Fetching decklists…
Rules
How the format plays.
-
01
60-card singleton
Decks are a 60-card minimum. One copy of any card, with basic lands the only exception.
-
02
Vintage-legal pool
Any card legal in Vintage is legal here, subject to the banned list. Restricted cards play fine, since singleton already limits you to one copy.
-
03
$50 budget
Your full 60 stays at or under $50, priced by TCGplayer market price. Basic lands do not count toward the total.
-
04
Best of three, no sideboards
Matches are best of three. There is no sideboard, so you run the same 60 every game.
-
05
20 starting life
Players start at 20 life. Standard one-on-one turn structure otherwise.
Banned Cards
Cards you cannot play in the format.
Sol Ring
Fast manaOne mana for an artifact that taps for two is too much acceleration in a 60-card singleton game. It slots into every deck that can run it and decides games off the opening hand.
Channel
Combo enablerTrading life for unlimited colorless mana ends games on the spot too often, whether it points at a big creature or a lethal burn spell. It rewards a non-interactive line over fair play.
Balance
Mass removalIt reads symmetrical but plays one-sided, wiping creatures, lands, and hands down to whoever invested the least. A single two-mana spell resets the game and punishes anyone who actually developed a board.
Flash
Combo enablerTwo mana to cheat any creature into play at instant speed turns fair cards into combo pieces and dodges sorcery-speed answers. It rewards a fast, non-interactive line the format would rather not police one card at a time.
Skullclamp
Card advantageOne mana to equip turns every small creature into two cards, and the engine never stops. It warps any deck that can field bodies into a relentless draw machine the rest of the field can't keep up with.
Forth Eorlingas!
FinisherA scalable haste-token swing that also hands you the monarch, so it closes games and refuels at the same time. That much reach and card advantage stapled to one X spell is too much for a budget format.
The Initiative
Mechanic banEvery card that mentions the initiative is banned. Taking the initiative snowballs hard in one-on-one games, and whoever grabs it first usually keeps it for the rest of the match.
Watchlist
Legal for now, but under review. These cards are being watched and could be banned later.
Oko, Thief of Crowns
WatchingThree mana that shuts off opposing threats by turning them into 3/3 Elks while building an unkillable board. Watching whether it's simply too oppressive at this budget.
Fury
WatchingFree interaction that two-for-ones from an empty hand and pressures life totals on the way out. Watching how much "free" removal the format can absorb.
Gut, True Soul Zealot
WatchingA cheap engine that churns out tokens and turns sacrifice into reach, snowballing a grindy board fast. Under review for how consistently it takes over.
Palace Jailer
WatchingExile removal plus the monarch on a single body, and clawing the crown back in 1v1 is hard. Watching how sticky that card-advantage lock really is.
Broadside Bombardiers
WatchingFlexible, repeatable removal and reach that overperforms for three mana in the right shell. Watching the ceiling before deciding anything.
Mind Twist
WatchingAn X-cost strip that can empty an opponent's hand outright and leave them drawing blanks. Watching whether it's too punishing for a fair format.
Decklists
Community lists from the Atlanta Highlander deck database on Moxfield.