The Gathering Place Commander League Rules, Guidelines and Standards: A Living Document

What is Commander League?

First things first, Commander League is an event focused on playing the Commander / EDH style of popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering.

Over the years, Commander League has become one of the largest and most successful events at The Gathering Place, and we’re proud to be facilitators of folks getting together to play MTG week over week!

The elevator pitch of Commander League is this: each player starts with a preconstructed Commander deck of their choosing. Throughout League’s entire season, that deck does not leave TGP. Each week, each player is permitted to open three booster packs of their choice, adding to the collective League card pool. The only cards permitted for League play are the ones pulled in League, and trading among other League players is actively encouraged!

There’s more to it than that, but truly that’s the gist. Other one-off specialty League variants happen at TGP through the year, but there’s only one “flagship League” – denoted with a following numeral. This document is a guideline for that League style specifically, but serves a purpose as a framework for any other League-type events at TGP. If there’s changes, alterations, special things to know – all that will be in the published materials for those League(s). (We’ve had Summer Vacation League, Beginner League, Chaos League, Castaway League, and there will be more Special Leagues in the future!)

How Does Commander League Work?

How Do I Build My Deck?

Each League player starts with a preconstructed MTG Commander deck, either purchased at The Gathering Place or brought into the shop sealed, unopened and entirely unaltered. All decks must follow all normal rules of color identity and deck construction for the Commander format.

All cards in any given Commander League deck must be sourced entirely from cards legal in Commander League, and all decks must be uniformly sleeved (with an allowed exception for a deck’s Commander card, of course)

What Cards Can I Use for League?

Commander League is a multi-week Limited format Commander event. You may recognize the word “limited” as it applies to MTG formats from events running Sealed or Draft. The card pool of eligible inclusions is limited to what is opened in-store – commonly referred to as the “League pool.”

The pool of cards eligible for inclusion in League decks is defined as all cards originating from preconstructed decks, booster packs, promo packs and promo cards, all kept in individual player boxes or in the “League Bulk,” and always staying on-site at The Gathering Place.

Commander League does not follow any banlist applied to Constructed Commander / EDH. All cards opened in League are League-legal unless they fit one of the following criteria:

• Silver Bordered cards
• Acorn stamped cards
• Playtest cards
• Conspiracy cards
• Cards referencing “ante”
• Chaos Orb / Falling Star
• Cards on WotC’s list of Culturally Insensitive cards

TGP organizers reserve the right to change the banlist and alter these exceptions should anything new emerge that must be addressed.

How Do I Get More Cards?

Each week, League players will receive an allotment of “pack slots” provided by staff at TGP. These signed tokens must be handed in to purchase an MTG booster pack for the purpose of adding to a player’s League-legal card pool. One pack slot corresponds to one booster pack, no matter the cost or composition of the pack in question (Collector Booster, Play Booster, Draft Booster, Set Booster, etc) unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Pack slots may be traded between players. As an asset in League, players are free to exchange their allocated pack slots as part of trades.

In addition to packs purchased and added to League via pack slots, The Gathering Place holds three MTG Commander “meetups” per week: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As part of these events, promo cards and packs are offered as pod prizing. Any cards pulled or promos won at these events in games between Commander League players are part of the League pool.

As a continually evolving TCG, the release of a new set / expansion in MTG can represent a shift in the game, or new possibilities for any given deck or playstyle. As such, any cards pulled from sealed product opened during a Limited event at TGP (Draft, Sealed, or Prerelease) are considered part of the player’s League pool – as long as it stays in the store.

Exceptions will be made in cases where allocation or popularity limits product availability, and for in-store tournament-style events prize packs are excluded from this and not permitted to be added to League.

How Many Cards Can I Have?

The short answer is “as many as can fit in the provided Bundle / Fat Pack box.” The long answer is “please don’t overstuff your personal League box attempting to hoard your cards like a dragon” and “there is a provided five-row for League Bulk.”

The League Bulk box is the place to put cards you can no longer store in your personal box. League is a multi-week event, and with a modest amount of participation you will find yourself running out of room. Any player can add to and subtract from the League Bulk box! Do not underestimate the potential upside of the League Bulk box!

The box is kept behind the bar, provided upon request, and must be signed out and subsequently returned. If the League Bulk box is not returned, the player who last signed it out will forfeit a week’s worth of packs slots, which will be raffled off to other players. Repeat offenders will lose ongoing access to the League Bulk box entirely.

How Do I Play in Commander League?

Each week, there are three MTG Commander Meetup events at TGP. During those events, there will be specific signups for Commander League pods, either informal, casual pods or run through Topdeck.gg. (All official League events + tournaments are run through Topdeck, so it’s a good idea to make an account and be familiar with the interface)

These weekly sessions are a great opportunity to play, test, trade, and get to know your fellow League players as you tune your deck week-over-week, changing your decklist and working toward a final product you feel proud of and ready to compete in a Commander League tournament!

Though the Commander League tournaments are the Final Boss of Commander League play, it’s worth noting – League is first and foremost a social experience. Opening packs, trading cards, playing games, all these activities are in service to leaving League with a deck you made, that you are proud of and have fun playing, that reflects your own style and experience within MTG and as part of the TGP community. Players of all experience levels play in Commander League, and League is a potentially wonderful way to dive deeper into MTG and learn more about the game. All League players should be open to asking questions and seeking advice, just as they should be open to providing their own answers and perspectives.

Tournaments, You Say?

The Commander League tournaments! Where the biggest and baddest duke it out for League supremacy and a pretty hefty prize pool!

As previously stated, these events run through Topdeck events. Players can expect 90 minutes Swiss rounds, a cut to Top if needed. 5 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. These tournaments are presented at a competitive rules enforcement level.

A few quick hits and FAQs:

• When a game reaches end of time on the tournament clock, active player is the final turn.
• Forfeiting / “scooping” is a game action that can only be performed at sorcery speed.
• If you have a question, call a judge.
• Any tournament prizing, including any raffles and door prizing done on the day, is explicitly not part of the League pool.

Commander League Standards and Sportsmanship

Commander League players are expected to be graceful in victory and / or defeat. Unsportsmanlike conduct, harassment, boasting, any and all inappropriate behavior – including purposeful hyperbole – can lead to penalties, up to expulsion. TGP staff handles all situations on a case-by-case basis, please do not put yourself or anyone else In A Situation.

Players are expected to follow all rules within the standard MTG tournament ruleset. This applies to slow play, outside assistance, and general conduct.

In regards to trades between players — trading cards is a foundational aspect of Commander League, and often required for success! League participants are expected to trade respectfully in every sense. Be fair, be kind, and be secure in the knowledge no League player should ever feel required or pressured in the slightest to accept any trade, under any circumstances.

Players are expected to maintain a reasonable standard of personal hygiene. The store reserves the right to politely ask a patron to leave and remedy any hygiene situation, with or without customer complaints.

Final Notes, FAQs, Edge Cases

It’s a fairly fringe case, but as Secret Lair continues to gain popularity, it’s worth noting Secret Lair Commander decks are not eligible for League play as preconstructed starting points.

If you pull a card and would prefer to use a different (mechanically identical) printing you already own of the same card for any reason (price, aesthetic preference, damage) you may do so, though the card is no longer able to be traded. If a card leaves the store for any reason other than art swap, it is no longer part of the league pool and cannot be included in a commander league deck.

If a card references “cards you own outside the game” or otherwise interacts with the sideboard (colloquially known as “wish effects”), all cards within your league box are considered valid targets IF they fit within your deck’s color identity.

Commander league is not a democracy. The store and organizers reserve the right to modify, add to, subtract from, or otherwise adjust these rules as necessary.

Violations of league rules are handled on a case-by-case basis. Precedent may not be a predictor of future outcomes.

TGP reserves the right to examine any player’s deck and league box, as well as any other accessories being used in league play, for the sake of ensuring compliance with the stated rules.