You’re staring at a hand of seven cards. There’s a forest, a couple of weird-looking creatures, and something called a "Siege." If you’re new to Magic: The Gathering—or even if you’ve been slinging spells since the 90s—the sheer volume of MTG card types can feel like trying to read a textbook written in another language.
Honestly? It's kind of a mess.
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But it’s a beautiful mess. Every time Wizards of the Coast adds a new type, the game's DNA shifts. We went decades without a new permanent type until Planeswalkers showed up in Lorwyn, and then everyone lost their minds again when Battles landed in March of the Machine.
If you want to actually win games, you've got to stop thinking of these as just "labels." They are the literal rules of engagement.
The Permanents: Things That Stick Around
Basically, if it stays on the table after you play it, it’s a permanent. These are your tools. Your army. Your infrastructure.
Lands are the most basic, but also the most misunderstood. You don't "cast" them. You just play them. They aren't spells. This is a huge distinction because cards that say "Counter target spell" do absolutely nothing to a land. They provide the mana—the fuel—for everything else.
Then you’ve got Creatures. These are the bread and butter. They have Power and Toughness (that little $2/2$ or $5/5$ in the corner). They’re the only things that can naturally attack and block. Without them, you’re just a wizard standing in a field getting punched.
Artifacts and Enchantments often get lumped together, but they feel very different in practice. Artifacts are usually "colorless," meaning any deck can run them. They’re items—swords, robots, mana rocks. Enchantments, on the other hand, are usually colored and represent ongoing magical effects. Think of an artifact as a physical wrench and an enchantment as a spell that makes the air turn to lead.
The Heavy Hitters: Planeswalkers and Battles
Planeswalkers changed everything. They aren't creatures. They have "Loyalty" instead of health. You can use one of their abilities once per turn, and your opponent can choose to attack them instead of you. It’s like having a sidekick who might bail if they take too many hits.
Battles are the newest kids on the block. Specifically, the "Siege" subtype. When you play a Battle, you pick an opponent to protect it. Then—and this is the weird part—you attack it yourself. If you deal enough damage to defeat the Battle, it "transforms" and you get to cast the back side for free. It’s a mini-game within the game.
The Non-Permanents: Spells That Flash and Fade
If a card does its thing and immediately goes to the graveyard, it’s a one-off spell.
- Sorceries: These are slow. You can only play them on your turn.
- Instants: These are the "gotcha" cards. You can play them whenever. Your opponent's turn? Sure. During combat? Absolutely.
The "stack" is where these cards live for a split second before they resolve. Mastering the timing of an Instant is usually what separates a casual player from someone who actually cleans up at Friday Night Magic.
The "Kindred" Rebrand
You might remember a card type called "Tribal." As of late 2023 and the release of Modern Horizons 3, that type has been officially renamed to Kindred.
It’s a weird one. Kindred is a card type that allows non-creature cards to have creature types. For example, you can have a "Kindred Enchantment — Goblin." Why does that matter? Because if you have a card that says "All Goblins get +1/+1," that enchantment is technically a Goblin. It doesn't attack, but it benefits from the synergy. It’s a way to make your deck's theme tighter.
What People Get Mixed Up (The "Supertypes")
This is the part where people start arguing at the table. Words like Legendary, Basic, and Snow are NOT card types. They are "supertypes."
If a card says "Destroy target creature," it doesn't care if that creature is Legendary. But if a card says "Destroy target Legendary permanent," then it specifically looks for that supertype.
Expert Tip: If you're playing a deck with "Delirium" (like from the Innistrad sets), you need four different card types in your graveyard. "Legendary Creature" only counts as ONE type (Creature). "Artifact Creature" counts as TWO (Artifact and Creature). Knowing this distinction is how you hit your power spikes three turns early.
The Rare Stuff You'll Probably Never See
Unless you're playing weird formats like Planechase or Archenemy, you won't see these often, but they technically exist in the rules:
- Conspiracies (used in Draft)
- Phenomena and Planes (for Planechase)
- Schemes (for Archenemy)
- Vanguards
For 99% of players, these don't exist. Stick to the core nine: Land, Creature, Artifact, Enchantment, Planeswalker, Battle, Instant, Sorcery, and Kindred.
How to Use This Knowledge
Don't just memorize the list. Use it to build better. If you're building a deck, look at your "Type" distribution. Are you too heavy on Sorceries? You might get run over by someone playing at Instant speed. Do you have enough Permanents to actually win a long game?
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your "Permanent" count: If you're a beginner, aim for about 24-26 lands and 20-25 creatures. Fill the rest with a mix of other types.
- Look for "Double-Typed" cards: Cards like Artifact Creatures are twice as vulnerable (they can be destroyed by "Shatter" AND "Murder"), but they are twice as good for synergies that care about types.
- Read the type line carefully: Before you cast a spell, double-check if it's a Sorcery or an Instant. That "speed" is the difference between a winning play and a wasted card.
Start sorting your collection by type instead of just color. You’ll see the patterns in how the game is balanced almost immediately. Once you understand the "shape" of each card type, the game stops being a bunch of text and starts being a tactical map.