The Magic: the Gathering Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The Magic: the Gathering Quiz
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About This Quiz

Magic was the first collectible card game, a concept that changed the gaming industry. Whether you're a white, blue, black, red or green mage, test your spellcasting skills with this Magic: the Gathering quiz.
If you want to cast a lot of creatures with Haste and deal damage directly to your opponent, which color should you play?
red
green
black
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Haste and direct damage are characteristics of red, a color associated with fire and recklessness.

Who is the creator of Magic: the Gathering?
Reiner Knizia
Richard Garfield
Gary Gygax
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Richard Garfield designed Magic while he was a grad student at the University of Pennsylvania.

How can you tell the difference between the original "Alpha" printing of Magic's first set and the "Beta" reprint of that set?
Beta cards were reprinted with white borders instead of black borders.
Alpha cards have slightly more rounded corners than Beta cards.
Beta cards have a copyright date on the bottom of the card, which Alpha cards lack.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A change in the die used to cut the cards resulted in Beta cards (and all subsequent Magic cards) having less round corners than Alpha cards.

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The keyword that causes a creature to kill any other creature it damages, no matter the amount of damage, is called…
plaguetouch
first strike
deathtouch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Deathtouch is often used to indicate a creature that spreads disease or has vampiric powers.

A creature with protection from white can be killed by a white card that says, "Destroy all creatures."
TRUE
FALSE
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Protection from a color prevents damage from sources of that color and prevents the creature from being targeted by sources of that color. The white "destroy all creatures" card neither targets nor deals damage, so it would kill the protected creature.

Magic was first released in what year?
1993
1996
2002
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Both the Alpha and Beta printings were released in 1993.

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Currently, artifact cards have a gray background. What color did artifacts used to be?
brown
teal
yellow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Artifacts were brown until Magic cards received an updated graphic design for the card face in 2003.

The highest level of Magic: the Gathering competition is the…
International Challenge League
House Cup
Pro Tour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Top Magic players compete on the Pro Tour for tens of thousands of dollars in prizes.

Which tournament legal Magic card has the highest combined casting cost?
Authochthon Wurm
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Draco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Draco costs 16 mana, more than any other Magic card (we're not counting Gleemax even though it costs 1,000,000 mana since it was never tournament legal).

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What set of five artifacts that cost zero mana to play are among the most valuable cards ever printed?
the Lotus cycle
the Moxes
the Elder Dragons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Moxes, artifacts that produce mana and cost nothing to play, can be worth thousands of dollars in good condition.

The original Magic rules required players to take what unusual step before beginning the game?
draw a card at random that your opponent would then take and keep if he or she won the game
place two basic lands on top of each deck to make sure both players had enough land to play with
initial your opponent's cards to maintain a documented win-loss record for all players
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Some cards even interacted with the "ante" rule that forced players to put a random card on the line for every match they played.

The "Lorwyn" set was the first time an entirely new type of card was added to Magic. What was it?
Planeswalkers
Legendary Lands
Eldrazi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Planeswalkers, representing characters who can travel between planes just like the players do, have become some of the most powerful cards in Magic.

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The keyword Hexproof replaced an older keyword that restricted targeting. What was it?
Banding
Shroud
Circle of Protection
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Creatures with Shroud couldn’t be targeted by anything, but it was replaced by Hexproof, which only prevents targeting by your opponents.

If you're playing an elf deck, what color are you most likely to be playing?
black
green
white
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While there are some black elves, the overwhelming majority of elf cards in Magic are green.

An epic four-year storyline told through several Magic expansions involved a plane-hopping airship called…
the Thran Dynamo
the Weatherlight
Ugin's Victory
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Skyship Weatherlight was used to defend Dominaria from the Phyrexians.

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Magic's gothic horror themed plane is called…
Innistrad
Zendikar
Mirrodin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Innistrad is full of vampires, werewolves and zombies.

When a spell or effect is played, it goes on the [blank], where it waits to resolve until all players have a chance to add other spells or effects.
library
stack
zone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Effects on the stack resolve in the opposite order that they were played; last in, first out.

Which Magic set was the first to include cards with multiple colors in their casting costs?
"Mirage"
"Champions of Kamigawa"
"Legends"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Legends" was Magic's third expansion set. It introduced multi-colored cards and legendary creatures.

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How do creatures with Doublestrike deal their damage?
They are treated as if they are two separate creatures dealing damage equal to their power during the damage step.
They deal twice their power in damage during the damage step.
They deal damage equal to their power during the first strike damage step and again during the regular damage step.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Doublestrike creatures deal damage during the first strike and regular damage steps.

What Magic card is commonly known as "Tim," after a wizard from the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"
Bogardan Phoenix
Prodigal Sorcerer
Autumn Willow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Prodigal Sorcerer's ability to deal one point of damage to anything is reminiscent of the explosive Monty Python wizard. "There are some who call me…Tim."

What is the maximum number of a single card, other than basic lands, that can be included in a tournament legal Magic deck?
3
4
5
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Magic deck construction rules limit you to four of a given card in the deck.

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What color are lands?
colorless
black
white
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lands have no color unless some other effect in the game causes them to gain a color.

The rarity levels of Magic cards are common, uncommon, rare and…
epic
legendary
mythic rare
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The mythic rare rarity level was introduced in the "Shards of Alara" expansion.

The first Magic set included a cycle of cards that let players gain three of something for one mana. One of these cards was vastly more powerful than the others, allowing the player to draw three cards. What is the name of that card?
Dark Ritual
Ancestral Recall
Wheel of Fortune
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ancestral Recall's "draw 3 cards" ability gives players a huge advantage.

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The "Ravnica" expansion established that Magic's two-colored pairings were called guilds. What is the name of the blue/black guild?
Dimir
Orzhov
Zemoya
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Dimir guild is focused on stealth and espionage.

Wizards of the Coast maintains a list of cards they will never reprint. What is the list called?
the legacy list
the chronicle
the reserved list
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The reserved list was created in 1996 to assure collectors some of their cards would never drop in value due to reprinting.

The "Khans of Tarkir" block of sets focused on what creature type?
dragons
angels
bears
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Khans" featured more dragons than any previous Magic set.

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Which card lets you counter an opponent's spell even if you have no mana untapped, by paying one life and discarding another blue card?
Mana Drain
Force of Will
Pact of Negation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Force of Will was underestimated when it was first released, but has since come to be recognized as one of the most powerful counterspells in Magic.

If a creature has Shadow, what are the only creatures it can block or be blocked by?
other creatures with Shadow
walls
demons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shadow creatures are only able to block or be blocked by each other.

A popular casual Magic format known as Commander (or Elder Dragon Highlander) uses 100-card decks. What is each player's starting life total in a game of Commander?
10
40
100
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Starting at 40 life lets Commander games move more slowly, allowing players to develop different strategies.

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