We're giving away 30 free copies of Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012! If you're new to Magic, be sure to check out our starter guide.

We're giving away 30 free copies of Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planewalkers 2012 for the PC! Do you want to try out the game but are intimidated at the thought of learning all of the rules? Never fear! The basics are actually quite simple, and we've created a simple starter guide that will help give you the courage to pick up your first deck. You'll find it after the jump!

UPDATE: The sweepstakes is now closed, but you can still check out our starter guide below for details on Magic: The Gathering!

With the recent launch of Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, now is the perfect time to try out the game. Duels of the Planewalkers is a great way for beginners to learn the rules and mechanics. Once you understand the basics, you can practice your skills against the game's AI opponents or easily find other players to duel.

The Basics

Magic: The Gathering is all about cards. Whether you play using physical decks with friends or virtual decks in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, you'll be using collectible cards to cast spells and creatures in an attempt to defeat your opponent.

Each player begins with 20 life, and players typically win by reducing an opponent’s life total to zero or less by using mana to cast their arsenal of spells. For most beginners, battles will consist of summoning creatures that will defend the caster and attack the opponent.

Of course, there are more than just creatures in the game. Other spells function to support allies, damage opposing allies and players, gain life, draw cards and counter spells. There are thousands of Magic: The Gathering cards in existence, and you can use them to create customizable decks that focus on different themes and tactics.

The Five Colors

As we mentioned, players use mana to cast their spells. Mana falls into five color categories: Black (swamp), Red (mountain), Green (forest), Blue (island) and White (plains). Decks are usually centered around one or two colors; for example, a deck comprised of Red and Green spells would be full of mountain and forest cards.

To put it in MMO terms, think of mana as your MP pool and the colors as classes. If you like playing a fire mage who burns down enemies quickly, you'd probably like Red cards in Magic: The Gathering. If you prefer to play a priest who uses healing spells to stay alive, White is likely your color of choice. For more help choosing a color, take our Magic: The Gathering color personality quiz!

Each color has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses.

White mages value justice, order, and peace. Their use of superior tactics, life gaining spells, small but powerful creatures, and the ability to balance the playing field make them a righteous force to be reckoned with.

Blue mages value logic, intellect and technology. They focus on using superior knowledge to gain control of a battle, and slowly gain the upper hand through countering spells, drawing cards quickly, and summoning creatures with evasive abilities.

Black mages value ambition and self-indulgence. Using the art of sacrifice, sorcerers from this school of magic have the ability to destroy opposing creatures, force opponents to discard, and bring creatures back from the dead.

Red mages value chaos and impulse. Red conjurers try to win as quickly and dramatically as possible, smashing and burning their way to a quick victory using direct damage and a army of fast and aggressive creatures.

Green mages value growth, and survival. With the help of mother nature, green mages can generate mana quickly to overrun enemies with powerful and efficient creatures.

Our starter guide continues on Page 2.