This is a variant format I designed for
Magic: the Gathering. The rules for this format are living rules, meaning I can and will adjust them based on what I notice happening with the format. Also, I know they are not perfect. This is the first pass of the rules. I'm positive there are or will be issues, and there are already a few things I know I need to keep my eye on. But theory only goes so far, so it's better to see what happens in practice. Altogether, it's a fun format.
The point of this format is to design your dream booster pack, within the modern rarity distributions, and then use that, along with some basic lands, as your deck.
RulesSuper Basic RulesEach deck needs:
- 1 Rare or Mythic Rare
- 3 Uncommons
- 10 Commons
- 1 Additional card of any rarity*
- Any number of basic lands
Each card must have a unique name, except for the 1 additional card and the basic land cards.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if there are no cards in your library, you may shuffle your graveyard into your library.
(The Upkeep Step comes before the Draw Step.)*This card is your pack's 'premium' card.
Basic Rules: Here are the rules for those who prefer complete sentences but don't want to look at the Comprehensive Rules.Each deck must contain at least 15 cards. A deck may contain any number of basic land cards, but no more than one copy of any other card, with one exception: each deck must contain one premium (foil) card, which may have the same name as a non-premium card in the deck. Each deck must contain 10 common cards, 3 uncommon cards, and 1 rare or mythic rare card. The premium card can be of any rarity and does not count toward the required number of cards of a given rarity. (A deck with a premium common card must still have 10 other common cards.)
When playing, at the beginning of your upkeep, if there are no cards in your library, you may shuffle your graveyard into your library. (The Upkeep Step comes before the Draw Step.)
Comprehensive Rules:Here are the rules in their entirety, worded how they would appear in the Comprehensive Rules document.905. Perfect Pack- 905.1. The Perfect Pack variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.
- 905.2. A Perfect Pack 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.”
- 905.3. Each Perfect Pack deck is subject to the following deck construction rules.
- 905.3a. Each deck must contain at least fifteen cards.
- 905.3b. Other than basic lands, each non-Premium card in a Perfect Pack deck must have a different English name.
- 905.3c. Each Perfect Pack deck must contain one non-Premium Rare or Mythic Rare card. A Perfect Pack deck may not contain more than one non-Premium Rare or Mythic Rare card.
- 905.3d. Each Perfect Pack deck must contain three non-Premium Uncommon cards. A Perfect Pack deck may not contain more than three non-Premium Uncommon cards.
- 905.3e. Each Perfect Pack deck must contain ten non-Premium Common cards. A Perfect Pack deck may not contain more than ten non-Premium Common cards.
- 905.3f. Each Perfect Pack deck must contain one Premium card of any rarity. A Perfect Pack deck may not contain more than one Premium card.
- 905.3g. Any non-Premium card may be used to represent a non-Premium card with the same English name with a different printed rarity.
- 905.3h. Any Premium card may be used to represent a Premium card with the same English name with a different printed rarity.
- 905.4. Sideboards are optional but must contain at least four cards if used. Sideboards must contain one non-Premium Rare or Mythic Rare card, one non-Premium Uncommon card, one non-Premium Common card, and one Premium card of any rarity if used. Sideboards may not contain more than one non-Premium Rare or Mythic Rare card, one non-Premium Uncommon card, one non-Premium Common card, or one Premium card of any rarity. Sideboards may contain any number of basic lands. The one-card limit (see rule 905.3b) applies to the combined deck and sideboard.
- 905.5 Immediately after the upkeep step begins, if there are no cards in the active player's library, he or she may shuffle his or her graveyard into his or her library. This turn-based action doesn't use the stack.
I also highly recommend when playing this format to include a ceremonial "Cracking of the Packs," where players "open" their "packs" and show off how crazy their pulls are, since the whole point of this format is you're designing your own pack that would never exist in real life.
Banned CardsSome cards are perfectly fine in other formats but because of Perfect Pack's unique deck-building process are degenerate in the Perfect Pack format. Rather than have players remember a series of new rules for each of these cards, they are simply banned instead.
The current
banned list for Perfect Pack is as follows:
- Bojuka Bog
- Jund Charm
- Morningtide
- Nihil Spellbomb
- Rakdos Charm
- Relic of Progenitus
- Rest in Peace
- Tormod's Crypt
Frequently Asked Questions1. What is "Premium?""Premium" is the term
Wizards of the Coast uses to refer to what you probably call "foil" or "holographic" cards.