Formats

EC Format Rules

The following rules mirror those as written by and found on Eternal Central. They have been rehosted here with permission as a community benefit to ensure the ability to reference them when needed.

Old School 93-94 Rules
Old School 95 Rules
Middle School Rules
Classic Magic Rules

LotP Format Rules

Eternal Chaos

Old School 93-94 Rules

All Old School 93-94 tournaments that Eternal Central hosts will use the rules below. Note: last updated September 7, 2019. EC Old School uses the current London Mulligan rule.

Legal Sets

Old School 93-94 decks may consist of cards from these sets printed in 1993-94:

Alpha
Beta
Unlimited
Collector’s Edition (CE)
International Collector’s Edition (IE)
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Revised
Legends
The Dark
Fallen Empires

Additional Sets and Cards Allowed (ie. REPRINTS)

Tournaments hosted by Eternal Central also allow all non-foil cards from the sets above, that were reprinted IN ANY LANGUAGE with the original frame and original art. So for example, a Chronicles City of Brass, Fifth Edition Wrath of God, Time Spiral Psionic Blast, and Collector’s Edition Mox Ruby would all be legal (original frame + original art), while an Ice Age Swords to Plowshares or Arena 1996 Counterspell would not be legal (different art). The misprinted Revised Serendib Efreet (with Ifh-Biff Efreet’s art, and green border) is of course allowed, because it was printed in one of the original sets in 1994 (Revised). We always encourage you to seek out the oldest and coolest versions of cards you can find, but these can serve as your de facto substitutes for the cards printed in 93-94. Absolutely no proxies and fake cards allowed. Finally, the following promotional cards from 1994 are also legal: Arena, Sewers of Estark, and Nalathni Dragon.

Deck Construction

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of 60 cards (no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance). If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it can contain up to 15 cards. With the exception of basic land cards (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest), a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than 4 of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent.

The following cards are banned by EC in 93-94 tournaments:

Bronze Tablet
Contract from Below
Darkpact
Demonic Attorney
Jeweled Bird
Rebirth
Tempest Efreet

The following cards are restricted by EC in 93-94 tournaments (maximum of 1 of each card per deck):

Ancestral Recall
Balance
Black Lotus
Braingeyser
Chaos Orb
Channel
Demonic Tutor
Library of Alexandria
Mana Drain
Mind Twist
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Recall
Regrowth
Sol Ring
Time Vault
Time Walk
Timetwister
Wheel of Fortune

Notable Rules/Differences from Modern Era of Magic

MANA BURN STILL HAPPENS (as in, players lose 1 point of life for each unused mana in the mana pool at the end of each phase)
THE FOLLOWING CARDS WILL HAVE THE UPDATED ORACLE TEXT, AS SHOWN BELOW:

Chaos Orb

Artifact

1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield. If Chaos Orb is on the battlefield, flip Chaos Orb onto the battlefield from a height of at least one foot. If Chaos Orb turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, and lands resting on the chosen permanent, destroy that permanent. Then destroy Chaos Orb. (Note: because of how Chaos Orb is worded, with it being destroyed after a flip, it can still be Disenchanted or Shattered in response to the activation, which will nullify the ability to flip, since it is no longer on the battlefield. This is consistent with the wording of Chaos Orb not being sacrificed upon activation, as it probably would with modern templating. Also note that Chaos Orb chooses, but does not target.)

Falling Star

Sorcery

Choose any number of non-overlapping creatures on the battlefield. Flip Falling Star from at least a height of one foot. If Falling Star turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, it deals 3 damage to each chosen creature it lands resting on. Any creatures damaged by Falling Star that are not destroyed become tapped. (Note: Falling Star chooses upon resolution, but does not target.)

Ring of Ma’rûf

Artifact

5, Tap, Exile Ring of Ma’rûf: The next time you would draw a card this turn, instead choose a card you own from exile or from your sideboard, and put it into your hand.

No Draws in EC Tournaments

In order to encourage the maximum amount of Magic and matches being played (and disincentivize draws and concession for seeding), we enforce a strict no draw policy (intentional or otherwise). After 50 minutes if there was a tied match, the tie breaker will be a sudden death Chaos Orb flipping contest, similar to a hockey or soccer overtime shootout. If both players make or miss the Chaos Orb flip in the same round, repeat the process. The first person to make it while the other person misses will be declared the winner of the match. The point of Old School is to play Old School, so we always encourage everyone to play quickly and have fun each round, and this tournament structure has worked very well to that end.

Old School 95 Rules

All Old School 95 tournaments that Eternal Central hosts will use the rules below. Note: last updated September 7, 2019. EC Old School uses the current London Mulligan rule.

Legal Sets

Old School 95 decks may consist of cards from the sets printed in 1993-95:

Alpha
Beta
Unlimited
Collector’s Edition (CE)
International Collector’s Edition (IE)
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Revised
Legends
The Dark
Fallen Empires
Fourth Edition
Ice Age
Chronicles
Renaissance
Homelands

Additional Sets and Cards Allowed (ie. REPRINTS)

Tournaments hosted by Eternal Central also allow all non-foil cards from the sets above, that were reprinted IN ANY LANGUAGE with the original frame and original art. So for example, a Fifth Edition Wrath of God, Time Spiral Psionic Blast, and Collector’s Edition Mox Ruby would all be legal (original frame + original art), while a foil City of Brass (foil) and an Arena 1996 Counterspell would not be legal (different art). The misprinted Revised Serendib Efreet (with Ifh-Biff Efreet’s art, and green border) is of course allowed, because it was printed in one of the original sets in 1994 (Revised). We always encourage you to seek out the oldest and coolest versions of cards you can find, but these can serve as your de facto substitutes for the cards printed in 93-94. Absolutely no proxies and fake cards allowed. Finally, the following promotional cards from 1994-1995 are also legal: Arena, Sewers of Estark, Nalathni Dragon, Giant Badger, Windseeker Centaur, and Mana Crypt (note: Mana Crypt is restricted).

Deck Construction

The following cards are banned by EC in 95 tournaments:

Amulet of Quoz
Bronze Tablet
Contract from Below
Darkpact
Demonic Attorney
Jeweled Bird
Rebirth
Tempest Efreet
Timmerian Fiends

The following cards are restricted by EC in 95 tournaments (maximum of 1 of each card per deck):

Ancestral Recall
Balance
Black Lotus
Braingeyser
Chaos Orb
Channel
Demonic Consultation
Demonic Tutor
Library of Alexandria
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain
Mind Twist
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Recall
Regrowth
Sol Ring
Time Vault
Time Walk
Timetwister
Wheel of Fortune

Notable Rules/Differences from Modern Era of Magic

MANA BURN STILL HAPPENS (as in, players lose 1 point of life for each unused mana in the mana pool at the end of each phase)
THE FOLLOWING CARDS WILL HAVE THE UPDATED ORACLE TEXT, AS SHOWN BELOW:

Chaos Orb

Artifact

Falling Star

Sorcery

Ring of Ma’rûf

Artifact

5, Tap, Exile Ring of Ma’rûf: The next time you would draw a card this turn, instead choose a card you own from exile or from your sideboard, and put it into your hand.

No Draws in EC Tournaments

Middle School Rules

All Middle School tournaments that Eternal Central hosts will use the rules below. Note: last updated May 22, 2020. EC Middle School uses the current London Mulligan rule.

Legal Sets

Middle School decks may consist of cards from the sets printed in 1995-2003:

Fourth Edition (April 1995)
Ice Age (June 1995)
Chronicles (July 1995)
Renaissance & Rinascimento (August 1995)
Homelands (October 1995)
Alliances (May 1996)
Mirage (October 1996)
Visions (February 1997)
Fifth Edition (March 1997)
Weatherlight (June 1997)
Portal (June 1997)
Tempest (October 1997)
Stronghold (March 1998)
Exodus (June 1998)
Portal Second Age (June 1998)
Urza’s Saga (October 1998)
Urza’s Legacy (February 1999)
Sixth Edition (April 1999)
Urza’s Destiny (June 1999)
Portal Three Kingdoms (June 1999)
Starter 1999 (July 1999)
Mercadian Masques (October 1999)
Nemesis (February 2000)
Prophecy (June 2000)
Starter 2000 (July 2000)
Invasion (October 2000)
Planeshift (February 2001)
Seventh Edition (April 2001)
Apocalypse (June 2001)
Odyssey (September 2001)
Torment (February 2002)
Judgment (May 2002)
Onslaught (October 2002)
Legions (January 2003)
Scourge (May 2003)

Additional Sets and Cards Allowed

Tournaments hosted by Eternal Central also allow all cards from the following box sets and special releases which were printed during the era: Pro Tour Collector Set Inaugural Edition (May 1996), Anthologies (November 1998), Battle Royal Box Set (November 1999), Beatdown Box Set (December 2000), Deckmasters: Garfield vs. Finkel (September 2001), World Championship Decks 1997-2003. Finally, the following cards that were Book Promos from the era are also legal: Arena, Sewers of Estark, Nalathni Dragon, Giant Badger, and Windseeker Centaur (note: Mana Crypt is banned). Arena League and DCI Membership Promos from the era (Fireball, Counterspell, Disenchant, Incinerate basic lands, etc.) are also legal in Middle School.

Due to bogus behavior by investors and speculators for the past few years driving up the costs of cards beyond normal market machinations, we will allow any reprints of these cards to be played, including Collector’s Edition/International Collector’s Edition, World Championship, artist proofs, etc. Even though it goes against the original aesthetic and theme of the format, we will also begrudgingly allow modern bordered reprints of these cards to be played in Middle School. We always encourage you to seek out the oldest and best looking versions of cards you can find, but these newer or more affordable versions can always serve as your de facto substitutes for the original printings of the cards. Absolutely no proxies and fake cards are allowed.

Deck Construction

The following cards are banned by EC in Middle School tournaments:

Amulet of Quoz
Balance
Brainstorm
Bronze Tablet
Channel
Dark Ritual
Demonic Consultation
Flash
Goblin Recruiter
Imperial Seal
Jeweled Bird
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Memory Jar
Mind’s Desire
Mind Twist
Rebirth
Strip Mine
Tempest Efreet
Timmerian Fiends
Tolarian Academy
Vampiric Tutor
Windfall
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Yawgmoth’s Will

We are constantly monitoring the decks and cards in the format to ascertain if anything needs to be modified as time passes.

Notable Rules/Differences from Modern Era of Magic

Additionally, there are a few important rules differences between Middle School and the way modern Magic has mutated over time:

Mana Burn Happens (as in, players lose 1 point of life for each unused mana in the mana pool at the end of each phase).
The Judgment Wish Cycle Works as Originally Designed, Pre-M10 Rules Change (as in, Cunning Wish, Burning Wish, Living Wish, Death Wish, and Golden Wish were originally able to find an appropriate card that had either been removed from the game, or was located in your sideboard. The Wish cycle functionality has been restored to allow this).
Damage Uses the Stack (as it did with Sixth Edition rules for example, so combat tricks such as Morphling, Triskelion, and Mogg Fanatic work).

Sixth Edition Style: C.1.Ruling.3

The combat phase can be mapped in a longer form like this:

Triggers on “beginning of combat,” then chance for instants and abilities.
Declare attackers.
Triggers on attack declaration, then chance for instants and abilities.
Declare blockers.
Triggers on block declaration, then chance for instants and abilities.
Assign combat damage (but don’t deal it yet)
Chance for instants and abilities.
Deal combat damage.
Triggers on damage being dealt, then chance for instants and abilities.
Triggers on “end of combat,” then chance for instants and abilities.

We strongly feel that these specific older rules make for significantly better and more compelling game play, with more strategic depth. Everything else in Middle School works the same as modern Magic rules (current London Mulligan rule, etc.).

Draws in EC Tournaments

As of right now, there is no official and explicit rule against drawing in Middle School tournaments (yet). This is a departure from our policy in other Old School tournaments (In order to encourage the maximum amount of Magic and matches being played, and disincentivize draws and concession for seeding, we normally enforce a strict no draw policy, intentional or otherwise). We are still experimenting with solutions at different events we run, and this will be revisited and updated accordingly when necessary.

Classic Magic Rules

All Classic Magic tournaments that Eternal Central hosts will mirror the rules as written and maintained on the Classic Magic Facebook page. Note: last updated June 4, 2019. Classic Magic uses the current London Mulligan rule.

Legal Sets

Classic Magic decks may consist of cards from these sets printed in 1993-2003:

Alpha
Beta
Unlimited
Collector’s Edition (CE)
International Collector’s Edition (IE)
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Revised
Legends
The Dark
Fallen Empires
Fourth Edition
Chronicles
Renaissance/Rinascimento
Homelands
Ice Age
Alliances
Mirage
Visions
Fifth Edition
Weatherlight
Portal 1
Tempest
Stronghold
Classic Sixth Edition
Exodus
Portal 2
Urza’s Saga
*Urza’s Legacy
Urza’s Destiny
Portal 3 Kingdoms
Mercadian Masques
Starter
Nemesis
Prophecy
Invasion
Planeshift
Seventh Edition
Apocalypse
Odyssey
Torment
Judgment
Onslaught
Legions
Scourge

Additional Sets and Cards Allowed

New border cards of any sort are not legal, proxies or not. This may seem absurd, but the whole point of the format is to play exclusively with old bordered cards, for the nostalgia.

ALL FOREIGN LANGUAGE CARDS ARE LEGAL from any of the sets above, or Foreign Black Bordered reprints of those sets. Finally, the following promotional cards are also legal in Classic Magic: Arena, Sewers of Estark, Nalathni Dragon, Giant Badger, Windseeker Centaur, and Mana Crypt (note: Mana Crypt is restricted). Arena League Promos that were printed in 1996 (Fireball, Counterspell, Disenchant, basic lands) are also legal in Classic Magic.

Deck Construction

Constructed decks must contain a minimum of 60 cards (no maximum deck size; however, you must be able to shuffle your deck with no assistance). If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it can contain up to 15 cards. With the exception of basic land cards (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest) and Snow-Covered basic land cards (Snow-Covered Plains, Snow-Covered Island, Snow-Covered Swamp, Snow-Covered Mountain, Snow-Covered Forest), a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than 4 of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent.

The following cards are banned in Classic Magic:

Amulet of Quoz
Bronze Tablet
Chaos Orb
Contract from Below
Darkpact
Demonic Attorney
Falling Star
Jeweled Bird
Rebirth
Tempest Efreet
Timmerian Fiends

The following cards are restricted in Classic Magic (maximum of 1 of each card per deck):

Ancestral Recall
Balance
Black Lotus
Black Vise
Braingeyser
Burning Wish
Channel
Demonic Consultation
Demonic Tutor
Fact or Fiction
Fastbond
Flash
Gush
Imperial Seal
Library of Alexandria
Lion’s Eye Diamond
Lotus Petal
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Memory Jar
Maze of Ith
Merchant Scroll
Mind Twist
Mind’s Desire
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Mystical Tutor
Necropotence
Regrowth
Shahrazad
Sol Ring
Strip Mine
Stroke of Genius
Time Walk
Timetwister
Tolarian Academy
Vampiric Tutor
Wheel of Fortune
Windfall
Yawgmoth’s Bargain
Yawgmoth’s Will

The Banned & Restricted List announcements will be made twice a year, on the following schedule:

January 1
July 1

Notable Rules/Differences from Modern Era of Magic

MANA BURN STILL HAPPENS (as in, players lose 1 point of life for each unused mana in the mana pool at the end of each phase).
DAMAGE USES THE STACK (as in, combat tricks such as Morphling, Triskelion, and Mogg Fanatic work).
THE WISH CYCLE RETURNS TO ORIGINAL (PRE-M10) FUNCTIONALITY (as in, Cunning Wish, Burning Wish, Living Wish, Death Wish, and Golden Wish were originally able to find an appropriate card that had either been removed from the game, or was located in your sideboard. The Wish cycle functionality has been restored to allow this).
THE FOLLOWING CARDS WILL HAVE THE UPDATED ORACLE TEXT, AS SHOWN BELOW:

Time Vault

Artifact

Time Vault comes into play tapped. Time Vault doesn’t untap during your untap step.

Skip your next turn: Untap Time Vault and put a time counter on it.

T, Remove a time counter from Time Vault: Take an extra turn after this one. Play this ability if only there’s a time counter on Time Vault.

Illusionary Mask

Artifact

X: : Put a creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your hand into play face down as a 0/1 creature. Put X mask counters on that creature. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery. You may turn the creature face up any time you could play an instant by removing all mask counters from it. Note: this is similar to how Illusionary Mask worked in a previous rules update, prior to the modern wording.

Eternal Chaos Rules

Eternal Chaos (aka K-OS, aka Crackin’ Boosties) uses the Eternal Central OS 93-94 ruleset as its base, with the following modifications:

The following cards (hereafter referred to as “boostie cards”) are legal to play:

Booster Tutor (4 of)
Opening Ceremony (4 of)
Summon the Pack (Restricted)

The boostie cards have been given the following errata:

Every instance of “sealed Magic booster pack” is replaced with “sealed Magic booster pack or booster pack that you have opened during the current match.” For example, Booster Tutor would read, “Open a sealed Magic booster pack or booster pack that you have opened during the current match, reveal the cards, and put one of them into your hand.”

Deck Construction and Open Packs

A deck is not allowed to have a pre-constructed sideboard. For each match, a player’s sideboard consists of cards from booster packs that the player opened during the match. Any card that has not been tutored or added to the deck between games is still considered to be part of its pack. Once a card from a booster pack has been tutored with a boostie card or added to a deck between games, it is no longer part of that pack and you can no longer tutor that card with a boostie card. Because a player can continue to pull from the same pack even after it has been opened, each player should keep track of which cards are still in which of their open packs.

Between games of a match, a player may do any of the following:

Crack open a maximum of one new pack.
Put any number of cards from their sideboard into their deck.
Put any number of cards from their deck into their sideboard, so long as the deck they present to their opponent has the appropriate minimum number of cards.

Between Matches

At the end of a match, a player must remove from their deck and sideboard all cards from all packs that were opened. No cards from packs opened in that match may be used in the player’s subsequent matches.

Gentleman’s Agreement Banlist

At the beginning of a new match, both players may agree to ban certain cards during their match. If they do, they may remove those cards from their decks and decrease the minimum required deck size by the appropriate number of banned cards removed from their decks. For example, if both players were to agree to ban Mind Twist for the duration of the match, they may do so, and the minimum required deck size would be 59 cards for each player who removed Mind Twist from their deck.

Definition of a booster pack

For new sets, a booster pack will have the word “booster” on it, such as a “draft booster” or a “themed booster.” Booster packs from older sets may not have the word “booster” on them, but there were fewer products back then, so you should be able to figure it out. A tournament pack is not a booster.