What is Tiny Leaders?

Tiny Leaders is a 1v1 format variation of Commander with some slightly unconventional deck building restrictions. Just like Commander, no more than one of each card is allowed (other than basic lands), decks are built with a legendary commander in the command zone, and the cards in the deck must be of the same colour identity as this commander.

As a refresher, a colour identity of a card is the colour or colours of any mana symbols in that card’s mana cost or rules text, plus any colours defined by its characteristic-defining abilities.

However, the two main differences in deck construction are what defines the format:

• Decks are fifty cards minimum rather than the usual one hundred
• No card can have a greater converted mana cost than three, including the commander.

Other rules changes include: player life totals are 25, the mulligan rule is the standard Vancouver Mulligan, and the commander tax is an additional {2} for each time the commander has been cast from the command zone that game. Another deviation from standard Commander is that the tuck rule changes have not gone into effect for the format, in that if a commander would be put into a zone other than graveyard or exile (usually a library) a player is not able to replace this with being placed into the command zone instead.

Tournaments

If you’re running a Tiny Leaders event, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, the format is created to be fairly competitive. The power level has been compared to Legacy due to the nature of the legal cards and the smaller deck sizes, although the consistency is less due to the singleton nature of the format.

This may be something you want to ‘warn’ players, as turning up to a tournament with a vastly under-powered deck to what they expected is generally considered an un-fun experience for most.

With use of a sideboard, the format is definitely intended as a best of three games, 1v1 matches with Swiss pairings environment, and is the format I’d recommend if ran as a tournament.

When advertising the tournament, it is recommended to emphasize some of the slightly more subtle rules differences to standard Commander. A lot of these are covered in the FAQ, but some which are less intuitive such as the change to the tuck rule can lead to some feel-bad moments to players caught unaware.  (An announcement of these extra rules might be a good thing before the event starts, like with Head Judge announcements!)

Finally, make sure players are aware of the 25 starting life total! When the format was conceived and popularized, this was originally 30, and players may mistake it for such if they are only mildly familiar with the format.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Am I allowed to play X spells?
Spells such as Fireball are allowed in the format, so long as their converted mana cost is less than four. For example, Blue Sun’s Zenith is legal in the format with a converted mana cost of three, but Empty the Pits is not with a converted mana cost of four.

Is anything banned?
There is currently a ban list maintained at tinyleaders.blogspot.co.uk, which covers cards put into your deck and several exceptions which are only specifically banned as commanders.

Is there a sideboard?
Yes, there is a ten card sideboard which must adhere to the singleton rule over both deck and sideboard.

So can I use Wish cards?
As in eternal formats, the wish cards can be played and can retrieve a card from your sideboard.

Is the commander damage rule in place?
As you may guess from the starting life total change, there is no rule in place for the commander damage condition which is used in standard Commander.