XMage ships with one of the broadest format catalogs of any Magic: The Gathering client, covering everything from kitchen-table Freeform to tournament-legal Standard and the full Commander family. The server registers 17 distinct game types and 52 deck validators, all with full rules enforcement — deck legality is checked before a game starts and game rules are enforced throughout every match. Whether you want a two-player competitive duel, a 10-player Commander pod, or a nostalgic Old School 93/94 game, there is a game type and a matching deck validator waiting for you.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/magefree/mage/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Highlight Formats
Commander
The most popular multiplayer format. 100-card singleton decks, a legendary commander in the command zone, up to 10 players. Full color-identity and commander-tax rules enforced.
Booster Draft
Rotate booster packs around the table picking one card at a time, then build a 40-card deck. Supported as a full tournament with 4–16 players and bot fill-in.
Standard
Legal sets rotate automatically. Deck validator enforces the current Standard card pool and 60-card minimum / 4-of rule.
Modern
All sets from 8th Edition onward (with ban list). Fast, combo-rich environment with full rules enforcement including the modern ban list.
Oathbreaker
60-card singleton with a planeswalker commander and a “signature spell” in the command zone. Two-player duel and free-for-all variants available.
Pauper
Only commons allowed. Full ban-list enforcement. A budget-friendly competitive format.
Game Types
Game types define the structure of a match — how many players, which zone rules apply (commander tax, etc.), and which special rules are active. Every game type listed below is registered in the server’sconfig.xml and is selectable when creating a new table.
Duel (Two-Player) Formats
| Game Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Two Player Duel | Classic 1v1 match. The baseline format for most constructed play. |
| Commander Two Player Duel | Commander rules in a 1v1 setting; uses standard Commander ban list. |
| Tiny Leaders Two Player Duel | Commander-style 1v1 with a legendary creature of CMC ≤ 3; deck max CMC ≤ 3. |
| Canadian Highlander Two Player Duel | 100-card singleton 1v1 using the Canadian Highlander points system. |
| Freeform Commander Two Player Duel | Commander rules with no official ban list — bring anything. |
| Custom Pillar of the Paruns Two Player Duel | Variant duel using the Pillar of the Paruns custom rule set. |
| Oathbreaker Two Player Duel | Oathbreaker rules in a 1v1 setting. |
| Brawl Two Player Duel | Brawl (Standard-legal commander variant) in a 1v1 setting. |
| Momir Basic Two Player Duel | Each turn you may pay X generic mana and discard a card to put a random creature of CMC X into play, 1v1. |
Multiplayer (Free For All) Formats
| Game Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Free For All | Multiplayer game with no special zone rules; each player starts at 20 life. |
| Commander Free For All | Commander rules for 3–10 players; 40 starting life. The most popular mode. |
| Penny Dreadful Commander Free For All | Commander with Penny Dreadful pricing restrictions on the card pool. |
| Freeform Commander Free For All | Commander rules, no ban list, multiplayer. |
| Freeform Unlimited Commander | Commander rules with no singleton restriction and no ban list. |
| Oathbreaker Free For All | Oathbreaker rules for multiplayer pods. |
| Brawl Free For All | Brawl rules in a multiplayer pod. |
| Momir Basic Free For All | Momir Basic variant for multiple players. |
Deck / Format Validators
Deck validators enforce legality — card pool, set legality, deck size, sideboard size, and ban/restricted lists. Select a validator when creating a table or when checking a deck in the deck editor.Constructed
| Validator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Constructed - Standard | Current rotating Standard card pool |
| Constructed - Pioneer | Sets from Return to Ravnica onward, with Pioneer ban list |
| Constructed - Modern | 8th Edition onward, with Modern ban list |
| Constructed - Modern - No Banned List | Modern card pool with the ban list removed |
| Constructed - Legacy | All sets, with Legacy ban list |
| Constructed - Vintage | All sets, restricted list enforced |
| Constructed - Pauper | Commons only, Pauper ban list |
| Constructed - Historic | Arena Historic card pool |
| Constructed - Eternal | Eternal format (all sets, no banned list) |
| Constructed - Extended | Classic Extended format |
| Constructed - Frontier | Sets from Magic 2015 (M15) onward |
| Constructed - Historical Type 2 | Vintage Standard seasons for historical play |
| Constructed - Super Type 2 | Super Standard variant |
| Constructed - Premodern | Sets from 4th Edition through Onslaught |
| Constructed - Freeform | 60-card minimum, any cards, 4-of limit |
| Constructed - Freeform Unlimited | No restrictions at all — any card, any quantity |
Block Constructed
XMage includes validators for 15 classic Magic blocks:| Validator |
|---|
| Block Constructed - Amonkhet |
| Block Constructed - Battle for Zendikar |
| Block Constructed - Innistrad |
| Block Constructed - Ixalan |
| Block Constructed - Kaladesh |
| Block Constructed - Kamigawa |
| Block Constructed - Khans of Tarkir |
| Block Constructed - Lorwyn |
| Block Constructed - Return to Ravnica |
| Block Constructed - Scars of Mirrodin |
| Block Constructed - Shadowmoor |
| Block Constructed - Shadows over Innistrad |
| Block Constructed - Shards of Alara |
| Block Constructed - Theros |
| Block Constructed - Zendikar |
Highlander Variants
| Validator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Constructed - Australian Highlander | 100-card singleton with the Australian Highlander points system |
| Constructed - Canadian Highlander | 100-card singleton with the Canadian Highlander points system |
| Constructed - European Highlander | 100-card singleton under European Highlander rules |
Old School 93/94
Old School Magic with five different rule-set variants:| Validator |
|---|
| Constructed - Old School 93/94 |
| Constructed - Old School 93/94 - Italian Rules |
| Constructed - Old School 93/94 - Channel Fireball Rules |
| Constructed - Old School 93/94 - EudoGames Rules |
| Constructed - Old School 93/94 - EC Rules |
Variant Magic
| Validator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Variant Magic - Commander | 100-card singleton, legendary commander, color identity |
| Variant Magic - Duel Commander | 1v1 Commander with its own separate ban list |
| Variant Magic - MTGO 1v1 Commander | Commander under MTGO 1v1 rules |
| Variant Magic - Centurion Commander | European 1v1 Commander variant |
| Variant Magic - Tiny Leaders | Singleton commander of CMC ≤ 3, deck max CMC ≤ 3 |
| Variant Magic - Momir Basic | Basic lands only; creatures generated randomly |
| Variant Magic - Penny Dreadful Commander | Commander with Penny Dreadful pricing restrictions |
| Variant Magic - Freeform Commander | Commander rules, no ban list |
| Variant Magic - Freeform Unlimited Commander | Commander rules, no singleton restriction, no ban list |
| Variant Magic - Brawl | Standard-legal 60-card commander variant |
| Variant Magic - Oathbreaker | 60-card singleton with planeswalker commander + signature spell |
Custom Sets
| Validator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Block Constructed Custom - Star Wars | Uses the fan-made XMage Star Wars custom card set |
Limited
| Validator | Notes |
|---|---|
| Limited | Used for Draft and Sealed pools; enforces 40-card minimum with no set restrictions |
Choosing the Right Game Type and Validator
When you create a new table you choose both a game type (defines the match structure) and a deck type (validates the deck you bring). They must be compatible — for example, use Commander Two Player Duel as the game type and Variant Magic - Commander as the deck type for a standard 1v1 Commander game.Custom sets like the Star Wars fan set are fully implemented in XMage. Select Block Constructed Custom - Star Wars as the deck type to play with those cards in a dedicated constructed environment.