Sealed Deck
Limited · Six Boosters
Sealed is the prerelease format: open six boosters and build the best 40 card deck you can from what’s inside. No drafting skill needed, which makes it the friendliest way into your first event.
40
Card minimum
6
Boosters each
20
Starting life
No cap
On duplicates
Free
Basic lands
New set
Usually
The Rules
- 40 card minimum deck, built only from your six boosters plus basic lands. (CR 100.2b)
- No copy limit on anything you opened. (CR 100.2b)
- Your whole unused pool is your sideboard, so you can rebuild the deck freely between games of a match. (CR 100.4b)
- 20 starting life, matches usually best of three. (CR 103.4)
How A Sealed Event Runs
- Everyone gets six unopened boosters. At prerelease they come in a themed kit for the new set.
- Open everything. Those cards plus basic lands are your building blocks.
- Build 40: pick your two strongest colors, usually 17 lands and 23 spells.
- Keep the rest close. It’s all sideboard, and swapping between games is normal.
Deck Makeup
- Play your two deepest colors, judged by removal and solid creatures rather than your single flashiest rare.
- 17 lands, 23 spells is the standard shape, same as draft.
- A small splash for one or two bombs is fine if your pool has the lands or mana fixing to support it.
Tips
Prerelease is the perfect first event
Everyone’s on brand new cards nobody has mastered, the room is casual, and fun is the whole point. If you’ve never played a Magic event, start here.
Build around removal
Bombs win games, but the colors with the most removal win matches. Count removal per color before falling for a rare.
Watch Out For
Freezing the deck after game one
Your whole pool is the sideboard. If a color isn’t working, rebuilding between games is legal and often right.
Playing all five colors
Six boosters of goodies tempt everyone. A focused two color deck beats a five color pile almost every time.
Governing Rules
Comprehensive Rules Cited
CR 100.2b — 40 minimum, no copy limit
CR 100.4b — Pool is the sideboard
CR 103.4 — 20 starting life
Rules citations verified against the Magic Comprehensive Rules effective June 19, 2026.