Rules Overview

This page is a primer on how UnCommander differs from the regular Commander format. For an in-depth rules reference, see the UnCommander Rules List page. For background on the purpose of UnCommander and how card errata is approached, see the Philosophy page.

A Variant of Commander

As a variant of the regular Commander format, UnCommander follows the Commander rules. Where the regular Commander or Magic official Comprehensive Rules rules conflict with the additional UnCommander rules, generally follow the rules for UnCommander. All cards legal in regular Commander are also legal in UnCommander. As such, any Commander deck can be used in UnCommander. If you want to introduce your Commander playgroup to UnCommander, be sure to show them this page so they can see how the UnCommander rules differ.

UnCommander card entries

UnCommander seeks to make silver-bordered cards work relatively smoothly in multiplayer Magic. To do so, changes have had to be made to a number of cards to make them function within the rules framework. For each card added in UnCommander (UnCommander-only Cards), there is a page on this website that functions as the Oracle entry for that card in UnCommander. These are referred to as “UnCommander card entries”. Each entry provides any relevant errata and rulings for that card.

The two UnCommander Formats

“UnCommander” refers to all UnCommander formats generally. UnCommander consists of two different formats, UnCommander Core and UnCommander UnOrthodox. What formats a card is included in is indicated on the Traffic Light Rating label in its UnCommander card entry. Both formats use the same legality list for the cards they include. All cards legal in UnCommander Core are also legal in UnCommander UnOrthodox, so any Legal UnCommander Core deck can be used in UnCommander UnOrthodox. Before starting a match of UnCommander, make sure that all players agree which format to use.

UnCommander Core

UnCommander Core is the main UnCommander format. It includes all the Un-sets and silver-bordered promotional cards. Play this if you’d prefer to stick to cards that were designed for play in physical Magic. You can play any card legal in the regular Commander format in it and/or the legal cards added by UnCommander Core, which can be seen here.  On this website, card entries with the “UnCommander” Traffic Light marker are included in UnCommander Core.

UnCommander UnOrthodox

UnCommander UnOrthodox includes all cards from UnCommander Core, but it also includes cards from the “UnOrthodox Supplement”.  These are cards that didn’t see official physical printings,  such as video-game-exclusive cards, gaming magazine cutouts and cards designed for specific individuals. Play this if you want to experiment with cards from all nooks and crannies of Magic’s history, many of which are janky but intriguing. You can play any card legal in the regular Commander format, UnCommander Core, and/or the additional list added by UnCommander UnOrthodox which can be seen here. On this website, card entries with either the “UnCommander” or “UnOrthodox supplement” Traffic Light marker are included in UnCommander UnOrthodox.

Banned UnCommander-only cards

In addition to the Commander banlist, UnCommander has banlists for the cards it adds.

When it comes to banned cards, Those that are added by UnCommander are treated slightly differently to cards already in the regular Commander format. If an UnCommander-only card is banned, it is treated for all purposes, at all times, as though it doesn’t exist. If any effect looks for any banned UnCommander-only card or any of that card’s characteristics, inside or outside the game, that effect will not find anything. For example, this means that changelings will not have any creature types that only appear on banned UnCommander-only cards, and if you are instructed to choose a card name, you cannot choose any names of banned UnCommander-only cards.

See the relevant section of the UnCommander Rules List page for more details on how to handle banned cards in UnCommander.

New Characteristics of Objects

In addition to the characteristics in the official Magic Comprehensive Rules, the following properties of objects are characteristics. This means they can be interacted with like any other characteristic of an object, such as its power, toughness, color etc.

  • Border
  • Watermark
  • Whole words in its name

See the relevant section of the UnCommander Rules List page for more details on new object characteristics.

Printing-Specific Characteristics

Borders and watermarks are printing-specific, in that they vary depending on which printing of a card is being used. In UnCommander, all printing-specific characteristics are determined from the original printing of that card, as defined on the Gatherer card database, or, if that card’s original printing is not on Gatherer, on its UnCommander card entry. Printing-specific characteristics are part of the UnCommander card entries, but for for any card without an entry on this website, you’ll need to refer to the Gatherer card database. Be aware that other Magic card database tools define watermarks differently, so if in doubt look on the card’s Gatherer entry.

For example, Watchwolf is a creature card that has a printing in the Masters 25 set with a “Ravnica: City of Guilds” watermark. However, it was originally printed in the Ravnica: City of Guilds set, with a “Selesnya” watermark. No matter which printing of Watchwolf is used, it is always considered to have the “Selesnya” watermark. Stamp of Approval is an artifact with “As Stamp of Approval enters the battlefield, choose a watermark.” and “Creatures you control with the chosen watermark get +1/+1.”. If you control Watchwolf and Stamp of Approval, Watchwolf will only get +1/+1 from Stamp of Approval if the “Selesnya” watermark was chosen.

Another example would be white-bordered cards. Some cards were originally printed in Portal Three Kingdoms and Starter 1999, white-bordered Starter-level sets designed for new players. Some other cards from those sets are reprints from earlier sets, but all of them which are original printings are considered white-bordered. These cards have occasionally seen reprints in black-bordered sets, like Imperial Recruiter, but are still considered white-bordered in UnCommander. On the other hand, most other white borders are on cards from reprint-only sets.  The core sets, up to Ninth edition, are the main example of this. Most of these cards were originally printed with black borders.

Whole Words in a Name

In UnCommander, individual whole words in an object’s name are a characteristic of that object. The only words that can be interacted with are words that are a noun, verb, adjective or adverb, and are at least two characters long.

New Colors and Basic Land Types

In UnCommander, every card legal in the format contributes all nonstandard colors and basic land types mentioned on it to that format. For all purposes and at all times, the nonstandard colors in a format are treated the same as the standard colors (white, blue, black, red and green). The same is true for nonstandard basic land types. A deck can contain any number of cards with the same name which are printed as basic lands.

For example, this means that effects that add mana of any color can also add nonstandard colors of mana.

Another example: While playing UnCommander UnOrthodox, an ability that cares about how many basic land types you control will also care about the Portal basic land type (see below).

See the relevant section of the UnCommander Rules List page for more details on new colors and basic land types.

Nonstandard Colors in UnCommander Core

The following nonstandard colors are part of UnCommander Core:

Nonstandard Colors in UnCommander UnOrthodox

The following nonstandard colors are part of UnCommander UnOrthodox:

Nonstandard Basic Land Types in UnCommander Core

The following nonstandard basic land type is part of UnCommander Core:

  • Cloud. The Cloud basic land type grants the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add {C}.” In UnCommander Core, there is a basic land card named ‘Barry’s Land‘ with the Cloud basic land type.

Nonstandard Basic Land Types in UnCommander UnOrthodox

The following nonstandard basic land type is part of UnCommander UnOrthodox:

  • Cloud. The Cloud basic land type grants the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add {C}.” In UnCommander UnOrthodox, there is a basic land card named ‘Barry’s Land‘ with the Cloud basic land type.
  • Portal. The Portal basic land type grants the intrinsic ability “{T}: Add {L}.” In UnCommander UnOrthodox, there is a basic land card named ‘Portal‘ with the Portal basic land type.

Meta Elements Printed on Cards

While playing, you may encounter cards with printed text that asks you perform physical tasks (such as holding a card above the battlefield), treat properties that are not characteristics like characteristics (such as referring to flavour text as a characteristic), or other elements that seem very arbitrary. Elements like these on a legal UnCommander card have usually been reworked on its UnCommander card entry. If the UnCommander card entry doesn’t provide enough information, see the UnCommander Rules List page for reference.

Noninteger Values and Amounts (fractions and such)

While normal Magic only uses whole number integer values for numbers and amounts, UnCommander also uses some noninteger values, mostly multiples of 1/2. Noninteger values can be applied to power and/or toughness; damage; life totals, gain, payment, or loss; and placeholders such as X. If an effect instructs you to round up or down, you still round the value to the next whole number in that direction. If you are instructed you divide a value, like damage, among a number of objects or players, you can assign it to those objects and/or players in multiples of 1/2. The total value must remain the same. Note that the damage marked on a creature must reach the entire value of its toughness for it to be dealt lethal damage. Noninteger damage dealt to planeswalkers will remove a number of loyalty counters equal to the damage rounded down (to the nearest lower whole number). Anything dealt even ½ damage is still treated as having been dealt damage.

For example, say you control Pestilent Spirit, a creature that reads, in part “Instant and sorcery spells you control have deathtouch. (Any amount of damage they deal to a creature is enough to destroy it.)“. If you cast Violent Eruption, an instant that reads, in part, “Violent Eruption deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of targets.”, you could divide the damage so ½ damage is dealt to six different creatures and the remaining 1 is dealt to a player. All six creatures are destroyed because of deathtouch.

Noninteger amounts that are multiples of 1/2 can be applied to mana. Effects can add noninteger amounts of mana, and some costs ask for noninteger amounts of mana. You can split your mana how you choose, and two half mana can be used to pay one whole mana in a cost as long as both halves meet the cost’s requirements. If an effect lets you add an amount of mana “in any combination of colors”, you can add half mana amounts of the colors of your choice.

You cannot apply noninteger values to anything discrete, like counters, targets, objects or players. If a noninteger value would be applied to something discrete, it applies to a number of them equal to that value rounded down, and the source’s controller decides which item the value is no longer applied to.

See the relevant section of the UnCommander Rules List page for more details on noninteger values and amounts.

Dealing with more specific rules

The list of topics on this page covers all the major rules that you need to know to start playing UnCommander. During games, you are likely to encounter cards which deal with other elements outside the framework of normal Magic. In some cases, the UnCommander card entry for a card will show how to handle it, but for other more complicated topics, you may need to consult the UnCommander Rules List page. For example, Host/augment and die rolling have a lot of unusual interactions. If you want to see our method for writing errata so that you can minimise consulting the UnCommander card entries, see the Philosophy page. The Banlist page also covers the main reasons different cards are banned in UnCommander.

In any case, we recommend keeping this website on hand to start with, as silver-bordered cards are fun but often fraught with unusual situations. Good luck, and have fUn with UnCommander!