MTG Horde Format Revisited
The Gatewatch looks on in horror as another corpse rises, joining the mindless army that stretches out, filling the streets with twisted, moaning, blood-drenched faces.
A wave of fire washes over the writhing mass as Chandra rains down elementals to help push the dead back. One large, hulking brute becomes wrapped in chains of blue mana as Jace pulls him down to the ground. Trees erupt from beneath the cobblestones; Nissa tangles their branches and roots together creating a barrier to try and stem the undead tide. A snarling face bursts through the brambles, teeth ready to tear into Jace's throat. As the jaws clamp down, a rush of white mana explodes and surrounds Jace in an armored shroud. He looks back over his shoulder to see Gidean, hands still glowing, give him a slight nod before they both turn back to the horde.
What is this?
This is a revamped version of the MTG Horde Format originally created by Peter Knudson back in 2011. Unlike the original format he proposed where players use their own commander decks to survive the onslaught, this version is designed to be a bit more like a boardgame style of Magic. It includes a collection of "survivor" decks that are prebuilt to be thematic, balanced, and provide the best possible play experience
Main Rules Overview
This format is designed for 3-4 players to work together using the four prebuilt Survivor decks to take on a 100 card deck, known as The Horde, that plays itself. The goal is to work together to survive the constant onslaught until The Horde runs out of cards.
The basic rules are not extremely different from Peter Knudson's original version, but it has had several new mechanics built in.
Setup
Each player selects one of the Survivor decks. These are 60-card singleton decks with the original transforming planeswalkers as commanders.
The players then select which Horde deck they'd like to fight against. Shuffle the "Loot" deck then draw 10 cards from it and, without looking at them, shuffle them into the Horde deck. Set the remaining Loot cards aside for later. You're now ready to play.
Playing the game
The Survivors start with 40 shared life and have a life total cap of 50, The Horde starts with 20 life and has a life total cap of 30. The Survivors get 3 turns to prepare before the Horde takes a turn. The Survivors take turns simultaneously. After the 3 turn set-up, the Survivors and the Horde alternate turns.
At the beginning of each of the Horde's precombat main phases, the top card of their library is revealed. If the card is anything other than a non-token creature, then another card is revealed. All cards are immediately cast as they are revealed. Keep revealing until a non-token creature card is revealed. Token cards are considered to be creature spells and as such are also cast as they are revealed.
Once a non-token creature card has been revealed and cast, the Horde moves to it's combat step. All creatures controlled by the Horde must attack each turn if able and are attacking every Survivor at the same time. When any of the Survivors choose to block, they block for the whole team. The Horde also gains life equal to any lose of life it causes the Survivors or damage it causes to planeswalkers the Survivors control, up to their life total cap of 30.
On the Survivor's turn, they may choose to attack the Horde directly. The Horde does not lose for having 0 or less life though, instead the Horde exiles 1 card from the top of their library face down for each 1 damage they take while their life is at 0.
Loot
One of the bigger additions to this version is the Looting System. These artifacts can be obtained by the Survivors in one of two ways: through combat and buying them.
Gaining Loot Through Combat: As the Horde is flipping cards over on its turn, if one of the artifacts from the Loot deck is revealed, it becomes bound to the next revealed creature. If it's an equipment, it is automatically equipped.
If the Survivors kill the bound creature, they steal the artifact from the Horde and decide which player on their team gains control of it.
Buying Loot: At the beginning of the Survivors upkeep, the top 3 cards of the Loot deck are revealed. During the Survivor's upkeep, they may choose to buy any of the revealed artifacts. They buy artifacts by sacrificing a number of treasure tokens equal to the artifact's mana value. They then choose which player on their team gains control of the artifact.
The main way that the Survivors can gain the treasure tokens to buy these artifacts is through defeating members of the Horde. Any time the Survivors kill a non-token creature controlled by the Horde or prevent a non-token creature controlled by the Horde from coming into play, the Survivors create a treasure token. The Survivors share any treasure tokens their team controls.
Ending the Game
The Survivors win when the Horde deck can't flip over any more cards, and the Horde doesn't control any creatures.
The Horde wins if the Survivors' life total becomes 0.
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Specific Rules Cases
Beneficial Effects
If the Horde controls a beneficial spell or effect (Ex: adding +1/+1 counters) that requires a target creature, it will always pick the creature it controls with the lowest power. If two or more creatures are tied for lowest power, the Horde will pick one randomly.
Harmful Effects that Linger
If the Horde controls a harmful spell or effect with lasting consequences (Ex: adding -1/-1 counters and destroy effects) that requires a target creature, it will always pick the creature the Survivors control with the highest power. If two or more creatures are tied for highest power, the Horde will pick one randomly.
If it targets a non-creature permanent, the Horde chooses the target with higher mana value, if there's a tie, it chooses randomly.
Damaging Effects
If the Horde controls a damaging spell or effect (Ex: "Deal 1 damage") that requires a target, it will use a priority system.
- If it can target a player, it will target a random opponent.
- If it can not target a player it will target a creature that it can kill, prioritizing creatures with the highest power.
If it can't kill anything, it will target the creature with the lowest toughness.
If there's ever a tie, the Horde chooses the target with higher mana value, if there's still a tie, it chooses randomly.
Overload
The Horde will always pay the Overload cost if given the option.
May Abilities
If the Horde controls a spell or effect with the word "may" in its rules text, "may" is replaced with "must".
Flashback
Any cards the Horde controls with Flashback, lose Flashback and gain Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Attacking into Planeswalkers
If any attacking creatures controlled by the Horde are unblocked while one or more of the Survivors control a plansewalker, flip a coin for every unblocked creature. On heads, the creature deals its damage to the players' life; on tails, it deals its damage to a planeswalker. If the Survivors control multiple planswalkers, the creature deals its damage to one chosen at random.
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Randomizing Targets
Some of these cases might involve choosing something randomly. If that's the case, the Survivors can determine what is the best way to randomize the results.
Blocking with the Horde
If the Horde has any untapped creatures when the Survivors attack, the Horde will attempt to block using the following priority system and it will never block an attacking creature with more than one of its own creatures.
- Prevent as much damage as possible.
- Keep as many of its own creatures alive as possible. If creatures must die, prioritize keeping creatures with more power alive. If there's a tie, go by mana value, if there's still a tie, choose randomly.
- Kill as many of the Survivors' creatures as possible, prioritizing creatures with higher power. If there's a tie, go by mana value, if there's still a tie, choose randomly.
Choosing Colors & Creature Types
If the Horde needs to choose a color and/or creature type in order to receive a beneficial effect, it does not pick the color and/or type until the beginning of it's next combat step. At that point, it will always choose the color and/or creature type of creatures that it controls the most of.
Horde Controlled Treasures
If the Horde would create a treasure token, the token becomes bound to the creature that created it or to the next creature that comes into play under the Horde's control.
Drawing and Discarding Cards
If a spell or effect would cause the Horde to draw a card, remove a card from the top of the Horde deck face down. This is the Horde's "Hand". If a spell or effect would cause the Horde to discard, exile a random card from here face down.
The Horde casts all spells in it's "Hand" at the beginning of its next precombat main phase in a random order and then proceeds to reveal and cast cards from the top of its library as normal.
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Prebuilt Decks
Survivors
Chandra, Roaring Flame
Chandra helms a deck full of burn spells and elementals. She is all about damaging individual creatures controlled by the Horde as well as attacking the Horde directly. In RPG terms, she fills the role of DPS for the group.
Jace, Telepath Unbound
Jace's deck is, naturally, all about control. It includes several control auras and is also the only deck able to counter some of the more devastating spells in the Horde decks. In RPG terms, he is in charge of crowd control.
Nissa, Sage Animist
Nissa is the leader of an army of treefolk. She is responsible for holding the line and ensuring that the Horde has to work to lower the Survivors' life points. In RPG terms, she is the tank.
Gideon, Battle-Forged
Gideon is responsible for keeping the Survivors alive. His deck is built around life gain and enchanting the Survivors' creatures with beneficial auras. In RPG terms, he is the support class.
Loot Deck
These artifacts can be used to enhance the Survivor decks, but getting them often requires stealing them from the Horde.
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Horde Decks
The Zombie Horde
The original inspiration for the Horde format. This deck contains a multitude of powerful zombies that work together to enhance and supplement each other. If you want the classic Horde format feel, this is the deck to try to survive against. This version though has the added terror of turning any fallen creatures into zombies and incorporating them into their undead ranks.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste. If the Zombie Horde causes the death of any non-commander creature controlled by a Survivor, that creature is returned to the battlefield under the Horde's control at the beginning of the Horde's next pre-combat main phase. It loses all activated abilities and becomes a zombie in addition to its other creature types.
Phyrexian Perfection
This deck dramatically increases the deadliness of the game. The Phyrexians are full of artifact creatures that build off of each other, terrifying global effects, and the ability to weaken their foes and drive them insane through their infected oil.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste and are Phyrexians in addition to their other creature types. The Survivors share poison counters. They do not lose the game for having 10 or more poison counters. Every time the Survivors gain one or more poison counters, each Survivor exiles 1 card from the top of each of their libraries face down for each poison counter.
The Sliver Hive
Slivers are one of the most iconic creature types in Magic history and also one of the scariest. Each creature in this deck adds to the evolution and adaptation of the hive. Just one unlucky genetic quirk can spell doom for the Survivors.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste. All of the artifact slivers in the Horde deck are treated as tokens.
The Armies of Men
Humans are a resilient and tenacious creature type. Alone, they might be weak, but together, they can form a devastating wall of force and destruction. This Horde works together to bolster each other so that the whole is far more powerful than the sum of its parts.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste and are Humans in addition to their other creature types.
The Cult of the Dragon
Goblins, the chaotic little monsters, swarm through the jagged rocks and dark caves. They are not a unified force, but something much darker is brewing up in those mountains though. Goblin shamans have been gathering sacrifices of gold and flesh in an attempt to awaken some of the most powerful beasts of mythology: dragons. Extremely dangerous and extremely territorial; if two dragons meet, they will clash for supremacy until only one is standing.
Special Rules: All goblins controlled by the Horde have haste. If the Horde ever controls more than one dragon, the one with lower power is sacrificed. If the dragons have the same power, a random one is sacrificed.
Dinosaur Rage
The ground quakes. A roar echoes through the jungle. Every living thing flees for safety as the trees are smashed to splinters revealing a hulking mass and gnashing teeth. This Horde is packed full of massive beasts that can trample over your defenses.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste.
Eldrazi Horrors
The planes warp, bend, and tear as these unknowable eldritch abominations force their way into our reality. This Horde sucks all life out of your forces until there is nothing left. But that isn't the worst of it. If enough eldrazi seep into our world, nothing will be able to stop their titanic progenitors from traveling through space and time to devour reality itself.
Special Rules: All tokens controlled by the Horde have haste. All eldrazi spawn the Horde controls cannot attack or block. If the Horde controls 10 eldrazi spawn at the start of its precombat main phase, they are sacrificed, and the Horde casts the three eldrazi titans from exile.
Midnight Howl
Fog rolls through a tiny forest village. a full moon peeks out from behind the clouds and glistens on the bloodsoaked cobblestones. A howl pieces the night. All of the doors open and growling beasts step out. The transformation of peaceful hamlet to den of wolves is complete. This deck is all about the push and pull of night and day. The Survivors will have to contend with the constantly shifting nature of this Horde.
Special Rules: All creatures controlled by the Horde have haste. At the start of the Horde's first upkeep, it becomes Day. At the start of the Horde's next upkeep, it becomes Night and then changes back and forth between Day and Night at the start of each of the Horde's upkeeps. During Day, all creatures the Horde controls or casts are in their Day/Human form. During Night, all creatures the Horde controls or casts are in their Night/Werewolf form. If the Horde controls any creatures that can transform at the start of their upkeep, those creatures will transform. This is the only way that creatures can transform.
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Challenge Mode Expansion
Challeneg Mode Rules
The Zombie Horde
When the Horde reaveals a 2/2 zombie creature token from the top of its library, they create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Phyrexian Perfection
The Sliver Hive
At the start of the game, remove all non-token slivers from the horde deck. Randomly split them into two even piles. Shuffle one pile back into the horde deck. Shuffle the other pile and place it face down, this will be the reinforcment deck. Whenever the Horde casts a non-token sliver spell, it also casts the top card of the reinforcment deck.
The Armies of Men
The Cult of the Dragon
The Horde gets two precombat main phases and it may have any number of dragons in play without having to sacrifice any of them when new ones enter the battlefield.
Dinosaur Rage
Whenever a non-token dinosaur enters the battlefiled under the Horde's control, it deals damage eaqual to its power to target creature an opponant controls.
Eldrazi Horrors
Whenver a non-token eldrazi enters the battlefield under the Horde's control, they also create a 0/1 colorless Eldrazi Spawn creature token.
Midnight Howl
Whenever it becomes night, select a random Survivor deck. Reveal cards from the top of that deck until you reveal a creature card. Put that card into play under the Horde's control. It loses all abilities, becomes a werewolf in addition to it's other types, and gains the ability "As long as it is Night, this creature gets +1/+1." Then repeat this process for a second random Survivor deck.