I was always a fan of Commander a.k.a EDH, a format where you choose a legendary creature to build around a 100 card deck, so I tried brewing one. After awhile, I never got the chance to finish it due to lack of sources from where I live. Then I came across with this "budget" casual format, the Noble format. This is somehow a variant of Pauper and Commander Format. I was immediately hooked by the idea and then I asked my self, "Why don't I combine the Commander format and the Noble format?" Thus, the Champion format was born.
What is the Champion Format?
Basically, the Champion Format is a variation of the Commander Format and Noble Format. You choose a rare/mythic rare creature card to be your champion and construct a deck around that card. It doesn't have to be legendary, but of course legendary creature is a plus. This format is for the Commander Format lovers but don't have the budget to build a decent deck for it.
Deck Building
Since this is a homebrew format or a casual game format, the minimum number of cards in a Champion format deck is 61 including your Champion. First, you'll need to have a Champion. Your Champion should be a rare/mythic rare creature. Again, it doesn't have to be a legendary creature.
Like the Commander format, Champion uses color identity to determine which cards can be included in a deck. For example, your chosen Champion is Elite Arcanist. Cards that can be included to your deck are blue creatures, blue spells, blue enchantments and lands that produces blue mana. Of course artifacts can be included too for it is colorless.
Each card in the deck must have a different English name, other than basic land cards. This means you can have only one (1) of each cards included in the deck. You can have at most 4 rares/mythic rare including your Champion, 11 uncommon and the remaining cards must be only common.
Champion is an eternal format. Meaning any legal Magic: The Gathering card is playable in this format. But of course, it can exist in any non-eternal formats like modern or standard.
The only thing that separates this format to Commander is that you are allowed to have any color in your deck when you choose to have an artifact creature as your Champion. Meaning, if you choose Myr Battlesphere as your champion, you can brew a deck with any color identity you want. If you wanted too, all five colors can be included for as long as you follow the "rarity count" in brewing a Champion format deck.
Before I forgot, we follow the lowest printed rarity of a card. For example, Doom Blade is considered as common even though it was recently printed as uncommon. Also, cards like Sengir Vampire that was printed as rare before can't be your Champion for it is printed as uncommon in latter editions, which is its lowest rarity.
Sideboarding
Sad to say, there are no sideboards in this format. Which means you have to build your deck carefully to have an answer for almost every deck created for this format.
How to Play
First, you have to separate your Champion from your deck. Like the Commander format, your Champion is placed at the Command Zone, where it can't be interacted with. You may cast your Champion any time allowed by the standard game rules and any abilities of your Champion may be played as if it was in your hand.
All players starts with 20 life. There's no Champion damage unlike in EDH so 20 should be enough.
Once your Champion has been cast, it will be treated as a normal creature card and you may choose to return it to the Command Zone whenever it dies or exiled. Like in Commander, as an additional cost to cast your Champion from the command zone, its owner must pay additional two (2) for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. Which means the more time your Champion dies, the harder it will be for you to cast it over and over again.
We apply the Commander mulligan rule in Champion format. In your first mulligan, you draw another seven (7) cards as your starting hand and will be reduced by one (1) in your next consecutive mulligans. Long story short, card reduction starts in your second mulligan.
Other than that, the game should proceed as any other MTG game.
Banned List
I have no idea on what cards should be banned but I guess following MTG's Commander banned list will not hurt.
Sample Deck List
This deck is basically brewed up from my limited collection. The deck's goal is to tap your opponents creatures and use it as your advantage. We have a playgroup of 4 and hopefully we could bring in two more so we can play 6-players multi-player game.
I was always a fan of Commander a.k.a EDH, a format where you choose a legendary creature to build around a 100 card deck, so I tried brewing one. After awhile, I never got the chance to finish it due to lack of sources from where I live. Then I came across with this "budget" casual format, the Noble format. This is somehow a variant of Pauper and Commander Format. I was immediately hooked by the idea and then I asked my self, "Why don't I combine the Commander format and the Noble format?" Thus, the Champion format was born.
What is the Champion Format?
Basically, the Champion Format is a variation of the Commander Format and Noble Format. You choose a rare/mythic rare creature card to be your champion and construct a deck around that card. It doesn't have to be legendary, but of course legendary creature is a plus. This format is for the Commander Format lovers but don't have the budget to build a decent deck for it.
Deck Building
Since this is a homebrew format or a casual game format, the minimum number of cards in a Champion format deck is 61 including your Champion. First, you'll need to have a Champion. Your Champion should be a rare/mythic rare creature. Again, it doesn't have to be a legendary creature.
Like the Commander format, Champion uses color identity to determine which cards can be included in a deck. For example, your chosen Champion is Elite Arcanist. Cards that can be included to your deck are blue creatures, blue spells, blue enchantments and lands that produces blue mana. Of course artifacts can be included too for it is colorless.
Each card in the deck must have a different English name, other than basic land cards. This means you can have only one (1) of each cards included in the deck. You can have at most 4 rares/mythic rare including your Champion, 11 uncommon and the remaining cards must be only common.
Champion is an eternal format. Meaning any legal Magic: The Gathering card is playable in this format. But of course, it can exist in any non-eternal formats like modern or standard.
The only thing that separates this format to Commander is that you are allowed to have any color in your deck when you choose to have an artifact creature as your Champion. Meaning, if you choose Myr Battlesphere as your champion, you can brew a deck with any color identity you want. If you wanted too, all five colors can be included for as long as you follow the "rarity count" in brewing a Champion format deck.
Before I forgot, we follow the lowest printed rarity of a card. For example, Doom Blade is considered as common even though it was recently printed as uncommon. Also, cards like Sengir Vampire that was printed as rare before can't be your Champion for it is printed as uncommon in latter editions, which is its lowest rarity.
Sideboarding
Sad to say, there are no sideboards in this format. Which means you have to build your deck carefully to have an answer for almost every deck created for this format.
How to Play
First, you have to separate your Champion from your deck. Like the Commander format, your Champion is placed at the Command Zone, where it can't be interacted with. You may cast your Champion any time allowed by the standard game rules and any abilities of your Champion may be played as if it was in your hand.
All players starts with 20 life. There's no Champion damage unlike in EDH so 20 should be enough.
Once your Champion has been cast, it will be treated as a normal creature card and you may choose to return it to the Command Zone whenever it dies or exiled. Like in Commander, as an additional cost to cast your Champion from the command zone, its owner must pay additional two (2) for each time it was previously cast from the command zone. Which means the more time your Champion dies, the harder it will be for you to cast it over and over again.
We apply the Commander mulligan rule in Champion format. In your first mulligan, you draw another seven (7) cards as your starting hand and will be reduced by one (1) in your next consecutive mulligans. Long story short, card reduction starts in your second mulligan.
Other than that, the game should proceed as any other MTG game.
Banned List
I have no idea on what cards should be banned but I guess following MTG's Commander banned list will not hurt.
Sample Deck List
This deck is basically brewed up from my limited collection. The deck's goal is to tap your opponents creatures and use it as your advantage. We have a playgroup of 4 and hopefully we could bring in two more so we can play 6-players multi-player game.
Infini-Tap Deck
Champion
Stoic Angel
Rares(3)
Gideon's Avenger
Finest Hour
Sunblast Angel
Uncommon(11)
----Creatures----
Fog Bank
Hover Barrier
Wall of Swords
Serra Angel
Risen Sanctuary
----Spells----
Blustersquall
Windstorm
Azorius Charm
Seek the Horizon
Sleep
Thoughtweft Gambit
Common(23)
----Creatures----
Gatecreeper Vine
Overgrown Battlement
Blinding Mage
Angelic Wall
Blinding Souleater
Axebane Guardian
Silkbind Faerie
Ballynock Trapper
Dawnstrike Paladin
Sentinel Spider
Ivory Giant
----Spells----
Fog
Ponder
See Beyond
Feeling of Dread
Revoke Existence
Whispersilk Cloak - Printed as common in Darksteel.
Oblivion Ring - Printed as common in Lorwyn and Shards of Alara.
Divination
Repel the Darkness
Safe Passage
Blunt the Assault
Foresee
Lands
Azorius Guildgate
Selesnya Guildgate
Simic Guildgate
Seijiri Steppe
Halimar Depths
Bant Panorama
Evolving Wilds
Plains x 6
Island x 5
Forest x 5
Comments, reactions and/or suggestions are very welcome.
EDIT: For reasons unknown, the deck won't show up properly using the deck tag. Used the spoiler tag instead.
Building on a budget tips:
yakusoku's Budget Guide to Standard
Simon's Budget Guide to Playing on a Budget
10$ Deck Ideas:
Shinbatsu's Budget Deck Challenge
GB Graveyard Shift BG
UBR It's Cloning Time! RBU
Modern:
B Mono Black Infect B
WG Splicers GW
UG Allies GU