Card Types

Every Magic card has at least one type, and some have a supertype and/or a subtype. Also, every card can be categorized as a land or spell and a permanent or nonpermanent.

Artifact
Artifact is a type of permanent and may also be a creature, or an artifact creature. That means that anything that affects an artifact or a creature can be used on an artifact creature. So if you have, you can use it on an artifact creature.

Creature
Creature is a type of permanent and will have one or other creature subtypes (e.g. Elf, Cat, Dragon, Beast). All creatures have a power and a toughness and are the only card type that can attack or block. Some creatures have power and toughness depending on a certain thing, like Zendikar Incarnate. Many creatures have abilities that boost their value and make them more powerful.

Enchantment
Enchantment is a type of permanent and may have the subtype Aura. Unlike the similar permanent, the artifact, enchantments are colored and never need to tap.

Instant
Instant is a type of nonpermanent. Instants and spells with Flash are the only card types that can be played on either player's turn.

Land
Land is a type of permanent and may have the subtypes Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, Swamp or gate. A land may be played only once per turn and only by the active player (the player whose turn it is) on his or her turn.

Planeswalker
Planeswalker is a type of permanent and may have one planeswalker subtype. All planeswalkers have a loyalty and three or four abilities that add or subtract loyalty. Only one of these abilities may be played per turn. Also, if a player controls two or more planeswalkers with the same planeswalker subtype at the same time, all but one of them is put into their owner's graveyard.

Sorcery
Sorcery is a type of nonpermanent. Once they have made their effect they go to your graveyard.

Subtype
Some cards have subtypes as well as card types. Creature subtypes don't always affect the game, but some subtypes are very important. Examples of subtypes include Equipment, Aura, and Angel.

Supertype
There are four different supertypes: basic, legendary, snow, and world. The super type world is only found on older cards.

Basic
Some lands are basic, such as. The supertype basic means that a player may have any number of that card in his or her deck.

Legendary
Some permanents have the supertype legendary. There may be only one of any legendary permanent with the same name under a player's control at any one time. If two or more legendary permanents with the same name are in play under one player's control at the same time, the player chooses and sacrifices one. This is known as the legend rule. (There is one exception to this rule when the card "Mirror Gallery" is in play)