Historic (format)
| Historic (format) | |
|---|---|
| DCI Sanctioned | |
| Paper |
 |
| Magic Online |
|
| Magic Arena |
 |
| Rules | |
| Type | Constructed |
| Multiplayer |
|
| Add. rules | Best-of-one and Best-of-three |
- This page is about the format. For the game term, see Historic.
Historic is a constructed non-rotating format for Magic: The Gathering Arena that was officially announced by Wizards of the Coast on June 27, 2019.[1][2]
Description
Historic was implemented in November 2019, as a format that allows Arena players to make use of cards that are no longer legal in Standard after rotation.[3] The format is exclusive to Arena, and is intended "to be a fun and casual way [that players] can continue to play with all the cards in [their] collection".[1] On the other hand, paper Magic and Magic Online use the Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage non-rotating formats. Unusually, Historic has some quirks that prevent it from being a subset of larger formats, such as Jumpstart, Historic Anthology and the Arena New Player Experience cards. Historic-legal sets are those from Ixalan onward. Cards from earlier sets are added at Wizard of the Coast's discretion.
Before R&D settled on Historic the name used for the rumored format was "Standard Plus".[4] The format includes a Historic Play queue (both best-of-one and best-of-three), Direct Challenge, practice matches with Sparky, as well as some rotating events that are not beholden to Standard (such as Pauper, Singleton, etc.).[1]
The introduction of Historic coincided with the first rotation for MTG Arena, and the release of the fall set of that year, Throne of Eldraine.[1] The format is intended to be inducted as tournament-sanctioned in Mythic Invitational 2020.
Historic Anthologies
Historic Anthologies are added to the game to supplement the Historic format. Wizards added "new" old cards to MTG Arena "from across Magic's history" for use in the format. 15-20 new cards were added in November for the beginning of the new format ("Historic Anthology 1"), with the goal of adding more cards every quarter of the year.[5]
Upon announcement of the format, both the "new" cards and the cards rotating out of Standard (thus becoming Historic cards themselves) were announced to require two Wildcards each to craft—rather than the usual one.[6][7] After feedback from the player's base, the decision to change Wildcard redemption rates for rotated cards was revoked. It was decided that redemption for all rotated cards would remain 1:1.[8]
Remastered sets
In 2020, Wizards of the Coast plan to begin adding "remastered" versions of older sets to Magic: The Gathering Arena.[9] The MTG Arena team, in conjunction with Magic R&D, will be looking at multiple sets and condensing them into a single larger set that only includes the most relevant cards and adding that to the game. This will allow them to focus on what made these sets fun and exciting for players while delivering on the content much more quickly.
This is a long-term commitment that will eventually lead to additional format support beyond Standard and Historic working towards Pioneer.
Amonkhet Remastered
Contains cards from Amonkhet and Hour of Devastation, alongside some extra Rares and Mythics to shape Historic. Released on 13th August 2020,[10] putting into the format for Mythic Invitational 2020.[11]
Kaladesh Remastered
Contains cards from Kaladesh and Aether Revolt, Released on November 12th, 2020.
Suspensions
To support the Historic format, Wizards introduced suspensions to control the balance that works well with Magic's history of using bans and restrictions while allowing more flexibility to adjust as Historic changes.[12] For gameplay purposes, a suspension works like a ban, in that the card will not be legal to use in the format while it is suspended. But unlike how banning cards are handled, R&D plans to use the flexibility that the digital format provides to move cards onto and off of the suspension list more commonly. Suspension isn't a final verdict, it's an indication that R&D thinks a card may be causing issues and likes to see what the meta looks like without that influence.
Suspension is also a temporary measure. All the cards that are suspended will be removed from the suspension list by or before the next event. Some may be returned to the playable pool (likely because R&D believes the new environment provides the appropriate answers or countermeasures), and the rest will move to be fully banned.
Suspended cards
Banned list
The following cards are banned in Historic:
- Agent of Treachery[14][15]
- Field of the Dead[16]
- Fires of Invention[14][15]
- Nexus of Fate[14][17]
- Oko, Thief of Crowns[18]
- Once Upon a Time[18]
- Teferi, Time Raveler[19][13]
- Veil of Summer[18]
- Wilderness Reclamation[19][13]
- Winota, Joiner of Forces[14][20]
Historic Brawl
As of August 4th, 2020, the following cards are banned in Historic Brawl.
References
- ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta — June 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ MTG Arena Admin (June 27, 2019). "Rotation Guide - Intro to Rotation, Upcoming Changes, and Historic Play". Mtgarena.com.
- ↑ Brett Teran (June 27, 2019). "MTG Arena update: Introducing the Historic format". Magic Esports.
- ↑ Cody Gravelle (December 06, 2018). "Magic Arena Will Eventually Have A "Standard Plus" Format". Screenrant.com.
- ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Comes to MTG Arena in November with "New" Old Cards From Magic's History". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 29, 2019). "MTG Arena: State of the Beta – August 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ David McCoy (August 29, 2019). "Historic Cards Will Cost 2 Wildcards to Craft on MTG Arena for the "Health of the Game"". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (September 13, 2019). "MTG Arena Update on Historic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 13, 2019). "State of the Beta - November 2019". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 4, 2020). "MTG Arena: State of the Game – August 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 13, 2020). "Esports Update:2020 Mythic Invitational, Upcoming Announcements and More". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 10, 2019). "Historic Suspension Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Ian Duke (October 12, 2020). "October 12, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Ian Duke (July 13, 2020). "July 13, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Ian Duke (June 1, 2020). "June 1, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Jay Parker (August 24, 2020). "August 24, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 14, 2020). "MTG Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Ian Duke (March 9, 2020). "March 9, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Ian Duke (August 3, 2020). "August 3, 2020 Banned and Restricted Announcement". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 8, 2020). "June 8, 2020 Suspension Update for Historic Digital Format". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (August 4th, 2020). "MTG Arena State of the Game August 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- Corbin Hosler (September 1, 2020). "What is the Historic Format?". Magic.gg.
- Mani Davoudi (September 3, 2020). "The Pillars of Historic.". Magic.gg.