Wizards publishes official Casual Formats guide for Commander players

Wizards has published an official Casual Formats feature that lays out a clear, beginner-friendly baseline for Commander play. The guide spells out what makes Commander distinct from other Magic formats—100-card singleton construction, a single legendary Commander that defines color identity, and multiplayer-friendly rules such as 40 starting life and the commander damage rule—along with a dedicated banned list and expectations around social and casual norms.

The piece functions as an authoritative source for anyone explaining Commander to newcomers or organizing events. It defines the structural rules players need to build legal decks: pick a legendary creature or planeswalker to serve as your Commander, construct a 100-card deck with no duplicates apart from basic lands, and ensure every card fits within the Commander's color identity. Those basics close a lot of common ambiguities that spark table arguments and confusing judge calls, particularly for store-run learn-to-play sessions and casual pods.

Gameplay expectations are front and center. The guide reiterates that Commander is tuned for multiplayer interaction, setting the standard starting life total at 40 and highlighting the commander damage rule as a unique loss condition. It also references a specific banned list and calls out social norms—how players shape play experience through etiquette and agreement—so groups running casual events have a canonical set of terms to adopt or adapt.

For local game stores and event organizers, the feature provides a usable framework to run consistent introductory events, workshops, and judge-free learning tables. Staff can point players to a single set of rules for deck legality and format behavior, reducing setup time and helping new players join pods without repeated explanations. For players, the guide gives a starting checklist: choose a Commander, obey singleton and color identity constraints, set life totals to 40, and follow the commander damage threshold and banned list that govern fair play.

The guide also helps the community vet house rules. If a playgroup wants to adjust social norms or modify the banned list for their meta, they can do so explicitly with an informed baseline in hand—no more guessing what "Commander" means at a new table.

Our two cents? Start teaching Commander with the core trio: Commander selection, 100-card singleton construction, and the 40-life/commander damage setup. Nail those basics first, then layer in etiquette and local tweaks. That approach keeps games smooth, reduces disputes, and makes it easier to introduce new players to the format we all love.