Skip to main content
PipGlyph
All articles
Guides

MTG Card Reference

The building blocks of every Magic card, explained for the people who make their own. Mana symbols, keyword abilities, card frames, rarity, and the anatomy of the card itself — the reference you reach for while you design, written to be accurate and quick to scan.

Open the pip editor
11 min read

The MTG Nyx Frame Explained: Theros Lore and Frame History

Explore the MTG lore behind Nyx, the gods of Theros, and the history of Magic: The Gathering's starfield enchantment frame. Create your own in PipGlyph.

loreframesreference
Read the guide
9 min read

The MTG Guilds and Color Pairs Explained

The ten MTG two-color pairs and their Ravnica guild names, allied vs enemy colors, each guild's identity, and how to use them in custom card design.

color piereference
Read the guide
9 min read

MTG Card Types Explained

Every Magic card type explained — land, creature, artifact, enchantment, instant, sorcery, planeswalker, battle, and tokens, with a quick reference table.

card typesreference
Read the guide
8 min read

MTG Card Layouts Explained: Split, Adventure, Saga, and Double-Faced

How non-standard MTG card layouts work — split, adventure, saga, and double-faced cards — and when each layout earns a place on a custom card.

framesreference
Read the guide
9 min read

MTG Ability Types Explained: Triggered, Activated, and Static

A clear reference to MTG ability types — triggered, activated, and static abilities, plus spell and keyword abilities — for players and custom card designers.

oracle textreference
Read the guide
9 min read

MTG Keyword Abilities: The Complete List by Color

The complete list of MTG keyword abilities by color: all 18 evergreen keywords defined, color-pie distribution, and evergreen vs deciduous explained.

oracle textreference
Read the guide
8 min read

Anatomy of an MTG Card: Every Part Explained

Every part of a Magic card explained top to bottom — name, mana cost, art, type line, set symbol, text box, power/toughness, loyalty, and the legal line.

framesreference
Read the guide
7 min read

MTG Rarity Explained: Common to Mythic Rare

MTG rarities in order — common, uncommon, rare, mythic — what each expansion-symbol color signals, and how to use rarity as a custom-set design tool.

referencecard design
Read the guide
4 min read

The Complete Guide to MTG Mana Symbols

Every mana pip explained — generic, colored, hybrid, twobrid, phyrexian, snow, energy, tap and untap — what each one means in a cost, how color identity works, and how to build them on a custom card.

manareference
Read the guide
4 min read

MTG Card Frame Eras Explained: 1993 to Showcase

How Magic's card frame evolved — the 1993 original, the 1997 'retro' classic, the 2003 modern redesign, the 2014 M15 holofoil era, and today's showcase treatments — and how to pick an era for your custom card.

framesreference
Read the guide