Two-Headed Giant

Two-Headed Giant
DCI Sanctioned
Paper
Magic Online
Magic Arena
Rules
Type	Constructed Limited
Multiplayer
Add. rules	Best-of-one

Two-Headed Giant (also known as 2HG) is a DCI-sanctioned multiplayer format for Magic: the Gathering in which two teams of two players each all play together in a single game.

Description

Each team sits together on one side of the table. Each team decides the order in which its players sit. The player seated on the right within each team is the primary player, and the player seated on the left is the secondary player. Each team has a shared life total, which starts at 30 life.

Two-Headed Giant Constructed decks must contain a minimum of sixty cards. There is no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance. Teammates may review each other's hands and discuss strategies at any time. Each team takes turns rather than each player. Both the players on a team take their team turn at the exact same time.

Rules

"Beanie" cap given out at certain Two-Headed Giant events

Two-Headed Giant uses the Unified Deck Construction rules (with the exception of basic land cards, no any individual card can be used by both players in the team). Sideboards are not allowed in Constructed Multiplayer tournaments. If a card is restricted in a particular format, no more than one of that card may be used by the team. No players may use cards that are banned in a particular format.

The two players on a team act separately, just like in any other multiplayer game, with the following exceptions:

• The players share life totals and poison counters.
• When creatures attack one of its players, each player can have his or her creatures block.
• The players win or lose the game as a team. This includes concession.

In particular, the following situations treat the players individually:

• If an effect refers to "attacking player" or "defending player", it means one of them, not both and not the team. For example, when Spiteful Returned or a creature enchanted by it attacks, its controller chooses a defending player to lose 2 life.
• Damage is dealt to players, not teams, even though the resulting reduction in life total is shared. In particular, combat damage is allocated to one of the players. For example, if one player has cast Druid's Deliverance, the attacking players can simply allocate combat damage to that player's teammate.
• Life gain and loss applies individually. For example, when an opponent's Gray Merchant of Asphodel enters the battlefield, the team's life total decreases by two times X.
• Likewise, poison counters are given to individual players, although the team shares them. For example, when Ichor Rats enters the battlefield, the team gets two poison counters.
  • On the other hand, effects that say a player can't gain or lose life or gain poison counters apply to the teammate as well.

In addition to the above rules, the following card is banned in Constructed Two-Headed Giant tournaments:

• Erayo, Soratami Ascendant

Dominaria rules change

Up until Dominaria the rule was that creatures would attack the team, rather than one of its players. From this update on, you simply attack players or planeswalkers, not the team. This change brings Two-Headed Giant's combat in line with Archenemy, using the same shared team turns system of combat. The only difference is that the team's life total goes down rather than the individual's. It also prepared the way for Battlebond, the first-ever Two-Headed Giant focused Magic booster set.