Magic: The Gathering's Oathbreaker Format
The Oathbreaker format in Magic: The Gathering is an exciting multiplayer battle that revolves around a planeswalker at the center of your deck. Unlike the standard format, you can use a different planeswalker in Oathbreaker. In addition, you have the opportunity to construct a custom 60-card singleton deck around your chosen planeswalker, complete with a signature spell that complements their abilities.
Oathbreaker decks are primarily comprised of singleton 60-card decks, with the exception of the planeswalker, which can be any planeswalker you desire, and your signature spell, which acts as the 60th card at minimum. This format allows the use of nearly every card ever printed in Magic: The Gathering. If you have access to a card, it is fair game (with a few exceptions). You can even explore your collection of legacy cards if you feel inclined.
The complete rules for Oathbreaker can be found on Wizards of the Coast's official website. These rules mostly adhere to the standard Magic rules, with the added emphasis on planeswalkers. There is a sizable banned list, consisting mostly of cards that could disrupt the game if everyone had access to them.
For instance, Chaos Orb is banned in Oathbreaker due to the occasional flipping of planeswalkers. Other restricted cards include Ad Nauseam (due to discard), Balance, Biorhythm, and Channel. Additionally, cards like Doomsday, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Expropriate, Falling Star, Fastbond, Gifts Ungiven, Griselbrand, High Tide, and Jeweled Lotus are also prohibited.
Similarly, there are a few banned cards that may not have seen much play in Standard recently, but would have a significant impact in Oathbreaker. These cards include Library of Alexandria, Limited Resources, Lion's Eye Diamond, Mana Crypt, Mana Geyser, Mana Vault, Natural Order, Painter's Servant, Primal Surge, Saheeli, the Gifted, Shahrazad, Sol Ring, Sundering Titan, Sylvan Primordial, and Time Vault.
On the other hand, cards like Tinker, Tolarian Academy, Tooth and Nail, Trade Secrets, Upheaval, and Yawgmoth's Bargain are generally allowed. Tinker alone adds an exciting element to Oathbreaker, and when combined with the others, offers plenty of opportunities to create unique and innovative decks. The format will be available on Magic Arena later this year.
Here is the complete banned list for Oathbreaker:
[Banned cards list]
If you're looking for a deckbuilding challenge for the upcoming Planeswalker Day 14, Oathbreaker is an excellent place to start. We recommend familiarizing yourself with the full Oathbreaker format rules beforehand to ensure compliance.
