Tanuki Brawler

Magic: The Gathering can be daunting. There are 18,000 unique cards with hundreds of new ones dropping monthly. People play for millions in prizes. Competitive formats have decks that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Cards cycle in and out of legality routinely. The allegedly “casual” ways to play, like the multiplayer Commander format, have infinite combos that win games on turn two. Barriers to new and casual play abound. So what’s a nerd club that wants to promote fun, social gaming to do with this convoluted mess? We’re making our own format, that’s what; introducing Tanuki Brawler.

We’ll get into the nitty gritty of what we’re doing and why, but here’s the TL;DR version:

• Multiplayer
• 30 life
• 60-card deck
• Commander that’s a legendary creature or planeswalker
• One copy of any given card
• No Commander damage
• No infinite combos
• Modern legality with casual sets like Battlebond, Conspiracy, & Commander decks added
• No, not Un-sets, don’t worry
• It has its own ban list

We want the ultimate social format that appeals to new and more “casual” players, but still offers fantastic opportunities for deck-building and tear-inducing synergies. We wanted a format that you’d want to play at a bar or a party. To this end, we picked apart the existing formats and found what achieved our goals and what hindered them. Then we just put all of the “Pros” into one format, added a no-infinite-combo clause, and called it a day. Now just what does Tanuki Brawler bring to the table over other multiplayer formats?

• Faster play
• No set rotation
• Planeswalkers as Commanders
• No infinite combos (yes, I’m repeating myself – casual players hate them!)
• Sets designed for multi- and casual play are included
• The more expensive and often poorly worded cards are out
• No crazy fast mana

A small group of us has been play-testing Tanuki Brawler for weeks now and it has become our absolute favorite format. Seriously, we’ve barely played Commander and haven’t even looked at our Oathbreaker decks. Proof-of-concept is over; it’s now time to enter Alpha testing. What we’re looking for from all of you is:

• Try to break the game
• Discuss the preliminary ban list
• We really need to firm up the wording on our no-infinte-combos rule

Please keep in mind that these are preliminary and we anticipate some significant changes to occur with your help and input.

Tanuki brawler rules

Tanuki Brawler uses the Commander rules except where modified below.
Commander Rules and Explanation.

 903.11c A player designates either a legendary planeswalker or a legendary creature as their commander.

 903.11d A player’s deck must contain exactly 60 cards, including its commander.

 903.11e If a player’s commander has no colors in its color identity, that player’s deck may contain any number of basic lands of one basic land type of their choice. This is an exception to rule 903.5d.

 In a multiplayer Tanuki Brawler game, each player’s starting life total is 30. In multiple headed multiplayer game the starting life total will be 45.

 In the event of a two-player game each players starting life total will be 25.

 In any Tanuki Brawler game, the first time a player takes a mulligan, they draw a new hand of as many cards as they had before. Subsequent hands follow current commander mulligan rules.

 Tanuki Brawler games do not use the state-based action described in rule 704.5v, which causes a player to lose the game if they’ve been dealt 21 or more combat damage by commander.

 After the activated or triggered abilities on multiple cards has resolved in a particular sequence six (6) times, the stack ends and those abilities cannot cannot resolves again this turn in that specific sequence.

Legal Sets for Tanuki Brawler
Modern Sets
 Modern Horizons
 War of the Spark
 Ravnica Allegiance
 Guilds of Ravnica
 Core Set 2019

 Dominaria
 Rivals of Ixalan
 Ixalan
 Hour of Devastation
 Amonkhet
 Aether Revolt
 Kaladesh
 Eldritch Moon
 Shadows over Innistra
 Oath of the Gatewatch
 Battle for Zendikar
 Magic Origins
 Dragons of Tarkir
 Fate Reforged
 Khans of Tarkir
 Magic 2015
 Journey into Nyx
 Born of the Gods
 Theros
 Magic 2014
 Dragon’s Maze
 Gatecrash
 Return to Ravnica
 Magic 2013
 Avacyn Restored
 Dark Ascension
 Innistrad
 Magic 2012
 New Phyrexia
 Mirrodin Besieged
 Scars of Mirrodin
 Magic 2011
 Rise of the Eldrazi
 Worldwake
 Zendikar
 Magic 2010
 Alara Reborn
 Conflux
 Shards of Alara
 Eventide
 Shadowmoor

 Morningtide
 Lorwyn
 Tenth Edition
 Future Sight
 Planar Chaos
 Time Spiral
 Coldsnap
 Dissension
 Guildpact
 Ravnica: City of Guilds
 Ninth Edition
 Saviors of Kamigawa
 Eighth Edition
 Betrayers of Kamigawa
 Champions of Kamigawa
 Fifth Dawn
 Darksteel
 Mirrodin

Supplemental Sets
 Commander 2013-2019
 Conspiracy
 Conspiracy: Take the Crown
 Battlebond

Ban List
Utilization of Modern Legality and identified supplemental sets eliminated the most frustrating
commander cards and allowed for a slightly smaller ban list.
The following cards are banned from the format:
 25 cards with the Card Type “Conspiracy.”
 Cards that reference “playing for ante.”
 Biorythm
 Coalition Victory
 Doomsday
 Emrakul, The Aeons Torn
 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
 Gifts Ungiven
 Griselbrand
 Iona, Shield of Emeria
 Leovold, Emissary of Trest

 Panoptic Mirror
 Paradox Engine
 Primeval Titan
 Prophet of Kruphix
 Sol Ring
 Sundering Titan
 Sway of the Stars
 Sylvan Primordial
 Trade Secrets
 Worldfire