Subgame

A subgame is a completely separate Magic game created by an effect. Essentially, it's a game within a game.

Description
The only black-bordered card to create a subgame was Shahrazad from Arabian Nights. Richard Garfield liked the idea of a card that was a game within the game just as Sharazad told stories within stories.

Subgames have proven to cause time issues in tournament play. Thus, Shahrazad is one of the few cards that are banned for a reason other than power issues. Subgames only appear in Silver-bordered cards now (e.g., ).

In silver border, any color can do subgames. The subgame does have to be in-color for the color casting it.

In the design of War of the Spark, R&D played around with a mechanic called skirmish where how you succeeded in combat impacted how a separate minigame was playing out. The Skirmish token would have a tiny "game board" on it showing a field of combat. When you performed one of the stated conditions, you advanced on the field toward the opponent's side. If you had advanced enough, you would win the skirmish. There was a payout for winning, a generated effect.

Rules
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