Magic the Gathering was created in the early 90's and is still the most popular CCG. The game casts the player as a wizard who can direct the magical power of the land to cast spells and summon creatures to defeat their rivals. At the centre of the game are the five colours of magical energy (or mana). White represents life whilst Black mana is the essence of darkness and death. Red is the colour of chaos and raw power, Green is the colour of nature and growth, while Blue is the sorcerous colour of trickery and deception.
Each colour has a host of spells and creatures to draw upon, but each has its own weaknesses and strengths. In this way the real power of the game is unlocked as you construct decks based around two or more colours, unleashing Angels alongside the Living Dead and Merfolk alongside Fire Elementals. Will you command vast hordes of Goblins or a few powerful creatures? Will you take the battle to your opponent or merely confound their strategy? All this and more is possible - the choice is yours.
Magic the Gathering is a game based around a straightforward and easy to learn set of core rules, but with the wide array of cards available (approximately 500 new cards are produced each year) the game is almost infinitely customisable and the only limit is your own imagination. Even better, the fact that there are no playmats and no dice (unlike many of its newer rivals) makes Magic the perfect game to pass a few minutes. Anywhere.
Tournaments
Magic the Gathering has perhaps the best supported tournament system in the UK with events held all across the country. The variety of tournament types reflect the maturity of the game and you can easily find a tournament that suits your card collection whether you're new to the game or are an experienced player.
Collecting Magic The Gathering
Magic the gathering , as most CCGs, is split into Rare, Uncommon, and Common cards - although more recent sets also have foil versions of each of these. As you would expect, the value of these cards can vary enormously starting from 10-20 pence (for a common from a set currently in print) through to hundreds of pounds (the current value of a 'Black Lotus' from the Beta Edition is worth in the region of £ 600 ).
