New to Old School Magic? Start Here

Old School Magic can look intimidating from the outside. Black Lotus. Moxen. Alpha cards. Swedish rules. Reprint policies. Men with beards arguing about whether a card “feels right.” It can all seem like a secret society guarded by gatekeepers.

But here’s the truth: Old School Magic is not about expensive cards. It is about atmosphere, nostalgia, playing the purest version of Magic: The Gathering, and above everything else: community.

This page is here to help you take your first steps into the format.

What is 93/94 Old School Magic?

Old School Magic, often called 93/94, is a way of playing Magic: The Gathering with cards from the earliest years of the game. Most versions of the format are built around the original core sets and early expansions:

That means you will see some of the most iconic cards ever printed.

But you will also see strange forgotten cards, weird brews, terrible creatures, weak spells, beautiful mistakes, and decks that make absolutely no sense until they somehow beat you.

That is part of the charm! Old School is not only a format. It is a celebration of the early days of Magic.

Which rules does Old School use?

There is not one single worldwide Old School ruleset.

The original card pool was the first version of Old School Magic, based on the first full year of the game (August 1993 – August 1994), and was invented in Sweden. Different communities use different versions of the format. For instance: in the U.S. and a few other countries, Fallen Empires is also included in Old School Magic. There is also a list of certain banned (not allowed) or restricted (only 1 copy per deck) cards, with some minor differences among the format variants.

For the sake of simplicity and sanity, virtually all Old School variants use full modern rules, with one exception: some Old School variants still use “mana burn,” which means that players lose 1 life for each unused mana when their mana pool is emptied at the end of each step and phase.

The chart describes the current banned and restricted cards in the various format variants:

Not every Old School tournament in the same region uses the exact same rules. One event may allow certain reprints. Another may be stricter. One event may use mana burn. Another may not. Chaos Orb rules can also differ from tournament to tournament.

That may sound confusing, but in practice it is usually easy. Tournament organizers will publish the rules, and the Old School community is generally very helpful if you have questions.

What reprints are allowed?

This depends on the event. Some Old School groups are very strict and only allow original printings from the earliest sets. Others allow old-frame reprints, foreign cards, Collector’s Edition, International Edition, or other cards that preserve the original look and feel of the format.

A common idea is: same name, same frame. But the exact policy can differ.

Foils, modern-frame cards, gold-bordered World Championship Deck cards, and 30th Anniversary Edition cards are often treated differently depending on the community and the tournament.

So again: check the event rules.

The good news is that many communities want new players to join, and reprint policies are often designed to make the format more accessible while keeping the old-school atmosphere intact.

What deck should I build first?

The best first Old School deck is not always the most powerful deck.
It is the deck you actually enjoy playing!

Old School has many different playstyles: fast creature decks, controlling blue decks, burn decks, prison decks, midrange piles, artifact strategies, combo decks and strange brews that probably should not work but somehow do. The best way to find your place in the format is to try different things.

Do not start by hunting expensive Beta prints. Start simple. Pick up cheaper Revised or Fourth Edition copies where allowed, sleeve up a deck, and begin experimenting. Play games. Make mistakes. Change cards. Try another archetype. Find out what suits you.

Mono-colored decks are often a good place to start because they are more budget-friendly. They do not need dual lands to function, which makes the mana base much cheaper and easier to build.

Once you find your groove, you can slowly start trading up. Maybe you replace a Revised card with an Unlimited copy. Over time, you start working towards a Swedish-legal version of your deck. The chase is part of the fun.

Some good beginner options are:

White Weenie
Small creatures, Crusade, Swords to Plowshares, Disenchant and maybe Armageddon. Easy to understand, very classic, and always capable of stealing games.

Mono Black
Dark Ritual, Hypnotic Specter, Drain Life, Terror, Underworld Dreams, or other black nonsense like Sinkhole. Stylish, aggressive and disruptive.\

Red Aggro / Burn
Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Ball Lightning, Blood Moon, Goblins, Atog and direct damage. Red is simple in theory, but there is still plenty of play to it.

Green Stompy
Elves, Pixies, Erhnam Djinn, Giant Growth, Berserk if you have it, and big creatures turning sideways. Not always subtle, often glorious.

Erhnam Burn’em
Big green creatures, red burn spells, and classic Old School pressure. Erhnam Djinn attacks, Lightning Bolt clears the way, and Fireball finishes the job. Simple, iconic and dangerous.

Blue-Red Counterburn
Serendib Efreet, Flying Men, Lightning Bolt, Counterspell and Psionic Blast. A nice mix of pressure, disruption and classic Old School cards.

Atog
Cheap artifacts, Atog, burn spells and explosive turns. A great choice if you like strange cards and sudden violence.

Do I need Power?

No. You do not need Power Nine cards to start playing Old School.

Yes, you will see Moxen and Black Lotus at tournaments. Yes, they are powerful. Yes, they are part of the mythology of the format. But Old School has always had room for underdogs, budget decks, spicy brews, personal favorites and players who care more about the story than the spreadsheet. Build something you love. Upgrade slowly. Borrow cards if needed, but playing with your own cards is often more fun.

How expensive is Old School really?

Old School can be expensive. There is no point pretending otherwise. Some cards in the format are iconic collector pieces. Power Nine, Library of Alexandria, Bazaar of Baghdad, Mishra’s Workshop, Juzám Djinn and other classics can cost serious money. But that does not mean every deck has to cost a fortune.

Many players start without Power. Some use reprints where allowed. Some build mono-colored decks. Some borrow cards. Some play budget brews. Some slowly upgrade over years. Old School is not a race to own everything. It is a long journey into cardboard madness. Start small. Play games. Learn the format. Upgrade when it feels right.

What is the vibe?

Old School is about the Gathering.

Yes, people play to win games. Yes, some players bring powerful decks. You will see players on The Deck, often considered one of the best overall strategies in the format. But even that is not always just about winning. Some players love The Deck because it fits their playstyle. Others enjoy the challenge, because the deck is powerful but difficult to master.

Old School has room for both spike players and spice players.

Some players want to tune their deck, play tight, and test themselves against strong opponents. Others want to cast strange cards, build around forgotten monsters, or win one glorious game with something nobody expected. Most players are somewhere in between.

But almost everyone will tell you the same thing:

Old School is about love for the game, the stories, the cards, the history, and above everything else: the community.

People come to tournaments to play Magic, but also to admire decks, trade cards, share drinks, laugh about terrible plays, discuss old cardboard, and spend time with people who love the same strange little corner of the game.

You do not need to be an expert.
You do not need a perfect deck.
You do not need Power.
You do not need to know every strange rule interaction from 1994.

You just need curiosity, respect for the format, and a willingness to join the Gathering.