Different Formats for Magic the Gathering

When beginning to play Magic the Gathering, you might hear the terms Standard, Extended, Block, Legacy, and Vintage. These terms are describing the constructed formats used for competitive play. The difference between each type of format has to do with the card pools that are allowed to be drawn from to build your deck. Some of the formats use only cards from the most recent sets. Some of the other formats use all the cards that have been released. Because different cards are used decks played in each format are normally very different from each other.

As new sets are released each year, the cards allowed for each format will change. What sets are allowed in each format is normally measured by a term called a "block". A block includes one large set and two smaller sets that normally have a similar theme. The current block of cards contains Time Spiral (the large set), Planar Chaos, and Future Sight. The first set of a block will come out in the fall with the next two sets coming out the following winter and spring. The other types of sets used are called Core Sets (sometimes called editions). These are released every two years. The summer of 2007 saw the release of 10^th Edition.

The Block format consists of only cards from the current block (1-3 sets). This format offers the smallest pool of cards to pick from when building your deck. Many people prefer to play Block because it is the cheapest format to be able to get involved in. This is because there are fewer good cards that you need to get, and that they are normally readily available because they are the newest cards out.

Standard format (sometimes referred to as Type 2) is by far the most popular to play. It consists of the past two blocks as well as the current core set. Most tournaments that you will find will be using the Standard format. Since the card pool is larger than Block, you will find more unique deck types in this format. Also, the power level of the decks will be higher than you will find in Block.

Extended format is much larger than the standard format. Where Standard rotates after every three sets, Extended rotates after every three blocks. Depending on the time, extended may contain anywhere from 6-8 blocks at one time. Needless to say, when Extended does rotate, the change in the format is vast. Due to the much larger card pool than Standard, the decks are much more powerful. Also due to the age of some of the cards, the cost of playing Extended is much higher than Standard or Block.

Legacy and Vintage formats are very similar to each other. Each allows cards from every Magic set to be played. The difference has to do with the few cards that each format does not allow to be played. Vintage has a list of cards that are restricted (only one of these cards is allowed per deck) and has some cards that are out right banned. Legacy does not have a restricted list, but it has its own banned list. Due to the huge card pools allowed in these two formats, only the best of the best cards will be played. Many decks will be able to kill an opponent on the first turn. These formats are also by far the most expensive to play. Many of the staple cards used cost hundreds of dollars a piece. You can find the restricted and banned list of cards at www.magicthegathering.com.

To go along with these formats, other formats can also be found on Magic Online. Two of the more popular are Tribal and Singleton. Tribal format is one where 1/3 of the cards in your deck have to be creatures of the same creature type (i.e. Goblins, Elves, Slivers). Singleton (some time called Highlander) is a format where you can only have one of each card in your deck instead of the standard four.

With all of these different types of formats, players should be able to find a format that fits both their playing style and their pocket book.