Old School “Paladin Magic” 93-94 Rules
Legal Sets:
Decks may consist of cards from these sets printed in 1993-94:
Alpha
Beta
Unlimited
Collector’s Edition (CE)
International Collector’s Edition (IE)
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Revised
Legends
The Dark
Fallen Empires
Promotional cards from 1994 are also legal: Arena, Sewers of Estark, and Nalathni Dragon.
Additional Sets and Cards Allowed (ie. REPRINTS)
We recommend you use any non-foil card from the sets above, that were reprinted in any language with the original frame + original art. So for example, a Chronicles City of Brass, Fifth Edition Wrath of God, Time Spiral Psionic Blast, and Collector’s Edition Mox Ruby would all be good. (original frame + original art), while an Ice Age Icy Manipulator or Arena 1996 Counterspell would not be ideal (different original art). The misprinted Revised Serendib Efreet (with Ifh-Biff Efreet’s art, and green border) is of course allowed as it was printed in one of the original sets in 1994 (Revised) listed above. We always encourage you to seek out the oldest and coolest versions of cards you can find.
Proxies: Are Allowed
In an effort to maximize creative flexibility and foster a friendly environment in our gatherings, we allow proxies for our Paladin Magic events. Both in person and online events unless specifically stated otherwise for the event. This allows an entry point to old school for interested players made hesitant by costs and infuses the format with new and creative deck ideas that were prohibitively expensive to experiment with. We encourage all players to find and own authentic cards above all others (and love them ourselves) and recognize the value this flexibility offers our fellow friends and hobbyists.
We encourage players to either make their own proxies following fair use doctrine or find & source proxies that try not to infringe WotC, it’s artists, or affiliates. A example of an good proxy would be an art alter made by yourself or another on another card.
Artist Proofs: Are Allowed.
Art Alters: Are Allowed
Art Alters & Proxy Guidelines:
1.) Include a written card name. A clear casting cost, and power/toughness are encouraged where appropriate.
2.) Wherever possible please include the rules text on the card or have a copy with rules text readily available to show your opponent. Not everyone has all text memorized and after all we are playing a game with nearly a thousand different playing pieces.
Deck Construction
Constructed decks must contain a minimum of 60 cards (no maximum deck size; however, you or your opponent should be able to effectively shuffle your deck, if you need assistance based on a disability please reach out in advance and we’ll do our best to accommodate). If a player wishes to use a sideboard, it can contain up to 15 cards. With the exception of basic land cards (Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest), a player’s combined deck and sideboard may not contain more than 4 of any individual card, counted by its English card title equivalent. Opaque unmarked sleeves are required.
The following cards are restricted in Paladin Magic 93-94 tournaments (maximum of 1 of each card per deck):
• Ancestral Recall
• Balance
• Black Lotus
• Braingeyser
• Chaos Orb
• Channel
• Demonic Tutor
• Mana Drain
• Mox Emerald
• Mox Jet
• Mox Pearl
• Mox Ruby
• Mox Sapphire
• Recall
• Regrowth
• Sol Ring
• Time Vault
• Time Walk
• Timetwister
• Wheel of Fortune
• Strip Mine
• Mishra’s Workshop
• Mishra’s Factory
• Hymn to Tourach
• Maze of Ith
The following cards are banned in Paladin Magic 93-94:
• Bronze Tablet
• Contract from Below
• Darkpact
• Demonic Attorney
• Jeweled Bird
• Rebirth
• Tempest Efreet
• Mind Twist
• Library of Alexandria
The following cards are Depiction-banned in Paladin Magic 93-94:
• Invoke Prejudice
• Cleanse
• Stone-Throwing Devils
• Pradesh Gypsies
• Jihad
• Imprison
• Crusade
You can read about the original full banning of these cards by Wizards of the Coast from the entire game of magic here
We respect there are a number of different feelings on the topic and a number of Old School clubs have handled this differently. Nearly all 93/94 formats follow modern magic card rulings. WotC has banned these specific cards outright entirely from the game. Using some discretion we have devised a functional work around that should make our spaces open to everyone and focuses on positive play. We’ve enacted a ‘depiction’ ban of the cards which will allow ‘Old School’ to be in sync with the entire magic community standards and with absolutely no loss in our card pool. Much like Chaos Orb has been given an errata so we can use it and we play with Mana Burn to allow for a better play experience for how the cards were designed this also aims to solve for a throwback format to fit into today’s modernized playscape.
A depiction ban in practical terms means the functionality of the cards will be allowed – but not their original presentation. They may be substituted with either an original altered card or an alternative proxy. The elements of these cards which should be modified is their ‘Name’ & ‘Art’. Nothing about their game play mechanics is in question. You may not run more than 4 copies of any of these cards regardless of the alternative name you utilize. You could use a perfect fit sleeve to paint or sharpie on if you do not want to modify your original card or you can print/make a new one.
Below is an example of what a depiction alternative looks like. You can easily print these off yourself at home by saving the image. If you are handy with a computer you can find better source files in the links below. Thanks to MTGCuriousities for the shared art!
Ultimately any alternative that meets community standards (think if it would be good to show in public) and doesn’t give you an unfair advantage is welcome! Just try to use some common sense and be kind please.
Other Notable Rules/Differences from Modern Era of Magic
– MANA BURN STILL HAPPENS (as in, players lose 1 point of life for each unused mana in the mana pool at the end of each phase)
– THE FOLLOWING CARDS WILL HAVE THE UPDATED ORACLE TEXT, AS SHOWN BELOW:
Chaos Orb
2
Artifact
1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield. If Chaos Orb is on the battlefield, flip Chaos Orb onto the battlefield from a height of at least one foot or roll 1D20. If Chaos Orb turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, and lands resting on the chosen permanent, or if a dice is rolled and any number other than 1 or 2 is rolled on 1D20 destroy that permanent. Then destroy Chaos Orb.
(Note: because of how Chaos Orb is worded, with it being destroyed after a flip, it can still be Disenchanted or Shattered in response to the activation, which will nullify the ability to flip, since it is no longer on the battlefield. This is consistent with the wording of Chaos Orb not being sacrificed upon activation, as it probably would with modern templating. Also note that Chaos Orb chooses, but does not target. October 2023 added rules for rolling a dice instead of flipping to accommodate for anyone with dexterity challenges or preferences)
Falling Star
2R
Sorcery
Choose any number of non-overlapping creatures on the battlefield. Flip Falling Star from at least a height of one foot. If Falling Star turns over completely at least 360 degrees during the flip, it deals 3 damage to each chosen creature it lands resting on. Any creatures damaged by Falling Star that are not destroyed become tapped.
(Note: Falling Star chooses upon resolution, but does not target.)
Ring of Ma’rûf
5
Artifact
5, Tap, Exile Ring of Ma’rûf: The next time you would draw a card this turn, instead choose a card you own from exile or from your sideboard, and put it into your hand.
No Draws in Tournament Matches
In order to encourage the maximum amount of Magic and matches being played (and disincentivize draws and concession for seeding), we enforce a strict no draw policy (intentional or otherwise). After 50 minutes if there was a tied match, the tie breaker will be a sudden death Chaos Orb flipping contest, similar to a hockey or soccer overtime shootout. If both players make or miss the Chaos Orb flip in the same round, repeat the process. The first person to make it while the other person misses will be declared the winner of the match. The point of Old School is to play Old School, so we always encourage everyone to play quickly and have fun each round, and this tournament structure has worked very well to that end.