(Last Updated on 2025.10.19!)

#mtgweird

Magic: the Gathering has 10s of 1,000s of unique cards. It has 30+ years of history. When delving into social media or strategy sites, I only read of a few homogenous ways of playing contemporarily: Limited (Draft, Sealed, Cube) and Constructed (Commander… oh yeah, other formats! WotC-supported such as Legacy, Vintage, Modern, etc., and player-built-communities such as Canadian Highlander, Premodern, Old School, etc.). 

I learned how to play Magic (loosely) at a young age, and played my first Pro Tour Qualifier during the Mercadian Masques Block era, which has led to my nostalgic fondness of the game being rooted in the 2000s. (Make no mistake, I am still enjoying new cards, though not necessarily in the same way as many other players.) This blog looks to capture some of the spirit of bygone times’ gameplay (either through revisiting time-boxed Formats or looking to create entirely new card pools for Limited or Constructed)! Don’t be intimidated to keep Magic weird and casual fun (though it might require a bit of work on your end 🙂 ).

The following are topics that I’ve delved into (and I will link detailed content as I get it written)!

Invasion Block Constructed

Invasion Block Constructed was a qualifying format for the Pro Tour in the late Summer and early Fall of 2001, with only legal cards being from the Invasion, Planeshift and Apocalypse sets. See more in the following:

• A Summary of the 2001 Invasion Block Constructed Grand Prix Season and Gameplay
• Exploring Invasion Block Deck Lists in the Present
  • Testing Four Different GP Decks
    • 5c “Domain” Control, UWR Control, BRW Midrange, UGR Tempo (Updated 2025.02.25)
    • Updates from Testing; Balancing for Fun

Invasion Block Limited Revisited

(Note: I intend to eventually write these posts, as I have made and played the cube. 🙂 )

The draft format for Invasion, Planeshift and Apocalypse (IPA) was beloved for many years (but most likely has been overshadowed since 2010 as Wizards of the Coast has learned so much about making compelling Limited sets and has revisited multicolored themes several times). See more in the following:

• A Synopsis of IPA Limited (or the Blue and Black Problem)
• Remastering Invasion Block Draft: Allied versus Enemy Pair Tension (MTG Cube)

Ravnica Block – Coldsnap – Time Spiral Block – Tenth Edition Standard

A look at one of Magic‘s most interesting Standard formats!

• Introduction to the Format (and “Current Lists” – for now) (Updated 2025.10.19, 3 minor deck list changes)