There is no game board for the Magic the Gathering game.  You can play Magic anytime anywhere, as long as

there is a table, 2 Magic decks and 2 or more raging planeswalkers.

If you’re new to the Magic Game, when you look at people playing, you would probably notice the different piles on the table and wonder what the different placement of cards means.  It all looks so complicated.  Well, not so!  I’m now going to tell you what the game zones are so that every plane on earth can be a plane in the Multiverse!

Game Zones

LIBRARY

At the beginning of the game, your whole deck of Magic the gathering cards becomes your Library.  The deck is put face down on the table and the order is kept unless an effect happens that ask you to shuffle your Library.  No one is allowed to look at the cards in the pile, but you’re allowed to find out the number of cards remaining in it.  You put your Library on your side and opposite to your opponent’s deck.

HAND

At the beginning of a game, you draw seven cards from the Library to form your Hand.  Of course no one should be able to look at your Hand except yourself.  You would continue to draw cards throughout the game but at the end of each turn, at most, you can only hold seven cards in your Hand.  The rest must be dealt onto the table or discarded.

BATTLEFIELD

When you play a permanent like lands, creatures, planeswalkers, artifacts, enchantments, it goes to the Battlefield and stays there.  They must be placed in a way that each can be clearly observed by everyone.  The bloodshed  all happens here.

GRAVEYARD

Here is where all your discarded cards lies.  Permanents must be placed into the Graveyard if they are destroyed, discarded, sacrificed or countered.  The Instant and Sorcery spells also go to the Graveyard immediately after they have resolved.  Creatures die and go to the Graveyard if they receive damages greater than or equal to their toughness in one turn or when their toughness is reduced to less than or equal to zero.  A planeswalker card goes to the Graveyard also if its loyalty counter decreases to zero or less.

The cards in Graveyard are face up and can be looked at by anyone at anytime.

THE STACK

During one of the main phase of your turn, you may cast a spell.  All cards except Land are cast as a spell.  When spells or abilities are cast or activated, they are put on the Stack, which is usually at the middle of the table, before they resolve.

EXILE

Some spells and abilities have to effect of exiling a card.  When a card is exiled, it is put aside and separated from the rest of the game.  It will remain there unless someone is able to bring it back with a spell or ability.