Vintage
Constructed · Eternal
Vintage is Magic with almost everything legal. Instead of banning its most powerful cards, the format restricts them to one copy per deck. This is the home of the Power Nine.
The Rules
- 60 card minimum. There’s no maximum, but nearly everyone plays exactly 60 so their best cards show up more often. (CR 100.2a)
- Up to 4 copies of any one card, except basic lands, which have no limit. (CR 100.2a)
- 20 starting life. (CR 103.4)
- 15 card sideboard in tournament play. The 4 copy limit counts deck and sideboard together. (CR 100.4a)
- Matches are usually best of three. Between games you can swap cards with your sideboard, as long as the deck stays legal.
- The restricted list stands in for most bans. A restricted card is limited to one copy total across your deck and sideboard combined.
- A small banned list still exists, mostly cards that gamble ante, need physical dexterity, or otherwise can’t work in a normal game.
Deck Makeup
- Decks layer one-of restricted bombs over a normal four-of core, and drawing your singleton power card often decides the game.
- Nearly every deck interacts on turn one. Free counterspells and zero mana artifacts set the pace.
Tips
Card availability is such a hurdle that many unsanctioned Vintage events openly allow a set number of proxies. If you’re curious about the format, look for those events first rather than pricing out the real cards.
Watch Out For
One copy across deck and sideboard combined. A second copy in the board makes the list illegal.
A card restricted here can be banned in Legacy and completely legal in Commander. Always check per format.
Banned Cards
Vintage runs on its restricted list far more than its banned list, and cards move on and off it. Check the current list before an event. We don’t list banned cards here on purpose: banlists change, and a stale list is worse than none.
Official Banned & Restricted List