Step 4 • Ways to play
A format is the shared agreement that makes a game possible: which cards are allowed, how large your deck must be, how many copies you can use, and how many people usually play.
Four good places to begin
You do not need to learn every format. Pick the one your friends, local store, or digital queue supports, then build only for that ruleset.
Social • Multiplayer
Choose a legendary creature to lead a 100-card deck. Except for basic lands, cards appear only once. Your commander also determines which colors your deck may use.
Best fit: expressive decks, longer games, and a social table.
Constructed • One-on-one
Bring a deck of at least 60 cards built from recent, Standard-legal sets. Up to four copies of most cards are allowed, so your deck can repeat its plan consistently.
Best fit: focused duels, organized play, and many MTG Arena queues.
Limited • Draft at the table
Open a booster, choose one card, and pass the rest. Repeat until everyone has a pool, then build a deck of at least 40 cards using what you drafted and any number of basic lands.
Best fit: learning card evaluation and building under pressure.
Limited • Open and build
Open a set number of boosters and build a deck of at least 40 cards from your own pool plus basic lands. There is no passing cards, so you can work at your own pace.
Best fit: prerelease events and a gentler first Limited experience.
A simple decision