I've blogged about Magic: The Gathering more than any other game with good reason- I play it more, enjoy it more, and explore it more than any other offering. (For those interested in past posts, I review the game, provide resources, look at staple cards, discuss how to build a deck, and lament a deck-building failure.) Today's post reflects on and enjoys the game's flexibility, as demonstrated through its various formats and variants.
Formats
When initially envisioned, Magic had one format: build a 60-card deck, start with 20 life, and the first to reduce their opponent to 0 life won. A deck could contain no more than 4 copies of any given card (that wasn't a basic land). As they released expansions and the game matured, however, some problems arose:
- new players felt daunted by the sheer number of cards, and at a disadvantage because they didn't have access to older releases (which were, and still are, incredibly expensive to obtain)
- many players had a slew of cards with only 1 copy. It was expensive to get more, and often playing only 1 wasn't conducive to effective deck construction; in effect, they were useless cards.
In response to these and other factors, different formats arose. Some were officially created by Wizards of the Coast (Magic's producer); others started as home-grown efforts until they became so popular that Wizards sanctioned them and made those official, too. Over the years, so many variants arose- and have evolved over time- that I won't cover them exhaustively here; I'll pick the most common or my personal favorites to summarize. In a nutshell, variants are based on card pool restrictions and deck construction methods.
Card Pool Restrictions
The easiest way to make Magic accessible is by limiting the card pool. Regardless of pool, some cards have become so powerful that over the years they were banned outright or restricted (to one copy); in most cases, however, the card pool is limited by expansion. Here are a few:
- standard: this is probably the most common format. In standard, the card pool is limited to the most recent expansions. Once a year, older sets rotate out of standard based on a known and published schedule (this article explains that more and gives examples); this welcomes new players and keeps existing ones excited by changing the possibilities.
- modern: in 2003 (when Magic was 10 years old), they changed the card frame. Any cards with the new frame are legal for modern decks (unless the card has been banned).
- block: Magic expansions are (or were) released in blocks, meaning 2-3 sets that had similar themes, mechanics, and flavor would be released in a row. The Innistrad block, for example, had three sets with a gothic horror theme; the Lorwyn block had two with a fairy tale focus. If you limit card pool by block, you're focusing on specific releases with a given theme.
- casual: as the name implies, this format is 'anything goes'- any card, any expansion, etc. It's my most-played format at home.
- pauper: this format restricts card rarity- only common cards are allowed. This gives players the chance to build competitive decks on a tight budget.
Deck Construction Methods
You can build a Magic deck one of three ways:
- constructed: you build a 60-card deck before you arrive at a competition, using cards legal for the format.
- sealed: you arrive at the competition with no cards, buy six packs, and build a 40-card deck out of those cards.
- draft: you arrive at the competition with no cards and buy three packs. You then do a draft- open your first pack and pick a card, passing the remainder to the opponent on your right (and you receive cards from the player on your left). You pick a card out of the ones you just received, and pass the remainder. That continues until all cards are distributed; you then each open a new pack, choose a card, and pass left. Once drafting is done, build a 40-card deck out of those cards.
Note that you can play any of the 'card pool' formats above using these methods by restricting (or allowing) packs of cards from certain sets.
Variants
Over the years, Wizards of the Coast has developed even more ways to play Magic. Here are several:
In 'normal' Magic, you can have up to 4 copies of a given card in your deck (outside of basic lands- those are unlimited). Two formats allow only 1 copy and add this concept called a 'commander.'
A commander is a legendary creature who sits to the side and can be played any time you have sufficient mana for it. If it should die, it doesn't go to the graveyard- it goes back to the side and can be played again. Commanders dictate the colors of cards you can put in your deck (all cards must align with the commander's "color identity"- the color(s) of mana used to play your commander. If, for example, your commander is green and white, your deck's cards must be green, white, or the combination). And, if you choose wisely, commanders benefit you significantly- after all, you should be able to play them at least once (since they're not randomly drawn, you're assured of getting it, if you have enough mana).
In Commander, you start with a 100-card deck and 40 life. One of those cards is your commander. This format has become so popular, Wizards now releases pre-constructed commander decks annually (see below).
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| Commander decks |
Brawl
Brawl is a new format, introduced with the Dominaria expansion. It's the same as Commander, except:
- you start with a 60-card deck and 25 or 30 life (25 if playing two-player; 30 if playing three or more)
- your card pool is restricted to standard
Planechase
In addition to your 60-card deck, you choose 10 oversized 'planar' cards that are shuffled and placed off to the side. There's a die rolled each turn, and when a certain face is seen, a new planar card is put on the battlefield. Planar cards give all players certain benefits (or drawbacks) when active.
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| one Planechase deck, released in 2012 |
Explorers of Ixalan
This is Magic's venture into the board game-like space. You still play with 60-card Magic decks, but there's a modular hex grid to 'explore.' I haven't played it yet (just picked up a copy), but plan to soon. It looks like you focus on certain grid tiles to explore, and turning them over reveals something good or bad. Ultimately, you're seraching for one specific tile.
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| contents of Explorers of Ixalan |
Final Thoughts
Game theory books will tell you that tweaking one rule in a game will change it significantly; they're correct. I *love* how flexible and variable Magic can be. Cards that are poor in one format can be excellent in another; sample the different formats and see what I mean. Personally, I find restricting the card pool to be a great way to focus on specific mechanics and explore the game without getting overwhelmed. A more complete list of formats can be found here.
In summary, here are some Magic formats and variants:
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