These are general definitions; exceptions in the rules and the cards may apply in specific situations. Cross-references to terms also in this glossary appear in italics.

abilities. Many permanents have abilities, which generally are played as instants and count as fast effects.
See also continuous abilities; banding; first strike; flying; landhome; landwalk; protection; rampage; regeneration; trample.

activation cost. The price to play an ability. Abilities with an activation cost are written as "activation cost: effect."
See also casting cost.

active player. The player whose turn it is. If an effect instructs both players to do something, the active player goes first.

artifact. A type of permanent. Artifacts are normally colorless.

artifact creature. A permanent that counts as both an artifact and a creature. An artifact creature is affected by spells and abilities that affect artifacts as well as those that affect creatures.

assigned to block. Declared a blocker to an attacking creature.

attack. Once during your turn, you can attack your opponent with some, all, or none of your creatures.
See also null attack.

attacking creature. A creature that's been declared as an attacker. A creature can be an attacking creature only during the attack portion of the main phase.
Contrast blocking creature.

banding. An ability that allows your creatures to attack in groups. It also lets you decide how to distribute combat damage.

basic land. A permanent whose ability is to produce mana. There are five types of basic land: plains, islands, swamps, mountains, and forests.
Contrast special land.

batch. A group of effects, each of which was played in response to the previous one. These effects resolve in last-in, first-out order.

block. To "get in the way of" an attacking creature with some, none, or all of your creatures. If blocked, an attacking creature deals damage to its blockers, not to the defending player.
Contrast attack.

blocking creature. A creature that's blocking an attacking creature. A creature is only a blocking creature during the attack portion of the main phase.
Contrast attacking creature.

bury. To put a permanent into its owner's graveyard. This can't be prevented in any way.
Contrast destroy.

card type. The identification of a card's category. The card type is printed just below the artwork.

cast. To play a spell, paying all its costs and making all required decisions.
See also successfully cast.

casting cost. The amount and type of mana required to play a spell. All spells have a casting cost in the upper right corner of the card.

cleanup. The last phase of the turn.

color. There are five colors of Magic: white, blue, black, red, and green. A card's background acts as a reminder of its color.
See also colorless; multicolored.

colorless. Not connected to one of the five colors of mana. Lands and artifacts are normally colorless.

combat. The part of the main phase that begins when an attack is announced.

combat damage. Damage dealt by creatures as a result of attacking or blocking.

continuous abilities. A category of abilities that take effect as soon as the permanent enters play and that end only when the permanent leaves play.

controller. The player who currently possesses a card; usually (but not always) the card's owner.

cost. The price to play a spell or ability.
See also activation cost; casting cost; phase cost; untap cost.

counter. To use an interrupt to cancel a spell being cast.

counters. Markers used to note long-term changes to a permanent or for "bookkeeping purposes."
Contrast token.

creature. The troops with which you attack your opponent. Creature cards are easily identifiable because they have power and toughness numbers in the bottom right corner.
See also walls.

damage. Successful damage to a creature that equals or exceeds its toughness kills it. Successful damage to a player reduces her life total.
See also lethal damage.

damage prevention. A step that occurs whenever damage is dealt, in which players can prevent or redirect damage. Effects that prevent damage simply remove it; effects that redirect damage move it from one creature or player to another.

destroy. To put a permanent into its owner's graveyard. Some abilities, such as regeneration, can prevent this.
Contrast bury.

discard. (1) To put a card from your hand onto the top of your graveyard. (2) A phase of the turn, at the end of which you must reduce your hand to seven cards.

draw. (1) To put the top card of your library into your hand. (2) A phase of the turn, in which you draw a card. (3) A tie, in which neither player wins or loses the game.

duel. A complete game of Magic: The Gathering.

effect. The impact on play of a spell or ability.

enchantments. Permanents that affect play.
See also global enchantment; local enchantment.

evasion abilities. Abilities that make attacking creatures unblockable.
See also flying; landwalk.

fast effect. Instant, interrupt, and mana source spells, and abilities that are played as one of these three types of effects. You may play fast effects during most phases of either player's turn.

first strike. An ability allowing creatures to deal their combat damage before the regular damage-dealing step.

fizzle. An effect doing nothing to a target because the target has disappeared or become illegal by the time the effect resolves.

flying. An ability that makes creatures unblockable except by other creatures with flying.

generic mana. Generic mana costs (such as ) can be paid with mana of any color or with colorless mana.

global enchantment. An enchantment that's put into your territory rather than being played on a particular permanent.
Contrast local enchantment.

graveyard. The pile into which you discard.
See also library.

hand. The cards you hold.

instant. A fast effect that (if a spell) is put into its owner's graveyard after it takes effect.

interrupt. A fast effect that can counter or modify other spells or effects as they're being cast. An interrupt spell is put into its owner's graveyard after it takes effect.

land. A colorless permanent that typically has mana-producing abilities.
See also basic land; special land.

landhome. A group of abilities (islandhome, mountainhome, and so on) that prevent the creature with the ability from being declared an attacker if the defending player controls no lands of the appropriate type. Additionally, creatures with landhome are buried if their controller doesn't control any lands of the appropriate type.

landwalk. A group of abilities (islandwalk, mountainwalk, and so on) that make an attacking creature unblockable if the defending player controls any lands of that the appropriate type.

lethal damage. If the damage accumulated by a creature during a turn is equal to or greater than its toughness, it suffers lethal damage and is destroyed.

library. The pile from which you draw.
See also graveyard.

life total. Your "score." You begin the game with 20 life. If you have less than 1 life at the end of any phase or at the beginning or end of combat, you lose the game.

local enchantment. An enchantment that can be played only on other permanents and that typically affects only the permanent on which it's played.
Contrast global enchantment.

main phase. The principal phase of the turn. During your main phase, you can play a land, play any type of spell or ability, and attack using any or all of your creatures.

mana. The energy used to power spells. Mana is typically produced by lands.

mana burn. Any leftover mana in a player's mana pool at the end of a phase or at the beginning or end of combat is lost, and the player's life total drops by that amount.

mana pool. Mana you draw from your mana sources is put into your mana pool. You take mana out of this pool to pay for a spell or ability.

mana source. Typically, a land ability that produces mana; also any mana source spell and any ability that's played as a mana source. Nothing can interrupt drawing mana from a mana source.

mana symbol. A symbol corresponding to one of the five colors of Magic: (white), (blue), (black), (red), and (green).
See also generic mana.

multicolored. Related to more than one color of mana. A card with more than one color in its casting cost is multicolored and counts as each of the appropriate colors.

neutral state. A time when both players have the option of beginning a batch of effects.

null attack. An attack with no creatures. A null attack counts as the player's one attack for that turn.

owner. The player who started the game with that card.
See also controller.

permanents. Artifacts, creatures, enchantments, and lands. Once played, permanents remain in the game until something removes them.

phase. One of the six parts of the turn.
See also untap; upkeep; draw; main phase; discard; cleanup.

phase ability. An ability that's played only during a certain phase, and only once during that phase. Phase abilities are played as instants.

phase cost. A cost on some permanents that's paid during a specific phase. You must pay a permanent's phase cost before you can play its abilities.

power. The amount of damage a creature deals in combat.
Contrast toughness.

protection. An ability that makes a creature largely immune to spells, abilities, and permanents with a given characteristic (typically a color).

rampage. An ability that makes a creature bigger as more creatures are assigned to block it.

redirect damage. See damage prevention.

regeneration. A creature that's been destroyed can be kept in play with regeneration. Regenerating a creature taps it.

resolve. To take effect. Spells, abilities, and batches all resolve.

sacrifice. To put a permanent into its owner's graveyard. Permanents are typically sacrificed as a cost of playing a spell or ability.

series. A group of effects played independently of one another. These effects resolve as soon as they are successfully cast. Typically, these effects are mandatory.

sorcery. A spell that you can cast only on your own turn and not during combat. A sorcery spell is put into its owner's graveyard after it takes effect.

source. The origin of something, typically damage, effects, or mana.

special land. A land with a name other than "plains," "island," "swamp," "mountain," or "forest." Special lands have abilities as described on them.

specialized ability. A spell or ability that's played during a timing step when spells and abilities are otherwise illegal, generally to modify the results of an effect before they take place.

spell. Any card in the process of being played that's not a land.

successfully cast. Played and not countered.
See also cast.

summon spell. A spell that brings a creature into play on your side. A summon spell can be cast only on your own turn and not during combat.

summoning sickness. The inability of a creature to attack or be tapped to pay for an ability unless you've had control of it from the beginning of your turn. Summoning sickness affects all creatures, including artifact creatures.

tap. To turn a card sideways. A tapped card has been "used up" and typically can't be used for any purpose until it becomes untapped. The symbol for "tap" is .
Contrast untap.

target. To direct a spell or ability at specific things.

territory. The area containing all of your permanents.

text box. The box on each card containing that card's rules and flavor text.

token. A marker representing a creature, an artifact, or such. A token's characteristics are defined by the effect that created it.
Contrast counters.

toughness. The amount of damage needed to destroy a creature in one turn.
Contrast power.

trample. If a creature with trample deals more combat damage to a creature blocking it than is needed to kill the blocker, the excess damage is dealt to the defending player.

triggered ability. An ability that's played only after a certain condition arises.

unblockable. An unblockable creature can't have any other creatures assigned to block it.

unblocked creature. An attacking creature that wasn't blocked when blockers were declared.

untap. (1) To turn your cards upright again, making them available for use again. (2) The first phase of the turn. All of your permanents untap during your untap phase.
Contrast tap.

untap cost. A cost sometimes associated with untapping certain permanents during or at the end of upkeep.

upkeep. A phase of the turn. The abilities of some permanents apply every turn during upkeep.

walls. A class of creatures that can't attack.