Magic: The Gathering tabletop legality changes start with Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Wizards of the Coast will change Magic: The Gathering tabletop legality rules for cards during a set’s release beginning with Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

Playing MTG cards in tabletop tournaments requires those cards to be legal within a specific format. Tabletop cards in the past were legal to play in sanctioned events following the global release of a set. But in recent months, WotC has altered when players can begin purchasing cards in bulk from local game stores, allowing sales to occur during prerelease events, which are now taking place before digital and global launches. This has led to some confusion as to when those cards are legal to play in a sanctioned tabletop tournament. 

Starting with the release of Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE) set on Feb. 3, players can use their cards within any sanctioned tabletop tournament upon receiving them before the official global launch, according to WotC.

A Pioneer tournament taking place prior to the global release of ONE, for example, would not have allowed any cards from the Phyrexia: All Will Be One set to be played within that event. That is no longer the case anymore, however. 

The upcoming ONE set is part three of the ongoing five-part MTG Multiverse war against the Phyrexians. WotC dropped a bunch of Phyrexia: All Will Be One spoilers early in December, showcasing a wide variety of card variants, planeswalkers within the set, legendary creatures, and a Praetor cycle. 

Prerelease events for ONE will run from Feb. 3 to 9, while the digital release of the set will take place on Feb. 7.