Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game created by Richard Garfield. First published in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic was the first trading card game produced and it continues to thrive, with approximately twenty million players as of 2015. Magic can be played by two or more players in various formats, which fall into one of two categories: constructed or limited. Limited formats involve players building a deck spontaneously out of a pool of random cards with a minimum deck size of 40 cards. The other major category of formats is constructed. In constructed, players created decks from cards they own, usually 60 cards with no more than 4 of any given card. Magic is played in person with printed cards, or using a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online, or on a smartphone or tablet, or through other programs.
