FAQ

Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about the Universes Contained format.

Why are you doing this?

Because it’s fun!

Why play this as opposed to a real format?

Well, again, because it’s fun! But in particular, if you fall into any of the following categories, we think you might find that Universes Contained is right up your alley:

• If you like Standard because you can use weaker cards or enjoy slower games, but don’t like that it is a rotating format.
• If you like Pioneer because it’s “modern” and nonrotating, but don’t like that it’s currently dominated by Universes Beyond cards.
• If you like Pauper because of its affordability compared to other constructed formats.
• If you used to like Modern but don’t like how it’s dominated by Modern Horizons cards, or how a once-beloved archetype is no longer viable.
• If you wish there was a format where you weren’t forced to engage with Universes Beyond cards to remain competitive.
• If you wish there were fewer set releases that you had to pay attention to.
• If you wish there was a 60-card format where you could play with Universes Beyond cards only otherwise legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Commander.

What are you trying to accomplish with this?

We believe there are some gaps that the current roster of officially sanctioned formats do not yet fill: most notably there being no format with an extensive banlist (i.e., deliberately lower power level) and no format without Universes Beyond cards. While we do still have Universes Beyond cards, they are cordoned off within their own IPs and, given their inherently smaller card pools, tend not to dominate the metagame (as further elaborated on below).

What’s the point when there are already a million fan-made formats?

If there’s already so many, what’s the harm in adding one more?

But let’s not forget, Magic is a unique game in that it does sometimes elevate fan-made formats to official status (see, e.g., Commander and Pauper). So you never know what might happen!

Why does the Metagame page not include any Universes Beyond archetypes?

Although they have access to cards ordinarily legal only in Legacy and other “eternal” formats, in general, because Universes Beyond decks have a smaller available card pool, they tend to be a big weaker on average and less competitive in a tournament environment.

That being said, some Universes Beyond decks, including Final Fantasy Reanimator decks utilizing “Summon: Bahamut” and “Summon: Knights of Round” and 60-card mono-black Necrons from Warhammer 40,000, have been performing very well, and the expectation is that as various Universes Beyond franchises gain access to additional sets (such as Lord of the Rings decks recently gaining access to The Hobbit cards, and Marvel decks—which originally only had access to Spider Man—recently gaining access to Marvel Super Heroes cards) we will start to see more tournament-caliber Universes Beyond decks.

Will there be tournaments?

We intend to sponsor tournaments as the format grows. In the meantime, we welcome and invite any local game store that sees an interest in the format to host a tournament whenever they see fit. The more folks we have playing the format, the better!