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Decks must be randomized at the start of every game and whenever an instruction requires it. Randomization is defined as bringing the deck to a state where no player can have any information regarding the order or position of cards in any portion of the deck. Pile shuffling alone is not sufficiently random and may […]
Small items (e.g. glass beads) may be used as markers and placed on top of a player’s own library or graveyard as a reminder for in-game effects. These markers may not disguise the number of cards remaining in that zone nor completely obscure any card.
Newly released card sets become tournament legal for sanctioned, rated tournaments on the following dates: Magic:The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender November 14, 2025 Lorwyn Eclipsed January 16, 2026 For official Prerelease tournaments only, new sets are legal for use before the official format legal date. In these cases, any announced rules updates shall […]
A card is considered named in game when a player has provided a description (which may include the name or partial name) that could only apply to one card. Any player or judge realizing a description is still ambiguous must seek further clarification. Players have the right to request access to the official wording of […]
Official substitute cards are used to represent double-faced cards in sets that contain them. Only official substitute cards may be used to represent double-faced cards in a deck. The name of the card that the substitute card is representing must be legible. Other modifications must follow the rules for modifying normal Magic cards. The use […]
A proxy card is used during competition to represent an otherwise legal Magic card or checklist card that can no longer be included in a deck without the deck being marked. For a proxy to be issued, the card it is replacing must meet at least one of the following criteria: The card has been […]
Players may use any Authorized Magic Game Cards from Magic: The Gathering expansions, core sets, special sets, supplements, and promotional printings. Authorized Game Cards must be regulation-sized, genuine Magic cards publicly released by Wizards of the Coast. Cards that are not Authorized Game Cards are prohibited in all sanctioned events. Cards that, unaltered, feature gold […]
Wizards of the Coast sanctions the following rated formats as individual, three-person team, or Two-Headed Giant tournaments: Constructed Formats Standard Pioneer Modern Eternal Constructed Formats Vintage Legacy Limited Formats Sealed Deck Booster Draft (individual and Two-Headed Giant only) Rochester Draft (three-person team only)
The following tiebreakers are used to determine how a player ranks in a tournament: Match points Opponents’ match-win percentage Game-win percentage Opponents’ game-win percentage Definitions of these tiebreakers can be found in Appendix C. Not all of these tiebreakers may be used in formats with single-game matches.
The following values have higher requirements for how they are recorded and conveyed over the course of a game: Life totals Poison Counters Energy Counters Once they need to be tracked, each player must indicate how he or she will keep track of these totals. This method must be visible to both players during the […]