Variants

Horde Magic
In Brief: Horde Magic is a multiplayer variant where all players work together to survive and defeat an opposing, automated, semi-random "horde" deck. Rules Rundown: There's a lot going on in Horde Magic. We'll break it down into gameplay, player, and horde rules. Game-Play Rules: The objective is for the allied team to survive and eliminate the threat of the horde. Players achieve victory when the horde deck has no cards remaining in its library, no cards in hand, and no creatures on the battlefield. Players will lose the game at zero life, as normal. If the team were to attack or otherwise deal damage to the horde "player," then that number of cards are put from the top of the horde's deck into its graveyard. Player Rules: There are up to four players total, and each player brings his or her own deck. All players share their turn and life total, a la Two-Headed Giant, and each contributes 20 life to the starting total (one player is 20, four players is 80). The team takes the first three turns of the game, then alternates with the horde deck. Horde Rules: There is no player for the horde deck; it will play automatically. The horde is a 100-card deck, taking away a random 25 for each player under four on the team (three players is 75 cards, two players is 50). The horde is built using token cards as well as regular Magic cards. The horde's turn starts by revealing the top card of its library. If it's a creature token, it is set aside and this process repeats until a nontoken card is revealed. Then, all of the creature tokens are cast (they cost ), followed by the revealed spell. The horde will only cast spells once per turn, at the start of the turn. A creature hit by Boomerang or similar will be cast again after the revealed spell for the next turn has been cast. The horde deck has any amount of mana needed, and can always pay additional costs required (such as Sphere of Resistance and Propaganda). All creatures the horde controls have haste and must attack each turn if able. If there is a choice presented for the horde, such as a player casting Fact or Fiction or controlling a planeswalker that the horde's creatures could attack, the choice is made as randomly as possible. Pros: Horde Magic is completely cooperative, mimicking the experiences available in some first-person shooters and other games. While the original intent of the format was designed with a zombie horde and Commander players in mind, the horde can be custom-built to your group's desires (Squirrel horde? Goat horde!? YES.), and any assortment of decks can be used. Cons: The average player probably doesn't have fifty or more tokens lying around, and a cooperative game against a nonplayer "opponent" making as few decisions as possible can take away from some of the "smart" things that make Magic exciting. Respawn Magic   In Brief: Respawn Magic is a multiplayer variant where all players continue to play after being defeated, allowing the game to continue looping until otherwise desired. Rules Rundown: All players, up to any number desired, play a free-for-all multiplayer game with some additional rules for when a player loses: That player chooses to rejoin the game or not. There is no penalty for failing to rejoin other than having less fun. A player who rejoins the game may use the same deck or choose a new deck. That player will immediately take three turns in a row. These three turns are inside the "new-player bubble" which protects that player against negative effects (as per the table's vote), from being attacked (unless he or she attacks first), and is meant to be a window for that player to get up some speed in the game. While you can just enjoy playing games for as long as your group desires, you can also keep score (as originally suggested by fellow Magic writer Abe Sargent): Players earn 1 point for landing the killing blow (or life loss, or whatever) on an opponent. Players lose 1 point for being defeated. If a player leaves the game at any other time ("Hey guys, I have to get going... Sorry."), that player loses 1 point. The last player to deal damage to (or inflict life loss on) the leaving player gain 1 point. The player(s) with the most points at the end of the session (when everyone has had their fill) wins. Pros: Rebooting back into a big game is awesome, since there isn't any awkward downtime without a game available. Even if you're knocked out quickly and early, it's just a minor setback as you're right into the thick of things again! Cons: While points aren't needed, they do encourage the game to move along as well as reward more active and thoughtful attempts to regularly defeat opponents. If you wanted to play a quick game, or play a variety of different formats, this way to play will effectively preclude that. Zombie Magic   In Brief: Zombie Magic is a multiplayer variant where all players continue to play through being defeated the first time. Rules Rundown: There are a few different versions of Zombie Magic, so I'm going to share the rules I learned. All players, up to any number desired, play a free-for-all multiplayer game with some additional rules for when a player loses: The first time a player loses, that player remains in the game with his or her life total reset to 10, and is considered a "Zombie." If that player lost the game due to poison counters, all of those counters are removed. A player who loses for any other reason (cannot draw a card from their library, Door to Nothingness, etc.) has been truly destroyed. (Sorry!) That player continues with the same board state, cards in hand, and other features intact. The player who inflicted the last point of damage/life loss/poison on the defeated player is now the Zombie Master for the Zombie. Zombies may only attack and choose targets as approved by their respective Master. Hidden information (library, cards in hand) remain hidden, but a Master's instructions should be followed if possible. (Destroy that creature! Attack that player! Don't block that!) The second time a player loses, the above rules apply (including switching to a new Master, if applicable) except the life total is reset to just 5. The third time that player loses, there's nothing left to be reanimated. If you become the only Zombie Master, or all of the other players cannot be resurrected, you win! While it may be tempting to just make the Zombie Master have an endless Mindslaver effect on the Zombie players, doing so takes away the other player playing at all. These player-zombies, unlike the mindless husks found on Innistrad, should be more reminiscent of the clever Zombies of Otaria (found in the Onslaught block). Let your minion figure out how to handle your command! Pros: If you don't have an entire night to while away through Respawn Magic, this provides much of the same feel while putting a definitive cap on ending the game. It's also oozing delicious flavor; who hasn't thought of being some dark shaman raising minions out of your fallen foes? Cons: Losing control of your game isn't always fun. While Mindslaver is obviously much more severe, no one enjoys being told what to do. If players show up and join randomly, disparities in deck power will quickly divide the haves from the have-nots; losing control just because your deck isn't nearly as powerful is among the worst experiences that can be inflicted.