Gameplay Variations

Last week I read about some alternative game formats on The Magic Gameplan Blog. I shot Zach an email asking if I could re-post and he gave me the thumbs up. The original source o these game variations came from one of his readers, Lydios. So thanks to Lydios and The Magic Gameplan Blog for these gameplay variation.

Cross-Fire (two-headed giant variant)

-Two persons per team sitting diagonal from one another:

Team A(2)     Team B(2)
Team B(1)     Team A(1)

– The players turns are taken individually in clockwise rotation.

– There is an attack direction stipulation also.  The direction is determined by the player who deals combat damage to a player or when lethal combat damage is dealt to a creature and it is   sent to the graveyard (regeneration counts as going to graveyard).

-As for direction all players must follow the attack direction set by the player who deals combat damage first (*Burn spells can not set direction*). If a player A(1) attacks B(2) and damage  is dealt of something goes to the graveyard, then the attack direction is counter-clock wise. If A(1) had attacked and done damage to B(1) then the attack direction is set to be clockwise.    Once the direction is set, it can not be change.

– Players on the same team can not see the other team member’s hand.  If one member wishes to show a card, he/she must reveal the card to all players in the game.  So, A(1) can not    show A(2) a card in his/her hand without revealing it to both members of Team B as well.

– Like two-headed giant, the players on the same team share life (30). We have tried playing with each player starts at 20 life, but then it becomes more of a free-for-all than team play.     However, in the 20 life games the individual members can be eliminated making it a 2-on-1 game.  So if A(1) is eliminated, it is left to A(2) to try and win, however, both players from B can  attack A(2) on their individual turns. We called the 20 life games “Knock-Out”.

– To win, one team’s life total must become zero or both team member’s life totals must become zero, depending on the format.

Peasant EDH

-Player’s decks are constructed using the 100 card rule from normal EDH

-No multiple cards, only one of each in a single deck.

-The restrictions are based on the rarity of the cards themselves.  In the Deck there can only be, at most, 5 rare/mythic rare cards, 10 uncommon, and the rest are common cards. Rares     can be downgraded to become uncommon cards but not the other way around, and similarly, uncommon can become commons, etc. (i.e.  you can make a deck with 3 rare/mythic, 12     uncommon, and 85 commons…. NOT 8 rare/mythic, 7 uncommon and 85 common)

– There is also no general in this format. Which means there are no color restrictions in the deck’s colors.  There can be a Figure of Destiny in a mono-red deck, and it would be fine, etc.

-The win condition is the same, except for the general damage rule. Players start with 30-40 life,depending on preference, and play as normal.