SHORT THEORY TIME

M-C-M. C-M-C. These are two microsections of a larger equation, M-C-M-C-M-C... and it repeats ad infinitum on each side of the battlefield until the game ends. C(ards)-M(ana)-C(ards)-M(ana)-C(ards). Without disruption to the supply, each turn of the game provides a maximum of 7 cards or a minimum of one card. Out of those "natural" resources, we have to assemble one of many victory conditions, exchanging the value of cards in hand for the subjective use-values that are established via actually deploying the cards.

The back of a Magic: The Gathering(TM) card, fully sleeved and unknown during game one, represents a type of infinite yet amorphous value. We have no idea what our opponent might have, and thus each card is simultaneously a Mana Source, a Source of Card Quality, Card Advantage, Disruption, a Value Engine, and a Win Condition. Every single card when unknown represents all of these things. We do have information to begin the game, however.

We know that, left unchecked, the simple actions of mulligan to one, draw, play land, and pass will end up with the person on the draw dying to a decking condition. In this scenario, target player draws a card would change the texture of the game such that either the person on the draw loses faster, or the natural flow of the game is reversed and the person on the play will die first. Oona's Grace would become the most lethal and most important spell of such a game.

Now consider what we would call a much more normal game of Magic. Consider two decks that both want to run Lightning Bolt.

Lightning Bolt is commonly run in a full complement, that is, multiples of four. Some players supplement Lightning Bolt with Chain Lightning.

This is the most common supplementary Lightning Bolt, as Chain Lightning's sorcery restriction is offset by its flexibility. It also can target anything, exchanging one red mana for three damage. M-C.

We can presume these decks that want to run Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning are of two varied archetypes. Deck One will be Burn and Deck Two will be Delver.

Each deck presents an opening 7 each pilot is satisfied with. They begin the game, with Delver on the play and Burn on the draw. This is important because each M-C-M equation, while equivalent in the abstract, changes dramatically. Delver in this scenario begins with C-M-C, first transforming a Card into a Mountain, then transforming said Mountain into Mana, then the Mana into a Dragon's Rage Channeler. C-M-C-M if we count from the opening hand; C-M-C if we account for the first transformation.

At this point of the game the body of Magic: The Gathering comprises some 20,000+ cards and more than 19,000 of those legal options in a game of Value Vintage. By the act of transforming a Card into a Mountain, and Mountain into Dragon's Rage Channeler, our Delver Player has now telegraphed that some 19,500 options are no longer in discussion. It is simply not plausible with that opening to deploy, say, Explosive Vegetation or Draco.

Now our Burn Player draws a card. C. Their equation is C-C-M-C if you're keeping track at home. They deploy Mountain and have to choose between transforming the cards in their hand into disruption or a counter-threat. If they deploy the threat, they are indicating that the threat of 3 damage per turn is not a deterrent. If they deploy as removal they can feign their deck choice but they lose time on the axis of the game they are best equipped to fight on - life totals. The very act of the Delver Player deploying a Mountain should communicate to the Burn player that they too are willing to engage in an aggressive fight.

[Pictured below: The premier land for people who are fighting for a sandwich and a ride home later.]

Presuming for this exercise the Burn Player deploys a threat - Monastery Swiftspear - and initiates an attack.

Here again a lone Mountain tells us nothing, but committing to the Swiftspear has condensed the information for the Delver player again from 20,000+ options down to under 19,500. After all, it should be reasoned that Omniscience is not coming out of the Mountain opener.

So what did we learn today?

C-M-C-M is a reliable way to understand the game at a basic level. In this first lesson we glean the MTG information paradox - we can yield zero information to our opponent to prevent them from understanding what our deck is, but in doing so we delay or deny our ability to win the game.

Alright, next time class we'll cover whatever else is on my mind, maybe part two, maybe something radically different, who knows? After all I've only played a Mountain and passed.