The Rules of Revolution

The following are deviations from the standard MTG Commander Rules

Game Setup

  • Required numbers of players: 3 - 4

  • Game Scoring:

    • 3 points per win

    • 1 point per draw

    • 0 points per loss

  • Players begin the game with 30 life.

  • After starting hands have been confirmed, the last player may scry 1.

    • All players draw a card on their 1st turn.

The Rules

One Target Opponent

  • When a player's target opponent is eliminated, they win and the game immediately ends.

    • The player who is eliminated receives a loss.

    • Each player who does not win the game and is not eliminated receives a draw.

  • Each player’s target opponent is the player sitting counter-clockwise from them. 

    • This assumes a clockwise direction for turn order.

  • All other players are considered general opponents and can be fully interacted with.

    • This includes attacking the player, attacking their planeswalkers, targeting them with spells, and targeting their permanents/spells.

    • Spells and abilities that reference “opponents” still affect all other players.

    • A player may eliminate non-target opponents to force the game to end.

  • If a player simultaneously eliminates multiple opponents with a spell, ability, or via combat damage, then that player chooses the order in which those opponents are eliminated.

    • This rule only refers to opponents.  Therefore, if you eliminate yourself and any number of opponents simultaneously, then you cannot choose to eliminate yourself after your opponents.

  • One target opponent allows for more linear and logical decision-making in whom to attack, whom to defend against, and whom to interact with during various stages in the game. The gameplay became less subjective and more objective, which in turn reduces bias and negative personal reactions. With this rule table politics were minimized and the focus shifted back to the sleeved cardboard on the table.

Finite Repetition of Spells and Abilities

  • A player cannot cast the same spell more than 4 times until a different player begins their turn.

    • All future occurrences of the spell after 4 repetitions do not enter the stack and function as though they never existed.

    • For the sole purposes of this rule, copying a spell counts as casting it.

  • A player cannot trigger or activate the same ability from the same card more than 4 times until a different player begins their turn.

    • All future occurrences of the ability or trigger after 4 repetitions do not enter the stack and function as though they never existed.

    • For this rule, copying an ability counts as activating or triggering it.

    • The owner of the card is considered when defining “the same card”.  This means if a permanent is exiled and returned to the battlefield, it is still considered the same card as its owner did not change.

  • The count of each spell, trigger, and ability resets during the untap step of a different player.

    • A player taking additional consecutive turns does not reset the count.

  • To further distinguish Revolution from cEDH we needed a rule that regulated infinite combos. The goal was to elevate strategies focused on an incremental depletion of life totals rather than a successful assembly of two cards that abruptly win the game. Limiting repeated spells, triggers, and abilities to 4 occurrences impeded infinite combo loops while still rewarding significant value for initiating them as powerful card synergies.

Alternate Win Conditions are Disabled

  • The oracle text on all cards “you win the game” does not function.

    • Cards with this oracle text are not banned and can still be played in Revolution.

  • A player may still eliminate an opponent via an alternate lose condition.

    • This means a player still loses by sustaining 10 infect damage, 21 commander damage, or drawing more cards than are left in their library.

    • Cards that have oracle text “lose the game” or “loses the game” function as normal.

  • Executing alternate win conditions is another common strategy in cEDH tournaments. Several playgroup members classified this style of play as “group solitaire” because it felt like the only priority was satisfying an obscure set of parameters (such as resolving Thassa’s Oracle and self milling your library). By disabling alternate win conditions, we promoted the spirit of the format by requiring players to win the game via defeating their target opponent through some form of direct interaction.

Cardpool: Modern + Multiplayer Sets

  • Cards from all regular core sets and expansions starting at Eighth Edition are legal (details in Cardpool).

    • This means any card that was Modern legal at any point in time is in the card pool.

  • Cards from all multiplayer-focused sets are legal (details in Cardpool).

    • There are supplemental sets and box sets designed or draftable for multiplayer play.  This includes any set with Archenemy, Battlebond, Commander, Conspiracy, or Planechase in their title.

  • Cards on the Revolution ban list are prohibited (details in Ban List)

    • All cards that manipulate or restrict attacking direction are banned in Revolution.

  • Another frequent cEDH strategy is the execution of lockout stax combos aimed to prevent opponents from further interacting in the game. The Modern cardpool organically omits cost-effective lockout stax combos, while still offering an extensive variety of options for deck building. To provide access to a healthy portion of Commander staples, we included multiplayer sets into the cardpool to further materialize multiplayer gameplay and interactions.