900.1
This section contains additional optional rules that can be used for certain casual game variants. It is by no means comprehensive.
Historical Rules · Effective 1 October 2010
Chapter 9: Casual Variants
Read Chapter 9 continuously, or open any rule on its dedicated page.
Chapter 9
9. Casual Variants
5 sections · 76 rules
900. General
900.2
The casual variants detailed here use supplemental zones, rules, cards, and other game implements not used in traditional Magic games.
901. Planar Magic
901.1
In the Planar Magic variant, plane cards add additional abilities and randomness to the game. At any given time, one plane card will be face up and its abilities will affect the game. The Planar Magic variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.
901.2
A Planar Magic game may be a two-player game or a multiplayer game. The default multiplayer setup is the Free-for-All variant with the attack multiple players option and without the limited range of influence option. See rule 806, "Free-for-All Variant."
901.3
In addition to the normal game materials, each player needs a planar deck of at least ten plane cards and the game needs one planar die. Each card in a planar deck must have a different English name. (See rule 309, "Planes.")
901.3a
A planar die is a six-sided die. One face has the planeswalker symbol {P}. One face has the chaos symbol {C}. The other faces are blank.
901.4
At the start of the game, each player shuffles his or her planar deck so that the cards are in a random order. Each deck is placed face down next to its owner's library. All plane cards remain in the command zone throughout the game, both while they're part of a planar deck and while they're face up.
901.5
Once all players have kept their opening hands and used the abilities of cards that allow them to start the game with those cards on the battlefield, the starting player moves the top card of his or her planar deck off that planar deck and turns it face up. (See rule 103.6.) No abilities of that card trigger as a result.
901.6
The owner of a plane card is the player who started the game with it in his or her planar deck. The controller of a face-up plane card is the player designated as the planar controller. Normally, the planar controller is whoever the active player is. However, if the current planar controller would leave the game, instead the next player in turn order that wouldn't leave the game becomes the planar controller, then the old planar controller leaves the game. The new planar controller retains that designation until he or she leaves the game or a different player becomes the active player, whichever comes first.
901.7
Any abilities of a face-up plane card in the command zone function from that zone. The card's static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
901.7a
Each plane card is treated as if its text box included "When you roll {P}, put this card on the bottom of its owner's planar deck face down, then move the top card of your planar deck off your planar deck and turn it face up." This is called the "planeswalking ability." A face-up plane card that's turned face down becomes a new object.
901.8
Any time the active player has priority and the stack is empty, but only during a main phase of his or her turn, that player may roll the planar die. Taking this action costs a player an amount of mana equal to the number of times he or she has previously taken this action on that turn. This is a special action and doesn't use the stack. (See rule 115.2f.)
901.8a
If the die roll is a blank face, nothing happens. The active player gets priority.
901.8b
If the die roll is the chaos symbol {C}, any ability of the plane that starts "When you roll {C}" triggers and is put on the stack. The active player gets priority.
901.8c
If the die roll is the planeswalker symbol {P}, the plane's "planeswalking ability" triggers and is put on the stack. The active player gets priority.
901.9
When a player leaves the game, all objects owned by that player leave the game. (See rule 800.4a.) If that includes the face-up plane card, the planar controller turns the top card of his or her planar deck face up. This is not a state-based action. It happens as soon as the player leaves the game.
901.9a
If a plane leaves the game while a "planeswalking ability" for which it was the source is on the stack, that ability ceases to exist.
901.10
After the game has started, if a player moves the top card of his or her planar deck off that planar deck and turns it face up, that player has "planeswalked." Continuous effects with durations that last until a player planeswalks end. Abilities that trigger when a player planeswalks trigger. See rule 701.20.
901.10a
A player may planeswalk as the result of the "planeswalking ability" (see rule 309.6) or because the owner of the face-up plane card leaves the game (see rule 901.9).
901.10b
The plane card that's turned face up is the plane the player planeswalks to. The plane card that's turned face down, or that leaves the game, is the plane the player planeswalks away from.
901.11
A Two-Headed Giant Planar Magic game uses all the rules for the Two-Headed Giant multiplayer variant and all the rules for the Planar Magic casual variant, with the following additions.
901.11a
Each player has his or her own planar deck.
901.11b
The planar controller is normally the primary player of the active team. However, if the current planar controller's team would leave the game, instead the primary player of the next team in turn order that wouldn't leave the game becomes the planar controller, then the old planar controller's team leaves the game. The new planar controller retains that designation until he or she leaves the game or a different team becomes the active team, whichever comes first.
901.11c
Even though the face-up plane is controlled by just one player, any ability of that plane that refers to "you" applies to both members of the planar controller's team.
901.11d
Since each member of the active team is an active player, each of them may roll the planar die. Each player's cost to roll the planar die is based on the number of times that particular player has already rolled the planar die that turn.
901.12
In multiplayer formats other than Grand Melee, plane cards are exempt from the limited range of influence option. Their abilities, and the effects of those abilities, affect all applicable objects and players in the game. (See rule 801, "Limited Range of Influence Option.")
901.13
In Grand Melee Planar Magic games, multiple plane cards may be face up at the same time.
901.13a
Before the first turn of the game of the game, each player who will start the game with a turn marker moves the top card of his or her planar deck off that planar deck and turns it face up. Each of them is a planar controller.
901.13b
If a player would leave the game and that player leaving the game would reduce the number of turn markers in the game, that player first ceases to be a planar controller (but no other player becomes a planar controller), then that player leaves the game. The face-up plane card that player controlled is put on the bottom of its owner's planar deck. No player is considered to have planeswalked.
901.14
Single Planar Deck Option
901.14a
As an alternative option, a Planar Magic game may be played with just a single communal planar deck. In that case, the number of cards in the planar deck must be at least forty or at least ten times the number of players in the game, whichever is smaller. Each card in the planar deck must have a different English name.
901.14b
In a Planar Magic game using the single planar deck option, the planar controller is considered to be the owner of all the plane cards.
901.14c
If any rule or ability refers to a player's planar deck, the communal planar deck is used.
902. Vanguard
902.1
In the Vanguard variant, a vanguard card allows each player to play the role of a famous character. Each player will have one face-up vanguard card whose abilities and other characteristics affect the game. The Vanguard variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.
902.2
A Vanguard game may be a two-player game or a multiplayer game.
902.3
In addition to the normal game materials, each player needs a vanguard card. Each vanguard card is placed face up next to its owner's library before the game begins. All vanguard cards remain in the command zone throughout the game.
902.4
Each player's starting life total is 20, as modified by the life modifier of his or her vanguard card. Example: The life modifier of a player's vanguard card is -3. That player starts the game with 17 life.
902.5
Each player draws a hand of seven cards, as modified by the hand modifier of his or her vanguard card.
902.5a
If a player takes a mulligan in a Vanguard game, just like in a normal game, that player shuffles his or her hand back into his or her library, then draws a new hand of one fewer cards than he or she had before. (In a multiplayer game, a player's first mulligan is for the same number of cards as he or she had before.) Example: The hand modifier of a player's vanguard card is +2. That player starts the game with a hand of 9 cards. If the player takes a mulligan, he or she draws a new hand of 8 cards. The next mulligan is for 7 cards, and so on.
902.5b
A player's maximum hand size is seven, as modified by the hand modifier of his or her vanguard card. Example: The hand modifier of a player's vanguard card is -1. That player's maximum hand size is six. If that player has more than six cards in his or her hand as the cleanup step begins, he or she will discard all but six of them.
902.6
The owner of a vanguard card is the player who started the game with it in the command zone. The controller of a face-up vanguard card is its owner.
902.7
Any abilities of a face-up vanguard card in the command zone function from that zone. The card's static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
903. EDH
903.1
In the EDH variant, each deck is led by a legendary creature designated as that deck's general. The EDH variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.
903.2
An EDH game may be a two-player game or a multiplayer game. The default multiplayer setup is the Free-for-All variant with the attack multiple players option and without the limited range of influence option. See rule 806, "Free-for-All Variant."
903.3
Each deck has a legendary creature card designated as its general. This designation is not a characteristic of the object represented by the card; rather, it is an attribute of the card itself. The card retains this designation even when it changes zones. Example: A general that's been turned face down (due to Ixidron's effect, for example) is still a general. A general that's copying another card (due to Cytoshape's effect, for example) is still a general. A permanent that's copying a general (such as a Body Double, for example, copying a general in a player's graveyard) is not a general.
903.4
Each EDH deck is subject to the following deck construction rules.
903.4a
Each deck must contain exactly 100 cards, including its general.
903.4b
Other than basic lands, each card in an EDH deck must have a different English name.
903.4c
A card may be included in an EDH deck only if each mana symbol contained within its mana cost or rules text is colorless or is a color or colors that's in the general's mana cost. Example: A deck has a white-blue general. Each mana symbol in each card in that deck must be white, blue, white-blue hybrid, or colorless.
903.4d
A basic land card may be included in an EDH deck only if it could produce a color of mana that's in the general's mana cost. Example: A deck has a white-blue general. It may include basic Plains and basic Islands, but not basic Swamps, basic Mountains, or basic Forests.
903.5
At the start of the game, each player puts his or her general face up next to his or her library. The generals start the game in the command zone. Then each player shuffles the remaining 99 cards of his or her deck so that the cards are in a random order. Those cards become the player's library.
903.6
Once the starting player has been determined, each player sets his or her life total to 40 and draws a hand of seven cards.
903.7
The EDH casual variant uses an alternate mulligan rule. Each time a player takes a mulligan, rather than shuffling his or her entire hand of cards into his or her library, that player exiles any number of cards from his or her hand. Then the player draws a number of cards equal to one less than the number of cards he or she exiled this way. Once a player keeps an opening hand, that player shuffles all cards he or she exiled this way into his or her library.
903.8
If mana would be added to a player's mana pool of a color that isn't in the mana cost of his or her deck's general, that amount of colorless mana is added to that player's mana pool instead.
903.9
A player may cast a general he or she owns from the command zone. Doing so costs that player an additional {2} for each previous time he or she cast that general from the command zone that game.
903.10
If a general would be put into its owner's graveyard from anywhere, that player may put it into the command zone instead.
903.11
If a general would be put into the exile zone from anywhere, its owner may put it into the command zone instead.
903.12
The EDH variant includes the following specification for winning and losing the game. All other rules for winning and losing the game also apply. (See rule 104.)
903.12a
A player that's been dealt 21 or more combat damage by the same general over the course of the game loses the game. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
904. Archenemy
904.1
In the Archenemy variant, a team of players faces off against a single opponent bolstered with powerful scheme cards. The Archenemy variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.
904.2
The default setup for an Archenemy game is the Team vs. Team multiplayer variant (see rule 808) involving exactly two teams. The attack multiple players option (see rule 802) and the shared team turns option (see rule 805) are used; no other multiplayer options are used.
904.3
In addition to the normal game materials, the archenemy needs a scheme deck of at least twenty scheme cards. A scheme deck may contain no more than two of any card with a particular English name. (See rule 311, "Schemes.")
904.4
At the start of the game, the archenemy shuffles his or her scheme deck so that the cards are in a random order. The scheme deck is placed face down next to the archenemy's library. All scheme cards remain in the command zone throughout the game, both while they're part of a scheme deck and while they're face up.
904.5
The archenemy's starting life total is 40. Each other player's starting life total is 20.
904.6
Rather than a randomly determined player, the archenemy takes the first turn of the game.
904.7
The owner of a scheme card is the player who started the game with it in the command zone. The controller of a face-up scheme card is its owner.
904.8
Any abilities of a face-up scheme card in the command zone function from that zone. The card's static abilities affect the game, its triggered abilities may trigger, and its activated abilities may be activated.
904.9
Immediately after the archenemy's precombat main phase begins during each of his or her turns, that player moves the top card of his or her scheme deck off that scheme deck and turns it face up. This is called "setting that scheme in motion." (See rule 701.21.) This turn-based action doesn't use the stack. Abilities of that scheme card that trigger "When you set this scheme in motion" trigger.
904.10
If a non-ongoing scheme card is face up in the command zone, and it isn't the source of a triggered ability that has triggered but not yet left the stack, that scheme card is turned face down and put on the bottom of its owner's scheme deck the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
904.11
Once an ongoing scheme card is set in motion, it remains face up in the command zone until an ability causes it to be abandoned (see rule 701.22).
904.12
Supervillain Rumble Option
904.12a
As an alternative option, players may play a Free-for-All game in which each player has his or her own scheme deck. The attack multiple players option (see rule 802) is used; no other multiplayer options are used.
904.12b
Each player in this game is an archenemy.
904.12c
As in a normal Free-for-All game, the starting player is randomly determined. All other rules that apply to the archenemy in an Archenemy game apply to each player in a Supervillain Rumble game.