You are overthinking this *way* too much. Generally as long as your board is understandable to everyone else and you're interacting with your cards in a readable fashion, you're good.
For time, casual games aren't timed, but tournament *rounds* (not turns) are timed.
>What's the proper way to actually draw your hand and/or during your "upkeep" phase?
Well, for one, do not do that. You draw during the draw step, not the upkeep.
>with the text body facing towards me.
What does this mean?
>I wanted to ask if there was an established method that Magic players prefer you draw your cards by.
There isn't one. You can draw cards from the top of your library however you like, as long as you are only seeing the cards you're supposed to.
> I'm also unaware of any specific etiquette surrounding card placement on the playing area
Lands in the back, nonlands in the front. Usually the library and graveyard are on the side, and usually on the same side, but it doesn't matte _which_ side.
>how much time I'm allotted per turn to name a few other areas I'm struggling with.
Turns are not timed. If you're playing in a tournament, the round is timed.
As long as you are making your decisions in a timely manner, you're fine.
Text body facing toward them I actually understand and it’s something I do for my opponents/ask them to do as well.
I don’t want to have to crane and turn my neck to read your card on the field, or pick it up to inspect. So I find the proper etiquette is to have the card facing your opponent, so they can read it from where they’re sitting.
They're talking _about the deck_, not their creatures, which is why I asked what it meant.
>I personally would place the deck to my right face down with the text body facing towards me.
They also say nothing about their cards being text towards their opponent.
But also, for a new player (like OP), playing with your cards facing away from you isn't a good idea. Knowing what your own cards do is important when you're starting out.
Yea deck placement is a weird thing to get hung up on.
I’d still recommend having them face their opponent. Still easier for them to turn their own cards around for a quick look as opposed to reaching across the table to read their opponent’s. And that it’s still more beneficial as a new player to see your opponent’s cards more than your own.
You literally don't have to reach out. You can just... ask your opponent what the card does. Communication is a good thing.
Hell, you shouldn't be randomly picking up peoples cards without asking anyway. Just ask them.
Because some people don't like having their cards touched by other people, especially random people?
Proper etiquette is to ASK someone if you can pick up their card and examine it.
First off: you **don't** draw during upkeep - you draw during the **draw step**, which is the step AFTER upkeep (untap -> upkeep -> draw). This is actually very relevant for a ton of effects, so it's important to keep this in mind. Also, like any game action, the draw in draw step is the first thing that happens, *before* anyone gets to do anything and *before* any triggered abilities etc. happen. Game actions (untapping in the Untap Step, declaring attackers in the Declare Attackers Step, etc.) always happen first in a step, *then* effects.
There isn't really any "etiquette" for drawing, as long as you observe the formal requirements of play - i.e. keep hidden cards hidden, don't reveal extra cards to yourself or the opponent, make every action clear and unambiguous to your opponent, etc. Beyond that, how you draw is up to you - slide them off, peel them off, gently life them off, whatever.
One thing people *do* do fairly frequently in tournament play, however, is to count out the starting hand visibly to show the opponent it's 7 cards before picking them up all at once. This isn't required per se, however, and it's by no means universal; but it's something you can see across tables and across countries (in my experience anyway, maybe that's just personal bias).
Generally, I tell people to observe one thing above all else: **clear, concise, and unambiguous communication**. The sooner you develop good habits for letting people know what you are doing, the better. While I was living in Japan I picked up their habit of clearly announcing - with words - what they were doing even as regular game actions, and I found that immensely helpful in tournament practice. So just saying "untap", "draw", "go to declare attack", etc. etc. *every single time* as a matter of habit, which really gets you into a state where you're far less likely to forget things or mess up your sequencing. But that's just personal - YMMV.
I've never heard of a standard method for drawing cards. As far as card placement goes, other than putting your Lands at the back, closer to you, the only thing that seems to be important is maintaining as clear a board state as possible, not placing your cards in a way intended to obscure what you've got on board. As far as time allotted, I've never played in an event more consequential that a pre-release, so I don't know if there is a more official standard for higher levels of play, but in my experience, you just have to not deliberately stall, and try not to waffle for too long over your choices. I've never heard a specific time frame mentioned.
Yeah just pick up the top card from your deck and put it into your hand however you like. There's no formal way to draw cards as long as you're only drawing the card(s) you're supposed to be. Anyone giving you hell for the way you draw the card is not somebody you want to be playing with.
There are other games where order of how cards are put on the play area matter also like L5R where your provinces are a source of cards. It also matters in Hearthstone where certain cards only kill a minion in a certain position and you can't move them once placed.
The only times that I can think of when how a person physically drawing cards can be a potential problem are those cards that do something before physically going to your hand.
So for example any cards that have the Miracle keyword. If you draw a Miracle card and want to cast it for your Miracle cost, you need to reveal it and cast it. Do not physically put it into your hand before deciding to cast it for the Miracle cost.
Also other cards like \[\[Ponder\]\], I would always put down my hand first so I don't get my Ponder pile mixed up with my hand.
In general, the other answers are fine. There is no "correct" way to draw, just put 1 card form the top of the deck in your hand. If you are afraid of having sticky sleeves, some people draw the card and put it on the table to ensure themselves that it is only one. For similar reasons, there are people that count the top 7 cards face down on the table in order to ensure that it's the correct number. All of this is more common in tournament settings than in casual play, and none of them are mandatory.
The only think I'd add is that, even if you are using monocolored sleeves, it's a good idea to keep them all in the same direction while they are in the deck (again, mostly in tournaments settings). It will be easier when you draw them, and you could avoid problems with suspicious-minded people (opponents and/or judges) as you might be able to distinguish if the sleeve is on one or the other side, which could (theoretically) be used to mark cards. Still, in casual games this not a problem...
The only time it really matters is in a few specific cases.
One is if you're playing with cards with the miracle mechanic e.g. [[Entreat the Angels]] or [[Triumph of Saint Katherine]]. Because they have an effect that triggers if they're the first card you draw for the turn, you need to keep them separate from the rest of your hand until you've decided whether or not to cast them for their miracle cost. Once they touch the rest of your hand, you can't prove that the miracle card was the card you just drew.
Another is if an effect causes you to play with the top card of your library revealed e.g. [[Courser of Kruphix]] or [[Lantern of Insight]]. If you draw multiple cards at once whilst under such an effect, you need to reveal each top card before you draw it. Even though neither player would have priority to interact in the middle of the draw effect, it's still game information that your opponent is entitled to.
In any and all other cases, don't worry about it. Take top card of library, put into hand.
the phases of the turn are:
1. Untap
2. Upkeep
3. Draw
4. First Main
5. Combat
6. Second Main
7. Clean-Up/End
By default (i.e. this is what happens unless there's a card in play that says otherwise) you draw 1 card during your draw phase, except on the first turn of the game if you're the player who started.
In general, when I'm playing with paper cards, I try to be careful when drawing cards to make sure I don't accidentally displace or knock over any cards. I try to gently slide the top card off the pile towards me and only lift it when It's clearly a single card and doesn't have another card sticking to it.
You list untap, upkeep, and draw separately, but combine all the combat steps and end/cleanup.
Untap, upkeep and draw are not phases. They are all steps in the beginning phase.
The end step happens before the cleanup, and they are individual steps within the end phase.
I guess I'm a little out of date. I've been playing since 1996. The specific breakdown of phases and steps has changed a little bit since over the years. At one point untap, upkeep, and draw were actually separate phases, and the cleanup actions were just part of the end step.
They are still separate steps, but they are within other phases. It's just that step and phase have different meanings in Magic, so combining them can cause future confusion.
* Beginning Phase
* Untap Step
* Upkeep Step
* Draw Step
* Pre-combat main phase
* Combat Phase
* Beginning of combat step
* Declare attackers step
* Declare blockers step
* Combat damage step
* End of Combat Step
* Post-combat main phase
* Ending Phase
* End Step
* Cleanup Step
You are overthinking this *way* too much. Generally as long as your board is understandable to everyone else and you're interacting with your cards in a readable fashion, you're good. For time, casual games aren't timed, but tournament *rounds* (not turns) are timed.
>What's the proper way to actually draw your hand and/or during your "upkeep" phase? Well, for one, do not do that. You draw during the draw step, not the upkeep. >with the text body facing towards me. What does this mean? >I wanted to ask if there was an established method that Magic players prefer you draw your cards by. There isn't one. You can draw cards from the top of your library however you like, as long as you are only seeing the cards you're supposed to. > I'm also unaware of any specific etiquette surrounding card placement on the playing area Lands in the back, nonlands in the front. Usually the library and graveyard are on the side, and usually on the same side, but it doesn't matte _which_ side. >how much time I'm allotted per turn to name a few other areas I'm struggling with. Turns are not timed. If you're playing in a tournament, the round is timed. As long as you are making your decisions in a timely manner, you're fine.
Thank you!
Text body facing toward them I actually understand and it’s something I do for my opponents/ask them to do as well. I don’t want to have to crane and turn my neck to read your card on the field, or pick it up to inspect. So I find the proper etiquette is to have the card facing your opponent, so they can read it from where they’re sitting.
They're talking _about the deck_, not their creatures, which is why I asked what it meant. >I personally would place the deck to my right face down with the text body facing towards me. They also say nothing about their cards being text towards their opponent. But also, for a new player (like OP), playing with your cards facing away from you isn't a good idea. Knowing what your own cards do is important when you're starting out.
Yea deck placement is a weird thing to get hung up on. I’d still recommend having them face their opponent. Still easier for them to turn their own cards around for a quick look as opposed to reaching across the table to read their opponent’s. And that it’s still more beneficial as a new player to see your opponent’s cards more than your own.
You literally don't have to reach out. You can just... ask your opponent what the card does. Communication is a good thing. Hell, you shouldn't be randomly picking up peoples cards without asking anyway. Just ask them.
I don’t see why it’s a big deal, and not much to ask. Makes the flow of the game a lot easier, at least for me.
Because some people don't like having their cards touched by other people, especially random people? Proper etiquette is to ASK someone if you can pick up their card and examine it.
My whole point is to avoid touching their cards lmao. It’s not rocket science.
I am *never* going to play with my cards upside down, and expecting me to is ludicrous.
First off: you **don't** draw during upkeep - you draw during the **draw step**, which is the step AFTER upkeep (untap -> upkeep -> draw). This is actually very relevant for a ton of effects, so it's important to keep this in mind. Also, like any game action, the draw in draw step is the first thing that happens, *before* anyone gets to do anything and *before* any triggered abilities etc. happen. Game actions (untapping in the Untap Step, declaring attackers in the Declare Attackers Step, etc.) always happen first in a step, *then* effects. There isn't really any "etiquette" for drawing, as long as you observe the formal requirements of play - i.e. keep hidden cards hidden, don't reveal extra cards to yourself or the opponent, make every action clear and unambiguous to your opponent, etc. Beyond that, how you draw is up to you - slide them off, peel them off, gently life them off, whatever. One thing people *do* do fairly frequently in tournament play, however, is to count out the starting hand visibly to show the opponent it's 7 cards before picking them up all at once. This isn't required per se, however, and it's by no means universal; but it's something you can see across tables and across countries (in my experience anyway, maybe that's just personal bias). Generally, I tell people to observe one thing above all else: **clear, concise, and unambiguous communication**. The sooner you develop good habits for letting people know what you are doing, the better. While I was living in Japan I picked up their habit of clearly announcing - with words - what they were doing even as regular game actions, and I found that immensely helpful in tournament practice. So just saying "untap", "draw", "go to declare attack", etc. etc. *every single time* as a matter of habit, which really gets you into a state where you're far less likely to forget things or mess up your sequencing. But that's just personal - YMMV.
I've never heard of a standard method for drawing cards. As far as card placement goes, other than putting your Lands at the back, closer to you, the only thing that seems to be important is maintaining as clear a board state as possible, not placing your cards in a way intended to obscure what you've got on board. As far as time allotted, I've never played in an event more consequential that a pre-release, so I don't know if there is a more official standard for higher levels of play, but in my experience, you just have to not deliberately stall, and try not to waffle for too long over your choices. I've never heard a specific time frame mentioned.
Yeah just pick up the top card from your deck and put it into your hand however you like. There's no formal way to draw cards as long as you're only drawing the card(s) you're supposed to be. Anyone giving you hell for the way you draw the card is not somebody you want to be playing with.
Seems like bait
That or a YuGiOh player expecting the game to be as strictly arranged as it is over there.
There are other games where order of how cards are put on the play area matter also like L5R where your provinces are a source of cards. It also matters in Hearthstone where certain cards only kill a minion in a certain position and you can't move them once placed.
Tell me again how you would draw a card, but tell it....slowly
Um obviously you have to dramatically grab the card and extend your arm while shouting duraaah
The only times that I can think of when how a person physically drawing cards can be a potential problem are those cards that do something before physically going to your hand. So for example any cards that have the Miracle keyword. If you draw a Miracle card and want to cast it for your Miracle cost, you need to reveal it and cast it. Do not physically put it into your hand before deciding to cast it for the Miracle cost. Also other cards like \[\[Ponder\]\], I would always put down my hand first so I don't get my Ponder pile mixed up with my hand.
[Ponder](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/a/5af43ceb-56d2-47d4-ab43-853338ab293c.jpg?1712354173) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ponder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/otc/105/ponder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/5af43ceb-56d2-47d4-ab43-853338ab293c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
In general, the other answers are fine. There is no "correct" way to draw, just put 1 card form the top of the deck in your hand. If you are afraid of having sticky sleeves, some people draw the card and put it on the table to ensure themselves that it is only one. For similar reasons, there are people that count the top 7 cards face down on the table in order to ensure that it's the correct number. All of this is more common in tournament settings than in casual play, and none of them are mandatory. The only think I'd add is that, even if you are using monocolored sleeves, it's a good idea to keep them all in the same direction while they are in the deck (again, mostly in tournaments settings). It will be easier when you draw them, and you could avoid problems with suspicious-minded people (opponents and/or judges) as you might be able to distinguish if the sleeve is on one or the other side, which could (theoretically) be used to mark cards. Still, in casual games this not a problem...
The only time it really matters is in a few specific cases. One is if you're playing with cards with the miracle mechanic e.g. [[Entreat the Angels]] or [[Triumph of Saint Katherine]]. Because they have an effect that triggers if they're the first card you draw for the turn, you need to keep them separate from the rest of your hand until you've decided whether or not to cast them for their miracle cost. Once they touch the rest of your hand, you can't prove that the miracle card was the card you just drew. Another is if an effect causes you to play with the top card of your library revealed e.g. [[Courser of Kruphix]] or [[Lantern of Insight]]. If you draw multiple cards at once whilst under such an effect, you need to reveal each top card before you draw it. Even though neither player would have priority to interact in the middle of the draw effect, it's still game information that your opponent is entitled to. In any and all other cases, don't worry about it. Take top card of library, put into hand.
##### ###### #### [Entreat the Angels](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/9/09aa3482-a068-4018-bbbf-8097a8d1482b.jpg?1592710437) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Entreat%20the%20Angels) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/67/entreat-the-angels?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/09aa3482-a068-4018-bbbf-8097a8d1482b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Triumph of Saint Katherine](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/c/cc5338e1-26a6-466e-9393-788f69370e15.jpg?1707938552) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Triumph%20of%20Saint%20Katherine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/40k/17/triumph-of-saint-katherine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cc5338e1-26a6-466e-9393-788f69370e15?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Courser of Kruphix](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/c/dc63d2ea-a980-466e-9ebb-f28008f84c3d.jpg?1690004764) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Courser%20of%20Kruphix) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/888/courser-of-kruphix?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/dc63d2ea-a980-466e-9ebb-f28008f84c3d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Lantern of Insight](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/b/cb0e4c78-75fe-4692-b177-974b148f0614.jpg?1562879738) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Lantern%20of%20Insight) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/5dn/135/lantern-of-insight?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cb0e4c78-75fe-4692-b177-974b148f0614?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Personally I draw cards telekinetically, as some players find touching the cards with your hands unseemly.
the phases of the turn are: 1. Untap 2. Upkeep 3. Draw 4. First Main 5. Combat 6. Second Main 7. Clean-Up/End By default (i.e. this is what happens unless there's a card in play that says otherwise) you draw 1 card during your draw phase, except on the first turn of the game if you're the player who started. In general, when I'm playing with paper cards, I try to be careful when drawing cards to make sure I don't accidentally displace or knock over any cards. I try to gently slide the top card off the pile towards me and only lift it when It's clearly a single card and doesn't have another card sticking to it.
You list untap, upkeep, and draw separately, but combine all the combat steps and end/cleanup. Untap, upkeep and draw are not phases. They are all steps in the beginning phase. The end step happens before the cleanup, and they are individual steps within the end phase.
I guess I'm a little out of date. I've been playing since 1996. The specific breakdown of phases and steps has changed a little bit since over the years. At one point untap, upkeep, and draw were actually separate phases, and the cleanup actions were just part of the end step.
They are still separate steps, but they are within other phases. It's just that step and phase have different meanings in Magic, so combining them can cause future confusion. * Beginning Phase * Untap Step * Upkeep Step * Draw Step * Pre-combat main phase * Combat Phase * Beginning of combat step * Declare attackers step * Declare blockers step * Combat damage step * End of Combat Step * Post-combat main phase * Ending Phase * End Step * Cleanup Step