How to Play Magic: The Gathering | Colors of Mana and Choosing Your Color

Becca is joined by new player Erika Fermina and her best friend Rachel Seeley.
Want to try out Magic: The Gathering’s new set? Head over to your local game stores to check out the new 2019 Core Set! Take a look here: magic.wizards.com/en/products...
Tabletop games are super fun, but learning the complicated directions and rules can be a challenge. Becca Scott is your game tutor, explaining the game mechanics in an easy to follow way, so you can get to playing the games faster.
Visit us on geekandsundry.com
Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: goo.gl/B62jl
Join our community at: geekandsundry.com/community
Twitter: / geekandsundry
Facebook: / geekandsundry
Instagram: / geekandsundry
Google+: plus.google.com/+GeekandSundry/

[@Alkoholwioslaidziwki]

Magic colors in a nutshell: Green - I like to play huge dudes White - I like to play a bunch of small dudes Black - I'd like you to play your dudes, so I can kill 'em Blue - You don't get to play Red - Hey look, your face is on fire

[@kilbeam99]

Blue/Black - I hate fun

[@nicholasrolo886]

Magic colors as overwatch heroes: White- Mercy Blue- Symmetra Black- Reaper Red- Junkrat Green- Reinhardt

[@Marco48375]

Big, Flying, Dying, Denying, Firing

[@NotAnEvilMastermind]

Reinhard strikes me more as white - knights and honour and such are a white thing. For green, I'd say Roadhog is more appropriate, or maybe Winston (although, Winston is clearly Green/Blue).

[@nicholasrolo886]

Not An Evil Mastermind Yeah I really didn't know who would fit green....roadhog is better

[@2b45]

Im glad to see more women playing magic the gathering. I’m a woman in my mid 40’s and just got my first mtg deck of cards. Now what do I do? Thank you for the video it helps me to learn how to play. Guess you could say I’m in “magic school “ lol

[@baraka99]

I love how Becca says "beautiful" everytime a turn is over. she makes the show so much more fun

[@kyleberry6498]

Love Magic, LOVE Geek & Sundry, so glad they are jumping into the game and doing so in a long multi show format.. Good job explaining the basics, Becca. Keep it up.

[@goldfish0616]

Thank you for going to extent of exposing MTG the best you could in such a short segment. Magic: The Amatuering has a series on the basics everyone should see if your interested.

[@seanofl]

I think it is great to see where the hobby is at today and good to see content for people with no experience. I am sure explanations could have been shorter if one wanted a strictly explanatory mode without any banter or personality for entertainment. I am just happy there is content to suit everyone's tastes. Keep rockin' ladies and keep enjoying yourselves.

[@jamesg.487]

I couldn't be happier that I found this. Just purchased my first two packs today and was filled with a lot of questions. Most of them answered as i watched this video, including and not limited to the use of dice which confused me when I watched other videos. Great job! Thank you.

[@FantasicBear]

Its always good to have new players! Note to new players, you usually want to go two colors, it enhances your deck's strength by a lot.

[@shanzulwhiteglintt3919]

I actually really love this and my little nephews did too!! one is 11 the other is 10 and they soaked this right up I feel like they enjoyed it most because of the host and the 2 other players. Mistakes were made and mistakes are how you learn and how you deal with it is what makes it fun because people do make mistakes but in the end its an enjoyable experience. They loved the show and wanted to go out and get their own decks so I got them their colors and we watched a few spellslingers. Also I did show them other youtube channels that showed playing magic but they didn't like the personalitys of most of the others and I can go with that because most of them just suck the enjoyment out of it and it is just a card game to be played.

[@projectworld4023]

I liked this guide, helpful and informative. I need to find my colors, need to determine how I am going to battle, what kind of wizard will I be to deal with my Challenges.

[@VashXTrigun]

Becca seems like she would prefer to play with Red, because she likes fighting as she says and seems to prefer more agressive playstyle.

[@mgvortex66]

I’m starting to get back into Magic and this game reminded me so much of my early days learning and making mistakes. I didn’t care because I was having so much fun but eventually I learned and got the hang of it.

[@myyoutube856]

This really helped me understand the steps for each turn.

[@oberon190848]

Awwww bless Becca..... I think on that first mistake she got a little self conscious of the fact she was supposed to be the teacher and got something wrong.... Magic is not an easy game to pick up, there are a lot of rules and mechanics to learn along with stacking order or when things occur etc.... so i think she shouldn't feel too bad but always could be worth practising a few more games herself with an experienced player to iron out any gaps in her knowledge. Clearly Becca has a genuine passion for tabletop games which is awesome to see and hopefully negative comments don't deter her from keeping on gaming and enjoying herself!

[@spots_knight]

At the 32 minute mark they make 2 more mistakes that the editors didn't catch. She attacked with her newly summoned Exclusion Mage (summoning sickness) and that was blocked with a TAPPED zombie. and no whoops text this time... I think it would have turned out the same but there is a chance that it might have gone the other way easily.

[@Rizon1985]

It's good to point out but if anyone is annoyed by it, they didn't understand the meaning of the video. New players just need to have fun and they can read the 229 page manual once they see it's a fun game.

[@MC-xw2ro]

Rizon1985 Personally, this would be hell for me. It's so hard to break those habits you build when first learning a game. It's far better to learn the rules the first time and the teacher being consistent is vital to this.

[@Sentinel851]

she doesn't swing with ex mage, ex mage stays, zom token stays, next turn, zom token is now a 3/3, with dt, she swings with the same power getting through, but now has a third zombie, as it doesn't die to the ex mage. same result. the thing that would change it is at about the 28 min, that she swung with the summoning sickness zombie. that extra 3 health i believe actually made the difference. other stuff that wasn't pointed out was that even if the thing with protection decided to block the deathtouch zombies, the zombies don't actually deal any damage through protection, so the deathtouch doesn't proc, and she could have blocked the zom's and dt'ed them, but that's a higher level interaction that a newbie doesn't really need to know. (but throwing in a prot from B is a real dick move when there was a mono b deck)

[@Rizon1985]

That's not how humans learn though. You learn in a simple and sometimes even wrong way so you can catch on and later do it right. It's how everyone of any age are taught new concepts. It's done like that because often it's not intelligence that limits a human but persistence. WotC would do a lot better against their competitors if they made a simplified format to get in new players. Doesn't make much sense to get a child into Magic when Pokemon or Hearthstone or YuGiOh are easier, more popular and cheaper. They went the wrong way when changing from intro decks to planeswalker decks.

[@prinzeugen7683]

she also only payed the colored mana to cast the spells and not the generic :)

[@JordanMurdockMusician]

There is something magical about your first few magic games. My friend used to say you could never activate abilities on other people’s turns, and we would do all our instants on our main phase and we never once stacked instants or abilities. Such a great game though

[@Markvanvucht]

Hello i really like that you are now including magic to your videos but i did wanted to point out that the turn exclusion mage was played it attacked in the same turn and it was blocked by a tapped creature further it was a fun episode hope to see more

[@adameverhardt6383]

FYI, if you win the die roll you get to choose if you want to go first, so Rachel still could have gone second I believe.

[@thehufflepuffhermione]

You are completely right.

[@mathieupaquette1876]

It's ok it's not like this is a video to teach new players how to play correctly. Oh wait...

[@stormerbuzz352]

Adam Everhardt Yeah but who in their right mind CHOOSES to be on the draw? If you're on the play, you at least have a land out before your opponent and possibly a 1 drop

[@adameverhardt6383]

Stormerbuzz FyfEnDertig Apparently Rachael would have.

[@peisenxu952]

Yes. The best feeling in the world. Watching Magic taught with SLEEEEEVES!

[@Thebardicinquisition]

I really enjoy watching new players. It’s interesting to see the decisions they make and the reasons they have for making them. :). Also, this is a great game and more people should play (or at least give it a try.)

[@rampagephoenix1735]

I've never played before and im thinking about giving it a try.

[@Thebardicinquisition]

@@rampagephoenix1735 Magic Arena is a good option if you’d like to learn to play. It’s free so there’s no investment if you feel it’s not right for you. Also, it’s on mobile now, so you don’t even need a computer. 😁

[@rampagephoenix1735]

@@Thebardicinquisition Great! Ive been drawn into wanting to try out Magic after ive done some research out of curiosity. I like the fact that you can build a deck based around your personality and identity; The idea sounded intriguing.

[@rampagephoenix1735]

@@Thebardicinquisition So im thinking, for me.......a Green/Red deck centered around as many Phoenix cards as i can for the red side, but focused on gathering mana quickly for the green side. Ill call it......The Forest of Flames.

[@Thebardicinquisition]

@@rampagephoenix1735 I like it! 😁

[@uservsmachinerequired4351]

Always glad to see new players trying out the hobby and enjoying the strategy that comes into play. But that being said it added a whole lot of personification to the actual cards but i guess that was for entertainment and keeping the attention of non-players. overall the actual explanation could be done in half the time and in my own experience its best to learn through trail games and asking questions when needed further explanation.

[@inigomontoya4109]

UserVsMachine required a lot of casual new players actually get into the game and play because they identify with things in the color pie. I'm sure you've met someone who just loves their cat or life gain deck.

[@MassacreVegan]

This was a mess lmao. Erika is super cute tho and has really good intuition when it comes to this game. ❤️

[@nicksoapdish9478]

Yes this was tedious as hell to watch. But you are right, Erika is fine.

[@seansweeney3265]

32:34 am i right saying that the zombie was tapped and shouldn't have been able to block?

[@LordBlazfemur]

Remember the wonder when you first started playing magic? Its adorable. I miss that. I remember my kjeldoran dead and diregraf ghouls. Loved them. My lord of the pit was the first "big" guy i had back in the 90s Then.. i got into commander. So much more fun, but much more mechanical and less emotional.

[@jjmonster7303]

some people say she shouldn't be teaching, but this is meant to be for absolute noobs like me and I'm learning a lot. she might not say everything but learning magic is very overwelming and this is a nice way to learn it for me

[@sallyxsprinkler]

JJmonster same

[@Mondo_117]

This brings me back

[@Spencer4686]

At 30-32 mins. Would it have been better for her to use the rabid bite to take out the ghoul? And then save the return to hand card for something that cost more mana to play?

[@lifecereal7601]

I have this game and it’s sooo fun I play at the gaming goat in tournaments and I just won one two days ago

[@Armando.Sepulveda]

Which block do you recommend for newcomers to buy first? Zendiker, alara, khans of tarkir?

[@janehuskmann1914]

When I hear "banishment", I think exile. Removing a creature from the battlefield back to their owner's hand is called "bounce".

[@irod642]

Newbie here, I just bout my first starter pack and am trying to learn to teach my daughters how to play. Ok, so they pointed out that they missed the summoning sickness. What does that mean? What did they need to do, what did they not do, or what could they have done had they catch the mistake?? Thanks!

[@charlottewetherhold9938]

Love y'all lots but just remember to tap your lands and that you can't block with a tapped creature and can't attack the first turn a creature is out if it doesn't have haste!

[@Evravon]

The reason people are upset or annoyed about her not knowing the game very well is valid. I'm not saying everybody who plays MTG needs to know the rules by heart. I do, however, agree that if you're teaching others how to play MTG, especially a large audience, you should know your stuff and not make very simple mistakes and teach incorrect rules. Example: you don't have to play a "basic land" at the beginning of your turn. You can play any land. You also don't have to play it at the beginning of your turn. There are two main phases. EDIT: I can't even begin to go over the vast amount of stuff that was taught incorrectly. Instants don't stay on your creatures forever. Titanic Growth goes away at the end of the turn. Instants don't have to be played on your opponent's turn, they can be played at any time (mostly). Tapped creatures can't block. There's more, but I'm stopping here.

[@deechsea]

We love Geek and Sundry's board game reviews and would really appreciate Tikal and 7 Wonders (pretty please?)

[@shadepaw55]

Can’t wait for the Commander section of the series! Maybe bring in some of the people from Command Zone or Jumbo Commander?

[@Tricksterboom]

Did I miss something? Why couldn't the flying creature choose to block the baron that was giving the buffs to the other two attacking creatures, dropping the attacking power to 4 leaving her at one life? My understanding was you can choose specifically which creature you block.

[@superdestructo]

Normal combat damage is inflicted simultaneously to blocking creatures and defending player.

[@andrewwilson895]

Great episode! I loved Erika's broad smile when she donned the mantle of the Zombie Queen. However, I was wondering why only one of the mistakes called mentioned in a caption. Specifically, the Exclusion Mage attacked with summoning sickness and then was blocked by a tapped Zombie token.

[@danhan121]

Andrew Wilson also played exclusion mage and Rabid bite in the same turn for only 3 total mana when they total 5 mana.

[@Seawolf159]

Update your channel info guys! It says thursday is tabletop season 3 -,-. Also when is it coming back?

[@pumpkinking1107]

I played online before and made a "hate" deck. So named cause everyone hated playing against it. I had a blast.

[@Munkee1980]

Trying to understand this… the creature that can't be blocked was given a +1 and flying…. and then did not take the 6 remaining hitpoints? Did I miss something?

[@Thesteadfast]

Becca needs to learn magic more. She should have a guest co host like Day 9 or a magic pro to better clarify things. Some of the color descriptions were off. Mentioning lifegain for green but not white for example.

[@stormerbuzz352]

Thesteadfast Yes! Life gain isn't really as much green as it is white

[@handsomepetevideos]

She mentioned it when handing out the decks

[@jaredgarden2455]

here is a question, if in that last round, if the skyrider patrol were to block the death baron, killing the baron in the process. Would the following attack with the other 2 zombies, now be both at 2/2 after the death of their buff, or 3/3 prior to the death of there buff. Basically does a block come before direct damage.

[@369studios2]

jared garden if the buff card does not state that the buff it gives is removed after the card leaves play then the buffs remain.. if a card is blocking any attack the damage is dealt by both cards at the same time unless the card has first strike/double strike :)

[@PointEndClick]

This video is awesome.

[@sirzechslucifer5346]

38:03 Becca points to text on the card. To Quote the Professor Over on Tolarian Community College "Reading the card explains the card". The Mare States "Can't be blocked by CREATURES" why is it so confusing it mean the card cant be blocked by creatures.

[@astrum1000]

Little FYI if you win the roll you don't necessarily go first the winner of the roll chooses who goes first and who goes second.

[@S.J.1.9.9.1]

Question! I'm really new to magic...that 5/3 creature that the girl on the right got...does it not get summoning sickness? It obviously can't attack at first...but does the effect against black spells take hold instantly?

[@skotmatthews8940]

Kind of late but yea it gets summoning sickness, the cant be blocked by black creatures DOES happen immediately but that is irrelevant unless she also had a way to give it haste. Also the hexproof happens immediately. Summoning sickness only affects things that require tapping, like attacking or using an activated ability- of course being a year late youre probably a pro by now (I hope you stick with it) but others might be curious.

[@The_Entity]

old videos but am subscribing because the format isnt some nerdy squeaky dude being really weird and roleplaying. just picked up MTG the other day and finding it so hard to find tutorial videos which dont annoy the pants off of me :D also love that you guys are championing the female players - might help me convince my fiancee that it'd be a good choice for a games night :p

[@skrawnyn3rd]

A little bit of the blind leading the blind, but at least they all look like they're having fun!

[@AliceWhimsicott]

It's called Vine Mare. No worries though, I thought they said Blind Mare too until I looked it up, because I want it. ;)

[@2b45]

skrawnyn3rd fun - isn’t that the idea of the game. Just have fun!

[@Evravon]

Time out. If you guys do this again, can you please tell us the names of the cards you're playing? Girl playing green/blue just randomly goes "i'm tapping 2 to give my guy +4/+4 until the end of my turn" then immediately passed. I'm going to assume that was Titanic Growth. Then she gets talked into attacking anyways because, for some reason, "until the end of my turn" didn't mean anything in her brain. So she attacks. Then ends her turn. Then they just leave the Titanic Growth on the creature like it's an enchantment instead of an instant.

[@HellryserDTH]

Nice video!

[@sietse6540]

If she took out the zombie baron as a block wouldn't it take off the counters and she would only take 4 damage?

[@knightoflostlight6550]

Been a few years but I'd play magic with them anytime

[@TheSkanksta]

green chick did not take the dog from first attack from the black. she just blocked and then did not change over her dice. edit they changed it in next turn

[@schwann145]

Everyone here: "They really should have had an MtG professional there to help explain." Me: An MtG professional built the decks and is the reason a Vine Mare showed up against a mono-black deck, even though they knew they were building for beginners to learn. Faaaail, WotC. ;)

[@griff83]

Love those playmats but can't find them to buy. Any links?

[@mylovelymelancholy]

tcgplayer website.

[@TrophyGuide101]

How long is that instant going to pump the mare? Lol it's like it's an enchantment.

[@Sunny-zf1cm]

That girl's hair was so cool!

[@RealNobody0815]

I would choose red! She‘s fantastic 😎🤙

[@swainokrazy6]

the red head is soo funny and adorableeee

[@artemistify]

In the colors of magic explanation, why was artifacts not included?

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Technically, it isn't a color. Guess they just wanted to keep it simple but I understand where you're coming from.

[@Ziddletwix]

Because it's not a color?

[@artemistify]

Ziddletwix you’re right. It’s technically colorless. But she included gold cards. She’s explaining what each color does. So why include the gold cards when just explaining mono. She didn’t describe what each archetype was. Or I’d think it differently. Just hey these gold cards are more powerful! So if we’re saying hey more power in gold cards, why not hey more power in artifacts.

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Because artifacts have nothing to do with the 5 colors while golden cards are a combination of those colors that were already explained.

[@Jarrik73]

But some artifacts play off of and are intuitive towards those mentioned 5 colors, and while we're at it some Colorless cards do the same as well. And often times are more powerful than those mono and multi color cards.

[@torbjrnsrensen7385]

Are they playing planeswalker decks?

[@bobnbugstradingcards9218]

So I’m confused. If Rachel’s card can’t be effected by spells and abilities of creatures that her opponent controls... how would it be effected by death touch?

[@alexpettersson5635]

It can be affected. Just not targeted. Hexproof (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.) So in short if the "Spell" or "ability" has the text Target to describe what it affects it cant do it. So for example the card Doom Blade that reads Destroy target None-Black creature can't be used on your opponents Hexproof creature But the card Damnation that reads Destroy all creatures. Hence since it doesn't traget it will still affect it. in case you were still wondering. It's slow at work atm..

[@bobnbugstradingcards9218]

@@alexpettersson5635 thank you.

[@dawsongoodridge69]

More more more more!!

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Also, was this made to line up with the MtGA stress test coming up or happening?

[@buzzybee5416]

It happened a while ago

[@EnragedRabisu]

Actually, it's today.

[@Skinny71587]

Rabid bite is a 2 mana spell, 1 green and 1 colorless, and she casts this spell by only tapping one forest.

[@jpankhurst82]

Full marks for enthusiasm but the presenter could've done with a few more months' experience playing Magic as there were quite a lot of inconsistencies. Some of them even got to the point where the new player was looking confused and must have been thinking "is that really right?". More experienced players watching it will have known some of those decisions swung the game unfairly but that's by-the-by, this was just a fun game not a competitive one, and I hope they both enjoyed it enough to want to do it again

[@ericcipolla]

I am a simple man. I see Becca, I click like

[@sellingacoerwa8318]

You're pathetic.

[@ericcipolla]

Sellinga coerwa making a joke in KZbin comments makes me pathetic? Okkkkkkkk thanks

[@KhanGarth]

I see Magic videos, i click like

[@mrgrimgate3646]

Normally I do too, had to dislike this one though, too many mistakes.

[@KhanGarth]

ima give them the benefit of the doubt this time, but the people behind the camera that know the rules need to correct her more often at least

[@MrArlatan]

hello ladies!

[@TrophyGuide101]

Anyone else just enjoy watching magic content even when it's just rookies making mistakes and learning as they go?

[@ChristopherDennis89]

Trophy Guide 101 yeah I usually have magic stuff on in the background as I work on my decks

[@DontFollowMe666]

After watching this I'm THOOPER OP BRO!!

[@freya4329]

these girls are too cute ooof my heart

[@HighLanderPonyYT]

Don't worry, won't see their kind at your store ever. hue

[@rvfiasco]

Lol...IKR??

[@nicksoapdish9478]

@@HighLanderPonyYT you might see a Rachel or maybe a Becca. If an Erika walks in the whole store stares like a bunch of psychos.

[@Argeaux2]

Along with other stuff people have said in these comments I'd like to point out that teaching new players to use dice to represent that their creatures have +1/+1 is a VERY bad idea, if they don't have +1/+1 counters. People at FNM aren't going to do that, and you will forget every time they have a lord on the field.

[@1MinuteFlipDoc]

needs better mic setups. a fit fuzzy to hear.

[@robertahearne423]

Really enjoyed this, and I love that it's 3 women playing. One thing though - WTH with the annoying music starting at 11:25??? I was checking all my browser windows trying to find the source. It's completely unnecessary (and WAY too loud). (EDIT: And again at 26:40. Make it stop!!!)(And AGAIN... when you think it won't return.. it's the true zombie..)

[@ALK82]

Only way this video could have been better is if they had Josephine McAdam join in. She's been in a lot of Geek and Sundry stuff before and she's been playing Magic the Gathering for years and years already. Bring in JCVIM!

[@cmoore6547]

So many things wrong with this game. You caught the attacking with the new creature then blocked with a tapped creature. The spell staying on the board too long. Etc

[@tracecollins4866]

Should have got me to teach them for this video

[@benrogers7935]

Why isn't Becca playing

[@MercuryOmegaXIII]

Is it just me, or does the artwork on Duress look a bit like Becca?! COUNTERSPELL!!!!!!

[@emmabowen8205]

If any G&S fan want to get into magic you should check out Wedge over on The Mana Sorce KZbin channel, he does amazing content for Magic, he had a great color philosophy series that is great for anyone new and wants to know what kind of play style they might want to play. He also does deck techs, set previews and much much more. I've been a fan of his since 2013.

[@dfinsrud]

Would love to see them do more of this to continue learning those 2 women :)

[@hackermanack3393]

You feeling confident? Me: Yeah sure.... ( In Head... Noooooo )

[@dragonjames4500]

Mono black for life

[@Rashadmcka]

Ive always wanted to play Magic: the Gathering but im afraid ill get addicted to buying all the cards, it's another hobby to spend money on. Also, not sure who id play with, if I play at a local store i'd have to keep up with the meta making me to spend even more lol maybe one day.

[@anonypoke7486]

BRING DAY [9]

[@dimebag5884]

Yikes, I love the principle of this show, maybe should have gotten a professional magic player to cohost though.

[@ravenwda007]

Murder Love that spell when I play black

[@SimicMai]

I love zombies though. I play a zombie deck.

[@pumpkinking1107]

Ever since I moved I haven't been able to play. I even had to sell my entire collection 😭

[@bAd12cheZ]

Magic needed some love from Becca Scott.

[@RDR911]

Phyrexian Juggernaut it really needed her to learn the basics first. Had she ever played a game before?

[@zacharyellis2968]

well the power curve in this game is insane more money or longer you have been playing screws over newer players

[@anamishajeter7901]

Bring back The Morganville Vampires

[@colin4945]

22:40 You are crazy, but you did tell her to draw. Edit: So many rules broken, or attempted to be broken (giving haste to creatures without haste, blocking with tapped creatures, trying to imply casting instants on something with hexproof, just to name a few).

[@jacoblowe387]

swear when one of the cards died the other cards should have kept the 1-1 life counters still

[@RamblesBrambles]

.75 speed if you want to listen without the ear piercing, helium madness inducing eye bleeding screeching

[@rong6371]

Am I the only one that sees a Jawa in each pupil?

[@sirt3abaggins]

I think I've fallen for Erika for many reasons but mainly since she's a new black player and says she enjoys it

[@bontin]

wow its skrilex

[@jasongoodman3546]

Redhead has rubies for eyes. wow.

[@tenin982000]

one other mistake you made is the audio is really off in this. the first and third part are off vs the description of magic. as others pointed out there were mistakes made in the video too. i don't like they stacked the decks. that is how you learn about the game. i don't care if this is a paid promotion or not. it just feels like a commercial and takes away from the game. just my thought.