MTG Card Types Explained (2025 Edition)

In less than 10 minutes you’ll know what every MTG card type does, when you can play it, and why it matters for deck building and rules calls.

Key Takeaways

• Eight evergreen types drive every rules interaction.
  

• Six of them stick around as permanents; two leave the battlefield on resolution.
  

• Supertypes (Legendary, Basic, Snow…) tweak uniqueness, deck size, or mana.
  

• Master these basics and you’ll spot mistakes, tighten lines of play, and build sharper decks.

New to MTG? Essential Information

1. Cards come in eight evergreen types. Think of them as shelves in a library.
2. Lands are special. They give you mana - the game’s energy - and are played, not cast.
3. Every other card is a spell. You cast spells by spending mana.
4. The turn in three steps:

• Main Phase - play a land & cast most spells.

• Combat - attack & block with creatures.

• End Step - clean‑up.

Bottom line - If you know what lands do, the rest of Magic builds on that foundation.

Quick Card‑Type Table (2025)

Lands are never spells; everything else is a spell on the stack.

Deep Dive by Type

Land - Your Mana Batteries

A land is the card you plug in for power. You may play one land per turn, but only during your main phase and only when the stack is empty - so nobody can counter it. Basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest) tap for one coloured mana each; specialty lands such as Desert, Lair, or pieces of Urza’s workshop add twists like life‑gain or two colours at once.

Starter tip: Begin with ~40 % lands (24 in a 60‑card deck) and adjust after a few test hands.

Fun fact: Dryad Arbor is both a land and a creature - it can attack, yet you still play it, so Counterspell can’t touch it.

Creature - The Combat Currency

Creatures are your workforce: they attack, block, tap for abilities, and soak up damage. By default you cast them at sorcery speed (your own main phase when the stack is empty) but many have flash to jump in as surprises. Once a creature resolves it stays on the battlefield until destroyed, exiled, or bounced. 

Keywords like trample, lifelink, and vigilance tweak combat math; crew even lets non‑creature Vehicles become creatures for a turn.

Starter tip: Draft decks want roughly 40 % creatures to both pressure and defend. Pick one tribal theme like Elves, Zombies, Phyrexians, and your cards will naturally synergise.

Fun fact: Damage marked on a creature disappears at the end of each turn, so your 1/1 chump can safely block a 5/5 if you give it indestructible first.

Artifact - Tools, Toys & Mana Rocks

Artifacts are colourless gadgets that fit any deck: Equipment buffs creatures, Vehicles crew into attackers, and little mana rocks like Sol Ring jump‑start your resource curve. You cast artifacts during your main phase unless they have flash. Once on the battlefield they’re permanents - vulnerable to cards like Disenchant but immune to creature‑only removal.

Starter tip: In Commander, 8‑10 two‑mana rocks speed you to big plays; in 60‑card formats, keep an eye on curve - too many trinkets and you’ll fizzle.

Fun fact: Tokens can be artifacts too—Treasure, Food, and Clue tokens each come with a built‑in ability you can activate later.

Enchantment - Ongoing Magic Auras

Enchantments are spells that stay after resolving, providing passive bonuses or board‑wide rules. Subtypes matter: an Aura targets a permanent as it resolves, a Saga gains a lore counter each main phase for chapter effects, and a Class levels up like an RPG skill tree.

Starter tip: Treat Auras like investments, attach them to creatures with built‑in protection or risk a two‑for‑one if the creature dies.

Fun fact: If an Aura would end up unattached (because its target disappeared), it’s put into the graveyard as a state‑based action - no time to retarget.

Planeswalker - Repeatable Spells on Legs

A planeswalker enters with loyalty counters; each turn you may activate one of its plus or minus abilities, adjusting loyalty. When loyalty hits 0, the planeswalker is put into the graveyard. They follow the legend rule: you can’t control two planeswalkers with the same name.

Starter tip: Protect your planeswalker with blockers the turn it lands. Opponents can attack it like a player.

Fun fact: Some planeswalkers (e.g., Grist, the Hunger Tide) can be your commander if the card explicitly says so.

Battle - Siege (The 2023 Newcomer)

Cast a Siege during your main phase, pick an opponent to defend it, then treat it like a planeswalker with defence counters. You and other non‑protecting players can attack it; when its defence hits 0, it exiles and you cast its back face for free. Right now “Siege” is the only battle subtype, but future sets may add more.

Starter tip: Draft decks with aggressive creatures love Sieges - they turn combat damage into card advantage.

Fun fact: When a Siege leaves the battlefield by any means (bounce, exile, even Flicker effects), its back face still enters—unless an effect says otherwise.

Sorcery - Big One‑Shot Spells

Sorceries are broad strokes - board wipes, tutors, ramp spells. You may cast one only during your own main phase when the stack is empty. After resolving, it goes straight to the graveyard.

Starter tip: Because they’re slow, make sorcery plays when opponents are tapped out or when you can’t afford to leave mana up anyway.

Fun fact: Split cards like Wear // Tear are sorceries on one half, instants on the other; choose which half (or both via Fuse) when casting.

Instant - Lightning‑Quick Interaction

Instants follow the golden rule: Any time you have priority, you can cast an instant. That includes during opponents’ turns, inside combat, even in response to another instant. They’re your main defensive and trick spells - counters, combat tricks, removal.

Starter tip: Hold mana open for instants if you suspect shenanigans; unused mana empties at the end of each phase, so plan ahead.

Fun fact: Some abilities read “Activate only as a sorcery.” Without that line, most activated abilities function at instant speed!

Supertypes - Words Before the Type Line

Supertypes sit before the main type and can alter deck‑building rules or battlefield uniqueness.

Subtypes & Tribal Synergy

Subtypes follow a dash on the type line: Creature — Elf Druid, Artifact — Equipment, Land — Plains.

• Creature subtypes fuel typal decks (Elves, Goblins, Phyrexians).

• Artifact subtypes (Equipment, Vehicle, Clue, Treasure, Food).

• Enchantment subtypes (Aura, Saga, Role, Class).

• Spell subtypes (Adventure, Lesson).

• Battle subtype currently only Siege.

Tip: Cards care about exact matches, Goblin Matron fetches a Goblin but not a Shaman.

Permanent vs Spell & The Stack

1. Spell stage: Every non‑land card sits on the stack first and can be countered.

2. Permanent stage: When artifacts, creatures, enchantments, lands, planeswalkers, and battles resolve, they enter the battlefield. Instants and sorceries head to the graveyard.

Remember - If it stays in play round after round, it’s a permanent.

Five Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

1. Trying to counter a land drop: Lands aren’t spells.

2. Casting Equipment at instant speed: Only legal if it has flash.

3. Ignoring Battles: They can be attacked like planeswalkers.

4. Breaking the legend rule: Two of the same legendary card under your control? Choose one to keep.

5. Misreading “destroy target permanent.”: Instants and sorceries aren’t permanents!

Glossary (Zero‑Jargon Cheat Sheet)