Constructed Formats
When you play in a Constructed Magic event, you bring your own deck to the event. Each Constructed format has its own rules about which cards can be included in your deck, but they almost all have several things in common:
- Your deck must contain at least 60 cards.
- There is no maximum deck size, but you must be able to shuffle your deck without assistance. Pile shuffling is not allowed.
- If you’re using a sideboard, it may contain up to 15 cards.
- Your combined deck and sideboard can’t include more than 4 of any particular card, counted by its official English title.
- Basic land cards — Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest — are an exception to the rule. You may include as many basic lands as you like.
Most Constructed Magic events at Eudemonia use Swiss-style rounds, which means you’ll get 50 minutes to play a best-2-out-of-3 match with your opponent. In each round after the first, you’ll be paired with a player with the same (or almost the same) win-loss record in the event. You can choose to drop from the event after any round, but players are never eliminated in Swiss rounds!
Standard
Standard is the most popular Magic format around the world. Only cards from the most recent core set and the two most recent blocks’ expansion sets are allowed.
Modern
Only cards from 8th Edition and Mirrodin and newer sets are allowed. The name refers the current “modern” card frame design on these cards.
Legacy
Cards from all sets, including special sets and promotional printings, are allowed. Some cards are banned for power level reasons.
Vintage
Cards from all sets, including special sets and promotional printings, are allowed. Many cards are restricted for power level reasons, instead of banned.
Commander
Commander is a casual multiplayer format that allows cards from all sets. A Commander deck contains 100 cards, one of which is a legendary creature you have chosen as your “commander”. The other 99 cards in your deck may only contain colored mana symbols that appear on your commander. There are no sideboards.
Pauper
Pauper is a casual format in which only common cards are allowed. If a common version of a particular card was ever printed in a regular set, then all versions of that card are allowed. Please note that Magic Online rarities do not count in Pauper events at Eudemonia.
Limited Formats
When you play in a Limited event, you are given cards and build your deck at the event. Most Limited events follow the same rules for deck construction:
- Your deck can only include the cards you get in the event, plus as many basic lands as you like.
- You can’t trade cards with other players in the event, or use cards from outside the event (except for basic lands).
- Your deck, including basic lands, must contain at least 40 cards.
- There is no maximum deck size, but you must be able to shuffle your deck without assistance.
- Any cards you get in the event but don’t include in your deck become your sideboard.
- Eudemonia provides free basic lands at Limited events. We’d prefer if you return your basic lands after the event to help us keep costs down, but you can keep them if you want.
After the deck-building phase of the event, you’ll play your deck against the other players in the event. Most Magic play events at Eudemonia use Swiss rounds, which means you’ll get 50 minutes to play a best-2-of-3 match with your opponent, and in each round after the first, players are paired with other players with the same (or a similar) win-loss record in the event. You can of course drop from the event after any round, but players are never eliminated in a Swiss event!
Booster Draft
Booster drafting is an 8-player event. In a Booster Draft, you are seated around a table with the other players in the event. Everyone gets three booster packs, but you don’t open them all at once. Instead, you start out by opening just one booster pack.
You choose one card to keep from the pack, and pass the remaining cards to the player sitting on your left. The player sitting on your right will pass you the remaining cards from the booster pack they opened. Again, you will choose one card to keep, and pass the rest to your left.
Once all of the cards have been chosen, everyone opens their second booster pack, and the drafting process repeats, except this time you’ll pass to the right instead. Finally, the third booster pack is opened and drafted, passing to the left again.
After all of the packs have been drafted, you’ll use the cards you chose to build a deck, and then
Finally, you’ll use your new deck to play a series of matches against the other players in the event. After three rounds, points — and prizes! — are awarded based on the number of matches you won.
Sealed Deck
In a Sealed Deck event, you’re given some number of booster packs — usually 6 — or an equivalent number of cards from some other source. You’ll open those packs, and use the cards inside to build your deck.
Then you’ll use your new deck to play a series of matches against the other players in the event. Depending on the event, there may be a set number of rounds — often 4 — or the number of rounds may depend on the number of players in the event.
Two-Headed Giant
Two-Headed Giant (or 2HG for short) is a variation on the Sealed Deck format where you play with a partner as a team. Your team is the “giant”, and you and your partner are the two “heads”. Your team gets some number of booster packs — usually 8 — and uses it to build two decks.
You and your partner will each play one of the decks in a series of matches against the other teams in the event. Your team shares turns — you will both draw at the same time, declare attacks at the same time, etc. — and shares a life total, which starts at 30 life.