Team Tournament rules

Ok Everyone the much anticipated team rules shall finally be posted so get your deck building hats on. To start I want to explain the rp scenario for the team matches and hopefully that will clarify any rules questions that contradict the standard magic rules set.

The theme: Hopefully players of Magic accept the fantasy aspect of the game and will indulge me here. Essentially you take on the roll of a wizard using an arsenal of spells to summon minions to do your bidding, create artifacts of great power, and hurl fireballs (or blightnings) at your opponents. Expanding on the notion that you are a wizard on a hill overlooking a battlefield and your enemy wizard is on an opposite hill attempting to destroy you is how we are creating the rules set for this team match-up. Instead of being alone on the hill, you have obtained the aid of a fellow wizard. By doubling your power potential you have increased your life point total. However you now have the assistance of another and his repetoire of spells.

Deck Construction: Each player on the team must have a minimum 60 card deck.
The rules for single player deck construction expand to the multiplayer format. No team may have more than four copies of a card unless that card is a basic land.

Card effects: Cards that specify a single opponent still effect a single opponent. Cards that target multiple opponents target multiple opponents. A few exceptions to this rule apply to any cards that effect multiple opponents life totals. This is only logical since the teams share life points. Targeting spells only target one person on a team.

The Field: Each team starts with 30 life points. Each player controls only the permanents that they play from their respective decks. Equipment can be attached to creatures you or your partner control but only the player that put the permanent into play may pay the equip cost. Enchantments that effect your creatures will also effect your partners creatures. (From the fantasy perspective this makes sense) For the purposes of the team matches card text that reads "you control" will be changed to "you and your partner control".

Battle Phase: When an opponent declares an attack they are attacking the joint life total of the team. Thus either member of the team may declare blockers from among the creatures they control. As far as planeswalkers go they are permanents controlled by a single player but for the purpose of the game theme both players can defend a planeswalker. ( To clarify this point imagine that the Planeswalker is summoned on the hill with the two players and to successfully attack him, players must go through all monsters to get there.)

Losing conditions: Obviously reducing your opponents life points to 0 constitutes a win. However for other win conditions (mill decks) both opponents libraries must be reduced to 0 cards. Effects from cards like Mayael's Aria take effect on the turn of the player who put it into play however if a creature either player controls meets the criteria for the win condition, the condition is considered triggered.

Turns: The way turns are operated will be modified using the two headed giant ruleset. Instead of each player having a battle phase each team has a battle phase. All creatures attack at the same time so each player on the attacking team declares attackers and the the defending team can declare blockers. The turn begins with both members of a team drawing a card from their library. Each player may lay a land card. Teams may discuss strategy for the cards in play but not the cards in their hands.

Otherwise all standard rules apply . This weekend I would like to try out a few games in the above ruleset. So pick your partner, build your decks, and bring your best game to the Sub Shack on Sunday (and Thursday as well).

By the Players, For the Players