Welcome to Magi-Nation!
You are about to enter the Moonlands, a
place of wondrous regions created from the stuff
of dreams. The Moonlands are a mystical place
filled with amazing Magi, strange Dream
Creatures, and ancient Relics of untold power.
Powerful wizards and sorcerers, the Magi hone
their potent skills by dueling other Magi. They
need to be the best they can be, for the Magi of
the Moonlands are fighting a war against the vile
creatures that crawl up from the core of the moon
and seek to corrupt their entire race.
Magi-Nation Duel is a game about these
magical duels. Each player controls a group of
three Magi. These Magi cast Spells, conjure up
Dream Creatures, and use Relics to defeat the
other group of Magi. Defeat all of the Magi that
oppose you, and you win!
Most games of Magi-Nation Duel are played
between two players, but theres no reason you
cant play with three or more. Whoever your
friends are, invite them to join the fun!
So How Does This Work?
Magi-Nation Duel is a collectible card game
(often called a CCG). The cards represent your
Magi, the Dream Creatures they call, the Spells
they cast, and the Relics they use in their duels.
In a CCG, you dont use all of your cards at
once; players build custom decks from their
collection. As an analogy, imagine you could
play a game with baseball sports cards. You
wouldnt use every baseball player in your
collection at once; aside from being pretty
obnoxious, itd be silly. Instead, youd only
choose your favorite nine players to take the
field. CCGs work in the same way. You take
your best cards and make a deck, then use that
deck to play with your friends.
Cards come in decks and in 11-card booster
packs. At this time there are over 750 cards
available that you can collect. You can buy some
and trade for others, and use those cards to make
your deck better, or to make additional decks.
How Can I Learn More?
Magi-Nation is more than a card game, it's a
story. You can learn more in the Game Boy
Color game pak, and fiction appears regularly
on our web site. The more you explore the
Current as of April 5, 2002
Moonlands, the more you'll find there is to
discover!
Now lets take a look at the four different
types of cards in Magi-Nation Duel.
Magi
Magi have a circular border around the
artwork. Magi are the centerpieces of your deck
and the focus of the whole game.
(1) Name: This is the specific Magi the card
represents.
(2) Region and Profession: Here we give the
Magis home region, as well as what special title
he or she may have.
(3) Region Emblem and Edition Mark: We
put the symbol of the region here as a reminder.
Also, if the card is a first-edition printing, a
Roman numeral I appears as illustrated.
(4) Starting Energy: This shows how much
power the Magi has available at the start.
(5) Artwork: Aint she cute?
(6) Energize Number: This is how much
additional power the Magi gets every turn.
(7) Starting Cards: Each Magi has his or her
favorite tricks; youll start with these cards in
your hand.
(8) Powers and Effects: All Magi have
special abilities unique to them; these are listed
here.
(9) Flavor Text: This tells you more about
the Magi and the Moonlands. It has no effect on
game play.
(10) Rarity: One dot means the card is rare,
two dots is uncommon card, three dots is
common, deck cards only appear fixed in a
deck, and limited is a promo.
(11) Artist Credits: Praise for the art goes
here.
Creatures
Creatures have a rectangular border around
the picture. They are from the Dream Realm, and
are called forth by your Magi to battle opposing
Magi. There are many Creatures in the game,
some weak and some powerful. All have useful
Powers or Effects that can help you defeat your
opponent.
(1) Name: This tells you what sort of
Creature it is. Certain Creatures, like Jiles and
Arbolls, appear in different forms across the
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Moonlands; these have compound names like
Jungle Jile, Lava Arboll, etc.
(2) Region and Card Type: Answers what
and where.
(3) Region Emblem: Sightings of this beast
are common here, and around certain Magi from
that region.
(4) Starting Energy: This is how much
energy it costs your Magi to bring the Creature
into existence. This energy is moved from your
Magi to the Creature when its played, so the
Creature ends up with energy of its own.
(5) Artwork: Big, bad, and made of living
grass.
(6) Powers and Effects: Like Magi,
Creatures have their own abilities that they can
perform using their own energy.
(7) Flavor Text: Has no real effect, unless
you quote it.
(8) Rarity: Has no bearing on how many
people use it in their decks.
(9) Artist Credits: In case you want to get
them to sign your card at a convention or
something.
Relics
Relics all have a hexagonal (six-sided)
border around the picture. Relics are mystical
artifacts, and have a wide variety of functions for
your Magi to use. Some Relics remain in play,
while others get discarded when you use them.
(1) Name: Why are you reading this
definition? Surely you know what a name is,
right? But yet, you keep reading these words,
even though theyre not informative. For that
matter, why are we wasting space and ink
printing this gibberish?
(2) Region and Card Type: Relics are very
rare items indeed. Only Magi from a Relics
region can play that Relic.
(3) Region Emblem: Hand-forged with
pride in the
volcanoes of Cald.
(4) Energy Cost: Discard this much energy
from your Magi to play the card. Ka-ching!
(5) Artwork: Looks just like the Relic
except the real Relic is more three-dimensional.
(6) Powers and Effects: This tells you what
the Relic does for you. Unlike Creatures (who
use their own energy), if the Relics Power has
an energy cost, the Magi must pay that cost.
(7) Flavor Text: Also called color text and
story stuff.
(8) Rarity: No matter how common the card
may be, the relic itself is often a unique item.
Current as of April 5, 2002
(9) Artist Credits: I may not know art, but I
know what I like, or so said Valkan about the
Scroll of Fire.
Spells
Spells have a whirlwind-shaped border
around the artwork. Spells are single-use cards
that represent an action your Magi takes. Spells
do a wide variety of things, from adding energy
to your Creatures to discarding cards from your
opponents hand.
(1) Name: Often used as a verb: I
shockwave your hyren.
(2) Region and Card Type: Spells are not
from the region the same way the Magi are,
but Magi from certain regions are better able to
cast certain types of Spells. For example, Magi
from the Cald can cast their regions fire-based
Spells more easily than Magi from anywhere
else.
(3) Region Emblem: By the way, did we
mention weve made these cool enamel pins with
these emblems? You oughta check em out on
our web site. Theyre available for Animite.
(4) Energy Cost: This is how much energy
your Magi must spend to play the Spell. As when
you play Relics, the energy is lost, but youll get
some sort of worthy effect out of it.
(5) Artwork: Zap! Pow! Bif!
(6) Game Text: This tells you what the Spell
does. It is not considered either a Power or an
Effect; those come from Magi, Creatures, and
Relics.
(7) Flavor Text: Mmmm. Tasty.
(8) Rarity: You know the spiel by now.
(9) Artist Credits: These folks did it. Plus
their computers, the unsung heroes of the art
world.
The Other Stuff in the Box
Theres some other stuff in your box, too.
Aside from all those oxygen and nitrogen
molecules bouncing around, that is.
Each deck box includes one six-sided die.
There are many cards in Magi-Nation that
require a die roll, and we thought youd
appreciate not having to go raid your
backgammon game for dice.
Also, each deck has sheets of energy tokens.
You can use these to keep track of how much
energy your Magi and your Creatures have. Or,
if you want, you can use dice, coins, jellybeans,
glass beads, or a very large litter of kittens
instead.
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The Object of the Game
In Magi-Nation, you defeat an opponents
Magi when you:
discard all of that Magis Creatures from
play, AND
remove all energy tokens from that Magi.
Youll do this by using your own Creatures
and Spells to attack your opponents forces.
When a Magi is defeated, that players next Magi
enters the fray. Defeat all three of your
opponents Magi, and you win!
Getting Started
To start playing Magi-Nation Duel, you
need your enclosed deck and a friend with a deck
to play against. First separate all the Magi out of
your deck. Youll have at least three Magi. If you
have more, choose three of those to play with
(for your first game, just choose any three of the
same region) and set the others aside; they will
not be used at this time. Shuffle the rest of your
deck together.
The Play Area
Each player needs to have a distinct location
for their deck, their discard pile, their Creatures,
and their Magi and Relics. Heres a diagram of
how we like to set up our games here at the
office; use it if you like, or find something else
that works for you.
Selecting Magi
At the start of the game, each player chooses
the order in which his or her Magi will appear.
The Magi are then placed face down in that
order. The order cannot be changed once the
game starts. Remember that you will be drawing
your Magi from the top of your Magi stack, so
make sure you have it set up right!
Who Goes First?
Once the order of the Magi has been set,
each player rolls a six-sided die (re-roll a tie).
The player with the higher roll gets to decide
who goes first (some cards limit this choice). If
you are playing a multi-player game, play moves
clockwise from the person who goes first.
The Steps of a Turn
Each turn of Magi-Nation Duel flows
through several steps. Note that a turn is
defined as you taking the steps of your turn only,
Current as of April 5, 2002
not once around the table, as in some games.
The six steps are:
1. Energize
2. Powers/Relics/Spells
3. Attack
4. Play New Creatures
5. Powers/Relics/Spells
6. Draw
Your First Game
Start!
The first player flips his or her first Magi
face up (well assume its you). Look at the
upper left-hand corner of the Magi card to find
the Magis Starting Energy, and place that
amount of energy on the Magi.
At the top of the Magis text box, the word
STARTING lists specific cards that this Magi
begins the game with. You may search your deck
for any or all of those cards and put one copy of
each into your hand (shuffle your deck
afterwards). Then, if this is your first turn of the
game, draw cards from your deck until you have
a hand of five.
Step 1 Energize
At the top of your Magis text box is his or
her Energize number. This represents the amount
of energy that you put on your Magi during the
Energize Step. Energize your Magi by putting
energy tokens onto him or her equal to the
Magis Energize number. Any of your other
cards in play with an Energize number also get
energized at this time.
Important Exception: The player who goes
first in the game does not energize on the first
turn.
Step 2 Use Powers, Play
Relics, and Play Spells
This step also called the PRS Step. In this
step, you can use Powers, play Relics, or play
Spells.
Every card has a Power, an Effect, or both.
You can use these in any order. For example,
you may play a Relic, then use a Power on it,
then play another Relic, and then play a Spell.
Unlike Powers, you cannot choose to use
Effects. Effects tell you when they happen, and
they happen automatically.
Powers: If a card has the word Power in
its text box, that card can use that Power during
this step. Each card can only use a listed Power
once per turn (not once per PRS Step).
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 Many Powers have an energy cost, which
appears as a number in a black circle. You must
pay that cost before using the power. If you use a
Creatures Power, remove the energy cost from
the Creature itself. If this leaves a Creature with
no energy, it is immediately discarded from play
before the power takes effect, although the
power still takes effect.
If you use your Magis Power or a Relics
Power, remove the energy from your Magi. If
you dont have enough energy to pay for a
particular Power, you cant use it. However, you
can use all of your Magis energy to pay for a
Power. This does not defeat your Magi (but the
Magi still gets defeated if he or she has no
creatures in play after the Power resolves).
Relics: If you play a Relic, it has an energy
cost associated with it, located in the upper left-
hand corner of the card.
You cannot play or otherwise gain a Relic if
your Magi already has a card with that name (or
an alternate) in play. You can play a Relic that an
opponents Magi has in play.
Additionally, you may only play Universal
Relics or Relics from your Magis region. You
may not play Relics from other Regions.
Spells: To play a Spell, look at the Spell
cards upper left-hand corner to see its energy
cost. Remove that much energy from your Magi.
Do whatever the Spell says and discard it.
Spells from regions other than your Magis
region cost 1 additional energy.
Example: You have Vortex of Knowledge in
your hand. Its a 1-energy Spell that says, Each
player draws two cards. You play the Spell,
remove one energy from your Magi, and you and
your opponent(s) each draw two cards.
Step 3 Attack!
If you have Creatures, you can have them
attack your opponents Creatures or Magi.
Select one of your Creatures to be the
attacker, and one of your opponents Creatures to
be the defender. Resolve any Effects that activate
on an attack.
Note the energy totals of both Creatures.
Each Creature simultaneously removes the
number of energy tokens it has from the
opposing Creature. Any Creatures that reach zero
energy are defeated, and are immediately
discarded.
Example: A Quor at four energy attacks a
Leaf Hyren at five energy. The Quor removes
four tokens from the Hyren while the Hyren
removes five from the Quor. The Quor is left
Current as of April 5, 2002
with no energy (4 - 5 = everything it has) and is
discarded from play. The Hyren is left with one
energy (5 - 4 = 1).
While you can only attack once with each of
your Creatures, you can attack the same
defending Creature more than once by using
multiple Creatures in separate attacks.
If your opponent has no Creatures left, you
can attack his or her Magi directly. When a
Creature attacks a Magi, see how many energy
tokens are on the Creature and remove that many
from the Magi. The Magi does not remove
tokens from the Creature. Attacking an opposing
Magi counts as the Creatures attack for the turn.
Step 4 Play New Creatures
After you have finished attacking, you may
play Creatures from your hand. Because this step
takes place after the Attack step, Creatures you
bring in now wont be able to attack this turn,
but they will be able to use powers in the next
step.
Look at the upper left-hand corner of the
Creature card to see how much energy it takes to
play that Creature (this is also known as the
Creatures starting energy). Place the Creature in
front of you (face up), pay the energy cost from
your Magi, and give the Creature energy tokens
equal to its cost. These energy tokens now
represent the Creatures strength.
Most often you can simply move the
Creatures starting energy from your Magi to the
Creature, to make things easier.
You may play as many Creatures as you
have in your hand that you have enough energy
to pay for. You cannot play a Creature if your
Magi does not have enough energy to pay for the
Creature.
Just like Spells, Dream Creatures from
regions other than your Magis cost 1 additional
energy.
Step 5 Use Powers, Play Relics, and
Cast Spells
This is the same as the previous
Powers/Relic/Spells Step. For this step of the
game, you may have new Creatures that werent
around during the first PRS Step, and you can
now use their Powers. Remember that cards can
only use a listed Power once each turn, not once
each step.
Step 6 Draw
Draw two cards from your deck. If your
deck has run out and you cant draw your two
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cards, shuffle your discard pile to make a new
deck. This is the only time you can reshuffle
your deck, and you may only do so once per
turn.
Your turn ends.
Thats It!
Now your opponent begins his or her turn,
following all of the steps that you just followed,
including flipping up a new Magi and building a
starting hand.
In exchange for going second, your
opponent gets to energize on his or her first turn.
A Few More Rules
Breaking the Rules
As in any CCG, some cards have text that
seems to break the rules. Card text always takes
precedence over these game rules. For example,
a Relic may allow a Creature to attack more than
once a turn. This seems to break a rule, but since
the card specifically allows it, the Creature can
attack more often than normal. This may be hard
to get used to, but youll find it adds variety and
makes the game much more fun!
The Magi
Magi are the focus of your game; you want
to preserve yours while defeating those of the
other player(s).
Before your first turn of the game, flip your
first Magi face up. Then you search your deck
for whichever of that Magis starting cards you
wish to have in your hand. These include the
starting cards printed on the Magi, plus any cards
that say in the text box that your Magi may start
with that card (for example, the card Sorreahs
Dream says, STARTING: Sorreah, so its one
of Sorreahs starting cards). Finally, if you have
less than five cards, draw until you have a
starting hand of five cards.
Slightly different rules apply when your
Magi gets defeated in the middle of a game.
When one of your Magi is defeated, immediately
place it face up at the bottom of your Magi stack.
All of the cards that the defeated Magi had in
play are discarded. All Spells that your
opponent(s) had that affected your defeated Magi
will not affect your new Magi.
Until your next turn, your next Magi
remains face down on your Magi stack. Your
Magi cannot be attacked and is not affected by
Spells, Powers, or Effects while face down.
Current as of April 5, 2002
At the start of your next turn, before you do
anything else, turn over your next Magi from the
top of the stack. Your new Magi begins with
energy equal to his or her Starting Energy.
Next, you can retrieve any or all of that
Magis starting cards. Go through your discard
pile first, and then, if necessary, search your deck
for the cards. You may look for a specific card
even if you already have another copy of that
card in your hand. However, if you cannot find a
specific card, you do not draw cards as a
substitute. Also, you do not draw extra cards as
you did at the start of the game. Your turn now
begins.
Your new Magi will energize on his or her
first turn.
If your second Magi is defeated, play your
third as above. When all of a players Magi are
defeated, that player loses.
Alternate Magi
Magi-Nation is both a game and a story, and
just as characters in a story grow and change, so
too will your favorite Magi. Youll see these
changes as we print new versions of these Magi.
These Magi will either have the Magis name in
their card title, or theyll have the keyword
Alternate in their Card Type line (below their
card name), followed by the name of the Magi
the card represents.
For example, in the period of time covered
by the Dreams End expansion, the Magi Evu
became corrupted by the power of the Core. We
printed a card named Evil Evu, which is
treated as the same card as Evu. We might also
print an even later version of Evu, named The
Dark Avenger, with the text Alternate Evu to
indicate that it counts as Evu.
Magi and their alternates count as the same
person for all purposes. Therefore you could not
have both Evu and Evil Evu in your Magi stack.
Likewise, a Plith, which gives a card-draw bonus
to Evu, also gives that bonus to other versions of
Evu.
Double Magi Cards
The Awakening expansion introduced the
card, Korg & Zet, our first double-Magi card.
Double Magi count as if they were all
named and alternate-keyword Magi for purposes
of deck construction as well as other effects.
They also count as two Magi for purposes of
victory. Thus, when building a deck with
Korg & Zet, you can have only one other Magi
in your stack who is neither Korg nor Zet, and
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when those two cards (which represent three
Magi) are defeated, you lose.
In tournament play, you may wish to
conceal the fact that you have only two cards in
your Magi stack. If so, place a Universal Relic at
the bottom of your Magi stack. If you use opaque
card sleeves, you can instead use a card placed
backwards. Either way, it still looks like you
have three cards, though you will of course lose
if your two Magi cards are defeated. This extra
card in no way counts as part of your deck.
Core and Shadow Magi
The Region called the Core is different from
the other Regions. The Magi from the Core come
in two varieties, noted right below their name:
Core Magi and Shadow Magi. Core Magi dwell
in the Core of the moon and have done so for
thousands of years. Shadow Magi once lived in
one of the regions of the Moonlands, but have
become corrupted by the nefarious power of the
Core.
Core Magi can play Universal cards, and
they can play Core cards, but they cannot play
cards from any other region. Shadow Magi act as
Core Magi, but they may also play a few select
cards from their original region. These cards
have text that clearly indicates this (for example,
the last line in the text box of the card Deadfall
says, Naroom Shadow Magi may play
Deadfall). Since they are now no longer
members of their original region, Shadow Magi
must pay the regional penalty to play such non-
Core cards.
Conversely, the magic of the Core is by and
large incompatible with the dreams of normal
Magi. Magi from regions other than the Core
cannot play any Core cards unless the cards text
specifically says that they can. Those few Core
cards that can be played by other Magi also exact
the regional penalty of one additional energy
from non-Core Magi.
Regions
Every card has a specific region (or regions)
that it is from. Yes, Universal is considered a
region, but it has special rules. Some cards have
two regions; treat these cards as if they were
from both regions. Magi have certain restrictions
based on the region(s) they are from.
Regional Penalty
Magi that play a Creature or Spell from a
different region must pay one extra energy to
play that card. This is called a regional penalty.
In the case of a Creature, the extra energy does
Current as of April 5, 2002
not go onto the Creature; it is discarded.
Likewise, the regional penalty does not count
towards energy used to cast a Spell.
Example: an Orothe Magi wants to play a
Lightning Hyren an Arderial Creature that costs
5 energy. To do so, she must spend 6 energy, 5
for the Creature and 1 more for the regional
penalty. Only 5 energy would go onto the
Lightning Hyren; the regional penalty energy is
discarded.
Relics do not incur a regional penalty, but
they also have a regional restriction (see below).
Regional Restriction
Regional restrictions prevent you from
playing certain cards. The restriction on Core
Magi using non-Core cards (and vice versa) is a
regional restriction.
Relics also have a regional restriction. Magi
can not play Relics that are from a different
region. For instance, a Naroom Magi could not
play a Cald Relic. However, if a Magi somehow
gets a Relic from a different region in play, he or
she can use the abilities on that card. Similarly, if
a cards text removes the regional restriction, the
regional penalty still doesnt apply.
Universal Cards
Universal cards are an exception to the
normal regional penalty rules. Any Magi can use
these cards, ignoring all regional restrictions or
penalties.
Universal Magi do not get to use everything
at cost, though. Universal is considered its own
region, so Universal Magi must pay a regional
penalty for any card they play outside their
region.
Dual-Region Cards
Several cards belong to two regions. These
dual-regions cards are actually very easy to use.
Dual-region cards belong to both regions
equally, and count as being in both regions for
all purposes.
Example: The Flame Rudwot is a dual-
region Naroom/Cald Creature. A Naroom Magi
can play a Flame Rudwot without paying a
regional penalty, because it is (in part) a Naroom
Creature. Firefly Swarm, a Cald Spell that you
can only play on non-Cald Creatures, cannot
affect the Flame Rudwot, because it is partly a
Cald Creature, even though it is also partly from
Naroom.
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Fiddly Bits
Variable Cards
Some cards use X as part of the cost to
play the card. In these cases, X is a variable; it
can be any number you want it to be (and have
enough energy to pay for), even zero.
Example: Your opponent has a Creature
with three energy and you want to get rid of it.
You have Thunderquake in your hand; a Spell
that costs X energy to play and removes X
energy from any combination of Creatures. To
remove three energy with Thunderquake, X must
equal three. You play the Spell and take three
energy off of your Underneath Magi. This means
that you can remove three energy from the
Creature, leaving it with no energy and causing it
to be discarded.
If for some reason X is not specified, it is
assumed to be equal to zero. When X is zero,
then any Effects that normally activate from that
X do not apply.
Example: Scroll of Fire has an Effect that
discards an additional energy from a Creature
whenever you play a Spell that discards energy
from that Creature. If you make X equal to 0 on
Thunderquake, the Scroll of Fires Effect will
not activate from that zero.
Building Your Deck
Building a deck is one of the most important
aspects of Magi-Nation. Each deck must have at
least 40 non-Magi cards, and your Magi stack
must have exactly three different Magi.
You cannot have more than one copy of any
Magi. Players can choose any Magi from any
region to make their decks; they can even use
Magi from different regions in the same deck.
You may not have more than three copies of
any given card in your deck. In the region and
card type line, certain cards say that they are
Alternate versions of another card (i.e., Dark
Furok says, Alternate Furok). When building
or playing your deck, Furok and Dark Furok
count as the same card in all ways. You cannot
have more than three total of those two cards in
your deck, and actions that affect one card affect
its alternates.
Searching Your Deck
Whenever you look through your deck for a
card, reshuffle your deck afterwards. If you are
searching for a specific card or card type, you
must show it to your opponent when you have
found it. If you are looking for any card or
Current as of April 5, 2002
cards, then you do not have to show the card(s)
to your opponent.
Spells Remaining in Play
The text of some Spells requires you to
leave the Spell card in play for a specified
number of turns. In these special circumstances,
place the Spell near the card it affects (or place it
where the text directs). At the end of the last turn
the Spell is to stay in effect, place the Spell in
your discard pile. Note that a Spell only needs to
stay in play if the card actually instructs you to
place it somewhere in play. If a Spell only
specifies that some Spell-generated effect apply
for a certain number of turns, the Spell card itself
is discarded as normal.
Effects
All Effects specify when they activate.
Effects can activate from many parts of the
game, or from individual player actions. This
creates a small window of time when the action
specified by the Effect is legal to play. If one of
your Effects activates in this way, just follow the
instructions on the card, performing any
appropriate actions, and then continue with the
game.
Effects that use the word may or contain
options for the owner that may change what
happens as a result of the Effect; however
activating all Effects is mandatory.
The Name Rule
If a Spell or Effect says it affects a specific
Creature type, it affects any Creature with that
word in its name. Thus a Power that discards all
Quors affects Stone Quors and Quor Pups, too.
Energize Rates
Energize Rates do not stack. A Creature
with Energize 1 that gains Energize 2 only has
Energize 2, not Energize 3.
Three or More Players
If you play with three or more players, the
person who goes first does get to energize,
unlike in a two-player game. Also, players can
attack the Creatures of any player whenever they
attack; you dont need to attack just one player.
Other Important Points
Once you start a step, you cant go back to a
previous step.
You cannot play anything during your
opponents turn unless a card specifically allows
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you to. For the most part, only Effects allow you
to do anything on your opponents turn. If one of
your Effects is activated on someone elses turn,
do whatever the card tells you to and nothing
else.
You cannot move energy between your
cards unless a Spell, Effect or Power lets you do
so.
There are few limits in Magi-Nation Duel.
You can have as many cards in your hand as you
want. Creatures and Magi have no limit on their
energy. Magi have no limit on cards in play.
Example of Play
Alan and Zoe sit down to play a game. Alan
has a Naroom deck and Zoe has a Cald deck (all
cards used in this example can be found in those
decks). Alan ends up going first.
Alan, Turn 1
Alan flips up Pruitt, his first Magi. Pruitts
card says, STARTING: Vinoc, Carillion,
Grow. Alan searches his deck, chooses to grab a
Carillion and a Grow, and shows them to Zoe.
He shuffles his deck, and, since he didnt take a
Vinoc, draws three more cards to bring his
starting hand to five. Finally, the number in the
upper left-hand corner of Pruitts card is 15, so
he places 15 points worth of energy tokens on
her.
Step 1 Energize
Since he went first, he does not energize
Pruitt.
Step 2 Powers, Relics, Spells
Alan has a Spell named Vortex of
Knowledge in his hand, and he plays it. It has a
cost of 1, so he discards 1 energy from Pruitt.
The card says, Each player draws two cards, so
both Alan and Zoe draw two cards (these are
Zoes first two cards).
Alan has no Relics, and Pruitt cant use
her Power without a Creature to use it on. He has
no more Spells he wishes to play.
Step 3 Attack
Alan has no Creatures to attack with, so
he skips this step.
Step 4 Play New Creatures
Alan plays a Carillion. It has a starting
energy of 4, so he moves 4 energy from Pruitt to
the Carillion. Pruitt now has 10 energy.
Alan also plays a Weebo (2 energy) and
a Furok (4 energy), reducing Pruitt to 4 energy.
Step 5 Powers, Relics, Spells
Alan uses Pruitts Power. It costs two
energy but allows her to add three energy to any
Current as of April 5, 2002
Creature. He spends two energy from Pruitt
(dropping her to two), and adds 3 energy to her
Weebo (bringing it to 5). He chooses not to use
any other Powers.
Step 6 Draw
Alan draws his cards; he now has five
cards in his hand. He indicates his turn is over.
Zoe, Turn 1
Zoe flips up Grega, her first Magi. Her
card says, Starting: Arbolit, Quor Pup, Fire
Flow. Zoe looks through her deck, pulls those
three cards, and shows them to Alan. Then, as
she already has five cards in her hand (she drew
two during Alans turn), she doesnt draw any
extra, but simply shuffles her deck.
Gregas starting energy is 10, so Zoe
puts 10 energy on her.
Step 1 Energize
Zoe did not go first, so she gets to
energize Grega. Gregas energize number is five,
so Zoe ups her energy to 15.
Step 2 Powers, Relics, Spells
As her special Power, Grega can launch
a thermal blast, costing her two energy. Zoe
discards two energy from Grega. The Power
says, Roll one die. Choose any one Creature or
Magi in play. Discard energy equal to the die roll
from the chosen Creature or Magi. Zoe rolls the
die and gets a 4. Since Pruitt can use her own
Power to add energy to Creatures, effectively
healing them, Zoe decides to choose the Furok (4
energy) instead of the Weebo (5 energy). The
Furok loses all its energy and is discarded (and
therefore cant be healed by Pruitt).
Zoe has no more Spells, Relics, or
Powers she wants to use.
Step 3 Attack
Since Zoe has no Creatures in play at
this time, she skips her attack step.
Step 4 Play New Creatures
Zoe plays her Arbolit, Quor Pup, and
Lava Balamant, for a total of 8 energy, which she
moves onto the appropriate Creatures. Grega
now has 5 energy left.
Step 5 Powers, Relics, Spells
Thanks to its Effect, Alans Carillion can
crush tiny Creatures in an attack without losing
any energy. To counter this, Zoe uses the
Arbolits Power. The Arbolits Power says,
Choose any one Creature in play. Discard
Arbolit from play. Add two energy to the chosen
Creature. She discards the Arbolit and adds two
more energy to the Quor Pup.
Finally, she plays a Fireball Spell. It costs
her two energy but discards two energy from a
Creature. She removes two energy from the
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Carillion, dropping it to 2 energy. She discards
the Fireball card.
Unfortunately, she cant use Gregas Power
again this turn.
Step 6 Draw
Zoe draws her two cards and ends her turn.
Alan, Turn 2
Step 1 Energize
Alan adds five energy to Pruitt, bringing her
to 7.
Step 2 Powers, Relics, Spells
Alan uses Pruitts Power. He spends 2
energy and adds 3 to the Carillion. Now Pruitt
and the Carillion each have 5 energy.
Alan plays the Spell Tap Roots. This allows
him to discard up to 2 energy from any creature,
and add up to 2 energy to any other Creature. He
takes 2 energy from Zoes Lava Balamant and
adds 2 energy to his Weebo. Now the Lava
Balamant has 3 energy, and the Weebo has 7.
Thats a big Weebo.
Step 3 Attack
The big honkin Weebo then goes forth and
attacks the hapless Lava Balamant. The Lava
Balamant removes 3 energy from the Weebo,
leaving it with 4. The Weebo removes all the
Lava Balamants energy, and the Balamant gets
discarded.
Next, Alans Carillion attacks the Quor Pup.
The Carillion has 5 energy and the Quor Pup has
4, so the Carillion removes all the Quor Pups
energy (discarding it) and the Quor Pup leaves
the Carillion with 1.
Step 4 Play New Creatures
Alan chooses not to play any new Creatures;
hes saving up to pay for the Giant Carillion in
his hand (which costs 8).
Step 5 Powers, Relics, Spells
Alan uses the Weebos Power. It costs the
Weebo 2 energy, but brings the Carillion back to
its starting energy of 4.
Step 6 Draw
Alans turn is now over, and he feels pretty
good. But then Zoe starts to grin evilly
Glossary
Add: Raising the energy level on a card
already in play. The energy comes from nowhere
(or the bank if you prefer). The only exception
is cards that specifically use some form of the
word rearrange in describing their action(s);
rearranging is not considered to add to
remove energy.
Attack: An attack is when one players
Creature fights with another players Creature.
The full explanation of an attack given covers all
Current as of April 5, 2002
aspects of an attack, and not all of these steps
apply to every attack. In most cases, you can use
the simplified attack scheme described in the
rulebook.
Attacking Step Order:
1. Attacking player declares one attacking
Creature.
2. Attacking player declares one defending
Creature or Magi.
3. Note energy levels of all Creatures for
purposes of processing Effects. This energy level
will be locked in for the rest of the attack.
4. Process Effects using the numbers from
Step 3.
5. After Step 4 is resolved, if any new
Effects are now activated, go back to Step 4.
Remember to use the numbers from Step 3 in all
cases. A Creature cannot gain bonuses from any
one Effect more than once per attack.
6. Lock in attacking and defending energy
levels for the attack resolution.
7. Resolve energy loss in attack. Effects
may apply here as well. Creatures
simultaneously remove their energy from Step 6
from the opposing Creature. Any Creature
reaching zero energy at this point is defeated and
discarded.
8. Process any applicable end-of-attack
Effects.
Note that some Powers may activate in
a manner like Effects in the above sequence, and
should be handled as if they were Effects.
Burrowed: A lot of Underneath cards refer
to Creatures that are burrowed. Being
burrowed is a special condition granted by
various cards. Creatures that are burrowed do not
lose more than two total energy per turn due to
attacks or opposing cards.
Deck: Your deck contains the 40 or more
cards that you play with, including Creatures,
Spells, and Relics. Your deck specifically
excludes your Magi, which are called your Magi
stack. You may not have more than three copies
of a given card in your deck.
Defeat: A Creature is defeated when it has
no energy tokens left on it. A Magi is defeated
when he or she has no energy tokens and all of
his or her Creatures are defeated.
Defend: A Creature that is being attacked is
defending.
Discard (Cards): Always discard from your
hand unless:
1. The text says discard from play,
2. With logical interpretation, the text
implies from play (i.e., the Creatures Power
says to discard itself), or
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 3. The text refers to a specific non-Spell
card type and does not refer to discarding from a
hand (e.g. Discard all Balamants).
Note that when your Magi is defeated
you only need to discard your cards that are in
play, not those in your hand.
Also, discard from play refers only to
cards that go from play to your discard pile (even
if only momentarily), and to Magi that are
defeated and go to your Magi stack (face up).
Discard (Energy): This means to remove
energy from the card and the game (it gets put in
the bank, if you like).
Effect: Effects are abilities printed on Magi,
Creatures, and Relics. Some Effects occur
automatically (like at the start of each of your
turns), some are activated by other game actions
(such as playing a Creature or using a Power),
and some Effects protect cards from game
actions (such as Spells or Powers or other
Effects).
When an Effect meets the conditions
specified in its description, it is activated. Play
the actions in the Effect as specified, then
continue with the game. Effects with may in
them have results that depend in part on whether
the player in question opts to use the Effect or
not. Other Effects are mandatory; they do not use
the word may.
The player whose turn it is chooses the
order of his or her Effects, and applies all of
them in that order. Then his or her opponent(s)
do the same in turn.
Foils: Foils are shiny cards, and are
especially prized by
collectors. They are very rare and hard to
find. See the packaging for odds on finding a
foil.
Largest: The Creature(s) with the most
energy tokens on it. This has nothing to do with
starting energy.
Magi: Magi are powerful wizards from the
different regions of the Moonlands. They are the
main characters in any duel.
Magi Stack: This is the pile of three Magi
with which you play the game. The Magi are
revealed in order; i.e., your second Magi is not
revealed until the first is defeated.
Opponent: Any card that says opponent on
it refers to any other player besides you.
Opposing: A card controlled or an action
generated by any player other than you.
Play: Whenever you play a card, it is treated
the same way. Thus if you are somehow able to
play a Creature during your PRS step, you must
Current as of April 5, 2002
still pay the energy cost and any regional
penalty.
Power: Many of the Magi, Relics, and
Creatures have Powers. Each Power has a
specific cost. Below is the order of steps to use
when playing a Power. Keep in mind that this
was developed to cover all aspects of using a
Power, and not all portions of these steps will
apply to every Power. In most cases you may use
the simplified instructions described in the
general rules.
1. Announce that you are using the Power.
2. Pay all costs associated with that Power
such as energy loss and/or discarding the source
Creature. These costs occur and are paid
simultaneously.
3. Check to see if any Creatures have
reached zero energy. If they have, discard them
from play. If the source Creature is discarded at
this point, the Power still continues to operate.
4. Make all choices involved. If there is no
longer a valid card to choose, then the Power
ceases. If a Power requires you to discard a
Creature, choose it now.
5. Simultaneously carry out all results of
the Power, including discarding any Creatures
selected in the previous step.
6. Discard any Creatures that have zero
energy.
7. Check to see if any Magi have reached
zero energy. If they have, and they have no
Creatures in play, they are defeated.
Note that Magi are not checked for zero
energy until the entire Power has resolved. This
is also true when Magi play Spells.
Rearrange: Taking energy from one card and
placing it on another card, neither adding nor
reducing the total amount of energy on the board.
Regional Penalty: An extra cost for using
cards from a region different from the Magis
region.
Regions: The place(s) that the card comes
from or is most common to. There are many
different regions in Magi-Nation. Orothe and
Orothe Deep are synonymous.
Remove: see Discard.
Restore: Restoring can add or discard energy
from a Creature, unless otherwise restricted (see
Magam), until it is at the desired energy level
(generally its starting energy level).
Reveal: Show a card to all players and allow
them to read its full text.
Self-Referential: Some powers and effects
refer by name to the specific card that has the
power. For example, Timber Hyren has a power
that says, Take up to five energy from your
Page 10 of 12
Magi and place it on Timber Hyren. If copied,
the copied power refers instead to the card that
gains the power.
Smallest: The Creature(s) with the least
energy tokens on it. This has nothing to do with
starting energy.
Universal: Universal is considered a region,
although Magi can play Universal Relics. They
can also play Universal Spells and Creatures
without paying a regional penalty.
Winning: To win, all Magi belonging to all
other players in the game must be defeated. If a
Magi ever has no energy tokens and no Creatures
in play, that Magi is defeated and goes to the
bottom of the Magi stack face up. When all three
of a players Magi are defeated, that player loses
the game.
Magi-Nation Events
Tournaments
To find out more about Magi-Nation
tournaments in your area, visit our website at
www.magi-nation.com.
If you are interested in running Magi-Nation
tournaments, either visit our website or call us.
Tournament directors are eligible to receive
special rewards for their services. Check our
website for more information.
Demos
We also may be able to provide support and
product for running Magi-Nation demos. If you
want to run a Magi-Nation demo, just e-mail or
call us at least three weeks beforehand.
Contact Info
tournaments@magi-nation.com
league@magi-nation.com
events@magi-nation.com
demos@magi-nation.com
206-405-2727
PO BOX 4039
Seattle, WA 98104
www.magi-nation.com
Animite Points
Animite points are found on every booster
pack and starter deck, and can also be won at
sanctioned tournaments and in the Magi-Nation
League. You can spend your Animite for many
different special offers, including promotional
cards and Magi-Nation apparel. Visit our website
at www.magi-nation.com/animite for a catalog of
prizes available.
You can redeem your animite at:
Interactive Imagination
Current as of April 5, 2002
Animite Redemption
PO Box 4039
Seattle, WA 98104
You can also use the handy
on-line order form on our website.
Credits
Design Lead Dan Tibbles
Creative Director Phil Tavel
Design Team Edward Bolme, Steve
McLaughlin, Lang Johnson, Danny Walker
Original Concept Phil Tavel, Greg
Richardson von Oy
Art Direction Tom Cook
Graphic Design Mike Christopher
Art Team Tim Gillette, Chana Goodman,
Matt Holmberg, Ryan Shreve, Richard
Werner
Brand Management Edward Bolme
Story & Flavor Text Edward Bolme, Phil
Tavel, Dan Tibbles, Steve McLaughlin
Organized Play Jenifer Hunter,
Jimmer Sivertsen
Conventions Dorcas Bean
Fan Club Michael Liesik
Web Team Mike Neimat, Lisa Smith
Rulebook & Editing Edward Bolme
Playtesters Thank you all, for youre too
many to list
Special Thanks Kim Aparis, Tyler Mays,
Steve Mumford, Jeff Richardson von Oy,
Marcello Bolivar
Corporate Executives Rich Silveira, Don
Morris, Bob Morris, Jackson Tse
2000-2002 Interactive Imagination
Corporation. All rights reserved. Interactive
Imagination is a registered trademark of
Interactive Imagination Corporation. Magi-
Nation, Magi-Nation Duel, their logos, and all
related marks, names, characters, and images are
trademarks, registered trademarks, and/or service
marks of Interactive Imagination Corporation.
Game design by Interactive Imagination. Patent
pending. No contents of this product may be
reproduced in whole or in part without the
express written permission of Interactive
Imagination. No weebos were harmed in the
making of this product.
www.interactiveimaginationcorp.com
Join the Grand Magi Council
The Grand Magi Council is our fan club for
those who want more. Members get a quarterly
newsletter, free promos, access to special offers,
and more! You can join the Grand Magi Council
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through our website, or by filling out and
sending us the following form (set your copier
for maximum zoom):
Grand Magi Council
PO Box 4039
Seattle, WA 98104
Name:
________________________________
Address:
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Current as of April 5, 2002 Page 12 of 12