Magic: The Gathering --The Strategy Guide

     Taken from the Net, original author Barry Brenesal

Finely tuned strategy and time-sensitive tactics are the keys to
success in Magic: The Gathering. MicroProse threw a whole role-
playing environment into its detailed re-creation of Wizards of
the Coast's best-selling trading-card game. Surviving the
wilderness and delving into the depths of dungeons is a journey
fraught with danger. More leisurely pursuits like trading are what
can turn your random deck of assorted spells into a deck of
unbridled power.  So to ensure that your path to fame and fortune
is as smooth as possible, we've delved into the depths of the
Magic world to bring you vital information on deck-building and
defeating powerful creatures.

Towns

If you're becoming the center of too much unfriendly
attention from large attackers, head quickly into the nearest
town. Some of the nearby monsters will have their locations reset
when you leave. You'll also have an opportunity to edit your deck
appropriately for the next encounter awaiting you.

Remember, going to a town to collect a mana link isn't just for
the reward. It's also a quest. You can actually fail to make it to
your destination and claim the link in the available time, which
not only denies it to you but also means the town that issued you
the task will never give you another -- doubly bad.

Stop into towns at every opportunity, and click on the center icon
to access the village Wise Man's comments. He may give you +2 life
in your next duel, or valuable hints about dungeon locations and
inhabitants.

Duels

Save your game before every duel. The luck of the draw in battle
can sometimes make a good deck fail and turn a mediocre deck into
a winner.

Observe closely the color of attackers in the field or in
dungeons.  These will give you valuable hints about deck color. A
Necromancer, for instance, appears in blue and black, and a Lord
of Fate on horseback in white and black--mirroring the decks they
play. Try to take into account not only the color of the opponents
bearing down on you but their size as well. Large, powerful
opponents may be slower at getting out creatures and enchantments,
but once they do, the effect can be nearly unstoppable.
Conversely, smaller opponents offer limited threats, but because
they can be played relatively quickly, they may achieve an early
game advantage.

When an opponent "gifts" you with a carryover of your current life
points into the next duel (it's more of a curse, since the idea is
to not regenerate lost life between duels), choose a small
antagonist to get that penalty out of the way. As your successes
mount against any particular kind of opponent, others of its ilk
will avoid you and beg for mercy when cornered. At such times they
might offer food, money, amulets, or even a card from their own
hand.  Don't turn them down and force a duel unless you're on a
quest.  Especially as the option of a card you choose from their
deck outweighs by far the few random cards you get when you defeat
an opponent.

If you're familiar with the original M:TG card game, take plenty
of time to learn the available cards through the computer game's
Duel module before you venture into Shandalar. Otherwise, your
expectations will be unrealistic, given that the computer game
provides less than 20 percent of the M:TG cards available and in
use.

Deck Building 101

Lowering the number of cards in your deck increases the likelihood
of multiple cards turning up sooner, but it also increases the
chance of running out of cards in a duel. This doesn't usually
happen, but there are instances (particularly when both sides are
playing green, blue, and/or black) where a stalemate is reached.
Some computer-driven opponents also pursue a strategy of casting
multiple Howling Mines to force you through your deck all the
sooner.

Unlike regular M:TG play, you start the computerized game with low
life points (number depends upon level of difficulty) and a
scattering of basic cards. It's therefore essential to configure a
simple weenie deck for quick, early wins, and not concentrate at
that point on complex combos or slow theme decks. The color that
gives you the best starting chance in MicroProse's M:TG is green.
Should you prefer a formidable challenge, try blue with its
absence of fast mana-producing cards and its generally high
spell-casting cost.

If you lower your initial deck count below 40, the game will
automatically add other variously colored lands to make up the
difference. You can't compensate for every type of deck, so don't
even try. Instead, try to concentrate on developing two to three
basic deck types to deal with a variety of circumstances, and
within each deck type, prepare a number of cards that go "on the
sideboard."

Dungeons

Most dungeons and castles carry over life-point losses from one
battle to another, although your adversaries will always start
fresh and invigorated. There are several strategies to counter
this. You can stock up on Healing Salve, artifact cards that
improve health, Stream of Life, and Drain Life. These aren't
options; they're essential survival-strategy tools -- particularly
in the case of castles.

If PowerStruggle is in effect in a dungeon, and your
computerized opponent plays artifacts, summon creatures instead.
Your adversary won't be able to perform those perilous random
swaps if you haven't got the same type of card to swap (e.g.,
creatures, global enchantments, artifacts, lands). Scope out all
the clear areas in any dungeon before you decide on a path of
advancement. Some monsters are placed in such a way that you can
work around them via side corridors, and since your damage carries

over from duel to duel there, you don't want to face more
showdowns than you need to.

Tailor your deck appropriately to the individual dungeon or
castle.  If you know that Oriflame will be in effect in a red
dungeon, try playing a white/blue deck with several Disenchants,
Conversions, Volcanic Eruptions, and so on. If you're going into a
blue dungeon where PowerStruggle is in effect, consider playing
white and blue so that switching lands with an opponent leaves you
able to play their islands, while your plains wreck their
mono-blue casting.

Dice icons in the dungeon usually administer random bonuses to
your character. If they're the kind that give you extra life,
these bonuses are cumulative, so two sets of dice that supply 2
and 3 extra life, respectively, give you 5 extra life. But the
kind that provide a creature during your next duel are not
cumulative.  Running over two of these sets of dice in succession
only replaces one creature with another.

World Magics

The best World Magics at the start of the game are the Ring of the
Guardian and the Sword of Lightning. Any of the major wizards need
only three mana links to win (and defeat you); the Ring changes
that to five. The Sword will instantly transport you to a city
that is under attack by a major wizard who seeks a mana link. This
is particularly useful, as wizard-occupied cities are controlled
by their more powerful subordinates. Dueling before the wizard
conquers gives you a greater chance of success. After Ring and
Sword, Conjurer's Will is probably your best World Magic. It
allows you to edit your deck -- tuning it to the weaknesses of the
creature bearing down on you -- without entering a town.

Know Your Enemy: A Choice Selection Among the Toughest

The Mind Stealer: On occasion, this blue-black opponent will play
you with a copy of your own deck. Even when he doesn't, his


ability to steal your cards and kill your land makes every defeat
at his hands that much more frustrating.
Solution: Swarm him with little creatures.

The Thought Invoker: She will sometimes swap decks with you,
giving your own back after the duel. Her mono-blue deck works
around the principle of Psychic Venom, poisoning your lands; then
she brings out relatively expensive fliers.
Solution: Swarm with low creatures. As with any mono-deck, the
Thought-Invoker is also susceptible to cards that target her
single color.

The Shapeshifter: Can take on the "form" (meaning the deck) of any
other creature during a duel. Adds non-land mana to a blue mono-
deck base to bring out artifact creatures.
Solution: Swarm with small creatures, and use anti-artifact cards.

The Summoner: Another opponent who shifts form, like the
Shapeshifter. A mostly green deck with a few whites, she likes

casting Circle Of Protection: Green, then Hurricaning you to
death.
Solution: A fast deck. Don't use fliers. Destroy her lands, since
she doesn't carry any green weenies. (In fact, she has a couple of
Colossus of Sardias up her capacious sleeve.) If you're playing
blue, use Control Magic to grab her Birds of Paradise.

The Necromancer: The final member of the Shapeshifting Trilogy,
which can assume the deck of other creatures during a duel. On
his own, the Necromancer prefers using Evil Presence to change
your lands into swamps; then he drops his unstoppable
swampwalkers on you. Watch out for his nasty Drain Lifes, too.
Solution: The Necromancer has a mono-black deck, so there's no
protection against enchantments. White is particularly effective,
with Karma providing a nearly unholy joy.

The Ape Lord: A powerful green/red deck that employs fast mana
to get out Killer Bees, Dragon Engines, and direct damage cards
relatively quickly.

Solution: A fast deck of your own. A white/blue combination will
work wonders, offering Circles Of Protection in defense while
Counterspells, Elemental Blasts, and Control Magics mess with
his simian mind.

The Arch Angel: A potent combination of flying creatures and life
boosters, with a few mana enhancements courtesy of Mana
Vaults. A deck like this may explain why Wizards Of The Coast
removed the Serra Angel from its Fifth Edition.
Solution: Land destruction works well against this deck, given the
casting cost of its creatures. Hurricanes will revive the friendly
skies.

The Black Wizard: Fast mana and big fliers.
Solution: A white/green deck will have no trouble with him.
White/blue is also fun, since he's very susceptible to
enchantments.



The Blue Wizard: Stasis is her game. Her Twiddles tap your
creatures, while her creatures that never tap (like Yotian
Soldiers and Zephyr Falcons) boogie on through.
Solution: A small creature deck won't be bothered by her strategy;
neither will direct damage. Consider playing green/red.

Dracur, The Red Dragon: With a black/green/red deck, Dracur likes
Hypnotic Spectres and augments land destruction spells with a few
Dingus Eggs. If you survive all this, he hits you with red direct
damage.
Solution: Like other dragons, Dracur's three-color deck is
susceptible to land destruction of its own -- even more so,
considering his playing style. Consider a white/blue or
white/green deck, and cast Conversion to stop his direct damage.
Use non-mana land sources.

The Green Wizard: An extremely powerful mono-green deck, built
around lots of fast mana, Killer Bees, and Gaea's Liege. Verduran
Enchantresses and Jayemdae Tomes help get his strategy
moving, fast.
Solution: Play David to his Goliath. Use Prodigal Sorcerers and
Rods of Ruin to pick off his Birds of Paradise, Killer Bees, and
Llanowar Elves as he plays them. Pestilence works very well if he
casts Living Lands -- you wipe out not only his creatures, but the
majority of his mana as well.

The Lord of Fate: A fun white/black deck, with a nice assortment
of cheap and powerful creatures augmented by black's fast mana
and white's enchantments.
Solution: A fast deck with anti-artifact and anti-enchantment
spells. A green/blue or green/white deck will work especially
well.

Mandurang, The Black Dragon: A red/black/blue Arch Angel deck
on steroids. Lots of cheap fliers, Moxes(!) to add fast mana,
enchantments to boost power and toughness.
Solution: Fast mana of your own, anti-creature cards. (Unsummon
is particularly useful, because it's both cheap and wastes his
enchantments.) A blue/green deck with some artifacts
(Meekstone to stop his creature enhancements, The Rack to slow
Mandurang's very fast development). Green/blue, green/white, or
green/black should annoy him to death.

The Nether Fiend: Cheap creatures and Mishra's Factories,
augmented by Jununs. Watch out for his deadly combination of
The Hive and The Lord of the Pit.
Solution: As a mono-black deck, he's extremely vulnerable to
enchantments. Give him the blues with Mind Control and
Counterspell. A single white Karma spell can destroy him. If
you're playing green and he's got The Lord of the Pit out there,
Hurricane him. It's fun to watch The Lord of the Pit turn on its
master.

The Priestess: She plays defensively, using life enhancements
and walls. She'll produce a few Elder Land Wurms when you've
exhausted your resources, and a bunch of Animate Wall spells to
really wreck your day.
Solution: Hit her hard and early, before she can produce enough
mana from her mono-white deck to build that defensive perimeter.

She's a sucker for black: Use Evil Presence to pollute her lands
and Hypnotic Spectres to chip away at her hand.

Prismat, The Green Dragon: One of the most difficult opponents
you'll face. His deck concentrates on spells that damage
everything, including himself, and a variety of cards for life
gain.  Not surprisingly, his only creature is the Onulet.
Solution: Beat Prismat with life-dealing spells of your own. A
white/black deck can paralyze his personal attacks with Circles
Of Protection while emptying his hand with Hypnotic Spectres.
White/blue can cancel Prismat's spells, leaving room for your
Serra Angels to kick a little draconian butt.

Queltosh, The Red Djinn: Many of the djinns are relative
pushovers, but Queltosh is an exception--his white/blue/red deck
seems to have one card of nearly everything.
Solution: Keep open and expect anything. Your only consolation
is that once Queltosh has used a spell, he won't repeat it.


The Red Wizard: He's seriously into dragons--Shivan Dragons,
Dragon Whelps, Prismatic Dragons, Dragon Engines, Craw
Wurms, Elder Land Wurms, and so on. To power it all, he has
Mana Flares, and he's got several Lightning Bolts to get around
any walls.
Solution: As the Red Wizard reveals, it's dangerous to employ too
narrow a strategy in this game. Anyone for Winter Blast or
Hurricane? The earth will shake as the gross draconian tonnage
hits the ground. And since all the Red Wizard's creatures are
either dragons or wurms, an Aswan Jaguar will chortle with glee.
Play green here, and have fun.

The White Wizard: Lots of protection, as you might expect. He
hides behind it while playing things like Armageddon Clock and
Bottle of Suleiman. Several anti-artifact and anti-creature spells
will deal with his defenses, and you can use fast, small creatures
to destroy him.

Eliminating the five major wizards brings you face-to-face with
the ultimate test: Arzakon. He can be beaten, but it isn't easy.
On the good side, Arzakon plays with all five magical colors and
an oversized deck, making it extremely difficult for him to get
started.  On the bad side, he also has 400 life. He can afford to
take as much damage as you want to throw at him, then dish out
whatever little bit is required to splatter you over all
Shandalar.
Solution: The first thing to realize is that you've already won
before you tackle Arzakon. The length of time he takes to defeat
you affects the length of Arzakon's banishment: that's all. That
said, it is actually possible to defeat this monster. You'll need
to place him in an inescapable loop while employing other cards to
slowly scratch him to death. Blue is essential for this, and some
nice combinations involving Stasis, Time Elemental, etc., will
work well. Then you can concentrate on emptying his deck or
administering 400+ damage. (The latter can be done. Consider a
huge Fireball powered with Mana Flares, Birds of Paradise,
Forking, Timetwister, Demonic Tutor, Moxes, a Candelabra of
Tawnos, and so on!)


@~If any MtG players have any tips to add, or would like to write
@~their own article, please send it in and help out your fellow
@~SynTaxers! ... Sue
















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