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(→‎Points list: Updated the Canadian Highlander point values of ancestral recall and demonic tutor to their current values, as both changed at the beginning of 2024 (recall from 7 -> 8, demonic from 4 -> 3). The example that a deck can't contain both cards still stands.)
 
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'''Highlander''' is a [[constructed]] variant which allows only one copy of each [[card]] in the deck, with the exception of [[basic]] [[lands]].<ref>http://www.highlandermagic.info/index.php?id=deckkonstruktion</ref> The name ''Highlander'' is a reference to the movie of the same name, whose tag line was "There can be only one". <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/393|Highlander: A Singular Format|Ron Vitale|March 12, 2007}}</ref>
{{Infobox format
| rules = Singleton deck
}}
'''Highlander''' is a [[casual]] [[constructed]] variant of ''[[Magic]]'' which allows only one copy of each [[card]] in the deck, with the exception of [[basic]] [[lands]].<ref>[http://www.highlandermagic.info/index.php?id=deckkonstruktion Highlander Magic Deck Construction]</ref> It may also be a format ''modifier'', where any other constructed format is modified by restricting it to also be Highlander. The name ''Highlander'' is a reference to [[Wikipedia:Highlander (film)|the movie of the same name]], whose tagline was "There can be only one".<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/highlander-singular-format-2007-03-12|Highlander: A Singular Format|Ron Vitale|March 12, 2007}}</ref>


==Rules==
==Rules==
*Any card from ''[[Alpha]]'' up through the latest Magic set can be used (except for banned cards). Cards from the Portal sets, International Collector Editions, and Championship decks can be used provided you put all your cards in opaque sleeves and the International Collector Edition card edges are rounded.  
*Any card from ''[[Alpha]]'' up through the latest ''Magic'' set can be used (except for banned cards). Cards from the [[Portal]] sets, [[Collectors' Edition|International Collector Editions]], and [[World Championship Decks]] can be used provided you put all your cards in opaque sleeves and the International Collector Edition card edges are rounded.  
*Special [[mulligan]] rule: From your first hand (that is, before any paris mulligan), you may remove any number of cards from the game, this may not be the entire hand. For each card removed from the game this way, you may draw a card. Then, all removed card are played at the bottom of your library in the order in which they were removed. No abilities are triggered by any of these actions.
*Special [[mulligan]] rules: In some variants, the first time a player takes a mulligan, they draw a new hand of as many cards as they had before. Subsequent hands decrease by one card as normal. In other variants, a mulligan of 7-6-6-5-5... is used (i.e. a second mulligan of each size except 7).


As a casual format, individual playgroups often have their own house rules regarding almost any aspect of the game to suit their own style and to make the game more fun. This often includes a more extensive banned list, or banning certain combinations (decks can include a thopter assembly or a sword of the meek, but not both) or modifying how interactions work (for example infinite loops only recur a set number of times to prevent infinite damage or mana loops that would otherwise win the game immediately). In these cases the objective is to lengthen the game and prevent good draws from being able to win or knock a player out of the game too soon. Given how big the card pool is, there are many plausible, if unlikely given the format, ways to deal infinite damage or otherwise win within a few turns and this is generally considered to not be in the spirit of the game, and can be enforced with house rules if the group feels they need to.
Individual playgroups and regional variants often have their own house rules regarding many aspects of the game to suit their style and to make the game more fun. This often includes a more extensive banned list, or banning certain combinations (e.g. decks can include a <c>Thopter Foundry</c> or a <c>Sword of the Meek</c>, but not both) or modifying how interactions work (e.g. infinite loops only recur a set number of times to prevent infinite damage or mana loops that would otherwise win the game immediately) or replacing the banned list with a "points" list. In these cases, the objective is to lengthen the game and prevent good draws from being able to win or knock a player out of the game too soon. Given how big the card pool is, there are many plausible, if unlikely given the format, ways to deal infinite damage or otherwise win within a few turns and this is generally considered to not be in the spirit of the game and can be enforced with house rules if the group feels they need to.


Versions of the game can be found that include practically any imaginable permutation of game rules that emphasize different aspects of the game. Some groups prefer to play using older sets of rules (combat damage still going on the stack being particularly popular) while others use a random turn orders or may even apply 'end of turn' effects until the end of the turn sequence (ie until the player before you completes their turn) to change the dynamic of the game. Other groups emphasize the creative aspect of the game by creating a set of homebrew cards that can be added to decks. Finally, some groups focus on the social aspect of the game, adding rules for alliances or a dedicated politics phase to the turn, when players can scheme. On the less serious end of the spectrum, there is a Commander drinking game that can be played, where every time you cast your general you has to finish a drink.
==Deck construction==
*A deck may not contain two cards with the same English name except basic land cards.
*In many variants, such as Canadian Highlander<ref name=":0" /> (see below) or European Highlander<ref>[https://europeanhighlander.com/links/ European Highlander website]</ref>, a deck must contain at least 100 cards. In Australian Highlander, decks follow standard magic construction limits (60 card main decks, 15 card sideboards)
*Some cards are entirely [[banned]] in tournament formats. Since these are non-[[DCI]]-tournaments, they have individual ban lists.<ref>[http://www.highlandermagic.info/index.php?id=bannedlist Highlander Magic Banned List]</ref>
*No [[sideboard]]s are used.
 
===Points list===
The most distinctive difference between Highlander and regular Singleton and constructed Magic is that many Highlander formats use a points list. As a format that normally uses a Vintage card pool but can't utilize the balancing methodology of [[Restriction|restrictions]], these formats need a different solution. As such, the most powerful cards in the format, such as [[Mox|Moxen]], are designated a certain value of power points, and the deck can only contain a certain cap of points.
 
For example, in the Canadian Highlander system, the five original Moxen are three points apiece, and therefore a deck can only contain three. {{Card|Ancestral Recall}} is the highest pointed card at 8, which means that it can't share a decklist with something like {{Card|Demonic Tutor}}, which is rated at 3 points.
 
The system in place allows players to select from the greatest pool without outlawing cards based on power, but only is manageable due to the relatively small field of players: each registered deck has to be vetted for complicity with the list.


== Deck construction ==
==Singleton==
*A deck may not contain two cards with the same english name except basic land cards.
In the simplified '''Singleton''' version of Highlander players can use [[Standard]], [[Modern]], [[Legacy]], or [[Vintage]] formats and Constructed [[deckbuilding]] rules. A deck has no 100-card minimum.
*A deck must contain at least 100 cards.
 
*Some cards are entirely [[banned]] in tournament formats. Since these are non-[[DCI]]-tournaments, they have individual ban lists. <ref>e.g. http://www.highlandermagic.info/index.php?id=bannedlist</ref>  
==Australian==
*No [[sideboard]]s are used.
[https://7ph.com.au/ Australian Highlander], or 7-point Highlander, is a primarily paper-based format that uses the Vintage banned list. It has a point list of seven points in a deck of sixty cards. Australian point system Highlander was first played in late 1996 or early 1997.
 
==Canadian==
Canadian Highlander or '''Canlander''' is a paper- and [[Magic Online|online]] [[Vintage]] format with a point list, sharing most of the banlist of Vintage and the Restricted list evaluated per-card. The point limit is ten points in a hundred-card deck.<ref>{{DailyRef|week-was/five-formats-new-year-2016-01-08|Five Formats in the New Year|[[Brian David-Marshall]]|January 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name=":0">[https://canadianhighlander.wordpress.com/intro-to-format/ Canadian Highlander format details]</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|ways-play/godfathers-casual-2016-02-23|The Godfathers of Casual|[[Brian David-Marshall]]|February 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|ways-play/introduction-canadian-highlander-2016-05-17|An Introduction to Canadian Highlander|[[Marshall Sutcliffe]]|May 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2020/01/introduction-to-canadian-highlander-guide-primer/|title=Introduction to Canadian Highlander|author=Travis Norman|date=January 29, 2020|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref> The community was grown in Victoria, Vancouver Island in 1999, and has become more well-known with publicity from Wizards. The point list council is drawn from the local players, and as such international players have developed their own councils and point lists based on their metagames.
 
==European==
European Highlander (also known as German Highlander) is a 100-card, Singleton, 20-life, best-of-3 Vintage-based format without [[Sideboard|sideboards]]. Unlike other popular variants, European Highlander makes use of a banlist<ref>[http://highlandermagic.info/banned-list/]</ref> instead of a points system. The format "watchlist" is maintained by the council, and visible on the [http://highlandermagic.info/watch-list/ European Highlander website]. It uses the [[Mulligan#London mulligan|"London mulligan"]].
 
==Historic Singleton==
{{Main|Gladiator}}
In August 2020, [[MTG Arena]] featured an event known as "Super-Singleton", which was similar to a community format established in mid-2020 known as "'''[[Gladiator]]'''". The decks are 100-card, singleton, 20-life, with a card pool of the [[Historic]] format (aka the Arena card pool). As of 2022, the ban list for Gladiator is of five cards: <c>Oko, Thief of Crowns</c>, <c>Nexus of Fate</c>, <c>Field of the Dead</c>, {{Card|Natural Order}}, and {{Card|Teferi, Time Raveler}}. The format is "best of 3, no sideboards". Gladiator was featured under its name as a Community Spotlight in August 2022.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-digital/community-spotlight-gladiator-august-2022|MTG Arena Community Spotlight: Gladiator|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|August 3, 2022}}</ref>
 
==Scandinavian==
[https://scandinavianhighlander.dk/ '''Scandinavian Highlander'''] or '''Scandilander''' is a Singleton Vintage format, originally based on [[Highlander#Canadian|Canadian Highlander]], but spun off with its Denmark-based council.
 
Scandilander is a growing, but still fairly new format, as it was founded in the Spring of 2020, and it saw its first deviation from the [[Highlander#Canadian|Canadian Highlander]] format in the following Summer. Scandilander also has a very proxy-friendly policy both in casual and tournament settings to lessen the barrier to entry for newer players. You may also use up to 20 proxies in your hundred-card deck.


==Commander==
==Commander==
[[Commander (format)|Commander]], formerly known as '''Elder Dragon Highlander''' (usually abbreviated to EDH) is a Highlander variant format with specific rules centered around a [[legendary]] [[creature]] called "[[Commander (General)|General]]".  
{{Main|Commander (format)}}
[[Commander (format)|Commander]], formerly known as '''Elder Dragon Highlander''' (usually abbreviated to EDH) is a Highlander variant format with specific rules centered around a [[legendary]] [[creature]] designated as a player's "[[commander (designation)|commander]]". The format has grown to be the most popular structured format in Magic.  


== References ==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
<!--temp fix-->


[[Category:Magic formats]]
{{Commander|state=collapsed}}
{{formats|Constructed}}
[[Category: Magic format modifiers]]

Latest revision as of 06:39, 24 April 2024

Highlander
DCI Sanctioned
Paper {Cross}
Magic Online {Cross}
Magic Arena {Cross}
Rules
Type Constructed
Multiplayer {Cross}
Add. rules Singleton deck

Highlander is a casual constructed variant of Magic which allows only one copy of each card in the deck, with the exception of basic lands.[1] It may also be a format modifier, where any other constructed format is modified by restricting it to also be Highlander. The name Highlander is a reference to the movie of the same name, whose tagline was "There can be only one".[2]

Rules

  • Any card from Alpha up through the latest Magic set can be used (except for banned cards). Cards from the Portal sets, International Collector Editions, and World Championship Decks can be used provided you put all your cards in opaque sleeves and the International Collector Edition card edges are rounded.
  • Special mulligan rules: In some variants, the first time a player takes a mulligan, they draw a new hand of as many cards as they had before. Subsequent hands decrease by one card as normal. In other variants, a mulligan of 7-6-6-5-5... is used (i.e. a second mulligan of each size except 7).

Individual playgroups and regional variants often have their own house rules regarding many aspects of the game to suit their style and to make the game more fun. This often includes a more extensive banned list, or banning certain combinations (e.g. decks can include a Thopter Foundry or a Sword of the Meek, but not both) or modifying how interactions work (e.g. infinite loops only recur a set number of times to prevent infinite damage or mana loops that would otherwise win the game immediately) or replacing the banned list with a "points" list. In these cases, the objective is to lengthen the game and prevent good draws from being able to win or knock a player out of the game too soon. Given how big the card pool is, there are many plausible, if unlikely given the format, ways to deal infinite damage or otherwise win within a few turns and this is generally considered to not be in the spirit of the game and can be enforced with house rules if the group feels they need to.

Deck construction

  • A deck may not contain two cards with the same English name except basic land cards.
  • In many variants, such as Canadian Highlander[3] (see below) or European Highlander[4], a deck must contain at least 100 cards. In Australian Highlander, decks follow standard magic construction limits (60 card main decks, 15 card sideboards)
  • Some cards are entirely banned in tournament formats. Since these are non-DCI-tournaments, they have individual ban lists.[5]
  • No sideboards are used.

Points list

The most distinctive difference between Highlander and regular Singleton and constructed Magic is that many Highlander formats use a points list. As a format that normally uses a Vintage card pool but can't utilize the balancing methodology of restrictions, these formats need a different solution. As such, the most powerful cards in the format, such as Moxen, are designated a certain value of power points, and the deck can only contain a certain cap of points.

For example, in the Canadian Highlander system, the five original Moxen are three points apiece, and therefore a deck can only contain three. Ancestral Recall is the highest pointed card at 8, which means that it can't share a decklist with something like Demonic Tutor, which is rated at 3 points.

The system in place allows players to select from the greatest pool without outlawing cards based on power, but only is manageable due to the relatively small field of players: each registered deck has to be vetted for complicity with the list.

Singleton

In the simplified Singleton version of Highlander players can use Standard, Modern, Legacy, or Vintage formats and Constructed deckbuilding rules. A deck has no 100-card minimum.

Australian

Australian Highlander, or 7-point Highlander, is a primarily paper-based format that uses the Vintage banned list. It has a point list of seven points in a deck of sixty cards. Australian point system Highlander was first played in late 1996 or early 1997.

Canadian

Canadian Highlander or Canlander is a paper- and online Vintage format with a point list, sharing most of the banlist of Vintage and the Restricted list evaluated per-card. The point limit is ten points in a hundred-card deck.[6][3][7][8][9] The community was grown in Victoria, Vancouver Island in 1999, and has become more well-known with publicity from Wizards. The point list council is drawn from the local players, and as such international players have developed their own councils and point lists based on their metagames.

European

European Highlander (also known as German Highlander) is a 100-card, Singleton, 20-life, best-of-3 Vintage-based format without sideboards. Unlike other popular variants, European Highlander makes use of a banlist[10] instead of a points system. The format "watchlist" is maintained by the council, and visible on the European Highlander website. It uses the "London mulligan".

Historic Singleton

Main article: Gladiator

In August 2020, MTG Arena featured an event known as "Super-Singleton", which was similar to a community format established in mid-2020 known as "Gladiator". The decks are 100-card, singleton, 20-life, with a card pool of the Historic format (aka the Arena card pool). As of 2022, the ban list for Gladiator is of five cards: Oko, Thief of Crowns, Nexus of Fate, Field of the Dead, Natural Order, and Teferi, Time Raveler. The format is "best of 3, no sideboards". Gladiator was featured under its name as a Community Spotlight in August 2022.[11]

Scandinavian

Scandinavian Highlander or Scandilander is a Singleton Vintage format, originally based on Canadian Highlander, but spun off with its Denmark-based council.

Scandilander is a growing, but still fairly new format, as it was founded in the Spring of 2020, and it saw its first deviation from the Canadian Highlander format in the following Summer. Scandilander also has a very proxy-friendly policy both in casual and tournament settings to lessen the barrier to entry for newer players. You may also use up to 20 proxies in your hundred-card deck.

Commander

Main article: Commander (format)

Commander, formerly known as Elder Dragon Highlander (usually abbreviated to EDH) is a Highlander variant format with specific rules centered around a legendary creature designated as a player's "commander". The format has grown to be the most popular structured format in Magic.

References

  1. ↑ Highlander Magic Deck Construction
  2. ↑ Ron Vitale (March 12, 2007). "Highlander: A Singular Format". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ a b Canadian Highlander format details
  4. ↑ European Highlander website
  5. ↑ Highlander Magic Banned List
  6. ↑ Brian David-Marshall (January 8, 2016). "Five Formats in the New Year". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Brian David-Marshall (February 23, 2016). "The Godfathers of Casual". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Marshall Sutcliffe (May 17, 2016). "An Introduction to Canadian Highlander". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Travis Norman (January 29, 2020). "Introduction to Canadian Highlander". Hipsters of the Coast.
  10. ↑ [1]
  11. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 3, 2022). "MTG Arena Community Spotlight: Gladiator". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
 
 
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