Rules

Ban list

Mystical Tutor will be allowed during an unban trial period, starting February 15th, 2025.

Format in general

European Highlander is a Magic: The Gathering format that is sometimes described to as “constructed cube“ in flavor. The format’s power level is somewhere between Vintage and Legacy. If in recent years you have played Modern or high-powered Commander, you likely have the cards for a European Highlander deck

The format is played like “regular Magic”: 1 versus 1, 20 life, usually best-of-3.

A European Highlander deck consists of at least 100 cards. It’s a so-called singleton format, meaning discounting basic lands there may only be one copy of any card in a deck.

The format’s banlist and central rules are maintained by a council consisting of members from several countries. Banlist changes are made four times every year: February, May, August, and November 1st.

Deckbuilding

As mentioned, the central constraint is that each card may appear in a deck only once, discounting basic lands and cards that explicitly mention so (e.g. Shadowborn Apostle).

100 card minimum

A European Highlander deck consists of at least 100 cards.

Card legality

All tournament legal Magic: The Gathering cards are legal within the constraints of the banlist.

New sets become legal on the day of their prerelease.

Sideboard

The format does not use a sideboard. This includes companions (e.g. Lutri, the Spellchaser) and “wishboards” (e.g. Wish). In other words, you may only play with the cards in your deck.