Magic is perhaps best described as a singularly rich gaming environment.
Where other games have one set of rules, Magic has almost endless rules.
Where other games are sold in a single communal box, Magic is sold in separate chunks with players free to assemble the pieces they choose.
Where other games are finite in scope, Magic is endlessly expandable.
One set of rules governs the game as a whole. But each card can (and does) bring its own rules with it.
The design of the game and the decks of cards are completely modular.
– Generation Decks, Titus Chalk, pg 13.
You will need some way to track your life total (and possibly your opponents).
A way to track counters on permanents:
A turn in a Magic game consists of five phases, in this order:
Laying of land and casting of spells by active player.