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"Outside the game" in Commander? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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After reading both the comphrehensive rules and the MTGCommander.net rules, it appears that the two contradict each other on whether or not effects that refer to cards from outside the game continue to function?

In particular, the Comprehensive Rules state that:

903.1. In the Commander variant, each deck is led by a legendary creature designated as that deck’s commander. The Commander variant was created and popularized by fans; an independent rules committee maintains additional resources at MTGCommander.net. The Commander variant uses all the normal rules for a Magic game, with the following additions.

903.11: If a player is allowed to bring a card from outside the game into a Commander game, that player can’t bring a card into the game this way if it has the same name as a card that player had in their starting deck, if it has the same name as a card that the player owns in the current game, or if any color in its color identity isn’t in the color identity of the player’s commander.

This makes it sound like so long as a card from outside the game would obey deck construction rules, it's legal to bring it in. At the same time, MTGCommander.net rule 10 is pretty explicitly against that:

10: Parts of abilities which bring other traditional card(s) you own from outside the game into the game (such as Living Wish; Spawnsire of Ulamog; Karn, the Great Creator; Wish) do not function in Commander.

Since CR 903.1 imports MTGC 10 into the game, how is the contradiction with CR 903.11 handled?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

My understanding with commander is that players don't have sideboards, so they are unable to bring any cards from outside the game into the game. 903.11 may be referring specifically to companions, which for some weird reason, are legal in commander.

In casual commander, you can of course do what you want as long as the play group is okay with it.

(Also, I don't play a lot of commander, so my rules knowledge for it may be incorrect.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah I think this it - it's to accommodate companions; technically the ability is not on a card in your actual deck/battlefield (making Rule 10 not applicable?) but an extra deck mechanic like Un-set contraptions, stickers etc. (although I do not know how "assemble a contraption" works on the one legal contraption card?).

EDIT: Also the inclusion of "traditional card(s)" probably gives companion wriggle room.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Rule 10 might also not apply since the companion mechanic is a special action. Still, it's a bit confusing because "Companion" is itself a keyword ability (702.139), so my guess is that while the companion ability allows you to take a special action to put the card into your hand, it itself doesn't put the card in your hand, so it doesn't apply. Companions are weird.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I am no expert, but from my reading it seems like 903.11 is a rule for play groups that ARE allowing cards to be brought in from outside of the game considering the leading phrase "if a player is allowed". It is also possible that 903.11 was written first or was written before some amendment to 10 (if one occurred)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

@xgranade imo this is more of a rule 0 matter. If I had a card like that in my deck, I would get the table's permission before starting and bring a replacement card in case someone objects.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

That's fair, yeah. I ran into that a little while ago only having read 903.11 and not realizing the contradiction; people got a bit irate with me, even though it was an honest mistake. Ah, well.