Magic: The Gathering: Format Guides
Commander / Standard / Modern / Pioneer / Pauper / Limited primers.
June 2026
14 posts
Magic: The Gathering Vintage Format Guide: The Power Nine, the Restricted List, and How to Actually Play It
Vintage is the only format where a turn-one win is a fair expectation and a $20,000 deck is a normal deck. Here is what Vintage actually is — the Power Nine, the restricted list, the proxy reality — and how a sane person gets in without selling a kidney.
MTG Oathbreaker Format Guide: Where to Start
Oathbreaker is what you get when you take Commander, swap the legendary creature for a planeswalker, and bolt on a signature spell you can only cast while that planeswalker is alive. Here is how the format works, how to build your first deck, and which oathbreakers actually win.
MTG Brawl Format Guide: Standard Brawl vs Historic Brawl
Brawl is singleton Commander squeezed into a one-on-one Arena format that doesn't take forty minutes a game. Here's what Brawl is, how Standard Brawl and Historic Brawl differ, how to pick a commander, and how to build your first deck.
Magic: The Gathering Standard Format Guide: Where to Start
Standard is the format Wizards balances the hardest and the one new players actually have a shot in. Here is what Standard is, how rotation works, the archetypes that define it, and how to build your first deck without setting money on fire.
MTG Commander Brackets Explained (The Power-Level System)
"What's your power level?" used to be the most useless question in Commander. WotC's official Bracket system finally gives it real numbers. Here's what Brackets 1 through 5 actually mean and how to use them so nobody gets stomped.
MTG Two-Color Guild Guide: Every Color Pair Explained
Magic players don't say 'white-blue,' they say Azorius — and the ten guild names carry real meaning about how each color pair plays. Here's every two-color combination, what it's actually good at, and the gameplan it pushes you toward.
MTG Deckbuilding Guide: Land and Spell Ratios
Most decks lose to their own mana, not their opponent. Here are the land counts that actually work by format, the spell skeleton every deck needs, and how to read a mana curve before you sleeve it up.
Magic: The Gathering Legacy Format Guide: Where to Start
Legacy is the format where almost every card ever printed is legal and a single land can cost more than a console. Here is what Legacy actually is, the archetypes that define it, and how a new player gets in without selling a kidney.
MTG Mana Base Guide: How to Build Your Lands
The fastest way to lose a game of Magic is a mana base you eyeballed. Too few lands and you stumble; the wrong colors and your hand bricks. Here is how to count lands, count pips, and pick the right duals, fetches, and shocks for the deck you actually have.
How Combat Works in Magic: The Gathering, Explained
Combat is where most Magic games are won, and it is also where most new players misplay. Here is the combat phase broken down step by step — attackers, blockers, damage, and the keywords like first strike, trample, and deathtouch that bend the rules.
The MTG Color Pie, Explained: What Each Color Does
Every card in Magic belongs to a color, and each color has a personality, a set of strengths, and things it flat-out can't do. Here's what White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green each stand for, why the color pie exists, and how to pick yours.
Magic: The Gathering Modern Format Guide: Where to Start
Modern is the deepest 60-card format Magic has, and it is the one where your old cards never rotate out. Here is what Modern actually is, the archetypes that define it, and how a new player gets in without lighting a paycheck on fire.
Magic: The Gathering Pioneer Format Guide: Where to Start
Pioneer is the format for people who want a deep, non-rotating card pool without the Modern Horizons arms race. Here is what Pioneer actually is, the archetypes that define it, and how a newcomer gets in without overpaying.
Magic: The Gathering Pauper Format Guide: Where to Start
Pauper is real Magic for the price of a pizza — every card is a common, and the games are still cutthroat. Here is what Pauper actually is, the pillars of the meta, and how a newcomer gets in for almost nothing.
May 2026
3 posts
How to Draft: An MTG Limited Guide for Beginners
Your first draft goes badly because you pick the coolest card instead of the best card, and you stay open into three colors when you should have committed by pick five. Here is the fundamentals course that fixes both.
MTG Commander Format Guide — How to Start Playing EDH (2026)
Commander is the most-played MTG format on the planet and the easiest one for new players to start in. The rules look intimidating on paper. They are not. Here is the full beginner guide.
Standard After the May 2026 Ban Wave — What to Brew Now That Cori-Steel Is Gone
Ten cards banned in a single swing. Izzet Prowess is dead, Mono-Red is gutted, and Azorius Omniscience lost its engine. Here is what is actually playable now.