Magic is a trading card game filled with strategic battles and unique card decks.
In Magic, you take on the roles of a Planeswalker. A powerful mage that collects magical energy from the land around you and uses that mana to summon mighty creatures.
Check out the information below, gather your friends, and get ready to play Magic. Everyone is welcome and YOU are invited!
When you’re playing Magic you’ll notice there are a few different formats (ways to play)! Formats include rules for the number of players, cards you’re allowed to use, and how you build your decks. Each format is designed to let you enjoy Magic in different ways!
When you’re playing Magic you’ll notice there are a few different formats (ways to play)! Formats include rules for the number of players, cards you’re allowed to use, and how you build your decks. Each format is designed to let you enjoy Magic in different ways!
When you’re playing Magic you’ll notice there are a few different formats (ways to play)! Formats include rules for the number of players, cards you’re allowed to use, and how you build your decks. Each format is designed to let you enjoy Magic in different ways!
When you’re playing Magic you’ll notice there are a few different formats (ways to play)! Formats include rules for the number of players, cards you’re allowed to use, and how you build your decks. Each format is designed to let you enjoy Magic in different ways!
These events are events that have specifically schedule start times. When you register for the event you will receive a Companion App code for your event that you will need to enter into your Companion app on your phone to join the event. Please do this at least 15 minutes prior to the start of your event.
When the event is ready to begin your Companion app will send you your starting table number. Head to that table and your event will begin shortly!
These are events that launch every time a certain number of players join the queue for that event. More details about On Demand Events can be found at https://www.pastimesevents.com/on-demand-events/
A fun, fast, and exciting twist on Sealed play. Open 6 packs, use lands from outside the game, and play with all of the cards you opened!
Each player opens their 6 packs and sets aside any cards without Magic backs, trying not to look at the rest of the cards. This becomes the player’s deck.
Beside each player is a stack of each basic land (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest) which that player can use to play their land for the turn. At the beginning of the game, each player draws 6 cards.
Land cards drawn from the players deck gain this ability: Cycling 0 <i>(0, Discard this card: Draw a card.)<i>
A format for up to 8 players to open card packs, then play one-on-one games on the spot! Each deck should have at least 40 cards and should last an average length for a game (about 20 minutes).
First, players sit around a table. Each player then opens a booster pack and picks a single card without showing the other players.
Each player then passes the remaining cards to the left, and continues drafting from the new cards they get from the player on their right. This continues until all of the cards in those packs have been distributed (drafted). Then each player opens a second pack, but this time, pass the pack to the right. After all those cards are drafted, you do the same with the third pack, passing to the left again.
At the end, each player will have about 45 cards (along with any number of basic lands) which they can use to build a minimum 40 card deck.
For Sealed, unlike constructed games—where you arrive with a strategically created deck—Sealed games have you build a new deck from six unopened booster packs. Additionally, you may add as many basic lands (Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests) as you’d like, even if they weren’t in the booster packs you opened. These games are 1v1 or multi-player and can be played as best of one or best of three.
This format is for four players per game and deck sizes are 99 cards + 1 commander card. The game duration for this format should be about 20 minutes per player.
The Commander format is all about picking your hero and building a deck around them. In this casual, multiplayer format, you choose a legendary creature to serve as your commander and build the rest of your deck around their color identity and unique abilities. Players are only allowed one of each card in their deck, with the exception of basic lands, but they can use cards from throughout Magic’s history.
Inspired by one of the most popular formats, this is a multiplayer fight to the finish!
First, players sit around a table. Each player then opens a booster pack and picks a two cards without showing the other players.
Each player then passes the remaining cards to the left, and continues drafting from the new cards they get from the player on their right. This continues until all of the cards in those packs have been distributed (drafted). Then each player opens a second pack, but this time, pass the pack to the right. After all those cards are drafted, you do the same with the third pack, passing to the left again.
You may add multiples of the same card to your deck and each deck must have at least 60 cards along with a Legendary creature which you will use as your Commander.
This format is generally meant for increments of four players, and the seating arrangement should be at random.
Each player starts at 40 life. Players can attack multiple players at a time. Last player standing wins.
The Commander format is all about picking your hero and building a deck around them. In this casual, multiplayer format, you choose a legendary creature to serve as your commander and build the rest of your deck around their color identity and unique abilities.
For Commander Sealed, unlike constructed games—where you arrive with a strategically created deck—Sealed games have you build a new deck from six unopened booster packs. Additionally, you may add as many basic lands (Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests) as you’d like, even if they weren’t in the booster packs you opened.
Unlike regular Commander you may add multiples of the same card to your deck and each deck must have at least 60 cards along with a Legendary creature which you will use as your Commander. The Commander counts towards the 60 card deck minimum.
This format is generally meant for increments of four players, and the seating arrangement should be at random.
Grand Melee is an event where every player is participating in the same game of Magic. To facilitate this enormously complex feat the game uses variety of unique rules that are described below.
How to Play Grand Melee
Starting the Game
Players are seated at random to begin the Grand Melee
Important Rules of Grand Melee
1) Attack Left – Players can attack only to their left.
2) Range of Influence of 1 – You can affect only the player on your immediate left and the player on your immediate right.
3) Turn Markers – During the Grand Melee multiple players will be taking turns at once and they are tracked with visible turn markers.
Attack Left
Players can attack only an opponent seated to their left. If their nearest opponent to the left is more than one seat away, the player can’t attack.
Range of Influence of 1
Players can only cast spells or activate abilities targeting opponents or objects controlled by opponents seated on their immediately left and immediate right. If a player leaves the game, the opponents that were on either side of that player are not in each other’s range of influence until the next turn begins.
Turn Markers There is one turn marker for every full four players in the game. Example, a 18 player Grand Melee has 4 turn markers. When a player is done with their turn they pass their turn marker to their left.
Golden Rule of Turn Markers If a player has a turn marker, the next turn marker should be at least 4 spots away from them. If not, that player should not start their turn until the next marker is 4 seats away.
Removing Turn Markers If a player leaving the game would reduce the number of turn markers in the game, the turn marker to their right is designated to be removed. The turn marker continues to be passed until it reaches the player (or closest player remaining) who was seated to the right of the eliminated player. After they have taken a turn the turn marker is removed. This is a change to current rules!
Corner Cases
Grand Melee is a wacky format and is bound to have some quirky rules interactions or situations that do not work at all. Our goal with this event is for as many players as possible to have a great time and that will guide our decisions when it comes to corner cases in this format. Similar to all other tournaments the Head Judges decision on rulings is final.
Infinite Combos and Mandatory Loops/Actions
A player with an infinite combo(s) that cannot be reasonably interacted with (at the discretion of the Head Judge) and/or creates a situation involving one or more mandatory loops/actions where the game would be a draw will result in a win for the player who created them. That player will receive 4,000 Prize Tixs, be congratulated for their amazing skill, and are removed from the Grand Melee while play continues.
Banned List Karn Liberated is banned.
Players receive 400 Prize Tixs for participating and 400 Prize Tixs per player they eliminate.
For all the detailed rules follow the links below, note that we changed a few things above to facilitate smoother and more fun gameplay.
Grand Melee: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/cr807/
Range of Influence: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/rules/cr801/
Play against THE BOSS in this awesome Commander variant!
Boss Monster Commander is a Commander variant where players are battling against a powerful monster. On the Boss Monster’s turn, roll a six-sided die and the Boss Monster casts a powerful spell. BUT the Boss Monster is raging. In their rage they may cast spells beneficial to players or completely devastating. Will you defeat the Boss Monster or watch your cards be utterly destroyed? Test your mettle today!
The Boss Monster is considered to be a player, has a life total of 30, and always goes last.
During the Boss Monster’s turn a player rolls a d6 and uses the result to determine which spell the Boss Monster casts from its spell list. Players continue to roll a number times equal to half of the turns taken by the Boss Monster rounded down.
Players can only attack the Boss Monster and block for the Boss Monster.
For Casual Commander games, players win if they reduce the Boss Monster’s life total to zero.
For Challenging or Competitive Commander games, the first player to reduce the Boss Monster’s life total to zero wins. For ties, the winner is the player with the highest life total. If there is still a tie, the winner is the player with the most permanents. If a tie still persists, the tied players both win.
1 | Resolve each effect in order as though you rolled a 2, 3, 4, & 5 then discard 3 cards and mill 3 cards.
2 | All permanents lose indestructible. Destroy all creatures and legendary permanents. They can’t be regenerated.
3 | The Boss Monster deals 5 damage to each other player and planeswalker.
4 | The Boss Monster gains 5 life.
5 | Until the beginning of the Boss Monster’s next turn, players cannot draw more than 1 card per turn.
6 | The Boss Monster casts two additional spells. Roll two additional times.
Travel the multiverse, battling against other players to explore exciting new and returning planes!
Chase the Planes is a Magic variant where players explore the planes in the multiverse. With over 15 planes to travel to will you find yourself on the plane of success or defeat? Take a trip around the multiverse today Planeswalker!
At the beginning of each round, players will planeswalk to a new plane. Each plane that players travel to will change the rules of the game affecting their game in wild and exciting ways.
Here is an example:
Bountiful Land – On Zendikar you feel more powerful! The mana you pull to cast your spells is more potent.
Landfall – Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, add one mana of any color.
Starting Hand Size – 7
Starting Life Total – 20 (40 for Multiplayer)
You are all Planeswalkers who’ve discovered an abandoned plane filled with old Relics of power. Gather as many as you can to ensure you’re the last one standing. But be careful if you choose to hold onto the Relics’ emblem instead of consuming its spell power your opponents may try to steal them from you.
Make room at the center of the table for what will be 6 piles of cards. Put the 5 four color Relics face down randomly. On top of those Relics put the 10 three color Relics face down, two on each pile, randomly. On top of those piles put the 10 two color Relics, two on each pile, face down randomly. Then put the 5 single color Relics Face up on each of those piles. For the 6th Pile put the 5 color goal face down and the colorless goal face up on top of it. At the end you should have 5 piles of Relics with six cards each and 1 pile with two cards, Totaling 32 Relics.
All For One is a rules variant for the Commander format where players compete to gather Relics of power to help push them towards victory. There are 32 Relics, each Relic has a corresponding color or color combination in Magic the Gathering.
Relics
Relics can be earned by completing the goal listed on each card. Relics goals are checked if they are completed at the end of each phase and the boon is awarded at the beginning of the next phase. The boons awarded by Relics all come with a choice. Either a player chooses a spell like effect that happens immediately and consumes the power of the Relic. Or they choose to hold onto the Relic and gain control of the Relic and its emblematic effects.
Emblems granted by Relics function similarly to planeswalker emblems except they are controlled, not owned, by the player who completed the Relics goal. So if the Relic changes controllers the emblem goes with it along with any counters on that emblem. Players should keep any Relics kept as emblems on their side of the battlefield in the command zone. Relics that are consumed for their spell-like effect should go to that player’s exile zone.
Discovering New Relics
Relics are replenished at the beginning of the next turn. If any pile has a face down card turn it face up at the beginning of the upkeep phase.
Stealing Relics
The first player to get two or more Relics becomes the Archenemy. Afterwards whoever has the most Relics in zones they control (the command zone or exile zone) is the Archenemy and should always be considered a threat to the rest of the table. Relics held by the Archenemy in the command zone (aka Relics that are held for their emblem effect) can have their goals recompleted, and thus stolen, by the Archenemy’s opponents.
Upon stealing a Relic that player gets to again make the choice of if they want to consume its spell-like power and put it in their exile zone or keep it their command zone for its emblem power.
In the case of a tie on who controls the most Relics, the player with the most emblems is the Archenemy. If players are tied for the most Relics and tied on the number of emblems they control, there is no Archenemy until that tie is broken, as there can only be one Archenemy.
Killing a Player
When a player is killed they drop all Relics they’ve obtained. The player who cast the final blow gets to claim one of the Relics they had for themselves of their choice. If they had more than one Relic the remaining go back on top of the piles in the middle of the table spread as evenly as possible.
The game is won by the last player left alive. But remember as a table you will all likely need to work together to take down whoever is the Archenemy, so be careful of who you are targeting, because the Relics can sometimes be deceptively powerful.
White
Goal:
Control 4 more creatures than your opponents.
Bonus: Distribute X +1/+1 counters on creatures you control where X is the number of creatures you control.
Or gain an emblem that says, “At the beginning of combat on your turn tap up to one creature each player controls.”
Blue
Goal:
Draw 4 or more cards in a single turn. Must also be 3 more cards than an opponent has drawn this turn.
Bonus:
Tap all creatures your opponents control and put 1 stun counter on them. (If a permanent with a stun counter on it would become untapped, remove a stun counter instead.)
Or gain an emblem that says, “At the beginning of your first main phase return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand.
Red
Goal:
Deal 15 in a single turn from sources you control.
Bonus:
Exile the top 4 cards of your library face up, until the end of your next turn you may cast those cards from exile.
Or gain an emblem that says, “If a source you control would deal damage to an opponent or a permanent an opponent controls, it deals that much damage plus 1 instead.
Black
Goal:
Cause 5 or more creatures to die in a single turn. Causes can be from destroy effects, sacrifice effects, -x/-x effects etc.
Bonus:
Draw 3 cards and lose 3 life. You may tap creatures you control and pay 1 life to draw an additional card for each creature you tap.
Or gain an emblem that says, “At the beginning of your upkeep put a Grave counter on this emblem. At the beginning of combat on your turn, put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control with mana value equal to or less than the number of Grave counters on this emblem.”
Green
Goal:
Control two or more lands than the other players.
Bonus:
Reveal the top eight cards of your library. You may put a creature card from among them onto the battlefield. Put the rest into your graveyard.
Ferocious – If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, you may put two creature cards onto the battlefield instead of one.
Or gain an emblem that says, “Lands you control gain pay 3 generic and tap: draw a card”
Assassin is a casual multiplayer format where the players are randomly assigned “targets” to defeat.
Player are free to attack whomever they want. However, victory is not determined solely by who the last player is, but also who manages to take out the most marks over the course of the game. Players score points for delivering the finishing blow to their assigned target as well as being the last survivor. Defeating another player grants you their mark immediately upon their death, and thus a new target to attack.
Each player is assigned a number based on their seat. Then is given a card a random with a number different that their seat number. That card is their “target.” If they are given the seat number they are in then collect all the cards and distribute them randomly again.
Defeating a mark grants you 2 point.
Being the last one alive grants you 1 point.
Emperor is a casual multiplayer format played by teams of three players. Each team has one “emperor”, who is protected by the other players on their team. If an emperor loses the game, their entire team loses.
Detailed rules can be found at: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Emperor
Play a HYPER FAST game of commander in this crazy Commander variant!
At the beginning of each players turn, that player draws back up to 7 cards and during their turn they can play an additional land.
Play a quick game of Magic using only the cards in a single pack. You may also know this game as Pack Wars!
Each player opens a pack and seats aside any cards without Magic backs, trying not to look at the rest of the cards. Then they add three of each basic land (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, and Forest) to their pack and shuffle. This becomes the player’s deck.
Players randomly determine who goes first, then play! Before the game begins, players can each take an additional 7 card mulligan. All matches are best of 1.
After the first match, add another pack to your deck, look at its contents, then cut cards until you have 30. Do this again for your third match.
Jumpstart is a format where you get two themed booster packs of 20 cards each, including lands, that you shuffle together and play right out of the pack. In Jumpstart 2x2x2 you’ll receive two new packs every round. So each round you’ll set aside the packs from the previous round and play with a new deck.
Standard games are one-on-one with a 60 card minimum for the main deck (up to 15 card sideboard). Winner is determined either by best of one, or best of three games. These games should last standard length for a game (about 20 minutes on average).
Standard is a dynamic format where you build decks and play using cards in your collection from recently released Magic sets. Evolving gameplay and fresh strategies make it one of the most fun and popular ways to play Magic.
What Sets Are Legal in Standard?
Updated 15/15/2022
This nonrotating format features sets from Return to Ravnica, forward. It aims to be more powerful than Standard but less powerful than Modern or Legacy. Constructed decks can have up to four of any card in their combined deck and sideboard. Basic lands are not included in this restriction.
– Minimum deck size of 60 cards
– Up to 15 cards in your sideboard (if used)
Updated 12/15/2022
These are one-on-one games with 60 card minimums for the main deck (up to 15 card sideboard). Modern games should last average length for a game (about 20 minutes).
With the exception of basic lands (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest, and Wastes), your combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. This format includes powerful cards and strategies from the last two decades of Magic.
Updated 12/15/2022
Build decks using cards that are readily available! In this Magic format, all cards must have been released at common rarity in a Magic set or product. Common promo cards are only legal if the card meets that qualification.
If a common version of a particular card was ever released in a Magic: The Gathering paper product or Magic: The Gathering Online, any version of that card is legal in this format. This includes land cards that were printed with both a common set symbol and the L rarity code.
The following cards are banned in this format:
Two-Headed Giant is a fun multiplayer format where two-player teams battle against one another. Each team takes actions as a team rather than individually. There are some rules for Two-Headed Giant that differ from other multiplayer formats:
A teams loses when their life total is 0 or less, when they accumulate fifteen or more poison counters, or when either team member is unable to draw a card from their deck. Damage and loss of life happens to individual players, and the effects are applied to the team’s shared life total. The same is true of gaining life. For example, if one player gains life, the team’s life total goes up, but only one player’s “whenever you gain life” effect triggers.
Effects that read “each opponent” or “each player” affect each team member separately. For example, when Rabid Bloodsucker enters the battlefield, each player would lose 2 life—meaning each team loses 4 total life.
For Full Box Sealed, unlike constructed games—where you arrive with a strategically created deck—Sealed games have you build a new deck from 36 unopened booster packs. Additionally, you may add as many basic lands (Plains, Islands, Swamps, Mountains, and Forests) as you’d like, even if they weren’t in the booster packs you opened.
Updated – 12/15/2022
Unlike individual Sealed Deck – which challenges you to build a 40-card deck out of six boosters – Team Sealed challenges teams of three players to build three decks out of twelve boosters, one deck for each teammate.
Players then battle other teams of three with their decks, and when a team has two players win their individual matches, the whole team wins the match.
Team Sealed is a more challenging – but fun and unique – variation on the individual Sealed Deck format, offering players a chance to play with new cards in a teammate-driven environment without being required to bring a pre-built deck.
Enjoy all the fun of Sealed and Standard! Instead of receiving 6 packs of one set players receive and open one booster from the 6 most recent sets to build a minimum 40 card deck. The sets currently included are:
Updated 12/15/2022
Celebrate Magic and Pioneer by opening one of every pack that is legal in the great format that is Pioneer! Players receive 1 Booster of each expansion set from Return to Ravnica forward, that’s 41 packs! Players build a minimum 60 card deck. Open and build time is extended to 90 minutes.
The full pack list is as follows:
Updated 12/15/2022
30 for 30 is a Sealed Deck event celebrating Magic’s 30th Anniversary. Instead of the usual 6 packs players each receive 1 booster from the last 30 standard expansions going all the way back to Magic Origins, that’s 30 total packs! Players open and build a 60 card deck. Booster opening and build time is extended to 90 minutes.
The full pack list is as follows:
Updated 12/15/2022
30 of 12 is a Sealed Deck event celebrating Magic’s 30th Anniversary. Instead of the usual 6 packs players each receive 3 boosters from the last 12 standard expansions, that’s 36 total packs! Players will open and build a 60 card deck. Booster opening and build time extended to 90 minutes.
The full pack list is as follows:
Updated 12/15/2022
A format for up to 8 players to open card packs, then play one-on-one games on the spot! Each deck should have at least 40 cards and should last an average length for a game (about 20 minutes).
Mega Draft functions similarly to a regular booster draft, except with twice the packs which will give your deck twice the power!
First, players sit around a table. Each player then opens a booster pack and picks a single card without showing the other players.
Each player then passes the remaining cards to the left, and continues drafting from the new cards they get from the player on their right. This continues until all of the cards in those packs have been distributed (drafted). Then each player opens a second pack, but this time, pass the pack to the right. After all those cards are drafted, you do the same with the third pack, passing to the left again. Repeat this process of switching directions with each new pack until all packs are drafted.
At the end, each player will have about 90 cards (along with any number of basic lands) which they can use to build a minimum 40 card deck.
Ever wish there were more packs circulating in your draft so you could find that build around uncommon? Well this is the format for you. Instead of breaking into pods of 8 to draft passing packs around in a circle, players are now drafting in one BIG pod including everyone in the event! Pick carefully and don’t get your signals confused because if there are more than 15 players in the event nothing is going to be wheeling back to you. Regular left right left passing order and deck building. Games will still be 1v1.
Not exactly it’s own format but a descriptor of an event style. Double Turbo is an event that only lasts two rounds. Double Turbo events can be Draft, Sealed, or Constructed. Want to crack some last minute packs at the end of the night but can’t stay late to finish a full length event, then Double Turbo is the event type for you!
This format attempts to play Magic the original way, well almost, by limiting the card pool back to sets from the very beginning and bringing a few key rules with it.
Legal Sets
Additional Cards Allowed
Pastimes Old School events also allow all cards from the sets above that were reprinted. Regardless of frame or artwork. The misprinted Revised Serendib Efreet (with Ifh-Biff Efreet’s art and green border) is allowed because it was printed in Revised. No proxies, gold-bordered or fake cards are allowed.
The following promotional cards from 1994 are also legal:
Deck Construction
Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size. If a player chooses to use a sideboard, it may not contain more than fifteen cards.
Except for cards with the basic supertype or cards with text that specifies otherwise, a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than four of any individual card, based on its English card title.
Notable Rules Difference from the Modern Era of Magic
Mana Burn:
When a phase ends (but not a step), any unused mana left in a player’s mana pool is lost. That player loses 1 life for each one mana lost this way. This is called mana burn. Mana burn is loss of life, not damage, so it can’t be prevented or altered by effects that affect damage. This game action doesn’t use the stack.
Specific Card Errata:
Chaos Orb
(2)
Artifact
1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield. If Chaos Orb is on the battlefield, flip Chaos Orb onto the battlefield from a height of at least one foot. If Chaos Orb turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, and lands resting on the chosen permanent, destroy that permanent. Then destroy Chaos Orb.
Falling Star
(2)(R)
Sorcery
Choose any number of non-overlapping creatures on the battlefield. Flip Falling Star from at least a height of one foot. If Falling Star turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, it deals 3 damage to each chosen creature it lands resting on. Any creatures damaged by Falling Star that are not destroyed become tapped.
Ring of Ma’rûf
(5)
Artifact
5, Tap, Exile Ring of Ma’rûf: The next time you would draw a card this turn, instead choose a card you own from exile or from your sideboard, and put it into your hand.
The following cards are banned by Pastimes in Old School 93-94 tournaments:
The following cards are restricted by Pastimes in Old School 93-94 tournaments:
Inspired by 93/94 rules from EternalCentral.com
Round Robin is a method of pairing where each player or team will be matched against each other player or team by the end of the event. In practical use it will allow pods of generally 6 players to play an event that usually requires 8.
During each round players begins the game with a Maelstrom Nexus emblem that has the following Cascade ability:
When you cast your first spell each turn, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
