THE CREATURES

Creatures are going to be the main tool in winning a game of Magic. They are easily itendified by a small box in the lower-right, containing 2 numbers.

Power
The first number is the creature's POWER. If a creature hits a player, the player takes damage equal to the creature's power. If a creature hits another creature, the creatures deal damage to each other equal to thier power. Makes sense, right?

Toughness
The second number is the creature's TOUGHNESS. Think of it as the defense of the creature. So if a creature has 5 toughness, and you deal it 4 damamge, it has 1 toughness left. If the toughness becomes 0, the creature is dead, and is sent to the graveyard. A creature's toughness regenerates every turn.

Playing creatures
Creatures are played like any other spell, during your main phase you may play as many creatures as you can afford. A creature normally is affected by "summoning sickness", meaning that it cannot attack or use any tap abilities on the turn that you play it.

Attacking with creatures
During your attack step (more on that in the turns wiki) you can attack the opposing player with as many creatures as you see fit. (note: you attack PLAYERS, not CREATURES.) When attacking, you "tap" the creature and turn it sideways to show that it has been used for the turn. The opponant can choose to block, or to let the creature through. Tapped creatures cannot attack, block or use any abilities which require a tap cost.

If your creatures are blocked, then the creatures deal damage to each other equal to thier power.
(ex.1 a 3/3 is blocked by a 2/2 - the 3/3 lives, the 2/2 dies.)
(ex.2 a 4/1 is blocked by a 2/2 - both creatures die)
(ex.3 a 1/7 is blocked by a 2/2 - both creatures live)
The player can also choose to block one of your attackers with more then one blocker! OMG! if this happens, all blocking creatures deal damage to the attacker, but the attacker only deals damage to ONE of the blockers. The only exception is if the attacking creature has trample.
(ex.4 a 3/3 is blocked by a 1/1 and a 2/2 - the 3/3 dies, and one of the blocking creatures lives, attacker's choice)
(ex.5 a 3/3 with trample is blocked by a 1/1 and a 2/2 - all creatures die)

The defending player can choose not to block some, or all of the attackers. (Sometimes the defending player has no choice) If any creatures are unblocked, they deal damage equal to thier power to the defending player.

Keyword abilities:
many creatures have abilities that will affect combat. examples:

FLYING - this creature cannot be blocked except by other creatures with flying.

SHADOW - this creature cannot block or be blocked except by other creatures with shadow.

HASTE - this creature may attack and be used the turn it comes into play.

TRAMPLE - if this creature deals more than enough combat damage to a creature to kill it, any additional damage "spills over" to additional blocking creatures. If the creature has no remaining blockers, the damage is dealt to the defending player.

FIRST STRIKE - this creature deals combat damage before other creatures

DOUBLE STRIKE - this creature deals combat damage twice, once during the "first strike" combat phase, and again during normal combat.

PROTECTION FROM X - this creature cannot be blocked by X, does not recieve damage from X, and cannot be the target of any spells or abilities from X.

VIGILANCE - this creature may attack without tapping.

FEAR - this creature cannot be blocked except by black or artifact creatures.

(land)WALK - this creature cannot be blocked if the defending player controls a land of this type.

UNBLOCKABLE - this creature cannot be blocked.

RAMPAGE X - This creature gets +X/+X until end of turn for each creature blocking it after the first.

FLANKING - Any creature without flanking that is blocking this creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

DEFENDER - This creature cannot attack. (Note: before a rule change, creatures with the creature type "wall" could not attack. This has been altered so that all walls have the defender ability, but the creature type "wall" means nothing.)

BUSHIDO X - If this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +X/+X until end of turn.

INDESTRUCTIBLE - This creature will not be put into a graveyard due to lethal damage or "destroy" effects.

X: REGENERATE - The controller of this creature may pay X at any time, if they do, the next time the creature would be put into a graveyard this turn, it returns to play tapped instead.

MODULAR X - This creature comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it. When the creature dies, the counters may be moved to another artifact creature of the controller's choice.

MORPH - This creature may be played face-down as a nameless, typeless 2/2, and can be flipped up at any time for its morph cost. If you see a face-down creature, be wary! It could be something very, very nasty.

FLASH - a spell with flash may be played anytime - including during combat. So you or your opponant can "flash in" a blocker in the nick of time.

There are many other keyword abilities, like Madness, Cycling, Ninjitsu and Suspend, but they don't have much of an effect on combat. If I've forgotten one, please, tell me!

Combat tricks
At any time during combat, players may play instant- type spells to affect creatures. Some spells make creatures bigger, some make creatures smaller, some kill creatures altogether, and some have even stranger effects. Knowing when to play spells can be the key to saving yourself from a lot of damage - or making your opponant wish they'd blocked that little 1/1 that just became a 9/9.

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