you’ve hit four Krosan Tuskers you can’t add any more. The exceptions to this rule are the basic lands. These are Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest. You can have any number of them in your deck.
Finally, some tournaments will allow any cards from Magic’s 20-year history, while others only allow cards from the last couple of years. Whatever venue you’re playing in, always check with your opponent before you start a game to make sure they’re OK with the sets your cards come from. If you’re just starting out, this shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s a good idea to ask.
That’s it! Now it’s time to take your new creation out into the arena!
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