How to Teach Magic in Ten Minutes

Magic has a reputation as a hard game to teach, and most of that comes from how people teach it. A host who loves the game explains the stack, priority, every card type, and three formats before the new player has played a land. By then the new player is nodding politely and wondering when the fun starts.

The fix is to teach a small game and let it grow. Here is a script in the order you would say it, with the places to stop talking. Print the Magic teach sheet and set it where both of you can see it.

Before you sit down

Set up first, so the teach starts with the game ready.

• For a first-ever game, use the Beginner Box tutorial decks, Cats and Vampires, in their set order. The How to Play guides do much of the teaching for you, and your job is to keep it moving.
• For a quick game, give each player two of the theme decks shuffled together. Hand the new player a simple creature-heavy pair rather than a deck full of tricks.
• Put a life counter at 20 in front of each seat.

Minute 1: the goal

Say: “We each start at 20 life. You win by getting me to 0, mostly by attacking with creatures. Your deck is your library. Lands make mana, and mana casts everything else.”

Hold up a land and a creature. “These two cards are most of the game.”

Minutes 2 to 3: lands and mana

Play a land and tap it.

• “Once per turn, I can play a land.”
• “I turn it sideways to make one mana of its color.”
• “This number and symbol in the corner are what a card costs. Colored symbols need that color. Numbers can be paid with any mana.”

Stop and let them find a land in their own hand.

Minutes 4 to 5: casting a creature

Cast a cheap creature and point at its corner.

• “Power on the left, toughness on the right. Power is the damage it deals. Toughness is how much damage it takes to destroy it.”
• “A new creature cannot attack the turn it arrives. It has to wait until my next turn.”

Ask: “What could you cast next turn?”

Minutes 6 to 7: attacking and blocking

Walk through one attack with real cards, even if it is a bad attack.

• “On my turn, I can attack with untapped creatures. Attacking taps them.”
• “You choose whether to block, and with which creature.”
• “Creatures deal damage at the same time. If nobody blocks, the damage comes off your life.”
• “Damage on creatures wears off at the end of the turn.”

Minute 8: the turn, in order

Point at the turn section of the teach sheet. “Untap, draw, main phase, combat, main phase, end. Same every turn. The first player skips their first draw.”

Minute 9: the one exception

Hold up an instant if one is handy. “Most cards wait for my main phase. Instants can be cast any time, even on your turn. You will see one soon.”

Minute 10: start

Say: “That is enough to play. Draw seven.” Then play, and teach the rest when it happens.

What to teach live

• The mulligan. If their opening hand has zero or one land, or six or seven, offer a mulligan and explain it in a sentence.
• Keywords. When a keyword first appears, read its reminder text aloud. That is what it is there for.
• The stack. The first time someone casts an instant in response, show it: the response resolves first.
• Discarding to seven. Mention it the first time a hand gets big.
• Triggered abilities. When a card says “whenever,” help both players remember it.

What to leave out

• Priority and stack details past “the last spell cast resolves first.”
• Formats. Commander, draft, and Standard can wait until they have played a few games.
• Deckbuilding and card prices. Let them fall for the game first.
• Strategy lectures. Let them make their own mistakes, with a hint when they ask.

Coaching during the first game

Play the first game with both hands face up on the table. You can then point out options without taking over: “You could block with that, or keep it home. Your call.” Ask questions more than you give answers. “What does that card let you do?” teaches reading, which is the skill they need most.

If they lose, offer a rematch with the decks swapped. Playing your deck shows them what it was trying to do.

Some groups skip starter decks entirely and teach with a cube draft, where everyone builds a deck from the same shared pool. Our article on teaching Magic with a cube makes that case, and it pairs well with the one-page cube guide for first-timers.