4 Card Land Rule (Wastes Only)
Submit a 4 card hand. The land rule is in effect, but instead of any basic land, only the card Wastes may be played using the land rule. Other lands can still be included in your 4 cards.
Rules and banned list
Be sure to review the rules and regular banned list by clicking below. In addition, be sure to review the "Land Rule" banned list as well.
Format ideas?
If you have a format you'd like to try, send me a message, mention it along with the cards in your hand, or post it here!
Contents
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.1a. Changes to the Comprehensive Rules or the Oracle text of a card take effect at the following times:
i. Changes that would take effect during the prerelease for a set take effect during the first round for which cards from that set may be submitted instead.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.3a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
i. win the game
ii. take an infinite number of turns
iii. cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1a. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents' cards had no rules text.
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2a. If a player submits an illegal hand, then the moderator will try to notify that player to change his or her hand prior to the deadline. If the hand is discovered to be illegal after the deadline – or if the player does not submit a new hand – then the moderator may either disqualify that hand or replace it with a similar hand, in which any cards causing that hand to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
League Points = Points Scored / Number of Opponents x 100 (rounded to the nearest integer)
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
5.3a. If multiple players have the most League points at the end of the League, then the PHM moderator may allow those players to play additional rounds until only one of those players has the most League points or until a specified number of additional rounds have been played.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3a. Players are encouraged to determine or verify additional match results.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2a. Some variant formats generate continuous effects. A continuous effect generated by a variant format is treated as having the earliest timestamp within a layer or sublayer. If continuous effects generated by multiple variant formats would apply in the same layer or sublayer, assign timestamps to those effects in the order that the variant formats are listed in the rules or name of the round.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3a. This is the basic land rule (LR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land or basic snow land card of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4a. Only cards contained in sets legal in the named format may be submitted.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5a. If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
7.5b. A player must choose an opening hand that enables that player to win both games of a match against at least one legal hand, irrespective of rule 7.5a.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.6a. Players exchanges hands before the start of each match. A hand must enable the player of that hand to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands. Ignore rule 3.1.
7.7. Bonus Points.
7.7a. A player earns bonus points if his or her hand meets specified requirements.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Draw land opens up more options, making it more likely something breaks.
I really wish we'd get more "strong" formats though. I really liked Fork Week (spells get copied), f'rex... Fork Land Rule week could be interesting...
NOW SOMEONE PUT UP THE ROUND! Seriously, I know waiting when there's few entries is a thing, but it actually just depresses turnout even further - after the submission date, people just don't enter, and every time it posts late or not at all, people lose a bit more interest. Tiny timely rounds push past bad (uninteresting) formats and keep PHM alive; late rounds have pushed this into a death spiral.
Crystal Core - 5 cards. All creatures are have base power and toughness 5/5.
Aftermath - 3 cards, land rule. You may submit custom split cards, where each side is a PHM-legal instant or sorcery (which is not already a split card) except that one side also has Aftermath.
Commander - 3 different cards plus a legendary creature, land rule. Use all the standard rules for the Commander format.
This round's hands and the next round will be posted within the next twelve hours by (5:30 am GMT). If any additional players submit hands within the next eight hours (1:30 am GMT), those hands will be included as well.
Thank you everyone for your patience and sorry for the delay; for the foreseeable future, rounds will be posted in a timely manner.
I want to grow this game, and that growth will depend on stability for current players and a visibly engaged community toward which potential and previous players can be drawn.
Tentatively, the format for the coming week will be InfiniteNutshell's "Crystal Core": 5CH, "All creatures have base power and toughness 5/5".
Please post within the next twelve hours (by 5:30 am GMT) if you have reason to believe the format is fundamentally broken in anyway or any cards need to be banned (I'll be thinking this over, too).
I'll post the round likely before then, but it won't be considered final until at least that much time has passed to allow for discussion. Future rounds will have a longer pre-round discussion period, but I've chosen this format largely on the basis that - while powerful - it doesn't appear to me to have any fundamental complications (I also like many of the others formats suggested, but I want to spend a bit longer reviewing potential bans/interactions before selecting any of them as the format).
I also acknowledge that, past what's posted in this thread, I'm not acutely aware of which formats have been played or suggested in the past several months. I'll take a look, and I also welcome everyone to re-post any ideas they'd like to see implemented.
vs Mogg: Hedron Crawler is useless, but I can still ramp with Warping Wail for a Scion. With a turn 3 Thought-Knot to take out Mogg's Thought-Knot, they are left with no threats. 6-0
vs NemataGG: On the play, I drop my creatures and swing for 18 before NemataGG can drop their first Walker, and I hit for lethal with whichever one they don't block on turn 6. On the draw I only get in 9 damage uncontested, and next turn there's a 9/9 blocker in my way, and things only get worse from there. I can't get through for more than 4 more damage, and if I hold back, there are quickly 3 Walkers big enough to trample through everything I have for 20+ damage at once. 2-2
vs tomsloger: On the play, turn 3 Thought-Knot takes out Ensnaring Bridge and I'm clear. On the draw, Bridge makes it out, so I have no way to win, but I can Thought-Knot the Chalice and leave tomsloger with no way to win either. 4-1
vs WhammeWhamme: I can't stop Emrakul from coming out on turn 3. 0-6
The full results grid has been added to the opening post. Please let me know if you think any of the results are listed incorrectly.
Congrats to tomsloger for winning a close round!
4 Card Land Rule (Wastes Only)
Submit a 4 card hand. The land rule is in effect, but instead of any basic land, only the card Wastes may be played using the land rule. Other lands can still be included in your 4 cards.
Hands:
1) Infinite Nutshell
Hedron Crawler / Reality Smasher / Thought-Knot Seer / Warping Wail
2) Mogg
Artifact Blast / Null Rod / Simian Spirit Guide / Thought-Knot Seer
3) NemataGG
Walker of the Wastes / Walker of the Wastes / Walker of the Wastes / Walker of the Wastes
4) tomsloger
Chalice of Life / Ensnaring Bridge / Phyrexian Revoker / Pithing Needle
5) WhammeWhamme
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn / Lion's Eye Diamond / Nevinyrral's Disk / Shelldock Isle
X| 1 2 3 4 5
1| X 6 2 4 0 | 12 | 300
2| 0 X 0 6 6 | 12 | 300
3| 2 6 X 0 0 | 08 | 200
4| 1 0 6 X 6 | 13 | 325
5| 6 0 6 0 X | 12 | 300
tomsloger wins!
Rules and banned list
Be sure to review the rules and regular banned list by clicking below. In addition, be sure to review the "Land Rule" banned list as well.
Format ideas?
If you have a format you'd like to try, send me a message, mention it along with the cards in your hand, or post it here!
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.6. Backbuild.
7.7. Bonus Points.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Acceleration
Channel
Fastbond
Flash
Show and Tell
Disruption
Pact of Negation
Chancellor of the Annex
Force of Will
Leyline of Anticipation
Trinisphere
Lands
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Win Conditions
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Barren Glory
Laboratory Maniac
Magus of the Moon
Meddling Mage
The Rack
Vampire Hexmage
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Acceleration
Black Lotus
Disruption
Balancing Act
Energy Field
Time Walk
Win Conditions
Beacon of Creation
Maralen of the Mornsong
Nezumi Shortfang
Red Sun's Zenith
White Sun's Zenith
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
3 card land rule (or draw rule?). Players can't cast spells.
I really wish we'd get more "strong" formats though. I really liked Fork Week (spells get copied), f'rex... Fork Land Rule week could be interesting...
NOW SOMEONE PUT UP THE ROUND! Seriously, I know waiting when there's few entries is a thing, but it actually just depresses turnout even further - after the submission date, people just don't enter, and every time it posts late or not at all, people lose a bit more interest. Tiny timely rounds push past bad (uninteresting) formats and keep PHM alive; late rounds have pushed this into a death spiral.
Crystal Core - 5 cards. All creatures are have base power and toughness 5/5.
Aftermath - 3 cards, land rule. You may submit custom split cards, where each side is a PHM-legal instant or sorcery (which is not already a split card) except that one side also has Aftermath.
Commander - 3 different cards plus a legendary creature, land rule. Use all the standard rules for the Commander format.
This round's hands and the next round will be posted within the next twelve hours by (5:30 am GMT). If any additional players submit hands within the next eight hours (1:30 am GMT), those hands will be included as well.
Thank you everyone for your patience and sorry for the delay; for the foreseeable future, rounds will be posted in a timely manner.
I want to grow this game, and that growth will depend on stability for current players and a visibly engaged community toward which potential and previous players can be drawn.
Tentatively, the format for the coming week will be InfiniteNutshell's "Crystal Core": 5CH, "All creatures have base power and toughness 5/5".
Please post within the next twelve hours (by 5:30 am GMT) if you have reason to believe the format is fundamentally broken in anyway or any cards need to be banned (I'll be thinking this over, too).
I'll post the round likely before then, but it won't be considered final until at least that much time has passed to allow for discussion. Future rounds will have a longer pre-round discussion period, but I've chosen this format largely on the basis that - while powerful - it doesn't appear to me to have any fundamental complications (I also like many of the others formats suggested, but I want to spend a bit longer reviewing potential bans/interactions before selecting any of them as the format).
I also acknowledge that, past what's posted in this thread, I'm not acutely aware of which formats have been played or suggested in the past several months. I'll take a look, and I also welcome everyone to re-post any ideas they'd like to see implemented.
Thanks for reading.
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
The hands have been posted!
Take a look and score your submission.
I like the submitted hands and look forward to seeing how everything plays out.
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted
X| 1 2 3 4 5
2| 0 X 0 6 6 | 300
I definitely expected more Moxen. My first idea was Beast Within / Elixir of Immortality / Mayor of Avabruck / Mox Emerald
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
vs NemataGG: On the play, I drop my creatures and swing for 18 before NemataGG can drop their first Walker, and I hit for lethal with whichever one they don't block on turn 6. On the draw I only get in 9 damage uncontested, and next turn there's a 9/9 blocker in my way, and things only get worse from there. I can't get through for more than 4 more damage, and if I hold back, there are quickly 3 Walkers big enough to trample through everything I have for 20+ damage at once. 2-2
vs tomsloger: On the play, turn 3 Thought-Knot takes out Ensnaring Bridge and I'm clear. On the draw, Bridge makes it out, so I have no way to win, but I can Thought-Knot the Chalice and leave tomsloger with no way to win either. 4-1
vs WhammeWhamme: I can't stop Emrakul from coming out on turn 3. 0-6
X | 1 2 3 4 5 |
1 | X 6 2 4 0 | 300
5| 6 0 6 0 X | 300
1 = doesn't stop the Emmy
2 = Blasts LED, nulls Nev
3 = doesn't stop the Emmy
4 = needles isle, revokes disk
Congrats to tomsloger for winning a close round!
Follow me to be notified when weekly Perfect Hand Magic results are posted