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'''Casual''' refers to ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' players who are in various ways either less experienced, enfranchised, or competitive.<ref name="Even More R&D">{{DailyRef|making-magic/even-more-words-rd-2022-01-10|Even More Words From R&D|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January 10, 2022}}</ref>
'''Casual''' refers to playing ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' without an attempt being made to have [[tournament]]-worthy decks or be really [[DCI|competitive]]. Casual players, making up a significant majority of the customer base for the game, are generally more concerned about having fun than winning. Casual games are often played with [[Theme deck (conceptual)|theme decks]] that possess a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout. Listed here are a number of casual [[format]]s that range from somewhat goofy to completely crazy. With a few exceptions, there are no "[[Casual Variants|official rules]]" for these formats.


As with [[DCI|sanctioned]] formats, most [[casual Variants|casual variants]] can be categorised into [[Constructed]], [[Limited]] and [[Multiplayer]] formats. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/tcg/resources/formats-casual|Casual Formats|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|not dated}}</ref> Some formatis only appear in [[Magic Online]].
==Description==
Casual players play playing ''Magic'' without an attempt to enter a [[DCI]]-sanctioned [[tournament]]. Casual players, making up a significant majority of the customer base for the game, are generally more concerned about having fun than winning. Casual games are often played with [[theme deck]]s that possess a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout. [[Kitchen table]] or “cards I own” is the most popular way to play the game.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/650264472874876928/in-terms-of-popularity-or-volume-of-play-is-the|May 4, 2021}}</ref>


==List==
===Casual Constructed===
{| class="wikitable sortable" cellpadding="3" style="background-color:#F0F0F0;"
Casual Constructed is ''Magic'' play where the decks tend to be lower in power level, synergy, and polish.<ref name="Even More R&D"/> These decks tend not to be "[[netdeck]]s" (i.e., decks people copied from other people, usually on the internet) and are more influenced by what cards individually appealed to the deck builders. They are sometimes labeled with a format name (usually whatever format happens to include all the cards in the deck) but nowhere close to the potency of competitive decks.
! scope="col" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="background-color:#B0C4DE;"|'''Category'''
! scope="col" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;"|'''Name'''
! scope="col" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style="background-color:#C0C0C0;"|'''Description'''
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[3-Card Blind]]
|Forum-based, played with decks of three cards.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[4-Card Blind]]
|Forum-based, played with decks of four cards.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Auction]]
|Players bid with life points and hand size for preconstructed decks.
|-
|Limited
|[[Duplicate Sealed]]
|Each player receives the exact same card pool.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Highlander]]
|Only one copy of each card in the deck, with the exception of basic lands. A deck must contain at least 100 cards. No Sideboard.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Horde Magic]]
|All players working cooperatively to defeat an automated deck.
|-
|Limited
|[[Mental Magic]]
|A card can be played as any card in the game with the same exact mana cost.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Pauper Magic]]
|Only allows common cards.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Peasant Magic]]
|No rares are allowed.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Planechase (variant)|Planechase]]
|Normal decks are augmented with oversized plane and phenomenon cards.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Rainbow Stairwell]]
|Each deck contains exactly 60 cards, six cards from each of the five colors as well as six artifacts or colorless cards.
|-
|Limited
|[[Rotisserie Draft]]
|Every card of a subset of cards is legal and every card only appears once.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Two-Headed Giant]]
|Two Teams of two players each all play together in a single game.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Type 4]]
|Each player has access to unlimited quantities of mana, but is restricted to casting only one spell on each turn.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Free-for-All]]
|A group of players compete as individuals against each other.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Grand Melee]]
|Ten or more players. Multiple players to take turns at the same time.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Team vs. Team]]
|Teams play against each other. Resources are not shared.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Emperor]]
|Teams of three players. Each team has one emperor, who is protected by the other players.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Alternating Teams]]
|Players are seated so that no one is next to a teammate and each team is equally spaced out.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Ancient]]
|Only allows cards from the original border sets (''Alpha'' through ''Onslaught'').
|-
|Constructed
|[[Tribal Wars]]
|Emphasizes creature combat and tribal themes.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Star]]
|Five players each represent one of the five colors of ''Magic''.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Singleton]]
|Only one copy of each card in the deck, with the exception of basic lands.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Prismatic]]
|Each deck must contain at least 250 cards, including at least 20 cards of each color.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Freeform]]
|Magic Online only. All sets and cards are allowed. Regular deckbuilding rules are relaxed.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Classic (format)|Classic]]
|Magic Online only. All sets and cards are allowed. Normal deckbuilding rules do apply.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Momir Basic]]
|Magic Online only. Based on the “Momir Vig” Vanguard avatar. 
|-
|Constructed
|[[Vanguard]]
|Normal decks are augmented with oversized cards that modify the rules.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Conspiracy (format)|Conspiracy]]
|Focuses on the drafting process and politics.
|-
|Constructed
|[[Build Your Own Standard]]
|Each player chooses a core set and two blocks to create their own Standard world..
|-
|Constructed
|[[Build Your Own Block]]
|Each player selects the first set from any block, the second set from any block and the third set from any block. 
|-
|Constructed
|[[Block Party]]
|Each player uses cards from his favorite block.
|-
|Constructed
|[[QL Magic]]
|Only allows cards from the original border sets (''Alpha'' through ''Onslaught''). Uses ''Sixth Edition'' rules.
|-
|Limited
|[[Mini-Master]]
|Each player starts with a single booster pack and fifteen basic lands.
|-
|Limited
|[[Solomon Draft]]
|Drafting for two people.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Solomon Draft|Four-player Solomon Draft]]
|Drafting for four people.
|-
|Limited
|[[Pick-a-Pack]]
|Drafting with booster packs from many sets.
|-
|Limited
|[[Winston Draft]]
|Drafting with variable stacks of cards.
|-
|Limited
|[[Winchester Draft]]
|Drafting with variable stacks of cards.
|-
|Limited
|[[Back Draft]]
|Reverse Booster Draft. Players build their opponent's card pool.
|-
|Limited
|[[Reject Rare Draft]]
|Each player donates 45 reject rares to play with.
|-
|Limited
|[[Continuous Draft]]
|Each player has a constantly changing card pool.
|-
|Limited
|[[Cube Draft]]
|Players create a "cube", a specifically selected set of at least 360 different cards.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Chaos]]
|Players create a "Chaos Deck" that adds extra challenges for players.
|-
|Multiplayer
|[[Assassin (format)|Assassin]]
|Players are randomly assigned "targets" to defeat.
|}


====Emperor====
===Casual formats===
The Emperor variant involves two teams of three players each. Each team sits together on one side of the table, with team members deciding the order in which they're seated. Each team has one "emperor," which is the player seated in the middle of the team. The remaining players on the team are "generals" whose job is to protect their emperor while attempting to take down the opposing emperor. Players randomly determine which emperor will go first, generally using the high roll on dice, and turn order then progresses to the left.
Casual [[format]]s or '''variants''' are mostly invented by players. Some of them, like [[Commander (format)|Commander]], have been endorsed by [[Wizards of the Coast]] and received official rules and [[Banned|ban lists]]. Others like [[Conspiracy Draft]] were conceived by Wizards to mix up the gaming experience.


Emperors have a "range of influence" of 2, which means that their spells and abilities affect only themselves and players within two seats of their own. In other words, at the start of the game, they can affect everyone except the opposing emperor. Generals have a range of influence of 1. At the start of the game, they can't affect the opposing emperor either. The only way to get an opposing emperor within your range of influence is to defeat an opposing general!
While some casual formats are sanctioned for [[Magic Online]], people have started playing these formats with real cards (e.g., [[Pauper]]). Like the [[DCI]]-sanctioned formats, most casual variants are [[Constructed]], [[Limited]], and [[Multiplayer]] formats.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/casual-formats-2008-08-11|Casual Formats|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 11, 2008}}</ref>


Players may attack only opponents seated immediately next to them. This means that at the beginning of the game, emperors can't attack anyone because no opponent is sitting next to them.
==Rules==
 
There are a few casual variants which are described in the comprehensive rules:
Each player plays as an individual. Players can collaborate by looking at each other's hands and discussing strategy, but each player keeps a separate life total (starting at 20), hand, library, battlefield, and so on. The one difference is the "deploy creatures" option. Each of the emperor's creature has the ability "{T}: Target teammate gains control of this creature. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery." Keep in mind that when a player is eliminated from the game, all cards he or she owns (including creatures controlled by other players) are removed from the game. If that player controlled permanents that are owned by other players, they'll stay in the game and go back to whichever player should be controlling them now.
{{CR|900}}
 
Winning and losing an Emperor game works differently than normal. A team wins the game when the opposing emperor has been eliminated. It doesn't matter whether the losing team has any generals remaining or not. This also means that a general that's been eliminated from the game can still win if his or her team eliminates the opposing emperor later on!
 
The Emperor format can be played with more than two teams; in that case, the appropriate Free-for-All rules are applied. The format can also be played with more than three members on each team, as long as each team has the same number. Each extra player on a team is an additional general. That means that some generals won't be sitting next to an opponent (they'll be between two teammates), so they can't attack anyone at the beginning of the game. Be sure to increase the range of influences accordingly.
 
====Commander====
Commander, sometimes called "[[Elder Dragon Highlander]]," starts with the rules for multiplayer Free-for-All games, in which any number of players compete against each other as individuals. It's played with the Singleton format (in other words, except for basic lands, each card in your deck must have a different name), and each player starts with a life total of 40 rather than the usual 20. Most importantly, the centerpiece of each deck is a legendary creature that serves as that deck's commander.
 
To build a deck, you first choose a legendary creature, called a "commander" or "general," then construct a Singleton deck around it containing exactly 99 other cards. Only cards of the commander's color(s) and colorless cards may be included in the deck. (Note that split cards and hybrid cards count as all of their colors.) In fact, if a card contains a mana symbol anywhere on it that's not one of your commander's colors, you can't include it in that deck! Within the game, if you would add mana to your mana pool that's a color not shared by your commander, you get colorless mana instead.
 
Appropriately enough for a format named after the legendary creature that's leading your team, your commander works differently from other cards in the game. Before the game begins, each player removes his or her commander from the game. You may play your commander from the command zone for its normal costs plus an additional {2} for each previous time it has been played this way. If your commander would go to the graveyard from anywhere, you may remove it from the game instead. In addition to the normal Magic loss conditions, if a player is dealt 21 points of combat damage from a single commander over the course of the game, that player loses the game!
 
It somehow makes sense that such a larger-than-life format was invented up in the wilds of Alaska. Its originators used commanders only from the Legends set, including (and especially!) the Elder Dragons such as <c title="Chromium">Chromium|Legends</c> and <c title="Nicol Bolas">Nicol Bolas|Legends</c>. Over time, the format spread. It became popular among judges, who would play it into the wee hours of the night following a hard day's officiating at a Pro Tour or Grand Prix event. (You can read more about their rules here.) It soon reached the mainstream and has become a favorite format in casual playgroups everywhere, from the kitchen table down the street to Magic Online to the Wizards of the Coast headquarters!
 
====Archenemy====
[[Archenemy]] is a one player versus many opponents format. The lone player, called the Archenemy, plays against a team of opponents with the use of a second deck consisting of over-sized cards of the card type [[scheme]]. The schemes basically represent a free spell per turn and help to balance out the odds for the Archenemy. The Archenemy's opponents work cooperatively against the lone player and, much like partners in Two-headed Giant, take their turn simultaneously. The Archenemy begins the game with 40 life, while each other player begins the game with only 20. The Archenemy wins if all of his or her opponents are eliminated from the game. All of the opposing players win if the Archenemy is eliminated.
 
====Horde Magic====
[[Horde Magic]] is a cooperative multiplayer variant in which the players all work together against a Horde Deck which pilots itself based on special rules and a simple turn structure. The first Horde Deck simulated surviving a zombie apocalypse. The players, called The Survivors, each contribute 20 life to the team life total and take their turn simultaneously. If the Horde Deck would lose life, that many cards are taken from the top of its library and placed in the graveyard instead. The Survivors win if the Horde Deck has no cards in its [[library]], no cards in [[hand]], and no creatures on the [[battlefield]]. The Horde wins if group life total for The Survivors is reduced to zero.
 
====Challenge Decks====
Like Horde Magic, [[Challenge decks]] are a cooperative multiplayer variant in which the players work together against a preconstructed Challenge Deck which pilots itself based on special rules and a simple turn structure. The players each have 20 life and take their turn simultaneously. Players may begin the game with up to two [[Hero]] cards in their [[Command zone]] to assist in defeating the Challenge Deck. The players win when they meet the Challenge Deck's win condition. The Challenge Deck is victorious if all of the players have been eliminated from the game.
 
==Alternative==
====Fat Stack====
If you're looking for a format you can play with friends who don't have Magic cards of their own, Fat Stack is ideal. To prepare, create two stacks of cards that are used as communal libraries. The first stack features cards that can't produce mana, and the second stack features only lands and other cards that can produce mana (such as Dark Ritual, Birds of Paradise, or Fellwar Stone).
 
Whenever each player draws a card, he or she may do so from either stack. (All players know which stack is which.) This includes the seven cards in each player's opening hand. Choosing which stack of cards you'll draw from each turn is a fascinating challenge: Do you want to draw ways to produce mana that will help you play the cards in your hand, or do you want to draw cards that allow you to use the mana you can already produce? Players share both stacks of cards as a library and also use a communal graveyard. You can play Fat Stack as a two-player game, or as a multiplayer Free-for-All.
 
Many players enjoy Fat Stack because the game setup is very quick once someone has put together the stacks of cards to be used in a game, and it allows players to participate despite not having a large collection of Magic cards.
 
====Mental Magic====
Sitting around waiting for the next round of your Magic tournament to start? A game of [[Mental Magic]] is just what you need to get you through the time. All you need is an opponent and a stack of nonland cards to form both of your decks. Players start with seven-card hands, just like in a regular game of Magic, but all players draw from the same library of cards. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/129|Mental Magic: The Beginning|[[Mike Flores]]|February 11, 2003}}</ref>
 
Cards may be played in one of two ways:
 
1. Any card may be played face down as a basic land that's capable of producing any color of mana. Although these lands are basic, they have no subtypes (they're not Swamps, for example). Note that players may still play only one land on each of their turns.
 
2. A card may be played as any card in Magic with the same mana cost as that card—except for the card it actually is! For example, Fugitive Wizard (which has a mana cost of {{U}}) could be played as Cursecatcher, Unsummon, or Ancestral Recall, but couldn't be played as Fugitive Wizard. In order to "mentally" play a card, a player must be able to accurately describe its card text with no outside help.
 
Once a card has been named, that card can't be named again for the rest of the game. In fact, if a card is returned to your hand and you want to play it again, you can't name the card you named before. You have to choose a different card with that mana cost.
 
There are some additional Mental Magic rules that you can play with or not as your group sees fit. Cards in your hand, graveyard, or anywhere else other than in play have no names—but they do have types and subtypes. If you play Raise Dead or Duress, for example, read what's actually printed on the card. Also, library-searching effects don't work. If you play a spell or ability that tells you to search your library, that part of the effect doesn't do anything. For a more in-depth discussion, see Mike Flores's Mental Magic feature article.
 
Mental Magic challenges players' knowledge of Magic and allows for a quick, fun way to pass the time between matches. It also challenges players to figure out whether the {{3}}{{U}} card in their hand is better played as Ray of Command, Phantasmal Forces, or simply as a rainbow land!
 
====Reverse Mental Magic====
The rules in Reverse Mental Magic are the same as Mental Magic with a single twist: your opponent gets to name the card you're playing! Players still draw from the same communal deck of nonland cards, they can still play cards in their hand face down as lands that produce any color of mana, and cards still can't be played as themselves.
 
The difference is that you don't know what spell you're playing when you play it. For example, if you've got a {{2}}{{b}} card in your hand, you'll tap three lands, show the card to your opponent, and then your opponent tries to think of the least scary card with that mana cost and name it. Players can't help but enjoy themselves as they watch their opponents struggle to name weak cards, only to eventually run out of options and provide their enemy with something to do them in. Reverse Mental Magic is a great alternative for those players already well versed in regular Mental Magic play.
 
====DC10/Type 4====
DC10, sometimes referred to as [[Type 4]], is a Magic: The Gathering multiplayer variant that leads to some wild situations. To play, shuffle up a stack of cards and place it in the center of the table. Any number of players each draw a hand of seven cards, then roll dice to determine who will play first. Play then moves clockwise around the table from the first player. That may seem like a pretty typical game of Magic, but things from there get a bit crazy.
 
First, there are no lands in DC10. Instead, all players have access to an unlimited amount of mana in any color or combination of colors they choose. But that doesn't mean everyone can simply play each card in their hand—the game restricts players to playing only one spell per turn. DC10 games are defined by big plays being trumped by even bigger plays, generally around a table of Magic enthusiasts loudly cajoling one another and enjoying a format that can truly be described as whimsical.
 
For additional variations to the game, some players choose to pre-design the stack of cards they'll play with (similar to building a cube for Cube Draft) or restrict participants to being able to perform actions only a certain number of times each turn (meaning a player casting the card [[Fireball]] might be able to spend only 10 mana, or a player activating a Masticore's ability could do so only 10 times).


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
 
==External links==
[[Category:Magic formats]]
* {{DailyRef|serious-fun/compendium-casual-magic-part-1-2012-12-11|The Compendium of Casual Magic, Part 1|[[Adam Styborski]]|January 03, 2012}}
* {{DailyRef|serious-fun/compendium-casual-magic-part-2-2013-02-12|The Compendium of Casual Magic, Part 2|[[Adam Styborski]]|February 12, 2013}}
* {{DailyRef|smaking-magic/casual-play-2020-11-16|Casual Play|[[Mark Rosewater]]|November 16, 2020}}
* {{WebRef|url=https://articles.starcitygames.com/select/commander-philosophy-talking-about-casual/|title=Commander Philosophy: Talking About Casual|author=[[Sheldon Menery]]|date=December 6, 2021|publisher=[[StarCityGames]]}}</ref>
{{Formats|state=collapsed}}
{{CR Navbox|900|}}

Latest revision as of 18:03, 12 January 2022

Casual refers to Magic: The Gathering players who are in various ways either less experienced, enfranchised, or competitive.[1]

Description

Casual players play playing Magic without an attempt to enter a DCI-sanctioned tournament. Casual players, making up a significant majority of the customer base for the game, are generally more concerned about having fun than winning. Casual games are often played with theme decks that possess a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout. Kitchen table or “cards I own” is the most popular way to play the game.[2]

Casual Constructed

Casual Constructed is Magic play where the decks tend to be lower in power level, synergy, and polish.[1] These decks tend not to be "netdecks" (i.e., decks people copied from other people, usually on the internet) and are more influenced by what cards individually appealed to the deck builders. They are sometimes labeled with a format name (usually whatever format happens to include all the cards in the deck) but nowhere close to the potency of competitive decks.

Casual formats

Casual formats or variants are mostly invented by players. Some of them, like Commander, have been endorsed by Wizards of the Coast and received official rules and ban lists. Others like Conspiracy Draft were conceived by Wizards to mix up the gaming experience.

While some casual formats are sanctioned for Magic Online, people have started playing these formats with real cards (e.g., Pauper). Like the DCI-sanctioned formats, most casual variants are Constructed, Limited, and Multiplayer formats.[3]

Rules

There are a few casual variants which are described in the comprehensive rules:

From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)

  • 900. General
    • 900.1. This section contains additional optional rules that can be used for certain casual game variants. It is by no means comprehensive.
    • 900.2. The casual variants detailed here use supplemental zones, rules, cards, and other game implements not used in traditional Magic games.

References

  1. ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (January 10, 2022). "Even More Words From R&D". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 4, 2021). "In terms of popularity or volume of play is the...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  3. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 11, 2008). "Casual Formats". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

DCI
Sanctioned
Casual
Constructed
Limited/Draft
Multiplayer
Retired
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