Magic: The Gathering Formats

Magic: The Gathering Formats

Magic: The Gathering formats are 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. 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, 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. The primary two sanctioned Limited formats are Sealed Deck and Booster Draft. 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.