We review the X-ray spectral properties of magnetic cataclysmic binaries
derived from observations obtained during the last decade with the large X-ray
observatories XMM-Newton, Chandra and Suzaku. We focus on the signatures of the
different accretion modes which are predicted according to the values of the
main physical parameters (magnetic field, local accretion rate and white dwarf
mass). The observed large diversity of spectral behaviors indicates a wide
range of parameter values in both intermediate polars and polars, in line with
a possible evolutionary link between both classes.Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of "The Golden Age of Cataclysmic
Variables (Palermo 2011)", in Mem. Soc. Astron. It. (7 pages, 3 figures
