Duelists' Convocation International
Encyclopedia
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
and various other games produced by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
and its subsidiaries
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
, such as Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
. The DCI provides game rules, tournament operating procedures, and other materials to private tournament organizers and players. It also operates a judge
Judge (Magic: the Gathering)
A judge in the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game is a tournament official charged with enforcing the rules of the game and those of the DCI. While judges need not be certified, they may choose to attempt a series of tests and certified judges are ranked from level 1 to level 5...
certification program to provide consistent rules enforcement and promote fair play.
In order to play in sanctioned events, players must register for membership and receive a DCI number (PIN). The DCI maintains a global player ratings database based on a variation of the Elo rating system
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
and members have access to their entire tournament history online. If a member commits frequent or flagrant rules infractions, his or her membership can be suspended for variable amounts of time depending on the severity, from one month to lifetime.
The DCI sanctions tournaments for a variety of games. As of 2009 the DCI has sanctioned more than two million Magic tournaments. Unlike those of many other game producers, a significant proportion of DCI events are organized and run by independent businesspeople and hobbyists, as opposed to by retailers.
Magic: The Gathering
The DCI maintains rules and assigns players ratings for three basic categories in Magic: Constructed, Eternal, and Limited. A fourth rating category, Composite, is the average of a player's Constructed and Limited ratings. Each category supports a number of related tournament formats. A player's tournament performance in one of the categories does not affect their rating or ranking in the others, except Composite. The DCI has recently introduced a new rating category, called Total rating. This rating will replace most of the existing individual ratings at the beginning of 2010. Although no rating category will cease to exist, Total will replace the other categories for rating-based invitations and byes.Separate groups of rankings are maintained for team and multiplayer variants. Sanctioned team and multiplayer uses teams composed of two or three players. There are several team and multiplayer variants, each given its own ratings category. Rules are also provided for other multiplayer variants, but only the formats mentioned above are ranked.
Constructed
In Constructed tournaments, decks must consist of no fewer than 60 cards, and no more than four of any one card. The basic lands, however, may be used in any quantity. A banned list of specific cards is maintained for each format.Additionally, a 15-card sideboard is permitted, from which a player may modify his or her deck during a match to better deal with their opponent's strategy. Following the first game of a best-two-of-three match, each player is permitted to replace any number of cards in his or her deck with an equal number of cards from his or her sideboard. The original deck configuration is restored at the conclusion of the match.
- Modern uses cards starting from MirrodinMirrodinMirrodin was the 50th Magic: The Gathering set, the 30th expert level set, and the first set in the Mirrodin Block, released in October 2003. It is a 306-card expansion set. It is also the name of the block containing the Mirrodin, Darksteel and Fifth Dawn expansion sets...
and 8th Edition8th Edition (Magic: The Gathering)Eighth Edition or Core Set was the standard base set for the collectible trading card game, Magic: The Gathering from its release in 2003 until 9th Edition's release in 2005...
. All newer cards that have since been part of a regular expansion set or Core set are legal. - Extended uses cards from the most recent four blocks and the most recent two core sets. It currently uses cards from Magic 2010Magic 2010Magic 2010 is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set, that was released on July 17, 2009. It is the eleventh core set for Magic: the Gathering...
, LorwynLorwynLorwyn is the 66th Magic: The Gathering set, 43rd expert level set, and the first set in the Lorwyn Block, released in October 2007. It is codenamed "Peanut"...
-ShadowmoorShadowmoorShadowmoor is an expansion set, codenamed "Jelly", from the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. It was released on May 2, 2008. The pre-release events for this set were held on April 19-20, 2008.-Set Details:...
block and all subsequent sets. - Standard (formerly Type II) uses cards from the most recent two blocks and the current core set. It currently uses Magic 2012Magic 2012Magic 2012 is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set that was released on July 15, 2011. It is the thirteenth core set for Magic: the Gathering.-Mechanics:...
, Scars of MirrodinScars of MirrodinScars of Mirrodin is a Magic: The Gathering expansion that was released on October 1, 2010. It is the first set of the Scars of Mirrodin block. This block will mark the return to the plane of Mirrodin. This plane was last visited in the Mirrodin block that concluded in 2004...
, Mirrodin BesiegedMirrodin BesiegedMirrodin Besieged is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set released February 4, 2011. It is the second set of the Scars of Mirrodin block. This block will mark the return to the plane of Mirrodin, that was last visited in the Mirrodin block that concluded in 2004...
, New PhyrexiaNew PhyrexiaNew Phyrexia is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set that was released May 13, 2011. It is the third set of the Scars of Mirrodin block, which returns to the plane of Mirrodin, previously visited in the Mirrodin block that concluded in 2004...
, and InnistradInnistradInnistrad is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set released September 30, 2011. It is the first set of the Innistrad block. Innistrad is a "top-down" designed set based around Gothic horror. The sets mechanics and effects are mainly based around graveyard themes, with a minor focus on tribal...
. - Block Constructed permits only cards from a single "block" of sets. Most Block Constructed tournaments use the most recent block, but organizers may sanction tournaments using any block.
New sets are released approximately every three months. A set is legal for constructed play on its official Wizards of the Coast release date.
Eternal
Eternal formats follow the basic Constructed format rules for deck construction, but expands the available cards to include virtually all published Magic sets. The ratings are kept separate from other Constructed formats because of the barrier to the participation of new players. While ratings and rankings are maintained for this category, only Limited and Constructed format rankings are used for invitations to major tournaments, like Pro Tours or World Championships.- Vintage (formerly Type 1) allows every published Magic set with the exception of the silver-bordered Unglued and Unhinged sets. All cards from the remaining sets are allowed except cards involving ante, any card that is "flipped" on the table, and Shahrazad, which involves playing a "subgame", as the DCI considers such cards inappropriate for tournament competition. The Vintage format is the only format to have a restricted list in addition to a banned list. Each card on the restricted list is limited to one per deck. This is the only format that allows the "Power NinePower NineThe term Power Nine refers to a set of nine specific cards in the game of Magic: The Gathering. These cards were only printed early in the game's history and consist of Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mox Sapphire, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald, Mox Pearl, and Timetwister.The Power Nine...
". - Legacy (formerly Type 1.5) uses the same sets as Vintage, but has no restricted list and a separate banned list.
Vintage and Legacy were very closely related until September 1, 2004, when R&D decided that splitting the formats was a good idea. Certain cards formerly banned in Legacy were unbanned and the format was allowed to develop on its own. Legacy once had a reputation for being the "poor man's Vintage" but today has developed into a format very distinct from Vintage.
Limited
Limited tournaments are based on a pool of cards which the player receives at the time of the event. Any number of basic lands may also be added to the deck. The decks in limited tournaments are a minimum of 40 cards; all the unused cards function as the sideboard. There is no 4-of-a-kind limit per card as there is in Constructed decks.There are two common types of limited tournaments.
- Sealed deck: Players each receive six booster packs of 15 cards.
- Booster draft: Players each receive three booster packs of 15 cards. After being seated around a table, each player simultaneously opens one booster pack, selects a single card, and then passes the rest to the next player over. After all players have drafted fifteen cards, they each open their second pack, and drafting continues. Players examine privately the cards they receive; direct communication between drafters is not allowed. A booster draft normally comprises eight players, but sometimes fewer will suffice. Once players have built their decks, they compete against the other players in the draft.
In addition, one limited format which is no longer commonly in use and has been deprecated.
- Rochester draft: Players each receive three booster packs of 15 cards. One player's first pack is opened, the cards are placed upon a table for all to see, and the players take turns selecting one card at a time until the pack is exhausted. The next player's pack is then opened, and drafting continues. A Rochester draft normally comprises eight players, but team Rochester uses two teams of three players each, who may communicate non-verbally during the draft.
Pro Tour
Magic: The Gathering World Championship
The Magic: The Gathering World Championships have been held annually since 1994. It is the most important tournament in the game of Magic: The Gathering, offering to the winner a cash prize of $45,000. Originally open to all competitors, Worlds is now an invitation-only event and the last Pro Tour...
. In the months preceding each Pro Tour, local qualifiers (PTQs) are held around the world, where invitations are earned. Players accumulate Pro Points by attending Pro Tour events and can receive many more by placing highly. Pro Tours are invitation-only events, and only players with either a PTQ invitation, high number of Pro Points, or high DCI ranking can attend.
Winning a Pro Tour is most competitive Magic players' ultimate goal. Currently, each Pro Tour carries a total purse of $240,245 [US], with the winner receiving $40,000 [US] (the exact payout varies by player's final standing). Other benefits to top finishers include invitations to future Pro Tours, with the highest-ranking players over the course of several Pro Tour events receiving additional prize money for travel and participation.
World Championship
Magic: The Gathering World Championship
The Magic: The Gathering World Championships have been held annually since 1994. It is the most important tournament in the game of Magic: The Gathering, offering to the winner a cash prize of $45,000. Originally open to all competitors, Worlds is now an invitation-only event and the last Pro Tour...
, where the best of the best play against each other until the world champion is crowned. World Championships are played over five days, and include both individual and team formats. A required invitation is obtained either by placing very highly in a National Championship, or having a high enough DCI Total ranking. The World Championships are now held at the end of the year usually in November/December, most recently (2010) in Chiba, Japan.
Grand Prix
