Spell Libraries
All non-land cards are divided into two libraries. The primary library consists only of common cards. The secondary library contains any non-common cards you wish to include.
Land Resource Deck
All land cards are placed in a separate pile. There are a few rules for how to construct this deck. All basic lands must appear in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio. That is, you must have the same number of each type of basic land. This is important because of the new land draw phase. Players may agree to play with fewer than five colours, but all players should use the same number of colours. Non-basic lands (multi-lands and special expansion lands) are also placed in this pile, with the restriction that the number of non-basic lands not exceed the number of each type of basic land.
Shuffling and Ante
If you choose to play for ante, both players should probably ante from the secondary library. It hardly seems worth it for a common card. All other ante related variants will still work fine. Shuffle each deck separately and give your opponent the opportunity to shuffle each deck. If you find that this takes too long, you might consider allowing opponents to only shuffle one of your decks.
Land Draw Phase
A new phase has been added before the draw phase. This is the land draw phase. After upkeep, draw a card from the land resource deck. If you have fewer than ten lands in play, place this card in play immediately. If you already have ten lands in play, you must either discard this land or discard a land already in play and play the new land. When discarding a land in this way, you may not discard a land that has an enchantment card played on it which you do not control. You may never have more than ten lands in play. The only exception to this is that the green spell Fastbond is now an enchantment that allows you to have more than ten lands in play. The new casting cost for Fastbond is one of each colour (RWGBU). If this card leaves play, you must immediately discard any lands in excess of ten to your graveyard.
Modified Draw Phase
On your draw phase, you may choose to draw from either your primary or secondary library. Any time that you draw a card from your secondary library, you lose your draw phase on your next turn. This effect is cumulative, so, for example, if your draw from the secondary library and then use Jayemdae Tome or some other such card to draw from the secondary library again, you lose your next two draw phases. Any effects which cause you to draw several cards at once only cause you to lose one draw phase. It is suggested that you use counters to indicate lost draw phases, since it is easy to forget. Note, even if you have lost a draw phase, you still get your land draw phase.
Other Card Drawing Effects
Any effect which causes you to draw cards from your library will allow you to choose from either library. If you draw from the secondary library, you must skip a draw phase. As stated above, effects which cause you to draw multiple cards at once only result in one lost draw phase.
Graveyards, Running Out Of Cards and Other Miscellany
It is suggested that you maintain a separate graveyard for each deck so that you don't have to sort them all out at the end of the game. For game purposes, however, treat this all as one graveyard. If you retrieve a card from your graveyard that is not common, this does not cause you to lose a draw phase. If you run out of cards in either library, you lose on your next draw phase. (So if you draw the last card from your secondary library, you have one more turn before you die, since you are skipping the next draw phase). If you run out of land in your resource deck, you must continue playing with whatever land you have. Instead of a seven card starting hand, draw four cards from the primary library for your starting hand. You still draw one card on your first turn of course.
Strategy
Obviously, any non-land card that produces mana is now more powerful. Psychic Venom is particularly nasty, as can be Phantasmal Terrain. This method of playing pretty much eliminates the thirty point game ending fireballs and the like. Also, if you have enough creatures out there, Circles Of Protection just aren't gonna do it.
A drinking game for as many fools as possible.
After the cards have been shuffled, each player will cut their opponent's deck. In games with more than two players, each will cut the deck of the player to their left. The top card is turned face up and set aside. This card is called the Libation, and will be returned to its owner after the game.
Under the following situations, a player will take at least one drink:
Tim Card Name
----------------------------------------
Tim Prodigal Sorcerer
Tim in a Boat Pirate Ship
Tim on a Stick Rod of Ruin
Tim on Steroids Coumbajj Witches
Tim with a Slingshot Grapeshot Catapult
Exploding Tim Rocket Launcher
Anti-Tim Samite Healer
By John Reynolds
The idea is to use the M:tG card game as the basis for the character/combat system in a role playing environment. These rules are work in progress.
Each player plays the role of a wizard whose abilities are determined in part by the spells he has learned. The identity of the wizard is further fleshed out by developing expertise in one of six specializations (Monk, Warrior, Mnemonic, Landmaster, Loremaster, Spiritmaster), and by improving in four fundamental attributes (Knowledge, Memory, Concentration, and Life Points). In addition, characters may discover magical items called relics, which may grant them special abilities useful inside or outside of combat.
The overriding principles of this game system are:
Creating A Character
Characters start out with [to be determined] attribute points.
Attribute points can be spent to develop four fundamental characteristics:
Attribute points can also be spent to develop expertise in one or more of seven areas of specialization:
Further Attribute Points are acquired as a result of winning battles and succeeding on quests. They can be lost as a result of retreating from battles and failing on quests.
Specials and Specializations
Characters may choose to specialize in a given area or areas. Characters must pay an initial cost to begin a specialization. The attribute point cost of adding a specialization is 20 times the number of existing specializations. So, the first specialization is free. The second costs 20 attribute points, the third an additional 40 attribute points, and so on. Beginning characters will be hard pressed to have more than two specializations, and may prefer to have only one. Later in their careers, when more attribute points are earned on each adventure, it may make sense to add additional specializations.
The initial cost of a specialization has no immediate effect on the character's abilities. Rather, it enables the character to spend additional attribute points to develop abilities within the specialization.
Abilities within each specialization are improved by spending attribute points to acquire "specials".
The cost to acquire a special is 3 times the number of specials the character has already acquired. So, cumulative attribute point (AP) costs of specials are:
# SPECIALS INCREMENTAL COST CUMULATIVE COST
1 0 0
2 3 3
3 6 9
4 9 18
5 12 30
6 15 45
7 18 63
8 21 84
9 24 108
10 27 135
Note that the cost of specials is independent of specialization. A character with three specializations would spend the same number of attribute points to acquire one special in each, or three specials in one of the specializations.
Descriptions of Specializations
Landmaster
Specialty: Direct access to mana
Landmasters are able to maintain standing mana, which are available immediately at the beginning of combat. Attribute points can be spent to increase the number of points of standing mana. Standing mana are at first colorless, but attribute points can be spent to give them single or multiple colors. Standing mana are considered to be artifacts. They cannot be destroyed by standard land destruction spells, but they can be destroyed by artifact destruction spells.
Costs:
Each colorless mana costs 3 specials.
Adding a color to a mana costs 2 specials.
Mana can be given multiple colors.
Warrior
Specialty: Melee
Warriors are able to engage in melee when attacked. Attribute points can be spent to give the character power and toughness. When a warrior is attacked by a creature, the damage done by the creature to the warrior is reduced by the warrior's toughness, and the creature suffers damage equal to the warrior's power. The damage done by the warrior is considered colorless damage.
If the warrior is not being attacked on a given round, he can opt to block a creature which is attacking another wizard. he is considered to be a colorless defender, and he forfeits the ability to put any cards into play during the warror's following combat turn. Any normal combat modifiers occur (e.g., if he is blocking a creature with rampage ability, he is considered to be a defending creature. Or, if the Warrior helps block a creature with rampage, the creature's combat strength is increased as though the Warrior were a defending creature.) However, the Warrior cannot be the object of creature enchantments, such as regeneration. The Warrior may also attack, but he forfeits the ability to put any cards into play during the current combat turn. Note that power and toughness have no effect on non-melee attacks. A warrior with 3 toughness still loses 3 life points when hit by a lightning bolt.
Costs:
One point of power costs 3 specials.
One point of toughness costs 2 specials.
The difference between power and tougness cannot exceed 1 point.
Spiritmaster
Specialty: Pre-summoned creatures
Spiritmasters are able to summon creatures outside of combat. The creatures are present at the beginning of a battle. Attribute points can be spent to increase the number, power, toughness, and special abilities of these pre-summoned creatures. Note that these decisions are permanent - the character cannot choose to have a 1/1 flying creature in one battle and a 2/1 non-flying creature in another battle. Spirits are considered to be colorless for blocking and damage.
Costs:
Each 0/0 creature costs 2 specials.
Adding 1 power or 1 toughness to a creature costs 1 special.
Adding trample ability costs 1 special.
Adding rampage ability costs 1 special.
Adding phasing ability costs 1 special.
Adding first strike ability costs 2 specials.
Adding flanking ability costs 2 specials.
Adding flying ability costs 2 specials.
Adding shadow ability costs 2 specials.
Adding banding ability costs 2 specials.
Adding regeneration ability costs 3 specials. In order to regenerate a spirit,
the Spiritmaster must tap N colorless mana, where N is either the power of the
creature or 1, whichever is greater.
Loremaster
Specialty: Knowledge
Loremasters can acquire spells which are unavailable to other characters.
Costs:
Each 5 common spells cost 1 special.
Each 3 uncommon spells cost 1 special.
Each rare spell or land costs 1 special.
A Loremaster can transfer uncommon or rare spells or lands to another character
if the character:
All spells must be approved by the game master because some M:tG spells (such as Wrath of God) would lead to problems of game balance.
Monk
Specialty: Mental control
Monks can separate their mental lives, and focus their minds even in the heat of battle. Attribute points can be spent to enable the monk to divide his hand into multiple piles, and to exert control over how cards are assigned to each pile.
The monk separates out his deck into individual, labeled piles, using the separation skills he has acquired.
Costs:
The ability to separate mana from spells costs 5 specials.
The ability to separate out an individual color costs 3 specials.
The ability to separate out an individual spell class costs 2 specials, or 3
specials, if the Monk hasn't learned to separate out mana from spells. The six
spell classes are: instants, interrupts, sorceries, creatures, artifacts, and
enchantments.
The ability to separate out a specific card costs 1 special.
The ability to separate out spells with a specific casting cost costs 2
specials, or 3 specials if the Monk hasn't learned to separate mana from
spells.
Mnemonic
Specialty: Enhanced Memory
Mnemonic can maintain large numbers of spells in mind at once, giving them tremendous flexibility as combat unfolds.
Costs:
In additional to the number of cards the character can hold in hand as a result
of basic Memory (basic abilities, below), Mnemonics can spend 2 specials each
to add an additional card to the hand.
Arch Mage
Specialty: Very fast at casting spells within a given discipline
Costs:
Spend 5 specials to specify a spell type in which to specialize. When you cast
a spell of that type, you may choose immediately to draw into your hand another
card from your deck. If you specialize in overlapping classes (e.g., red and
sorceries) and draw a card belonging to both classes, (e.g., a red sorcery),
you may draw 0, 1 or 2 cards. In order to draw another card after casting a
multi-color spell, you must have specialized in all colors of the spell. If a
spell costs colored and colorless mana, you may draw another card if you
specialized in the color of the colored mana. In order to draw another card
after casting a spell which is entirely colorless, you must specialize in
colorless spells.
Possible spell classes are:
Any of the five colors.
Entirely colorless spells.
Enchantments.
Sorceries.
Summoning Creatures.
Artifacts.
Instants.
Interrupts.
Basic Abilities
Wizards have 4 basic attributes which govern their effectiveness in combat. These 4 attributes start out at a minimal level, and they can be increased by spending attribute points.
The 4 basic attributes are as follows:
A wizard's spell book is the repository where spells and lands are kept when they are not in the character's deck. When a character has time in game to memorize spells, he can draw spells and mana sources, including lands, from this spell book into his deck. Any cards that wind up in the graveyard are returned to the spellbook after each battle, or fifteen minutes after spells are cast outside of battle. Characters are free to discard cards from their deck to their spell book at any time except during combat. So, if a player wishes to exchange a card from the spell book to the deck, he may do so, provided he spends the study time needed to memorize the spell that is going into the deck.
The spell book must have one card for each spell. One can have no more than 4 of any spell in the deck. One can have as many basic lands as desired, provided that the player spends the attribute points needed to acquire them. Once a character has spent attribute points to add spells or lands to his spellbook, those spells are permanently in the spellbook. Should the character wish to acquire additional spells, he must spend additional attribute points. Spells acquired during adventuring can be added to a character's spell book for free. Only Loremasters can learn uncommon and rare spells, though other characters can learn such spells if taught by a Loremaster (see Loremaster, above).
MEM INCREMENTAL CUMULATIVE 1 0 0 2 10 10 3 20 30 4 30 60 5 40 100 6 50 150 7 60 210 8 70 280 9 80 360 10 90 450
As in M:tG, a character's hand is the set of cards which are drawn from the deck. These are the cards he can put into play during battle or during spell casting outside of battle. At the beginning of spell casting (inside or outside of battle), the character draws N cards into his hand, where N is his Memory attribute. Treat this limit just as the 7 card hand is treated in M:tG. At the end of each turn, the character must discard any extra cards that are beyond his Memory.
LP INCREMENTAL COST CUMULATIVE COST 1 0 0 2 1 1 3 2 3 4 3 6 5 4 10 6 5 15 7 6 21 8 7 28 9 8 36 10 9 45 11 10 55 12 11 66 13 12 78 14 13 91 15 14 105 16 15 120 17 16 136 18 17 152 19 18 170 20 19 189
Combat
The main difference between M:tG combat and M:tRPG combat is that in M:tRPG, combat is not limited exclusively to battle between wizards.
In M:tG, creatures may only attack the enemy wizard. In M:tRPG, if there is an enemy wizard, you can only attack him, and standard M:tG rules apply, except where otherwise noted.
If there is no enemy wizard, then the following procedure applies:
The GM may designate one or more creatures to be the leader(s) of a group of creatures. If an untapped leader is present, then the leader can be attacked by enemy creatures, just as a wizard can be, and no other creatures can be directly attacked by attacking creatures. The leader(s) take the place of an enemy wizard in M:tG - it/they are the only legitimate target(s) of attack by attacking creatures. If a team with a leader is attacked, then the player controlling the leader can then decide to block any attacks using other creatures under his control. If an attack is not blocked, it is directed to the untapped leader of the attacker's choice. Of course, if the attacker can't be blocked (e.g., it's a flyer) then it will get through to attack the leader.
If a leader is tapped (e.g., because it attacked the prior turn), it cannot act as leader, and the remaining creatures must defend as though they had no leader. No tapped creature, including a tapped leader can be attacked by attacking creatures (just as in M:tG).
If a group of defenders does not have any leaders, or all leaders are tapped, then the following rules apply.
Exceptions:
Flying defenders are only obliged to defend if there are flying attackers. If there are flying defenders, then they must be assigned to any flying attackers, until flying attackers are all blocked. Once all flying attackers are blocked, any additional flying defenders are not obliged to defend. Flying defenders may be assigned to block non-flying attackers. If they do, they may be hurt, just as non-flying defenders would be.
Other than these differences, the standard M:tG rules apply. If it is unclear how to apply a rule, the players and game master will discuss what the rule should be, with the final decision being entirely up to the game master. Any such decisions shall be added to this document.
Spell Casting and Land
Spells may be cast either inside or outside of combat. However, any permanents (e.g., enchantments, summoned creatures, artifacts, lands, extra life points from Stream of Life beyond normal maximum points) are wiped out fifteen minutes after being cast, or at the end of a battle, whichever comes first.
If the party has time to prepare an attack on an enemy which is nearby (e.g., just behind a door), they may begin drawing and discarding cards. However, as soon as any player puts a card into play, the creature will be aware of the party's presence, and may either attack, begin preparing for battle, or flee. Mana and spells are relatively fixed in position, so if the party chooses to pursue a fleeing enemy, they will have to leave their spells and mana behind, as will any wizard who pursues the party. Furthermore, after they leave the area, their spells and mana will cease to be active (so if they return, the cards will not be active) and can be taken by wandering monsters, unless a guard is left behind.
Once put into play, cards last for only 15 minutes, and a character cannot concentrate to memorize spells while spells are in play. So it would be virtually impossible to prepare for an attack without knowing when the attack is coming.
If a character wishes to cast spells outside of combat, he may select any cards to play from his deck. For example, he may go through and pick out Stream of Life along with 8 lands, and give him/herself (or another wizard in the party) 7 life points. When finished casting spells either inside or outside of combat, he puts any cards he cast into his graveyard, and puts his graveyard into into his spell book.
Conducting Combat
At the beginning of each combat, all players' decks are shuffled. Monks shuffle each of their piles separately.
At the end of combat or at the end of a non-combat spell casting, all cards (lands, summoned creatures, enchantments) which have been played are sent to the grave yard, and then the graveyard is returned to the spellbook.
Any cards remaining in the hand at the end of a combat or non-combat spell casting are shuffled back into the deck.
At the beginning of battle, players and opponents role 1 six-sided die. The GM will indicate any modifiers due to surprise, etc. If the side with the higher initiative value has 5 or fewer points more than their opponents, they gain initiaive. If they have 6 or more, they get an extra attack and then get initiative.
The turn of the team with initiative is run, phase by phase, going around to each team member in turn. So, first, the untapping phase takes place for each team member. Then, upkeep for each, and so on. When the team's turn ends, the opposing team's turn begins, and so on.
Just as in M:tG, wizards draw a card at the beginning of each turn from their deck into their hand. However, unlike M:tG, M:tRPG wizards can continue to cast spells after their deck is empty, as long as they have cards to cast from their hand. When a wizard's hand is empty, he continues to fight. He continues to control any cards he has cast, and he can still be attacked.
Wizards can summon creatures only on their own behalf. However, a wizard's summoned creatures CAN be used to block an attack on another wizard.
If the wizard dies, all cards he has cast (including his graveyard) return to his spell book at the end of the turn. The wizard may continue to do things until the end of the turn he dies, and his creatures remain in play until the end of the turn.
Typically, when a character is killed, his spellbook is entirely destroyed. However, some fractions of the spells of non-player characters and enemy wizards may be salvagable.
Except where noted on a card, Wizards can cast spells on one another's lands, creatures, artifacts, etc. Spells can also be cast on non-summoned creatures, and on other wizards, as well. However, spells which specify the target of their effect can only be applied as specified. Cards which have effects on other cards can effect another wizard's creatures, unless specified. One wizard cannot tap another's lands. Nor can wizards share mana, unless the card says otherwise.
Wounds, Death, and Escape
Creature's life points work just as they do in M:tG. If a creature survives a round of combat, it is considered healed the next round.
Wizards' life points are treated differently from non-wizards. Unlike mere mortals, wizards are able to sustain enormous amounts of damage because their bodies course with magical power which protects them from normal, physical damage. Each time a wizard is damaged for N points, he loses N - T life points, where T is the wizard's toughness. Only warriors have non-zero toughness.
A wizard can regain life points through rest, at a rate of 1 life point for each 4 hours of rest, provided that normal first aid is applied first. Life points can also be recovered through magical healing.
Note that spells such as stream of life can be used to heal a wizard, but such spells cannot bring a wizard above his normal maximum life points for more than 15 minutes because such effects are temporary, and wear off when the spell wears off.
If a wizard or creature chooses to do nothing on a given round (including paying activation costs, laying down lands or spells, but excluding ordering summoned creatures to attack) he may attempt to flee from combat. If a wizard successfully flees from combat, all cards which have been played immediately go to the graveyard, and the graveyard is left behind! The wizard may try to return and reclaim them, but at the end of combat, the victors have the ability to take any and all cards. The wizard may return to battle, but assuming the battle is still raging (and therefore, the spells haven't disappeared), all spells and lands will be in his graveyard.
Monsters
Monsters and NPC's are created by the GM and can range in complexity from a simple creature card in M:tG to a wizard, to a combination, with special rules for play. The GM may decide to make some or all of the rules governing a NPC or creature's combat abilities clear at the beginning, or he may keep some secrets, and explain that they are special abilities when they come into play during combat.
The goal should be to give the players enough of an understanding about how to attack and defeat a monster that it isn't necessary for them to play a guessing game during combat, and to remain true to the spirit of M:tG. The GM should be free to surprise the characters with monsters whose abilities aren't all clear at the beginning of combat, just as an M:tG wizard's threat is obscured at first by having a hidden deck and hand. However, once the abilities coe into play, they should be clear. All monster abilities should be specified as much as possible in written form before the combat.
By Zev Shlasinger
In this two to four player variant, your goal is to navigate your creatures through areas of terrain in the center of the table and reach the strongholds of your opponents. Most of the rules are covered in the turn sequence, but first, there are a couple of important rules governing the casting of spells.
Global spells and effects do not affect the entire table. Instead, you must choose a terrain which you are targeting; only creatures within that terrain are affected. You may never target an opponent's stronghold terrain. Creatures with special abilities that target creatures may only target creatures that are in the same terrain. Finally, you may only target opposing creatures with a spell or effect if you have a creature in the same or an adjacent terrain.
Object
Overwhelm your opponent(s) with an army of creatures and take over their stronghold(s). When you control all the strongholds, you win.
Setup
Each player needs a deck of at least forty cards - no lands except for one basic land of each player's choice. Shuffle another fifteen lands, three of each, and lay them out face up in a 3x5 grid. Each of these lands is considered a "terrain." Each player then places their own basic land face down to signify their stronghold.
+-+
|B|
+-+
+-++-++-++-++-+
|E||E||E||E||E|
+-++-++-++-++-+
+-++-++-++-++-++-++-+
|A||E||E||E||E||E||C|
+-++-++-++-++-++-++-+
+-++-++-++-++-+
|E||E||E||E||E|
+-++-++-++-++-+
+-+
|D|
+-+
Rules Changes
The Tides of War
Players take turns in a clockwise fashion, rolling a die to see who goes first. The modified turn sequence is as follows.
Special rules also apply to island and mountain terrains. For islands, only creatures that have flying or islandhome may enter this terrain unaided. Conversely, islandhome creatures can only move across non-island terrains if they are "carried" by another creature. Both creatures remain tapped and cannot untap until the islandhome creature is moved into an island; the carrier remains where it is for that turn.
All creatures entering a mountain terrain become tapped at the end of the movement phase. Neither this restriction nor the island one apply to strongholds; however, when a group of creatures attacks a stronghold, the owner of the stronghold may tap one of the attackers.
After all fast effects are resolved, total the power of the remaining untapped creatures on both sides. You may divide the damage your creatures do among your opponent's creatures however you choose - unless one of the opposing creatures has banding, in which case, your opponent chooses. No creature may be dealt more damage than its current toughness. Your opponent then does the same for your creatures.
Players may now cast healing spells or use any CoP's they control to prevent damage. Any creatures receiving lethal damage are placed in the "removed from the game" pile. Use counters to mark any damage taken by the surviving creatures.
How To Win
At the end of a turn, if you are the only player with creatures in an opponent's stronghold, you take control. That player is not out of the game, but they no longer gain any supply points and they may not bring any new creatures into play. If they manage to retake their stronghold, they may once again gain supply points and cast creatures. The game ends when one player controls all the strongholds.
By Donald Tsang
Two to eight people can play at a time.
Setup
Shuffle together at least one deck (sixty cards) per player, to make one large deck. Determine starting player by some fair means (owner of the cards goes first, for example). Play goes clockwise from there. Each player starts with nine cards and twenty life. In the initial starting round, each player may play out, in turn, as many non-land zero-casting-cost cards as desired, and draw another card to replace each one. No other spells or effects may be used in the initial round. If the center stock of cards runs out, shuffle the discard (graveyard) pile to make a new stock.
After this initial round, each player must place two cards face-down on the playing surface. These are considered part of the player's hand, and represent the first two cards the player will get to play.
Play
Instants and interrupts can be cast directly from your hand, just like in normal Magic. So can zero-cost spells. All other cards (land, creatures, artifacts, enchantments) must be cycled through the pipeline to be put into play.
Cards Whose Meanings Have Changed
By Steve Zamborsky
Object
The object of the game is to run your opponent out of cards. The main way to do this is to attack their library or "stockpile" with your creatures.
Setup
You and your opponent will need standard Magic decks with the following adjustments:
Both players shuffle and draw five cards and decide who goes first. The player who goes first draws one card and can only deploy one card from their hand. Thereafter, each player draws two cards and has the opportunity to deploy two cards each turn.
Rules Changes
The rules for this variant are significantly different, as it uses mostly the rules from the BattleTech CCG. Here are some of the key changes:
Turn Sequence
Your turn is divided into five phases: untap, draw, upkeep, deploy and missions. Perform your untap, draw and upkeep phases as normal; note that your draw phase comes before your upkeep phase. During your deploy phase, you may play cards from your hand to the table. Except for the first player's turn, each player can make two deployments per turn. To deploy a card, place it face down on the table. All cards must be deployed before they can be used, even instants. You may never play a card from your hand without deploying it first.
So how do you pay for your cards? Just like normal during your deploy phase, you can tap your lands for mana. It can either be used to pay for activation costs of cards in play or to put counters on a face down deployed card. Once a card has enough counters, you can cast it by turning it face up. Note that a sorcery can still be revealed during your turn, while an instant can be revealed whenever you want. Lands are considered to have a cost of zero; you can deploy a land and immediately turn it face up for use. You can deploy up to two lands per turn.
There are special rules governing spells requiring coloured mana: if you have the appropriate basic land in play, you can ignore coloured mana symbols, treating them as generic mana. If you do not have the right basic land in play, each coloured mana symbol costs three generic mana.
Also during your deploy phase, you can relocate activated creatures that began your turn in play. Creatures on patrol can be moved to guard specific cards, and creatures defending specific cards can be moved on patrol. You can protect your stockpile or any card you have in play, even those under construction. Finally, revealed creatures remain in the deploy area until the end of your turn. Creatures with immunity to summoning sickness can go on patrol immediately (see below).
Going To Battle
After the deploy phase comes the mission phase, when you're able to attack your opponent's stuff. You can perform as many missions as you want, treating each as a separate attack. You can send more than one creature on a mission. Also, you can play any cards during a mission that could normally be played during an attack (instants, interrupts, etc.). Note that you can attack with a creature, resolve that battle, then attack with another one or more if you wanted.
For resolving attacks, it's important to know that every permanent has attack, armour and structure values. A creature's attack value is determined by its power. Armour is how much damage a creature absorbs, decided by its toughness, and structure or the amount of damage to kill it is equal to its casting cost. Lands have no attack value and an armour and structure of three. All other permanents have no attack value and an armour and structure value each equal to their casting cost.
Each time damage is applied to a card, it is first applied to the card's armour value. Any excess is applied as structure damage; use counters to denote this. Creatures do not heal at the end of turn; they can only have damage removed by healing spells or effects. Whenever a card has counters equal to or greater than its structure value, it is destroyed. If you manage to damage your opponent's deck, they must discard one card from their deck for each point of damage it takes. At the end of a mission, all creatures involved become tapped.
Blocking works like this: untapped creatures on patrol can block any attacking creatures they could normally block in a game of Magic - taking into account flying, landwalk, protection, shadow, etc. If an untapped creature is guarding a card, it can block any creature attacking that card, regardless of any evasion abilities the attacker has. However, a guarding creature can only block creatures attacking its card. An untapped creature on patrol cannot be the target of an attack. Tapped creatures, however, can be.
Every two damage dealt to a card under construction results in oone mana counter removed from the card and the card is revealed. If the card has no counters and is dealt damage, bury it.
Any time a card or effect states, "pay X life" or "lose X life," scrap that many cards instead, putting cards from the top of your library into your graveyard or scrapheap.
Treat trample, rampage, banding, flanking, phasing and first strike as you would when normally playing Magic. A creature with regeneration may pay its regeneration cost to remove one damage counter during your upkeep phase. You can ignore poison counters.
For each point of life you gain, you may put the top card of your scrapheap under the bottom of your stockpile.
Lastly, the end phase. Place any creatures you've activated this turn on patrol. Don't worry about discarding; there's no hand size limit.
By Nicholas Fang
The default hand size as the game begins is four cards. You can increase your own limit before play begins by spending four life per card, or decrease your limit still further and gain seven life per card reduced. Thus, if you want to start with a standar seven-card hand, you would spend twelve of your twenty life and start play with eight life. If you play with a three-card hand size, you begin with twenty-seven life; at two cards, you begin with thirty-four life. During the turn you can increase your maximum hand size at a price of six life per card, or reduce your maximum and gain five life per card.