Magic is an incredibly simple game. In fact, we can reduce the entire complexity of the game to a few key factors. If we momentarily set aside the different types of spells, the color pie, the various stages of a turn, the order of priorities, the hundreds of abilities, and the tens of thousands of different cards that have been printed over the years, we can identify a recurring and unchanging simple trend.

The Mana Exploitation Score [MES]: The most fundamental rule in the game can be described as the mana exploitation score rule. We can summarize it as follows: under equal conditions, the player who succeeds in utilizing a greater amount of mana will probably win the game. By ‘equal conditions’ I mean disregarding three intervening factors that disrupt this simple formula: the players’ playing skills, the quality of the card pool, and, last but not least, luck. I will discuss each of these factors separately later in this chapter. For now, it is important to note that these three factors are predetermined or arbitrary and can therefore be disregarded when seeking to understand this basic rule of the game.

Let’s imagine a game of MTG played over the course of 20 turns. This is a relatively long game, considering that the average number of turns in a limited environment is around 8 to12. We will refer to the amount of mana available to each player during these turns as MPP (mana production potential). The amount of mana used by a player will be referred to as MES (mana exploitation score). In MTG, it is the MES, not the MPP, that truly matters. The player with the highest MES will have better chances of winning. If we were to take 100 random games of MTG and compare the MES of each pair of players with the results, we would find a clear correlation between a higher MES and winning. Although I cannot confirm if such an experiment has been conducted, I am confident of its results. This is because there is a close connection between mana exploitation and the creation of conditions for achieving victory, often by reducing the opponent’s life points to zero. A player who can effectively utilize more mana is likely to have cast a greater number of spells, higher-cost spells or utilized more abilities of permanents on the battlefield. All else being equal, this will give them an advantage and increase their chances of winning.

A solid mana curve and cards functioning as mana sinks can contribute to maintaining a high MES:

Balanced Mana Curve: MES reflects the player’s ability to effectively utilize all available mana resources. Since higher mana cost spells generally tend to be more powerful, it follows that minimizing the amount of unusable mana leads to a game advantage. To illustrate this, let’s compare a 2/3 creature costing 2 mana with a 3/3 creature costing 3 mana. While the first creature can be considered good, the second one can only be considered playable. The reason for this is that the addition of +1/+0 does not sufficiently justify the extra mana cost. However, in absolute terms (disregarding the question of cost), the second creature is better than the first.

Now, imagine a deck consisting of a large number of strong spells costing 2 mana, with only a few spells costing 3 mana. In this case, theoretically, we would prefer the second creature. This is because the deck is filled with 2-mana cards, making it highly likely that we will find at least one of them in our opening hand. Assuming we want to cast it, any extra 2-mana cards would have to wait until the next turn to be cast. However, when we have the option of producing 3 mana, we would prefer to play a 3/3 creature over a 2/3 creature, even if the former costs an additional mana (assuming the extra mana has no use in the meantime). A 2/3 creature played on turn 3 is not better than a 3/3 creature played for 3 mana; in fact, quite the opposite.

A balanced mana curve allows for the full utilization of available mana resources and determines the quality of the deck as much as the overall quality of the cards. It’s important to note that it’s not the balanced mana curve itself that is crucial but rather the principle of maintaining a high MES by utilizing mana efficiently.

Mana Sinks: Another way to prevent wasted mana production potential is by incorporating mana sinks into your deck. These are spells or permanents that allow the utilization of excess mana. For instance, there are spells with unfixed costs that can be adjusted based on the amount of mana available, thus enhancing their effect. Another example is a creature whose attributes can be temporarily or permanently boosted by using excess mana. Permanent abilities typically require more mana than spells. For example, an ability that grants a creature +1/+1 for 2 mana would be considered quite valuable, whereas a spell with a similar effect costing 2 mana would be seen as less playable. The reason behind this distinction is that the spell costs us an additional card on top of its mana cost (more on that later).

Centaur Glade

mana costs:
mana amount: 3
complexity: 2

Nantuko Shade

mana costs:
mana amount: 2
complexity: 2

fireball

mana costs:
mana amount: 2
complexity: 2

Enclave Cryptologist

mana costs:
mana amount: 1
complexity: 1

It’s such a shame to waste good mana!

To further emphasize the significance of MES, let’s shed light on several well-known aspects of the game that are considered important for gaining an advantage over the opponent.

Card Advantage: Every new player learns early on about the importance of having a card advantage. Cards serve as the primary resource in the game, and having more resources generally improves the chances of winning. However, it’s important to note that the value of cards lies in the effects they produce rather than the cards themselves. In the real world, outside the realm of the MTG battlefield, we categorize resources into energy resources (such as food, coal and fuel) that generate work and raw materials (like those used in the production of cars, planes and Magic cards) used to build products. Similarly, resources in MTG can be divided into two categories: cards that are used to cast spells (typically lands, but not always) and the spells themselves, which create various effects in the game (creatures, removal spells, combat tricks). The former category serves the latter, and their effectiveness directly derives from their ability to cast spells.

Having more cards means that a player can potentially generate more ‘work’ (by having more mana generators) and access a greater pool of ‘raw materials’ (spells) to produce game-changing effects. However, it’s important to note that the actual utilization of this potential in producing work and its effects allows us to gain an advantage over the opponent. If we don’t have the time or opportunity to use the cards we draw to generate work and their effects, simply having a card advantage won’t contribute much. Therefore, the amount of mana exploited (MES) better reflects the concept of card advantage than a simple count of the cards we draw.

Card advantage tends to become more significant as the game progresses. This is because the mana production potential (MPP) increases from one turn to another, while we still only draw one card per turn. Consequently, the number of cards in our hand usually diminishes over time while we are able to cast more and more spells. In the late game, a player who maintains a card advantage is more likely to emerge victorious. However, it’s worth noting that the game often ends before players are able to use all the spells they hold. This brings us to the concept of tempo.

Tempo: Tempo refers to the rhythm of utilizing your resources in the game. In MTG, tempo represents the rate at which players cast their spells. The faster the tempo, the greater the advantage a player gains over an opponent by applying pressure. A good tempo, therefore, involves casting the most powerful spells in the shortest possible time.

The importance of tempo arises from another characteristic of MES―its gradual and continuous effect. MTG is not played for a predetermined number of turns but rather until a specific objective is achieved, typically reducing the opponent’s life points to zero. Therefore, the more rapidly the gap in mana exploitation develops, the sooner the game’s outcome will be determined. If a player manages to exploit double the amount of mana compared to their opponent in the early turns, she may gain an advantage that the opponent will struggle to overcome, even if the latter may hypothetically reduce the gap in subsequent turns.

This is why tempo is so significant in the game and why simply gaining a card advantage does not guarantee victory. Spells that allow drawing cards are an investment for the future. However, this investment often requires sacrificing your current tempo. The same can be said about expensive (more powerful) spells: the inherent delay in casting them is an investment. Nevertheless, the sacrifice of tempo for card advantage or effect should not be too big otherwise the game will not last long enough to enjoy the fruits of investment. Players must ensure that the gap in mana exploitation with their opponent does not become too wide, maintaining a balanced mana curve to sustain tempo.

Three intervening factors:

As mentioned above, three factors unrelated to MES affect the game:

Player’s skills: The players’ skill level, mainly how effectively they utilize the various effects produced by mana, plays a central role in their ability to achieve victory. Skill in MTG can be acquired through personal experience and, to some extent, learning from the experiences of others. This is one of the main justifications for seeking resources like this book.

A solid understanding of the game’s mechanics, rules, strategies, and interactions allows players to make more informed decisions during gameplay. This involves assessing the battlefield state, evaluating card synergies, anticipating opponents’ moves and adapting strategies accordingly. Skillful players are often able to identify optimal plays, maximize their mana exploitation and capitalize on their opponents’ weaknesses.

While luck and the quality of the card pool can impact the outcome of a game, skill remains a critical factor that can tilt the odds in a player’s favor. Through practice, analysis and a deep understanding of the game, players can improve their skills and increase their chances of achieving victory in MTG.

The first MTG Pro Tour of a limited environment took place in Los Angeles in May 1996, specifically featuring a booster draft format. This event occurred during the time when the Homelands set was released: this is widely regarded as one of the weakest sets in the game’s history. The tournament raised questions about the significance of player skill in a limited, with doubts surrounding the ability to adequately prepare and the belief that training would not make a substantial difference.

While American players took the tournament seriously and engaged in rigorous preparation, many European players initially felt that early preparation would be futile. However, the outcome of the tournament served as unequivocal proof that player skill and effective preparation are indeed crucial factors for success even in limited formats. Of the participants, 60 American players advanced to the second day, whereas only two Europeans managed to do so. This result left no room for doubt, and it became clear that competence and skill play a significant role in limited environments as well.

This event served as a turning point, dispelling any skepticism about the importance of player skill in limited formats. It highlighted the value of training, preparation and a deep understanding of the set played, regardless of the perceived limitations of the card pool.[1]

Quality Advantage: Every MTG player knows this simple fact―the higher the cost of a spell, the more powerful the spell is. However, a powerful spell does not necessarily mean a good spell. The quality of a spell is determined by the cost and benefit ratio. A 5/5 creature would be considered a strong creature, but the spell itself would be bad if casting it costs us 7 mana.[2]

The quality of spells can be evaluated using the following equation:

Effectiveness / Casting cost = Spell quality

For a spell to be considered playable, its effect should align with its typical casting cost. This alignment between effectiveness and casting cost serves as a benchmark for determining the playability of a spell.

To further illustrate this concept, let’s examine the following four spells:

Shock

mana costs:
mana amount: 1
complexity: 1

Incinerate

mana costs:
mana amount: 2
complexity: 2

Unfriendly Fire

mana costs:
mana amount: 5
complexity: 2

Explosive Impact

mana costs:
mana amount: 6
complexity: 2

Can you see any pattern here?

Each of the cards above can deal damage to creatures or players instantly. However, the amount of damage they inflict depends on the spell’s casting cost. This pattern allows us to identify the relationship between effectiveness and mana cost for these categories of spells. The pattern gives us a benchmark by which we can determine if a spell is too expensive, like one that deals only 2 damage but costs 3 mana.

MES is important, but it’s equally crucial to consider what you get for the mana you spend. If you can use all your available mana, you’re in a good position. If you can use your mana on spells with a good effectiveness-to-cost ratio, you’re even better off. Not all spells follow the same effectiveness-to-mana cost equation. Some spells are more effective compared to their cost. In those cases, the effectiveness-to-mana cost ratio is higher than usual. It means these spells have a greater impact than their mana cost suggests. For example, summoning a 4/4 creature for 3 mana is above average because similar spells usually require at least 4 mana. This raises the overall effectiveness of your deck as if your MES was greater.

Imagine two players, each of them using a total of 10 mana during the first five turns. However, if one player has higher-quality cards than the other, it’s as if they used their mana more effectively. In the game of spells, the quality of your cards matters, not just the amount of mana you spend.

In a constructed environment, the card pool is the same for everyone, if financial considerations are not taken into account. In a limited environment, there are usually differences in the quality of the pool, and this may affect the chances of success. Why? Because not all MTG cards are equal. There is a notable relationship between the rarity of a card and its impact on the game. Rare or mythic spells often accomplish what other spells do, but with a lower mana cost. Furthermore, they frequently possess intricate effects that are beyond the reach of spells of lesser rarity, regardless of their mana costs. Thus, the rarity of a card may serve as an indication of its potential quality. However, it is important to note that rarity alone does not always guarantee superior quality. Some mythical and rare cards prove useful only under very specific circumstances, and without those conditions their impact on the game remains marginal or even harmful to the player casting them. Consequently, while rarity offers some insights into a card’s value, a case-by-case evaluation remains essential. Additionally, certain categories of spells consistently exhibit higher overall quality compared to others, as exemplified by removal spells, which will be further elucidated later in this discussion.

Therefore, the quality of the card pool significantly influences the game just as much as MES. This is because high-quality cards, characterized by a favorable cost-to-benefit ratio, effectively reduce the amount of mana required to achieve a desired effect. Similarly, the card pool plays a pivotal role in determining the potential for synergy. Synergy can be viewed as a mechanism that amplifies the impact of cards without increasing their mana cost. Through synergy the collective power of cards harmonizes and achieves greater outcomes within the game. Therefore, like a good effectiveness-to-cost ratio, synergy raises the overall effectiveness of your deck as if your MES was greater.

Luck: As we observed in the introduction, luck undeniably plays a significant role in MTG, although its influence is often exaggerated. In the mid-90s, when Wizards of the Coast began organizing tournaments, a compelling revelation emerged: the strategic aspect of the game proved to be the defining factor, with certain players consistently claiming top positions. MTG professional player Craig Jones succinctly captured the role of luck within the game, stating, ‘What the hard work [and talent!] does… is put someone in a much better position to take advantage when luck does break their way’.[3]

While luck undoubtedly plays a part, through meticulous preparation, dedication, and skill players can maximize the opportunities that arise when fortune smiles upon them. The diligent honing of strategies and the cultivation of talent position players to seize the moments when luck breaks in their favor, transforming potential into victory.

[1] On Tour, Part 1 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING (wizards.com)

[2] Given the ability to generate an unlimited amount of mana, an expensive creature will probably be a good creature. In such a case, the player who manages to use the most mana will be the one who gains an advantage on the battlefield. If at the end of the fifth turn one player has used 30 mana and the other only 20, we would expect the one who managed to spend more mana to have the advantage. Of course, in a regular format that applies the ‘one-land-per-turn’ rule, it would be unwise to include only powerful and expensive spells in your deck. In the next section we will explain why. Yet given that there is endless mana, it would be the right choice.

[3] Char To The Face: Craig Jones And The $16,000 Lightning Helix – Star City Games