Algebraic Thinking and Mana Curves

💭 Think About...

1. What do you think is the relationship between the mana cost of a card and its power level?
2. Why might a player choose to put only low-cost cards in their deck? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
3. Imagine you have a deck with a mana curve that peaks at 4 and 5 mana. What does this tell you about the deck's strategy?
4. Have you ever played a game where you had to manage a limited resource? How did you decide when to spend that resource?
5. If you were designing cards for a game, how would you determine their mana costs? What factors would you consider?

🔨 Your Project

  1. Get into groups of 4 and collect a sample deck of cards.
  2. Sort the cards by mana cost. Put all the 0-cost cards in one pile, the 1-cost cards in another pile, and so on.
  3. Fill in the "Mana Curve Worksheet" with the number of cards at each mana cost in your sample deck.
  4. On the graph part of the worksheet, draw a bar for each mana cost showing the number of cards. The mana costs should be on the x-axis (horizontal) and the number of cards on the y-axis (vertical).
  5. Look at the "Example Mana Curve Graphs" handout. Which one does your graph most closely resemble - the early-game, mid-game, or late-game example? Discuss with your group what this means about your deck's strategy.
  6. Open the "Interactive Mana Curve Builder" on your computer. Input the cards from your sample deck and see how the mana curve looks. Does it match your prediction?
  7. Now, build your own 20-card deck using the "Interactive Mana Curve Builder." Experiment with different combinations of cards to try to create a mana curve that matches either an early-game, mid-game, or late-game strategy.
  8. When you're satisfied with your deck, share your screen with your group. Explain what strategy you were going for and why you chose the cards you did.
  9. As a group, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each person's deck. Are there any changes you would suggest to better support the intended strategy?
  10. Be prepared to share your deck and its strategy with the class!