Magic: The Gathering formats are a number of different ways in which the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game can be played. Each format provides rules for deck construction and gameplay. The tournament formats officially sanctioned by The DCI fall into two categories, Constructed and Limited.[1] Constructed formats are those in which players may build their deck from all the available cards in the format and construct their deck prior to playing in the tournament. Limited formats on the other hand are those which involve a restricted and unknown pool of cards, usually created by opening Magic products. These formats require players to build their decks as part of the tournament, with time allotted for deck building.
Sanctioned Constructed formats include Vintage, Legacy, Modern, Extended, Standard, and Block Constructed.[1] The two sanctioned Limited formats are Sealed Deck and Booster Draft.[1] A wide variety of other formats have been designed by players of the game for custom gameplay or cost reduction, these are known as casual formats.[2]
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There are a number of common rules that can be found across a variety of different sanctioned formats. These rules may also apply to casual formats.
The following rules apply to all current sanctioned Constructed formats:[3]
The following rules apply to all current sanctioned Limited formats:[3]
Constructed formats, as opposed to Limited formats, allow players to build decks from the entirety of the legal cards available in the specified format. Which cards are legal in a constructed format is one of the main variations between the various formats.[1] In Constructed format tournaments, players build their deck in advance of the tournament. There are currently six sanctioned Constructed formats: Vintage, Legacy, Modern, Extended, Standard and Block Constructed.
The Vintage format, formerly known as Type 1, allows cards from all sets that are legal for constructed play. Vintage maintains a small banned list and a larger restricted list. Unlike in the other formats, the DCI does not ban cards in Vintage for power level reasons. Rather, banned cards in Vintage are those that involve ante, manual dexterity (e.g. – Chaos Orb), or subgames (e.g. – Shahrazad). Cards that raise power level concerns are instead restricted to one per deck.[4] Vintage is currently the only format in which cards are restricted. Because of the expense in acquiring the old cards to play competitive Vintage, many Vintage tournaments are unsanctioned and permit players to use a certain number of proxy cards. These are treated as stand-ins of existing cards and are not normally permitted in tournaments sanctioned by the DCI.[4]
Legacy is another 'eternal' constructed format, the word 'eternal' referring to the fact that all the cards that are currently legal in the format will remain legal unless banned. It also allows cards from all legal sets, but unlike Vintage, it maintains only a banned list, and cards are banned in Legacy for power level reasons. The format evolved from Type 1.5, which allowed cards from all sets and maintained a banned list corresponding to Vintage: all cards banned or restricted cards in the old Type 1 were banned in Type 1.5.[5] The modern Legacy format began in 2004, as the DCI separated Legacy's banned list from Vintage and banned many new cards to reduce the power level of the format.[5]
Wizards has supported the format with Grand Prix events[6] and the release of preconstructed Legacy decks on Magic Online in November 2010.[7] The first Legacy Grand Prix was Grand Prix Philadelphia in 2005.[8]
Modern is the newest constructed format. Modern was created by Wizards of the Coast in the Spring of 2011 as a response to the increasing popularity of the Legacy format, which although popular proved difficult to access due to the high price of staple cards.[9] Wizards of the Coast is unable to reprint some of these cards due to the Reserved List,[10] a list of cards Wizards promised never to reprint in order to protect card prices.[9] Therefore, Modern was designed as a new format that would exclude all cards on the Reserved List, allowing the format to be cheaper than Legacy.
Modern allows cards from the 8th Edition core set and all expansion printed afterwards.[11] The 8th Edition core set was when Magic cards began to be printed in modern card frames, and this is where the name for the format is derived.[12] It has been admitted by Wizards staff that this starting point of legality is somewhat arbitrary, however, it was thought to have the advantage of giving a visual cue as to which cards are legal in the Modern format.[9]
The format maintains its own banned list.[11] Cards are banned on the basis of their power level, as in all constructed formats outside Vintage.[9] The first official tournament to be held using the format was Pro Tour Philadelphia in 2011.[13]
The Extended format, formerly known as Type 1.x, consists of the last four years' of blocks and core sets.[14] With each autumn set release, one year's worth of sets rotate out of the format. Any additional sets released between rotations are automatically added to this format's card pool.[15] The format previously contained seven years' of blocks and core sets.[16] The new system was implemented in July 2010 to reduce the format's card pool, with the intention that this would make the format more understandable and attractive to play.[16]
The Standard format is continually one of the most popular formats in the constructed deck tournament scene. It is the format most commonly found at Friday Night Magic tournaments, played weekly at many hobby shops. Standard used to be referred to alternatively as "Type 2". While the name, "Type 2" has been dropped officially, it is still commonplace that the standard format be referred to this way. This format consists of the most recent "Core Set" release and the two most recent "Block" releases, with one exception. "Rotation" occurs every fall when the first set of the new "Block" releases and becomes Standard Legal. From the time the new "Core Set" is released in early summer, until rotation occurs, 2 core sets are legal. To the annoyance of many collectors and players, the core set rotates out of legal play faster than any Magic The Gathering product that has ever been released. The current Standard set includes Scars of Mirrodin, Mirrodin Besieged, New Phyrexia, Innistrad and Magic 2012 core set.[17]
The Block Constructed format uses only the cards from a single block of Magic sets.[1] Magic sets since Mirage have come in groups (usually of three) known as blocks.[18] Block Constructed formats, and blocks themselves, usually take the name of the first set in the block.[1] For example, the Ravnica Block Constructed format consists of Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, and Dissension.[19] Only cards that were printed in the sets in the appropriate block can be used in Block Constructed formats.
The Lorwyn block was the first block to only contain only two sets, Lorwyn and Morningtide. However, this block is combined with the Shadowmoor block, which also only contained two sets, to make the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor Block Constructed format.[19]
Limited formats are so-called because they require players to build their decks from a more limited pool of cards than Constructed formats. Limited formats require players to open a specified number of Magic products, they then must work exclusively with the cards that came from that product. Due to the nature of Limited formats, players cannot build their decks in advance of the tournament and must build their deck within the tournament itself.[1] There are currently two sanctioned Limited formats: Sealed Deck and Booster Draft.
In Sealed Deck tournaments, each player receives six booster packs from which to build their deck.[3] Depending on which sets are to be used in a sealed deck event, the distribution of packs can vary greatly. For example, a Magic 2010 sealed deck event consists of six Magic 2010 boosters, but a sanctioned Shards of Alara block sealed deck event will consist of two Shards of Alara, two Conflux, and two Alara Reborn booster packs.
In a booster draft, several players (usually eight) are seated around a table and each player is given three booster packs.[1] Each player opens a pack, selects a card from it and passes the remaining cards to his or her left. Each player then selects one of the 14 remaining cards from the pack that was just passed to him or her, and passes the remaining cards to the left again. This continues until all of the cards are depleted. The process is repeated with the second and third packs, except that the cards are passed to the right in the second pack.[1] Players then build decks out of any of the cards that they selected during the drafting and add as many basic lands as they want.
Traditionally, Magic is a game that is played between two players, however, it is also possible to play with multiple players. Despite the existence of numerous multiplayer formats, Two-Headed Giant is currently the only multiplayer format that has been officially sanctioned by the DCI.
Two-Headed Giant (2HG) is a team game where pairs of players share turns and life totals.[1] Each player has their own separate deck and plays independently of their teammate, however, teammates share the goal of defeating the opposing team.[1]
The Two-Headed Giant format can be used to play Constructed or Limited games.[1] In Constructed Two-Head Giant the combined decks of a team must not include more than four of any individual card.[20]
In June 2005, rules for handling multiplayer games were added to the official rulebook, and "Two-Headed Giant" team play became the first multiplayer format to be sanctioned by the DCI.[21] The first Two-Headed Giant Grand Prix was Grand Prix Amsterdam in 2007.[22] The first and thus far only Pro Tour to be held under the Two-Headed Giant format was Pro Tour San Diego in 2007.[23]
Casual play groups and even Wizards of the Coast have developed many alternative formats for playing the game. These formats are designed to accommodate larger numbers of players, to allow two or more players to work together as a team, or create specific requirements for deck construction. They are distinct from the officially sanctioned formats such as Legacy, Vintage, Extended, Standard, or Block Constructed which are organized by the DCI and merely define the available card pool, not change the rules of the game.
Many of these variants are popular in tournament play, though not all have support from Wizards of the Coast. Several casual formats have been implemented in Magic: The Gathering Online client.
As with sanctioned formats, most casual formats can be categorised into Constructed or Limited formats. Casual constructed formats include:
In the Singleton format, players are allowed to use only one of each card instead of the usual limit of four. This variation is also known as "Highlander" (named after the catchphrase "There can be only one" of the movies), "Legendary" (in Magic, there may only be one of any legend card in the game), or "Restricted" (tournament formats with a restricted list insist that decks have no more than one of those cards) Magic. Some players of this format require that the decks have a minimum of 100 cards, ban sideboards, and institute a special rule for mulligans with hands having either too many or too few lands.[24][25][26][27]
In Prismatic[28] or 5-Color,[29] players must build very large decks (at least 250 cards) and accommodate a minimum number of cards of each color. This format was first developed by Kurt Hahn and several other players in the Milwaukee area.[30] 5-Color is managed by the 5CRC which while not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast or the DCI, does organize tournaments, has its own list of banned and restricted cards and has a world championship held at Gen Con. It also supports ante cards, an initial component of the rules for Magic that has since been deprecated. When Magic Online was under development, this format was requested by many users, and it was added as "Prismatic" with slight differences, including the minimum number of cards of each color and no support for ante. An additional "big deck" mulligan is also standard online, allowing players to compensate for hands with too many or too few lands.
Pauper[31] is a Magic variant in which card legality is based on in-game rarity. In Pauper only common cards are legal.
While in Pauper only common cards are legal, in Peasant a deck may contain up to 5 uncommon cards and the rest must be common. Peasant Magic was created by Rob Baranowski[32] who felt that players with limited access to cards should still have an opportunity for competitive play. Tournaments for this format have taken place at Gen Con since 2001. However, the original banned list is considered to be outdated and most tournaments are played by the rules of the largest active Peasant community.[33]
In the Rainbow Stairwell format, players make a 60 card deck utilizing 6 of each basic land, or 2 of 10 different multiple color producing lands, along with six cards from each color and the artifacts. These six cards must have a converted mana cost ranging from one to six, with each card taking up one of six slots.[34]
Tribal Wars is a constructed casual format in which one-third of every deck must be of a single creature type.[2][35] Common tribes in Magic include elves, goblins and merfolk.
The format is designed to emphasize the creature combat element of the game. Banned cards in the Tribal Wars format are generally those that disincentivise or prevent the playing of creatures or engaging in creature combat (such as Circle of Solace or Engineered Plague).[36]
QL Magic[37] is a variant where players can only play with cards with the old Magic card frames, in contrast with the Modern format. As such the format allows players to play with cards from Alpha up to Onslaught block. The format also uses an older version of the rules, which incorporates rules that have since been altered or simplified. In principle, QL Magic adopts the 6th Edition Rules, dated 1 June 2003, except for some modifications. The main rules differences of QL magic are: Combat damage goes on the stack; Feedback damages: also known as mana burn, for what concerns mana still in the mana pool and that has not been used within the end of a phase; and Artifacts are turned off while tapped.
Limited casual formats include:
Back Draft is a draft variant where each player tries to build the worst deck possible because each player will be giving another player that deck to play in the tournament.[2] To avoid mana problems, players choose what lands to add in the deck they are "backdrafted". Additionally, house rules may restrict backdrafters to 3 colors maximum.
A Cube Draft[38][39] is a draft variant similar to booster draft, but rather than using factory sealed booster packs, packs are created by taking fifteen cards at random from a pre-selected pool of cards. Typically, the card pool, known as the cube, is an amalgamation of many of the most powerful cards from throughout the history of Magic, and may include, for example, cards from the Vintage restricted list. Theoretically, a cube can be as small as 90 cards, though most cubes include at least 360 cards in order to support a eight-player draft. Cube drafting gained popularity after being featured as a format in the Magic Invitational. One type of cube draft is a Custom Card Cube, in which the participants create their own custom set to use in the cube.
Reject Rare Draft[40] is a format in which each player donates 45 cards (the same number as in 3 regular boosters) and then draft as normal. The rares are "donated", as everyone takes home the deck they draft and no attempt is made to return the rares to the original owners, as all the rares donated must be able to be categorized as an "unplayable" rares occasionally printed by MTG for any number of reasons. Hence "reject rare draft". This variant was developed at Neutral Ground, a gaming store owned by Brian David-Marshall, a columnist for Wizards and noted commentator in the Magic world.
In the Type 4 or Limited Infinity[41] format, players randomly draft a 45 card deck from a large card pool (similar to a cube draft) without knowing the cards included in their deck. Players get infinite mana but are only allowed 1 spell per turn (1 each turn, their own and 1 during each opponent's turn). A starting hand is 5 cards.
The majority of multiplayer formats are casual formats, with Two-Headed Giant being the only multiplayer format to ever be sanctioned. Many formats can be adapated for multiple players, however, some formats are designed specifically for play with multiple players. Multiplayer formats include:
The simplest format is the free-for-all, where players sit in a circle and vie with those around them to be the final surviving player.
One variant is "Star" [42] (also called "Pentagram," "Five-Point," "Rainbow" or "Five-Player Star") and involves exactly five players, each playing one of the colors of Magic and trying to defeat the two diametrically opposed players. Theoretically, the five decks should be equally balanced, so that the game is based more on skill than on deck strength. Another variant involves limited attacks, where the player can only attack the player on his left. This means that the players must eliminate all other players before the final two players can directly attack each other.
In the Emperor format, two teams, each generally composed of three players, play to ensure their central player (the "Emperor") outlasts the other.[2] A team wins the game when the opposing Emperor has been eliminated, it does not matter if that team has any other players left on the team.
In the Kings & Knights format, teams of two go head to head, with one player acting as king and the other as knight; in this variant turns generally alternate per team (rather than one team's king and knight taking their turns back to back), and a king can not engage in combat, whether offensively or defensively, until his or her knight has been defeated.
Wizards of the Coast have released a number of official products creating new, or supporting existing, casual formats. Below is a list of the formats for which these products have been created.
In this variant, each player has a special card that affects the game. These cards change the players' starting life total and cards in hand, and have additional effects as well. Vanguard initially began with special oversized Vanguard cards, released as part of various promotions.[43] Only four sets of avatar cards were made before the product was discontinued. The cards featured depicted major characters from the storyline of Magic, including Gerrard Capashen, Karn and Squee. A new version of Vanguard was eventually added to Magic Online, with a player's avatar filling the role of the oversized physical cards.[44] Players are given a standard set of avatars and can receive more as entry and high-finishing prizes in release events.[45] New avatars are regularly added as new sets of Magic cards are released, each depicting a card from the set.[46] The wider availability online, combined with occasional tournaments, has made online Vanguard more of a success than its physical predecessor.
One recent addition to the regular Vanguard format is Momir Basic, which involves the Momir Avatar which allows a player to discard a land card to get a random creature into play. All Momir Basic Decks are constructed entirely of basic land.
In September 2009, Wizards of the Coast released the Planechase product.[47] The product was designed to allow players to play the new casual 'Planar Magic' format.[48] The format can be played with two or more players.[48] Each player requires a traditional Magic deck and a 'planar deck' of plane cards, players also need a 'planar die'.[48] The first player turns over a plane card from the top of their planar deck and that card affects the game as specified on the card.[48] The current plane card only changes when the specific symbol on the planar dice is rolled.[48]
In June 2010, Wizards of the Coast released the Archenemy product.[49] The product allowed players to play a new multiplayer casual format designed by Wizards of the Coast. The format is designed for four players with one player taking the role of the Archenemy and the other three players creating a team to play against the Archenemy.
Each player plays with a traditional Magic deck, however, the Archenemy also possess a 'scheme deck' of 20 oversized cards.[50] During the first main phase of the Archenemy's turn they turn over a card from their Scheme deck and use its effect.[50] The effects of scheme cards are usually powerful in order to allow the Archenemy a greater chance of defeating their three opponents.[50] The Archenemy starts at 40 life whilst all other players start at the traditional 20 life.[50] The Archenemy also always takes the first turn and draws a card at the beginning of this turn.[50] The Archenemy's opponents share a turn, as in the Two-Headed Giant format, however they play individually and cannot share resources.[50]
The Archenemy wins the game by defeating each member of the opposing team, whilst the opposing team wins if they defeat the Archenemy.[50]
The Commander,[51] or EDH (Elder Dragon Highlander), format uses 100 card decks with no duplicates except basic lands, a starting life total of 40, and feature a "Commander" or "General".[52] The Commander must be a legendary creature, and all cards in the deck can only have mana symbols on them from the General's colors (from its casting cost). The five three-color Elder Dragons such as Nicol Bolas or Chromium were once the only generals allowed, though this has changed greatly.[2] The General is not included in one's library; it can be played as if it was in one's hand and returns to the "command" or "general" zone whenever it would be put into a graveyard or exiled. If a player takes 21 combat damage from any one general, that player loses the game, regardless of life total. The format has its own official banned list.[52] This is usually a multiplayer format, as well as one of the most popular variants of Magic: The Gathering.
The popularity of the format was acknowledged by Wizards of Coast in the creation of the Commander product, a product designed exclusively for playing the format.[51] The product includes five different 100-card singleton decks as well as brand new cards exclusive to the product.[51]
Various alternative rules can be used to govern the construction of decks. Some of these variants have become so popular that unsanctioned tournaments have taken place at various Magic tournaments and gaming-oriented conventions such as Gen Con.