Magic: The Gathering formats

Every MTG format explained — the metagame, top archetypes and staple cards.

• Standard

  Magic's flagship rotating format, where only the newest sets shape an ever-evolving metagame.

• Pioneer

  A non-rotating modern-era format spanning every set from Return to Ravnica onward.

• Modern

  A high-powered, non-rotating format reaching back to the dawn of Magic's modern card frame in 2003.

• Legacy

  Magic's deepest eternal format, drawing on nearly every card ever printed and powered by explosive fast mana.

• Vintage

  The most powerful format in Magic: The Gathering, where almost every card ever printed is legal and the legendary Power Nine still rule the table.

• Commander

  Magic's most popular way to play — a social, multiplayer format where you build a 100-card singleton deck led by a legendary commander.

• Pauper

  Magic at its purest and most affordable — a competitive constructed format played entirely with common cards.

• Brawl

  Commander's fast, modern cousin — a 60-card singleton format with a commander, built entirely from Standard-legal cards.